iPad as a laptop replacement

[Zest28]

Interestingly, one of the biggest streamer on the planet doesn't even play games directly from his own PC. From his own PC, he uses remote access to play games on a more powerful remote PC and nobody knew about it, so the lag is very good.

It just shows it is all user error about people crying for Mac OS on the iPad when multi millionaire professional streamers even play games for a living like this.

 

[bondr006]

Can you elaborate on the need/utility of File Browser compared to the native Files app?

I'll add my 2 cents - I had problems with the Files app corrupting files on copying from exFAT external storage. File Browser worked without an issue. Have had occasional Files lockup/failure on cloud transfers - none on FB. FB shows transfer progress (time to go, percentage). FB Pro has a synch capability with external folders. I use it as my general file manager on my devices.

Like @sparksd said, FB still has an edge over the Files app when it comes to features. Don't get me wrong, I like the Files app just fine and use it a lot. It has definitely come a ways since its introduction, and I guess they will keep updating its functionality. I have just been using FB since long before the Files App was even available and I am just used to it.

 

[bondr006]

The PreviewMini app you mention is the one from Marian Koenig? Is it worth it having iPadOS? It’s just 9,99 the pro version, I could get it if it really adds to the iPadOS stock tools…

I have not done much with it so far. It does give the iPad the functionality of Mac Preview though, if that is worth anything to you. @Webcat86 is the member who introduced Preview Mini to me.

 

[Ludatyk]

Can you elaborate on the need/utility of File Browser compared to the native Files app?

To echo @sparksd and @bondr006 thoughts... external support for file transfers were a hassle in the early stages of Apple adding the feature. I had plenty of hiccups that made file transfers practically unusable and relying on the Files app was a no go (I admit it has improved recently).

But compared to Files app, it's a more feature rich file manager and I find it's much quicker navigating around the app.

 

[richpjr]

Don't give attention to people that have nothing better to do with their time, than to rage bait on internet forums

Kind of an ironic comment in a thread about using the iPad as a laptop replacement. It doesn't work for everyone in its current form. Everyone is aware it's not a laptop, but

@fw85
View attachment 2378863


You are right. As long as people keep entertaining the annoyances, the annoyances will persist. Ignore them! They will get bored and go looking for attention elsewhere.

So, in a thread about trying to use an iPad as laptop, people should not express their opinions on how good it does or does not work with them? Seriously?

 

[sparksd]

To echo @sparksd and @bondr006 thoughts... external support for file transfers were a hassle in the early stages of Apple adding the feature. I had plenty of hiccups that made file transfers practically unusable and relying on the Files app was a no go (I admit it has improved recently).

But compared to Files app, it's a more feature rich file manager and I find it's much quicker navigating around the app.

And the developers are continually adding new functionality. They're great to deal with - I had some back and forth with them some time back and they were incredibly responsive.

 

[bondr006]

Kind of an ironic comment in a thread about using the iPad as a laptop replacement. It doesn't work for everyone in its current form. Everyone is aware it's not a laptop, but

So, in a thread about trying to use an iPad as laptop, people should not express their opinions on how good it does or does not work with them? Seriously?

Personal experiences like, "the iPad doesn't cover all my work needs and can't replace my laptop" work well here. Blanket statements like, "the iPad doesn't fill anyone's work needs, is nothing more than just an expensive entertainment consumption device, and a big iPhone" made to apply to everybody's personal experience.....don't. The person those above posts refers to is not here to help people use their iPads better, or even discover if they can use their iPads as a laptop replacement. He is here to bash Apple products and stir up the natives. Follow this conversation back to here to see why this person is being talked to like a troll. He is not here for debate, he is here solely to stir up the natives.

 

[richpjr]

Personal experiences like, "the iPad doesn't cover all my work needs and can't replace my laptop" work well here. Blanket statements like, "the iPad doesn't fill anyone's work needs, is nothing more than just an expensive entertainment consumption device, and a big iPhone" made to apply to everybody's personal experience.....don't. The person those above posts refers to is not here to help people use their iPads better, or even discover if they can use their iPads as a laptop replacement. He is here to bash Apple products and stir up the natives. Follow this conversation back to here to see why this person is being talked to like a troll. He is not here for debate, he is here solely to stir up the natives.

I agree but have also seen a lot of blanket posts about how it does work and if you don't agree you are wrong.

I can only speak for myself, and it doesn't work for my uses. I hope some big improvements are coming next month.

 

[Ludatyk]

I agree but have also seen a lot of blanket posts about how it does work and if you don't agree you are wrong.

I can only speak for myself, and it doesn't work for my uses. I hope some big improvements are coming next month.

I don't follow this one.

As much as I've been in this thread, I've never came across a post indicating that the iPad is a laptop replacement for everyone. The folks that come here expressing how they use the iPad as their laptop replacement always do so with the intentions it works for them.

Never the case where they issue a blanket statement applying their situation to everyone.

 

[bondr006]

I agree but have also seen a lot of blanket posts about how it does work and if you don't agree you are wrong.

I can only speak for myself, and it doesn't work for my uses. I hope some big improvements are coming next month.

See, that wasn't so hard to speak about your own personal experience with the iPad. The other guy is making statements like:

Do you really think an iPad can replace a laptop? That is, replace the MacBook? To do so, it has to run macOS.
Windows (or Linux) runs on any touch screen laptop or tablet with a detachable keyboard. Because they run the same OS - macOS and iPadOS are not the same.

You are one of a kind. I've read your posts on this matter. You have a nice setup, at least your attached images show. But, iPadOS is not macOS, so an iPad can't run/act as a laptop/desktop computer. A laptop/MacBook is a condensed desktop computer, even if you can carry it around. An iPad is not. Apple has many OSs, but they are not equal to each other. Each OS runs on a given Apple device, but won't run on the other Apple device.

Well, it is a tablet that can look like a desktop computer with an external monitor connected to it though a hub, but it won't ever be a desktop computer. It just can't run a desktop computer OS, which is in this case, macOS.

I'm not saying you need to run Linux on your devices. All this talk about iPad, iPad ... makes me long for Linux again. I can install Linux on practically any "Windows" laptop, 2 in 1 or tablet. Even being Unix machines, neither a MacBook, nor an iPad can run Linux, which is a pity, and also says something about those devices.

Not exactly, but

"iPad as a laptop replacement"​

which it certainly can't, as it doesn't run macOS, the Apple's one and only desktop OS.

And the list goes on....

 

[Arctic Moose]

It just shows it is all user error about people crying for Mac OS on the iPad when multi millionaire professional streamers even play games for a living like this.

He’s doing it from his ****ing house where he has a ****ing Ethernet connection to his rig, not from an airplane, a train going through tunnels, a different country where data costs a fortune by the byte or just any location with slow, intermittent or no cellular coverage.

Incidentally, locations where these conditions tend to exist coincide with situations where one would typically prefer a small, light and flexible device over a more powerful device with a larger screen.

 

[Surfsalot]

Looking forward to my big iPhone arriving today, 11" with keyboard.

Main reason I could never replace iPad with a Mac is I want a big screen, don't want some cheap monitor and the hassle of unplugging 10 times a day to move from my home office to the rest of the house.

 

[Slartibart]

I don't follow this one.

As much as I've been in this thread, I've never came across a post indicating that the iPad is a laptop replacement for everyone. The folks that come here expressing how they use the iPad as their laptop replacement always do so with the intentions it works for them.

Well, there are plenty of posts here where someone tries to express that there is basically always a s̷o̷l̷u̷t̷i̷o̷n̷ workaround which let the iPad replace indeed a laptop - so one could come to the conclusion that there are posters which try to indicate the iPad is a laptop replacement for everyone/everything.

They are not right so

 

[Webcat86]

Well, there are plenty of posts here where someone tries to express that there is basically always a s̷o̷l̷u̷t̷i̷o̷n̷ workaround which let the iPad replace indeed a laptop - so one could come to the conclusion that there are posters which try to indicate the iPad is a laptop replacement for everyone/everything.

They are not right so

Maybe I've just not seen them, but the posts I've seen are typically more trying to be helpful and sharing ways or apps to help someone do something on an iPad that they didn't think was possible.

To go back to your earlier quotes from the person being accused of being a troll, notice how it unfolded last night. In response to a polite post from someone saying how they couldn't believe they weren't using the MacBook because of how nice the new iPad with MK was to use, (s)he said iPad didn't have Preview and so "can only act like a laptop". I pointed out that it doesn't have an app called Preview, but it has the same functionality regardless and asked if there was any specific features they were looking for but couldn't find, and mentioned an app that was built to more accurately mimic Preview on iPad. @bondr006 took the trouble of recording a video demonstrating that functionality. And then the troll deviated, seeming to gloat that the app was, in fact, an app rather than native. Three separate times of asking "what features are you looking for?" have all gone ignored.

This is trolling behaviour designed to agitate. There is no serious attempt to engage with people, no real interest in better understanding or using the iPad, and certainly no desire to realise that it can in fact do more than they realise. If you've seen anything comparable to this from people who insist it is a laptop/laptop replacement, I'd love to see it.

 

[chmania]

See, that wasn't so hard to speak about your own personal experience with the iPad. The other guy is making statements like:

And the list goes on....

By the way, I watched the video you made to the end (with the volume very high to hear what you say). Then came another video after that, which was longer, I watched that too to the end.

Quite interesting, thanks!

 

[Surfsalot]

The new 11” with keyboard seems small, 13” would/could def be a laptop replacement.
Not sure about the 11”.

 

[Webcat86]

The new 11” with keyboard seems small, 13” would/could def be a laptop replacement.
Not sure about the 11”.

I have actually been feeling like my 11” is large. A 13” would obviously feel larger and I agree more like a laptop, but the 11” certainly doesn’t feel cramped. The typing experience on my Logitech is great too

 

[HFH22]

I’ve been trying to use my 12.9 inch M1 Pro as my main device, but a couple of software issues hold me back. Like, why can’t I map a back button to my mouse??? Why does it frequently refuse to type in the window that has focus when I’m on an external monitor??? Why is the PDF editor so bad??? Why can’t I have desktop safari with extensions and so I can fill out government forms that refuse to accept mobile browsers? I genuinely don’t need a full Mac for my use case, except there are so many tiny restrictions in the software that make it so I have to use a Mac. I hope they fix it eventually.

 

[Webcat86]

I’ve been trying to use my 12.9 inch M1 Pro as my main device, but a couple of software issues hold me back. Like, why can’t I map a back button to my mouse??? Why does it frequently refuse to type in the window that has focus when I’m on an external monitor??? Why is the PDF editor so bad??? Why can’t I have desktop safari with extensions and so I can fill out government forms that refuse to accept mobile browsers? I genuinely don’t need a full Mac for my use case, except there are so many tiny restrictions in the software that make it so I have to use a Mac. I hope they fix it eventually.

For safari, iPad does let you add extensions, or is it a particular one that’s missing? Would another browser be better? I use safari 99% of the time on all my devices but occasionally I find a site that just doesn’t play nicely with it.

I’m not sure what’s missing with the PDF editor but the Readdles one is supposed to be excellent.

 

[Surfsalot]

I have actually been feeling like my 11” is large. A 13” would obviously feel larger and I agree more like a laptop, but the 11” certainly doesn’t feel cramped. The typing experience on my Logitech is great too

I think it’s the new keyboard makes the 11” seem small, soon as you take it out and hold it it’s great size and so light.

 

[HFH22]

For safari, iPad does let you add extensions, or is it a particular one that’s missing? Would another browser be better? I use safari 99% of the time on all my devices but occasionally I find a site that just doesn’t play nicely with it.

I’m not sure what’s missing with the PDF editor but the Readdles one is supposed to be excellent.

It didn't let me add several that I needed for work when I was trying to use it for that. I tried other browsers but no dice.

My issue with the PDF editor is that it puts the text boxes in the wrong place, makes it impossible for you to move them, moves them back after you finally manage to move them, and then saves with them in the wrong place after all. Or sometimes it just decides not to save your changes at all. I have no idea how something this fundamental to iPad is still so messed up years after I first noticed it, but alas.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the iPad! But it's just frustrating to deal with these tiny grievances for years on such an expensive device.

 

[Webcat86]

It didn't let me add several that I needed for work when I was trying to use it for that. I tried other browsers but no dice.

My issue with the PDF editor is that it puts the text boxes in the wrong place, makes it impossible for you to move them, moves them back after you finally manage to move them, and then saves with them in the wrong place after all. Or sometimes it just decides not to save your changes at all. I have no idea how something this fundamental to iPad is still so messed up years after I first noticed it, but alas.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the iPad! But it's just frustrating to deal with these tiny grievances for years on such an expensive device.

Fortunately I’ve not experienced this but it sounds very frustrating. Have you tried third-party PDF apps?

 

[HFH22]

Fortunately I’ve not experienced this but it sounds very frustrating. Have you tried third-party PDF apps?

No, it's not something I do frequently enough to research and find one... and I'm kind of feeling stubborn about it. Like of all the things an iPad can do, this is one thing that should be extremely user-friendly IMO. At this point I just fill it out on my iPhone or Mac, print it, sign it, and scan it and I still save a significant amount of time that way.

 

[Webcat86]

No, it's not something I do frequently enough to research and find one... and I'm kind of feeling stubborn about it. Like of all the things an iPad can do, this is one thing that should be extremely user-friendly IMO. At this point I just fill it out on my iPhone or Mac, print it, sign it, and scan it and I still save a significant amount of time that way.

Understandable. If it helps, PDF Expert it supposed to be excellent.

 

[bondr006]

No, it's not something I do frequently enough to research and find one... and I'm kind of feeling stubborn about it. Like of all the things an iPad can do, this is one thing that should be extremely user-friendly IMO. At this point I just fill it out on my iPhone or Mac, print it, sign it, and scan it and I still save a significant amount of time that way.

As @Webcat86 said, PDF Expert is a great app that I personally use. I also hear good things about PDFelement.