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iPad as a laptop replacement

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richpjr

richpjr

macrumors 68040
May 9, 2006
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ThatsMeRight said:
Yeah, like you said, YMMV. I bet for most people under 30, an iPad is more intuitive and they’d say a Mac is slower pace filled with unnecessary steps.

People generally stick to what they’re used to. :)
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I'm all for new ways of doing things if they are an improvement. I just think there are too many compromises for a lot my particular use-cases. If I used it for just email, social media and surfing the web I could use just an iPad.
 
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JamesMay82

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Oct 12, 2009
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Kal Madda said:
Yeah, I can attest that to me the Mac sometimes seems slower pace and filled with unnecessary steps vs my iPad for the work I do. I still like it, and that’s why I have and use a Mac, but my iPad Pro is my primary device because it’s more efficient for my workflow.
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I'm 42 and I will agree that it's just what we've all gotten comfortable with/grown up with. My 10 year old finds the Mac/PC boring.

Having said that, my big worry is that all these people who are iPad only have no back up of the videos and photos! its a ticking time bomb if you ask me!
 
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Kal Madda

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JamesMay82 said:
I'm 42 and I will agree that it's just what we've all gotten comfortable with/grown up with. My 10 year old finds the Mac/PC boring.

Having said that, my big worry is that all these people who are iPad only have no back up of the videos and photos! its a ticking time bomb if you ask me!
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I agree, I think it’s mostly about user preferences and what we’re used to. 👍🏻. And I do have backups of my videos and photos from my iPad. 👍🏻
 
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TPadden

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2010
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JamesMay82 said:
... my big worry is that all these people who are iPad only have no back up of the videos and photos! its a ticking time bomb if you ask me!
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You really need to step away from your electronics, get outside , and talk to real people, if that's your idea of a ticking time bomb big worry. 😢

Tom
 
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DaveCPA

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Jul 2, 2023
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TPadden said:
You really need to step away from your electronics, get outside , and talk to real people, if that's your idea of a ticking time bomb big worry. 😢

Tom
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If they’re 42 there are probably pics of kids or special experiences on there that might be irreplaceable without a proper backup. For that reason, that sort of thing would be front of mind for someone in that age range.

You really need to consider that you’re not the only use case in the world.
 
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Kal Madda

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TPadden said:
You really need to step away from your electronics, get outside , and talk to real people, if that's your idea of a ticking time bomb big worry. 😢

Tom
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Someone’s entitled to disagree with you, and it doesn’t mean they “need to get out more”. That’s insulting and rude. I think backups are important, and that is why I do backup my photos and files from my iPhone and iPad. And I don’t need a Mac to do it. I don’t view it as a ticking time bomb, because like I said, I back my photos up and it’s a very simple process. And a lot of other people do the same.
 
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TPadden

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Oct 28, 2010
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Kal Madda said:
Someone’s entitled to disagree with you, and it doesn’t mean they “need to get out more”. That’s insulting and rude. I think backups are important, and that is why I do backup my photos and files from my iPhone and iPad.
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Actually I don't disagree with taking care of what's important to you. What's important to you is your own business. What is ridiculous is worrying that others might not have the same concerns. Sorry, you do need to get out more if you think your digital records are, or should be important to others who don't even know you. ;)

Tom
 
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JamesMay82

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Oct 12, 2009
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TPadden said:
Actually I don't disagree with taking care of what's important to you. What's important to you is your own business. What I s ridiculous is worrying that others might not have the same concerns. Sorry, you do need to get out more if you think your digital records are, or should be important to others who don't even know you. ;)

Tom
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All I meant was if you lost all your photos of your kids being born, wedding day etc you would be upset about it. I don’t think the average person thinks to back up outside of iCloud. Ticking time bomb was maybe dramatic but you knew what I meant
 
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whitestar27

macrumors member
Sep 27, 2012
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I'm slowly moving towards going all in on the iPad, well not ALL in but as much as practical. I did try to read this whole thread but gave up about 50 pages in :)

I've been slowly reevaluating how I do all my computing and ditching anything that doesn't have an iPad option and switching to things that do. Finances for instance - I've moved to YNAB because that has a good iPad app. Photos I'm moving to Photos + Affinity Photo, and once I pick up a new iPad in a few months, Resolve for video work. I have a Mac for some things like full Resolve but I understand full screen support is better now for newer iPads so looking forward to plugging an iPad into a big screen for photo work
 
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moose_not_men

macrumors newbie
Sep 5, 2024
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Mad Pierre said:
I haven't replaced it for everything, but I use mine for a massive amount - including writing long documents (Ulysses) and scripts (Slugline). Also, lots of short form stuff - using Word or Google Docs. I have moved over to editing photos (taken with full-frame Lumix cameras, or MFT) and I love that especially - very intuitive with the iPad (Photomator). And of course it's a brilliant content-consumption device. I have the new M4 iPad Pro and the new Magic Keyboard is EXCELLENT - IMHO better than the MacBook Pro I also own. I see lots of people wanting MacOS on the iPad - I don't. The OS is great for the device its on.
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are you using 11 or 13 inch?
 
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Kal Madda

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bondr006

bondr006

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Jun 8, 2010
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Cary, NC - My Name is Rob Bond
Kal Madda said:
I think I mostly agree with that, though I still don’t get why people claim iPadOS doesn’t have a “competent” file system. The Files app is nearly identical to Finder in most ways anymore.
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I don't think anyone has said that iOS Files is "incompetent", more like "incomplete" compared to Mac Finder or Windows Explorer....which is true. Files just recently gained the ability to format an external drive in iOS/iPadOS. The Files App has come a very long way from it's appearance on iOS/iPadOS 11 in 2017 for sure, and it gets used a lot on my iPad. Maybe very suitable for users like us...but, it still has a ways to go before it can fully compete with its bigger brothers and fill the all the needs of professionals and power users. Just like many of us can use the iPad as a laptop replacement just as it is, there are still many that need to supplement their iPad use with a laptop or desktop.

A little search on the internet found some of the differences:

"Compared to the Mac Finder, the iOS Files app cannot perform advanced file management tasks like creating complex search filters, saving custom search criteria, directly accessing and managing files on the local hard drive of a Mac, and providing a fully customizable view of file system hierarchy due to the limitations of the iOS interface.

Key differences:

Local File Access:

The Files app on iOS primarily focuses on accessing files stored in cloud services or on the device itself, while Finder allows direct interaction with the entire local hard drive on a Mac.

Advanced Search Options:

Finder offers more sophisticated search filters and the ability to save custom search queries, which are limited in the iOS Files app.

Visual File Organization:

Mac Finder provides a more flexible view with detailed folder structures and customization options for navigating the file system, which is less extensive on iOS."
 
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Kal Madda

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bondr006 said:
I don't think anyone has said that iOS Files is "incompetent", more like "incomplete" compared to Mac Finder or Windows Explorer....which is true. Files just recently gained the ability to format an external drive in iOS/iPadOS. The Files App has come a very long way from it's appearance on iOS/iPadOS 11 in 2017 for sure, and it gets used a lot on my iPad. Maybe very suitable for users like us...but, it still has a ways to go before it can fully compete with its bigger brothers and fill the all the needs of professionals and power users. Just like many of us can use the iPad as a laptop replacement just as it is, there are still many that need to supplement their iPad use with a laptop or desktop.

A little search on the internet found some of the differences:

"Compared to the Mac Finder, the iOS Files app cannot perform advanced file management tasks like creating complex search filters, saving custom search criteria, directly accessing and managing files on the local hard drive of a Mac, and providing a fully customizable view of file system hierarchy due to the limitations of the iOS interface.

Key differences:

Local File Access:

The Files app on iOS primarily focuses on accessing files stored in cloud services or on the device itself, while Finder allows direct interaction with the entire local hard drive on a Mac.

Advanced Search Options:

Finder offers more sophisticated search filters and the ability to save custom search queries, which are limited in the iOS Files app.

Visual File Organization:

Mac Finder provides a more flexible view with detailed folder structures and customization options for navigating the file system, which is less extensive on iOS."
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I understand that there are a few more niche things that Finder does that Files doesn’t, but mostly what I was talking about was this part of the article:

1725632003413.jpeg


I mean, to be honest, I don’t really know the big difference with search. I’m sure there’s a difference, but search in Files has always been sufficient for my needs. And this gap may be narrowing with Apple Intelligence. As to the file system, the only things not shown in Files are system-level files that a user doesn’t normally want to modify because it can cause major errors with the system. Everything else is visible just like on Finder. But I guess some workflows may require access to these system files?

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t prefer Finder over Files. I guess I just don’t see that big of a difference, and it bothers me that a lot of authors label Files as not competent. 👍🏻
 
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Heat_Fan89

macrumors 68030
Feb 23, 2016
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I get that some want to replace their Macs with an iPad. I recently purchased a wireless keyboard and it has a built in touchpad. My M2 Air is held in place with strong magnets on the back lid. When I open the lid and it exposes the iPad Air, anyone might think it could be a computer instead of an iPad.

However, customizing my keyboard and touchpad to my liking, I still much prefer using my Mac Mini along with my Magic keyboard and touchpad. I prefer that experience vs the M2 iPad Air setup and I much prefer macOS over iPadOS.
 
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whitestar27

macrumors member
Sep 27, 2012
73
65
New Zealand
The main issue I have with Files is I can't see any way to can't tell it which app should open a particular file type, which sometimes means it opens with the wrong app and I can't do anything to stop it.
 
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