iPad as a laptop replacement

[Kal Madda]

Yeah that's it.. It was pretty easy to do on the iphone but like I said maybe I missed something on the ipad

So this is how that works on the iPad:

1. Create a new Lock Screen by hold-pressing on the Lock Screen.

2. You should get this pop-up that’s shown in the first screenshot:

3. Select the Photo Shuffle button that I circled in that screenshot. You should get this UI next:

4. Select Album and you can select the photo album you want to use as the source for your wallpaper. You can also adjust the shuffle frequency by using the “Shuffle Frequency” button below the “Album” button. 👍🏻

 

[PPCmike]

So this is how that works on the iPad:

1. Create a new Lock Screen by hold-pressing on the Lock Screen.

2. You should get this pop-up that’s shown in the first screenshot:
View attachment 2457106
3. Select the Photo Shuffle button that I circled in that screenshot. You should get this UI next:

View attachment 2457107

4. Select Album and you can select the photo album you want to use as the source for your wallpaper. You can also adjust the shuffle frequency by using the “Shuffle Frequency” button below the “Album” button. 👍🏻

Oh man thanks so much! As soon as she's done messing around on it I will set it up

 

[Kal Madda]

Oh man thanks so much! As soon as she's done messing around on it I will set it up

No problem, glad I could help! 👍🏻. I hope you both enjoy your new iPad’s! My iPad is by far my favorite computer I’ve ever owned! 👍🏻

 

[Ludatyk]

So this is how that works on the iPad:

1. Create a new Lock Screen by hold-pressing on the Lock Screen.

2. You should get this pop-up that’s shown in the first screenshot:
View attachment 2457106
3. Select the Photo Shuffle button that I circled in that screenshot. You should get this UI next:

View attachment 2457107

4. Select Album and you can select the photo album you want to use as the source for your wallpaper. You can also adjust the shuffle frequency by using the “Shuffle Frequency” button below the “Album” button. 👍🏻

I wish this can done on the HomeScreen too!

 

[bondr006]

Let's not forget what's she is used to. Regardless how intuitive and IPad may or may not be. Like many who choose one phone os over another its simply familiarity.

IPads once 1st on weight and battery endurance are largely a thing of the past with latest laptops MacOS or Windows. Some windows laptops have cellular connectivity unlike Macs. Also hot-spot of your mobile is probably more practical for most.

I see no overly compelling argument for IPad over laptops even for someone with modest requirements and especially so if they are use to laptops.

My wife would curse me if I forced an iPad on her and she like the OP family member is a modest user of just a few dailies and VC. She simply knows where everything is and just flips it open on her lap and does what she does lol and no new OS to learn.

Another very subjective post. My mom never learned to use a computer, but 8 years ago when I got her her first iPad...she took right to it and never looked back. If you sit her down in front of a laptop, she just stares blankly, with a confused look on her face. I tried to teach her but she just couldn't get it. The iPad was another story. At 88 she's still going strong and now has a 9th gen iPad that I'd have to pry out of her cold dead hands. Different story for different folk, but the iPad was definitely the right device for her.😉

 

[bondr006]

Last week I accidentally closed an iPad Sarafi window with a lot of open tabs. That's when I discovered that the iPad version of Safari does not have the same window recovery options as my Mac.

I didn’t even know there was a window recovery option. That might be useful to know 👍🏻

While you can't recover a whole window with tabs, iPad Safari does have a history feature...so you can recover individual tabs.

 

[bondr006]

I looking at picking up the 10th gen ipad tomorrow So Im hoping she would see this would be better off for her.. as for the keyboard cases I was looking at that logitech one but how is the feeling of the case? Is it smooth or does it have like a woven texture?

Sorry for the delayed answer. I see that you got the Logitech Combo Touch. It has a woven pattern but feels relatively smooth. Gives it a bit better grip. Hope your mom enjoys her new iPad. 😊

 

[Kal Madda]

While you can't recover a whole window with tabs, iPad Safari does have a history feature...so you can recover individual tabs.

View attachment 2457278 View attachment 2457279

And @Webcat86, I looked more into it because I thought it was interesting, and apparently there is supposed to be a way to recover Safari windows. If I remember the steps correctly, you hold press the Safari icon in the dock, select “show all windows”, and this should be visible at the top right if some windows unexpectedly closed recently. I haven’t had a need to test it myself, but I thought you may find that useful. 👍🏻. I thought it was pretty interesting. 👍🏻

 

[bondr006]

And @Webcat86, I looked more into it because I thought it was interesting, and apparently there is supposed to be a way to recover Safari windows. If I remember the steps correctly, you hold press the Safari icon in the dock, select “show all windows”, and this should be visible at the top right if some windows unexpectedly closed recently. I haven’t had a need to test it myself, but I thought you may find that useful. 👍🏻. I thought it was pretty interesting. 👍🏻View attachment 2457298View attachment 2457297

Is this for the iPad? I followed your instructions, and on my iPad I don't get anything like this.

This is the drop down menu I get on my iPad when I press hold the Safari icon in the dock.

 

[Kal Madda]

Is this for the iPad? I followed your instructions, and on my iPad I don't get anything like this.View attachment 2457303

This is the drop down menu I get on my iPad when I press hold the Safari icon in the dock.

View attachment 2457304

Yeah, it’s for iPad. Like I said, I haven’t had need to use it. I can look for the source for those screenshots. 👍🏻. That’s odd though that your iPad isn’t showing the “Show All Windows” option. It Shows up in mine. 👍🏻. I have multiple Safari windows open, maybe that affects it?

PS, I just created a dictionary Siri Shortcut, so that’s why I have 3 icons for it on my Home Screen, lol! 😂. I created custom Home Screen icons for it, one of which is dark mode. 👍🏻

 

[bondr006]

Yeah, it’s for iPad. Like I said, I haven’t had need to use it. I can look for the source for those screenshots. 👍🏻. That’s odd though that your iPad isn’t showing the “Show All Windows” option. It Shows up in mine. 👍🏻. I have multiple Safari windows open, maybe that affects it?View attachment 2457321

Thanks for the response! I'll look into it more in a bit and let you know what I come up with. Appears I need to do some experimenting. Always cool after all these years to learn something new on my iPad. 😊

 

[Kal Madda]

Thanks for the response! I'll look into it more in a bit and let you know what I come up with. Appears I need to do some experimenting. Always cool after all these years to learn something new on my iPad. 😊

No problem! 👍🏻. Hopefully you can figure out what’s causing that option to not appear for you. 👍🏻

 

[Kal Madda]

Thanks for the response! I'll look into it more in a bit and let you know what I come up with. Appears I need to do some experimenting. Always cool after all these years to learn something new on my iPad. 😊

I tracked down a source for the screenshots. 👍🏻. The user LotusPilot covers how this works in several comments in this thread. He says it is working in iPadOS 17, so I would think it’s still working in iPadOS 18, but who knows. I tried some experiments, but couldn’t get the “Reopen closed windows” button to appear. I am running a developer beta, so it’s possible its absence for me is a bug. It could also be that I didn’t do it correctly. I’m going to experiment with it more, but I hope this is helpful. 👍🏻

Accidentally closed all open tabs on iPad… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[PPCmike]

Sorry for the delayed answer. I see that you got the Logitech Combo Touch. It has a woven pattern but feels relatively smooth. Gives it a bit better grip. Hope your mom enjoys her new iPad. 😊

She loves it... I'm thinking about getting another for my Fiancee (I got her an ipad) I might get myself an ipad and the Logitech case but without the trackpad. It was nice Bestbuy had a display up so I could feel it the only thing is I wished the Crayon holder was more universal.

The magnetic connection is very solid which I really like and the hot keys are handy.

 

[Kal Madda]

Thanks for the response! I'll look into it more in a bit and let you know what I come up with. Appears I need to do some experimenting. Always cool after all these years to learn something new on my iPad. 😊

I was able to replicate the “Reopen Closed Windows” option. The problem with my previous tests was likely that I wasn’t giving iPadOS enough time to index my new Safari window before I closed it. I’d create it, populate it with a few tabs from my favorites, and then close it right away. This time, I created it and left it open for a few minutes before I closed it. Then when I went to “Show All Windows” for Safari, it gave me that option at the top.

Oh, also, @bondr006, You can also replicate the functionality of “Show All Windows” by tapping on the Safari icon a second time after you have your latest Safari window open. I believe this was added in iPadOS 18. This behavior works for all apps that support multiple windows. I forgot to mention that earlier. 👍🏻

 

[macfacts]

Yeah, looks like I jumped the gun. I tried it on the Wayback Machine example above and it didn't work. And the root problem is not unique to Safari, it exists on other iOS browsers.

Other iOS browsers are just reskined safari.

 

[Kal Madda]

Other iOS browsers are just reskined safari.

Yes and no. If we’re to be precise, other iOS browsers aren’t Safari because Safari is the complete browser and interface with a specific feature set. All that other third-party browsers must share in common with Safari is WebKit, which is a browser engine. Browser engines are responsible for interpreting HTML, CSS code, etc. They’re responsible for background processes and such, and the reason Apple restricts browser engines on iOS/iPadOS to WebKit is because browser engines also manage system security aspects and require access to parts of the system that could be a huge security risk if used by malicious software. As Apple hardens the system and adds more APIs and such for more secure access to these system resources, I’m guessing that Apple will open the system up globally to other browser engines. So all iOS/iPadOS browsers (outside of the EU) do use WebKit, but they are not “reskinned Safari”, the user-facing features can be quite different, and many of the missing features in third-party browsers like Chrome that people often complain about are not due to using WebKit, but are missing entirely due to developer choices, they would be able to implement them, but either haven’t yet, or have chosen not to implement them.

 

[Kal Madda]

Also, as a note about Stage Manger improvements in iPadOS 18, there are actually a few nice improvements to Stage Manager, even though they weren’t announced at WWDC24. By clicking on the app dock icon for an app that’s already open, it will open the “Show All Windows” interface. But in addition to this, clicking on the small app icon for an app in the left-hand Stage Manager interface (the app must support multiple windows), this will also open the “Show All Windows” interface. These are both pretty handy improvements, and the later is interesting because I was wondering if they would add functionality to those app icons in the Stage Manager interface. It seems in iPadOS 18 they have. And Stage Manager also seems to sport some under-the-hood improvements, the Stage Manager interface seems to load a bit faster in iPadOS 18. It also seems like it supports a wider range of monitors from what I’ve heard. I think most people assume that iPadOS 18 doesn’t bring any improvements to Stage Manager because Apple didn’t announce them in the keynote at WWDC24. But as we’ve found the past couple of years, there are several improvements that are incorporated into iPadOS that don’t necessarily get a mention at WWDC. 👍🏻

 

[Ludatyk]

Also, as a note about Stage Manger improvements in iPadOS 18, there are actually a few nice improvements to Stage Manager, even though they weren’t announced at WWDC24. By clicking on the app dock icon for an app that’s already open, it will open the “Show All Windows” interface. But in addition to this, clicking on the small app icon for an app in the left-hand Stage Manager interface (the app must support multiple windows), this will also open the “Show All Windows” interface. These are both pretty handy improvements, and the later is interesting because I was wondering if they would add functionality to those app icons in the Stage Manager interface. It seems in iPadOS 18 they have. And Stage Manager also seems to sport some under-the-hood improvements, the Stage Manager interface seems to load a bit faster in iPadOS 18. It also seems like it supports a wider range of monitors from what I’ve heard. I think most people assume that iPadOS 18 doesn’t bring any improvements to Stage Manager because Apple didn’t announce them in the keynote at WWDC24. But as we’ve found the past couple of years, there are several improvements that are incorporated into iPadOS that don’t necessarily get a mention at WWDC. 👍🏻

I'm curious... what improvements are you hoping Apple add to Stage Manager going forward? If you were to give them a list of features to add... what will they be?

 

[Kal Madda]

I'm curious... what improvements are you hoping Apple add to Stage Manager going forward? If you were to give them a list of features to add... what will they be?

I’m pretty happy with where Stage Manager is currently. 👍🏻. One thing that I do think would be nice would be if the Control Center could be displayed on an external monitor, as well as the Notification Center. Currently, when you hover over those on the external monitor, the cursor highlights the buttons, but when you click on them, they open on the iPad’s display, which can be somewhat jarring. Clamshell mode or the lack thereof doesn’t really bother me, but it does some others, so I would probably add that to my list as well. Oh, and the ability to create window groups, maybe even be able to assign them to a focus. To where you could basically have a custom group of app windows that pop up with either a Siri Shortcut, or a focus mode. I don’t know how much I’d end up using it, but I think that could be pretty cool. 👍🏻. Siri Shortcuts can already open a split view with two predefined apps, so I think a Stage with predefined apps would make sense as an additional Siri Shortcut option.

Really though, I’m pretty happy with where it currently is. I’m not one of those people upset for some odd reason that app windows kind of snap on an invisible grid. I actually really like that behavior vs the way macOS handles it. With macOS, it feels like once I bump a window it will never be centered ever again, where with iPadOS, it’s much easier to get an aesthetically pleasing workspace (which to me as a designer and stickler for aesthetic is a nice added touch). It just feels less cluttered and chaotic. And I likewise am perfectly happy with 4 windows on the screen at a time. More than that would likely feel extremely cramped on my iPad. I mean, if they want to add the option to have more than four app windows at a time in a stage I won’t complain, but I’m hardly pining for it either. I’ve never really wanted to clutter my screen with dozens of app windows simultaneously.

Overall, I don’t really think there would be a lot I’d want Apple to change about it, and if Apple never changes anything else about Stage Manager, I won’t be upset. I think Stage Manager has the perfect balance of flexibility and order. I really don’t understand how people claim it’s “unintuitive” and “useless”…. Probably the change I’d like to see the most would be the Control Center behavior on external monitors, and that’s not that big of a deal. 👍🏻

 

[rletras]

Hello everyone !
I've used my iPad as my main device for some time in 2019, with an iPad Pro 11 2018. It was a nice experience, but it wasn't ready back then.

Then Covid-19 came and I needed a proper desktop solution. I always enjoyed having only one device for everything. And for that reason, since then, I've started using the Microsoft Surface lineup, first the Go3 and now the Pro X.
However, it isn't really a great laptop, and most of all, a great tablet. And I need something reliable to use on the go, touchscreen, smaller than the Surface Pro, and that isn't super heavy.

And here we are now! I'm ready to jump in again to the iPad as my main device again!
I've read many pages on this thread and it was amazing. I'll keep reading and posting here.

Can you just give me a little advice:
For the same budget (~600€ in Europe) I should go with the Air 2024 M2 or the iPad Pro 11 2021 M1? Same storage (128gb)

 

[Slartibart]

I wish this can done on the HomeScreen too!

you actually have 3 options: if lock screen and home screen use the same photo (and lock screen shuffles) the home screen wallpaper changes with the same frequency. Or: you setup different focuses which are using different home screen wallpapers. Or: you create a shortcut which you run via an automation.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Hello everyone !
I've used my iPad as my main device for some time in 2019, with an iPad Pro 11 2018. It was a nice experience, but it wasn't ready back then.

View attachment 2457669

Then Covid-19 came and I needed a proper desktop solution. I always enjoyed having only one device for everything. And for that reason, since then, I've started using the Microsoft Surface lineup, first the Go3 and now the Pro X.
However, it isn't really a great laptop, and most of all, a great tablet. And I need something reliable to use on the go, that isn't super heavy.

And here we are now! I'm ready to jump in again to the iPad as my main device again!
I've read many pages on this thread and it was amazing. I'll keep reading and posting here.

Can you just give me a little advice:
For the same budget (~600€ in Europe) I should go with the Air 2024 M2 or the iPad Pro 11 2021 M1? Same storage (128gb)

You say "And I need something reliable to use on the go, that isn't super heavy."

A MacBook Air would certainly do the job and more. But if your mind is made up 100%, enjoy whichever iPad you choose

 

[rletras]

You say "And I need something reliable to use on the go, that isn't super heavy."

A MacBook Air would certainly do the job and more. But if your mind is made up 100%, enjoy whichever iPad you choose

Just edited my comment to clarify, I need it to be touch and smaller than my actual Pro. The 11' are perfect.
I know the MacBook would be amazing, but I just can't afford both and I need the tablet

 

[Kal Madda]

Hello everyone !
I've used my iPad as my main device for some time in 2019, with an iPad Pro 11 2018. It was a nice experience, but it wasn't ready back then.

View attachment 2457669

Then Covid-19 came and I needed a proper desktop solution. I always enjoyed having only one device for everything. And for that reason, since then, I've started using the Microsoft Surface lineup, first the Go3 and now the Pro X.
However, it isn't really a great laptop, and most of all, a great tablet. And I need something reliable to use on the go, that isn't super heavy.

And here we are now! I'm ready to jump in again to the iPad as my main device again!
I've read many pages on this thread and it was amazing. I'll keep reading and posting here.

Can you just give me a little advice:
For the same budget (~600€ in Europe) I should go with the Air 2024 M2 or the iPad Pro 11 2021 M1? Same storage (128gb)

Awesome! 👍🏻. I think you’ll enjoy the changes that have been made with iPadOS since then! 👍🏻

I think it depends on what you’re after. I have the 11” M1 iPad Pro and absolutely love it! I plan on upgrading in a year or so hopefully to the new M4, but the M1 is still holding up very nicely. 👍🏻

The advantages of the 11” M1 iPad Pro would be that you get a better display (120hz refresh rate) which can be nicer for gaming, you get some better camera hardware (I don’t know how big a deal this is), and I think it also sports a fast port (M1 iPad Pro supports Thunderbolt 3, I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think the M2 Air supports Thunderbolt. One big advantage is also that the iPad Pro supports FaceID, while the Air uses TouchID on the power button. The iPad Pro also has nicer speakers built in, so it has a more full and less tiny sound.

The advantages of the 11” M2 iPad Air are that it has the M2 chip (so a slight performance boost), and it supports the new Apple Pencil Pro (the M1 11” supports the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen.). And since it does have a newer chip, it may get a bit longer software support, but if you don’t plan on riding out it’s 6-7 years of support life, then I don’t think this makes much difference.

So those are the advantages of both options. For me, I would personally probably go with the M1 iPad Pro due to the better display quality and the Thunderbolt 3 port. As a freelance digital artist and graphic designer, I use the Apple Pencil quite a bit, and while the Apple Pencil Pro looks like a nice upgrade over the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen., the iPad Air’s slower display can make drawing feel a little less natural due to some visible latency. So that may be off-putting if you’re wanting to do a lot of art, though the Air certainly can work for art. The Apple Pencil 2nd Gen. is very nice for digital art, and if you aren’t heavy into digital art, then the Pencil will likely not be a major factor in your decision making. I also like having the faster port for large file transfers. And the display quality is probably the biggest factor for me. I like the higher refresh rate on the iPad Pro’s display.

So to wrap up, I think both are pretty solid options, it mostly depends on what you’re after. If you want the better display for visual content creation and/or gaming, then the iPad Pro will deliver a nicer display. If you want the Apple Pencil Pro and a M2 chip, the iPad Air offers both of those, albeit with a few other compromises that may be irrelevant to you and your needs, or may be a bigger deal depending on what you are wanting to do with it. 👍🏻