iPad as a laptop replacement

[xxFoxtail]

Cool! 👍🏻. I think that the iPad supports adjusting the brightness levels of external monitors. I think the options are in the Display & Brightness section in the Settings app. Hopefully that works and is helpful. 👍🏻.

Thanks, for me, I like the idea of native storage for some things, especially my 3D assets. Having some local copies can be more convenient, and I don’t have to pay for as much cloud storage as I otherwise would have to. 👍🏻

Yeah, that’s basically exclusively what I use my Mac Mini for. 👍🏻 I also emulate some Windows games on it, but I’m planning on eventually getting a console. So then it will basically be strictly for testing some macOS features, and comparing to iPadOS features for my SubStack, and managing some external drives. 👍🏻

I know it does with Apple's first party monitors. Unfortunately, just tried it with my LG monitor, still doesn’t look like it's possible.

But, I finally finished setting the iPad all up. It's good to be back on the iPad. I actually decided to just put my MacBook in storage for now. And go 100% in on the iPad for now. I'm really liking this new Magic Keyboard, so much better than the old one.

I know this next question is a little off topic, but didn’t really think it was worth a new post over. In Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices > English. I have the voice set for Siri Voice 2 on both my iPhone and iPad, but the iPhone has more settings for it. It has some "Voice Presets." Any idea how to set that up on the iPad? I like having the device read out loud as I read books (helps me focus a little better), and I think the Narration preset sounds the best in this regard.



Edit: I actually just had it read a few pages. I think the voice sounds more natural than it does on my 14 Pro. Maybe those preset settings are no longer necessary on newer devices.

 

[Kal Madda]

I know it does with Apple's first party monitors. Unfortunately, just tried it with my LG monitor, still doesn’t look like it's possible.

But, I finally finished setting the iPad all up. It's good to be back on the iPad. I actually decided to just put my MacBook in storage for now. And go 100% in on the iPad for now. I'm really liking this new Magic Keyboard, so much better than the old one.

I know this next question is a little off topic, but didn’t really think it was worth a new post over. In Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices > English. I have the voice set for Siri Voice 2 on both my iPhone and iPad, but the iPhone has more settings for it. It has some "Voice Presets." Any idea how to set that up on the iPad? I like having the device read out loud as I read books (helps me focus a little better), and I think the Narration preset sounds the best in this regard.

View attachment 2463172

Edit: I actually just had it read a few pages. I think the voice sounds more natural than it does on my 14 Pro. Maybe those preset settings are no longer necessary on newer devices.

Oh, that’s odd, I guess it depends on the monitor. I have an LG monitor as well, and I believe I remember adjusting the brightness of it in Settings on the iPad. I’ll have to try it again sometime and see if it works. I guess it’s probably model specific to an extent. Hopefully support will expand over time for more of these adjustments on more monitors. 👍🏻

Awesome! 👍🏻. One of the big things I’m looking forward to when I upgrade to the M4 is the new keyboard case! The aluminum is so much nicer than that rubber material. The rubber silicone material is nice for gripping, and I’ve surprisingly not had any problems with it scratching, it seems to be pretty scratch resistant, so the outside is okay with that stuff. But the palm rests feel so much nicer with aluminum. 👍🏻

I had actually never heard of those settings before you mentioned them. I looked and, sure enough, they show up on my iPhone but not my iPad. That seems a bit odd. But I’ve never adjusted the voice on Siri, I’ve just used it with the stock settings. I may have to experiment with some other settings. 👍🏻

 

[xxFoxtail]

Oh, that’s odd, I guess it depends on the monitor. I have an LG monitor as well, and I believe I remember adjusting the brightness of it in Settings on the iPad. I’ll have to try it again sometime and see if it works. I guess it’s probably model specific to an extent. Hopefully support will expand over time for more of these adjustments on more monitors. 👍🏻

Awesome! 👍🏻. One of the big things I’m looking forward to when I upgrade to the M4 is the new keyboard case! The aluminum is so much nicer than that rubber material. The rubber silicone material is nice for gripping, and I’ve surprisingly not had any problems with it scratching, it seems to be pretty scratch resistant, so the outside is okay with that stuff. But the palm rests feel so much nicer with aluminum. 👍🏻

I had actually never heard of those settings before you mentioned them. I looked and, sure enough, they show up on my iPhone but not my iPad. That seems a bit odd. But I’ve never adjusted the voice on Siri, I’ve just used it with the stock settings. I may have to experiment with some other settings. 👍🏻

Yeah, probably depends on the monitor. I know Apple was selling 5K LG Ultrafine monitors in their stores before they came back with their own monitors. I believe those ones were compatible. That might be what you have. Mine's a LG 27UN850-W which is kind of a step down from that one. The 4K display is still fantastic after all of these years, just doesn’t have that level of built in compatibility with Macs and the iPad. On the Mac, I think I’m using an application called MonitorControl.

These are what the settings look like for my monitor on the iPad.


I’m not too surprised you haven’t heard of those voice settings. I haven’t either until just a few days ago. I knew I could change the voice, but I didn’t know there was all those extra settings like rate, pitch and those extra presets. I'm still curious why they’re not available on the iPad though.

 

[Kal Madda]

Yeah, probably depends on the monitor. I know Apple was selling 5K LG Ultrafine monitors in their stores before they came back with their own monitors. I believe those ones were compatible. That might be what you have. Mine's a LG 27UN850-W which is kind of a step down from that one. The 4K display is still fantastic after all of these years, just doesn’t have that level of built in compatibility with Macs and the iPad. On the Mac, I think I’m using an application called MonitorControl.

These are what the settings look like for my monitor on the iPad.
View attachment 2463302

I’m not too surprised you haven’t heard of those voice settings. I haven’t either until just a few days ago. I knew I could change the voice, but I didn’t know there was all those extra settings like rate, pitch and those extra presets. I'm still curious why they’re not available on the iPad though.

Yeah, I have the LG 27UK500-B monitor. It’s a 4K monitor similar to yours. 4K is still great for design use. I don’t know if Apple officially sold or supported it or not. And as I said, maybe those options don’t show up for my monitor as well, it’s been a long time since I checked the Settings section because the brightness is where I want it usually with my setup. I’ll have to try it sometime and see if an option for that shows up or not. 👍🏻

It’s nice that your iPad is setup! I hope you enjoy it! 👍🏻

 

[elmoss]

Anyone using the Apple studio display with their M4 pro?

Just got the MGK for my 11” and really like it.
Have a 3 year old M1 24” iMac in my home/office, but don’t think i will replace it might just go for a screen with my iPad.

 

[Kal Madda]

Anyone using the Apple studio display with their M4 pro?

Just got the MGK for my 11” and really like it.
Have a 3 year old M1 24” iMac in my home/office, but don’t think i will replace it might just go for a screen with my iPad.

Awesome! 👍🏻. I think that if an Apple Studio Display is within your budget, it would be a great option. I have an older LG 4K monitor, and that works well for me, but I’ve seen the Studio Display at stores, and the display quality is amazing! 👍🏻. And the extra USB-C passthrough could be handy as well. 👍🏻

 

[Kal Madda]

A good read from Federico Viticci! I really appreciate the boost he gave my fledgling SubStack, and all of the iPad-first content he’s added to the community. This piece feels way more positive than his piece after the iPadOS 18 announcement. It feels like the iPad-first content he made that served as inspiration for me to write my own iPad-centric content. I’m happy to see more of his optimism returning, and I really appreciate everything he’s done for the iPad-first community! 👍🏻

iPad Pro for Everything: How I Rethought My Entire Workflow Around the New 11” iPad Pro

For the past two years since my girlfriend and I moved into our new apartment, my desk has been in a constant state of flux. Those who have been reading MacStories for a while know why. There were two reasons: I couldn’t figure out how to use my iPad Pro for everything I do, specifically

www.macstories.net

 

[Ludatyk]

A good read from Federico Viticci! I really appreciate the boost he gave my fledgling SubStack, and all of the iPad-first content he’s added to the community. This piece feels way more positive than his piece after the iPadOS 18 announcement. It feels like the iPad-first content he made that served as inspiration for me to write my own iPad-centric content. I’m happy to see more of his optimism returning, and I really appreciate everything he’s done for the iPad-first community! 👍🏻

Totally agree, it was a good read!

But one particularly issue I didn't quite understand (complete headscratcher)... the need to have an iPad-virtual display on the Vision Pro. The logic don't add up... VisionOS is practially iPadOS, similar to how it is with iOS. Even Apple admitted that you can run iPad apps on VisionOS.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that TineeOwl adjustable stand I purchased couple weeks... definitely worth a buy to use in tandem with the Magic Keyboard. I do have my sights on the MagFlott VESA Mount... but hasn't been released for the M4 iPad yet.

And I'm glad to see Viticci returning to his roots! But I'm curious do he own a Mac at all...

 

[Kal Madda]

Totally agree, it was a good read!

But one particularly issue I didn't quite understand (complete headscratcher)... the need to have an iPad-virtual display on the Vision Pro. The logic don't add up... VisionOS is practially iPadOS, similar to how it is with iOS. Even Apple admitted that you can run iPad apps on VisionOS.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that TineeOwl adjustable stand I purchased couple weeks... definitely worth a buy to use in tandem with the Magic Keyboard. I do have my sights on the MagFlott VESA Mount... but hasn't been released for the M4 iPad yet.

And I'm glad to see Viticci returning to his roots! But I'm curious do he own a Mac at all...

Yeah, I don’t really understand that issue either, though maybe it would make more sense if I had a Vision Pro, or at least had used a Vision Pro. But looking it up, the main difference between AirPlay and Mac Virtual Display that I’m aware of is that the Virtual Display allows for several macOS displays, and allows the Mac’s keyboard and trackpad to control the Mac and the Vision Pro’s apps, while the AirPlay with an iPad only allows the iPad to be controlled with it’s mouse and keyboard, and not control visionOS apps as well. This though is obviously a limitation of visionOS, not iPadOS. And visionOS can definitely run iPad apps, and does natively.

Yeah, I want to eventually get one of those cases. But as I said before, I’ll probably wait until I upgrade to the M4. I also thought it was interesting his take on the 11” and 13” models. I think I will end up sticking with the 11” model, because I enjoy the smaller footprint and the easier handling. 👍🏻

It’s nice to see him go back to his roots. I hope he continues to regain more of that optimism. 👍🏻

 

[Abazigal]

Totally agree, it was a good read!

But one particularly issue I didn't quite understand (complete headscratcher)... the need to have an iPad-virtual display on the Vision Pro. The logic don't add up... VisionOS is practially iPadOS, similar to how it is with iOS. Even Apple admitted that you can run iPad apps on VisionOS.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that TineeOwl adjustable stand I purchased couple weeks... definitely worth a buy to use in tandem with the Magic Keyboard. I do have my sights on the MagFlott VESA Mount... but hasn't been released for the M4 iPad yet.

And I'm glad to see Viticci returning to his roots! But I'm curious do he own a Mac at all...

I would just like to share a bit of update on my experience with the TineeOwl stand. It’s a solidly built product overall, but I do notice that the seams along the edges sometimes feel like they can come out very easily, which was what happened a few days ago when I used my nails to detach my ipad from it.

Also, based on this, Federico does not currently seem to be using a Mac, though I do seem to recall him falling back on a Mac some time back because of issues while podcasting.

Our Setups

It’s no secret that, here at MacStories, we like to experiment with different hardware and apps in the constant pursuit of more portable setups, more customizable apps, or more powerful workflows. And we recognize that, for readers, it can sometimes be…tricky to keep up with the “latest” state...

www.macstories.net

Ah, found it (I think?).

MacPad: How I Created the Hybrid Mac-iPad Laptop and Tablet That Apple Won’t Make

It all started because I wanted a better keyboard for my Vision Pro. I had no idea that, in looking for one, I’d accidentally create the hybrid Apple computer of my dreams. As I quickly discovered after working on the Vision Pro daily, you can get by without an external trackpad, but a keyboard is

www.macstories.net

I think he definitely has used a Mac on occasion.

 

[sparksd]

I would just like to share a bit of update on my experience with the TineeOwl stand. It’s a solidly built product overall, but I do notice that the seams along the edges sometimes feel like they can come out very easily, which was what happened a few days ago when I used my nails to detach my ipad from it.

Also, based on this, Federico does not currently seem to be using a Mac, though I do seem to recall him falling back on a Mac some time back because of issues while podcasting.

Our Setups

It’s no secret that, here at MacStories, we like to experiment with different hardware and apps in the constant pursuit of more portable setups, more customizable apps, or more powerful workflows. And we recognize that, for readers, it can sometimes be…tricky to keep up with the “latest” state...

www.macstories.net

Ah, found it (I think?).

MacPad: How I Created the Hybrid Mac-iPad Laptop and Tablet That Apple Won’t Make

It all started because I wanted a better keyboard for my Vision Pro. I had no idea that, in looking for one, I’d accidentally create the hybrid Apple computer of my dreams. As I quickly discovered after working on the Vision Pro daily, you can get by without an external trackpad, but a keyboard is

www.macstories.net

I think he definitely has used a Mac on occasion.

On the TineeOwl on my 13" M4, I've avoided digging with my nails by slightly pulling back on the back stand, creating a small gap between the case and iPad that I can use to easily separate the two.