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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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Didn't mention the 6 old Android tablets I still have somewhere ...
Yeah, I’m not big on keeping old gadgets… if they work I’m better off giving it to someone who has use for it. And if the device is no longer functional then I’m definitely getting rid of it.
I am the same. As soon as I replace a device, the old one is gifted or recycled. Fortunately I have moved house and country many times, so through desire and partial necessity I have adopted a minimalist way of living. Having to deal with my parent's house full of stuff after they died was another lesson that one should not burden family members with massive decluttering and disposal tasks that you should have taken care of in your lifetime.
TL;DR: I returned the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra as it did not meet my expectations for its primary usage, media consumption.
I bought it primarily for media consumption – streaming from on-line providers and my local storage of a large set of ripped Blu-Ray discs. I was drawn to the Ultra by the large display and the new addition of a non-reflective coating – the reflectivity of earlier models was a dealbreaker for me, having tried and returned one earlier. But after trying it out, I decided to return it.
Different issues cropped up wrt media consumption: the Prime video app still has a long-term bug where video is quite dark – night and day difference between my Pro 13” and the Tab in the same scenes side-by side with full brightness enabled, same app settings. Others on-line noted switching to viewing in a browser but with the downside of reduced resolution. On other streaming apps, forwarding/rewinding resulted in heavy image pixelation for several seconds before restoration of resolution (verified 400mbps connectivity). Fandango – where I have a number of digital copies – would not play video at all. In the end, that were just too many frustrations in my primary intended usage.
It also renewed my appreciation for iOS ecosystem integration – ease of use of Apple headphones and earbuds across platforms. And for me – once an Android power user – the Apple environment overall just seems more polished and solid (a subjective view). But I don’t have the intention here of denigrating Android and Android devices; in the end, I just didn’t see the Tab as enough value to me to justify the high price.
Yeah, I'm in the process of cleaning out and recycling. I had done extreme mods to my Android units with customized ROMs and kept them for experimentation.
Well, that didn't last long. Since you focused on the negatives... any positives?
Wasn't aware we can watch movies through Fandango... just checked they have a separate app called Fandango at Home.
I could see pretty quickly that it wasn't a keeper for me. For purposes other than what I focused on, the large screen is really nice, especially now with the anti-reflective coating. The wide-screen format is also a plus for some uses. I got the 256GB model, with the intent to add a large uSD card for more storage - a huge plus over the exorbitant Apple memory charges. The size was no issue - like my M4 13", it's quite thin and light. And it was responsive - not like the old Android which drove me to rooting and working with custom ROMs. Setup was easy; in fact, I was prompted to physically connect to my iPad and it copied over some documents/data, installed the same apps if available, and did an auto-setup of WiFi. (One frustrating aspect was two-step authorization which required some convolutions of my Samsung and Google accounts and emails, etc. It choked a few times.)
Fandango at Home is where some movie digital copies end up when redeemed, my only reason for having it.
I'm considering an iPad Pro 13" to replace my intel 13" MBP. I'll be using it for general browsing, watching videos, and small Word/Excel files. Anything I should consider?
Thanks.
Thanks.
You'll likely hear that the 13" iPP is overkill for your needs but I have it and like it very much, particularly for video because of its excellent display.
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I started a thread called "Things You Can Do With Your iPad" a fews years ago. Lots of great stuff there.😊
And yes, your new iPad Pro will handle all the things you listed and soooo much more.😉You may want to consider a keyboard for your Word/Excel files needs.
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I replaced my 2015 MacBook Pro (Loved that thing!) with an iPad 10th Gen. I’m a writer, editor and social media manager so it works for me. I only need to be able to use MS Office, my novel writing app, Wordpress and the various social media apps. Since I’m not a heavy gamer and don’t do a lot of video editing or other processor intensive stuff, I didn’t see the point in spending more for a iPad Pro. I may eventually get another MacBook though.
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Yeah, that's real helpful to someone who's looking to do, "general browsing, watching videos, and small Word/Excel files". They don't need another MBP for their needs. I see you're trying out comedy...don't give up your day job.
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Guess they shouldn’t of wasted their money on a 13” mbp then lol
Or their time reading useless replies. Maybe their needs have changed since they bought the MBP.
yeah maybe , its simple usage exactly what iPads are for
Well, several of us here use our iPads for so much more....like running our businesses, or teaching classes. The post I directed him to also shows the many uses people have found for their iPads. Depending on your use case, an iPad Pro is so much more flexible than a MBP, and does many things that a MBP just can't do. Like I said, comedy just isn't your forte. I'm thinking the circus would be a better fit.🤡
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I'm still very much on the fence about it however. Most of my apprehension comes from going from "open" software like macOS to something rather "closed off" like iPad OS, and not having a proper file system. While my usage is 99% what I do above, there are often times where I need some desktop only software that the mac app store doesn't have. Additionally I have used iPads in the past with the magic keyboard and found the experience much less polished than Macbooks. I just have to decide wether the abiliity to use it both as a tablet and laptop, and the nice OLED screen is a worth it.
Anyway I've just discovered the "iPad as a laptop replacement" thread. I'll have a browse of that.
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I understand. Fortunately, I have had a smooth experience since I replaced my MBP with my M1 iPad Pro for my real estate business 3 years ago. There are things I can do with the iPad Pro for my business that a MBP can't do or just isn't as good at. I didn't quite like the Magic Keyboard at the time because it had a small trackpad and no shortcut/function keys. I went with the Logitech combo touch for those reasons and also the extra protection it gives over the MKB. I hear that the new Magic Keyboards now have a better experience with the addition of a row of function keys and a larger trackpad. Logitech has also updated the LCT for the new M4 iPad Pros.
Only you know what best fits your needs for sure. Please let us know what you decide.😊
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I am in the same business coincidently. What are the things that iPad does better than MBP for running a real estate business?
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Several things. Communications...including texting...video meetings, Photographs on the go for posting to MLS, Video presentation walkthroughs, PDF's on the fly, creating...filling, and signing documents and contracts, scanning documents, jotting down notes with the Apple pencil(no separate pad of paper required), etc...
No more need for a still or video camera, no more need for a scanner, no more need for pad of paper...
All this and more are just more intuitive and quicker with the iPad. Has cut my workflow and amount of devices dramatically.
Edit: You'd also be surprised at how far the Files app on the iPad has come. I do a lot of my file management with that now, along with FileBrowser Pro. Talking to my Mac Mini, external storage, and PC's is really easy with either app.
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I will second what @bondr006 is saying here. My 11” M1 iPad Pro has been my primary computer for the past almost 4 years. I am not in real-estate, but I am a writer and freelance graphic designer, and the iPad is a much better fit for my use-case than a MacBook would be. Don’t listen to the “just buy a MacBook” people who dismiss the iPad out of hand. Only you know what will work best for you, but I think the iPad is definitely worth giving serious consideration. 👍🏻. Also, I have noticed, at least with the apps that I use, there are often great alternatives to some pretty niche Mac desktop apps available for the iPad, even if there isn’t an iPad version of a Mac app, often there’s a great alternative to it that offers the same or better functionality. At least that’s been my experience. 👍🏻
Wow, so many helpful suggestions… 🙄. Come on, many people actually really like the Logitech keyboard case, and would not call it “rubbish”…. I personally use the Magic Keyboard Case from Apple, but the Logitech is a solid option.