Patiently false. The iPad is running a derivation of macOS that is optimized for the iPad. It really seems that you are confusing the iPad with a Chromebook.
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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No, it all had to do with data security and system integrity. We worked with a lot of both classified and commercial proprietary data.
I’m an IT Analyst and I spend my days in a web browser most days and if remote in windows Remote Desktop. I’ve tried to go iPad only numerous times and the derivative of Safari that is on iPadOS is not usable for my needs. Between some sites simply not working properly and the extremely volatile tab memory management even on a 16gb memory iPad Pro M4 makes it trivial to try. My MacBook M1 with 8gb is a far more seamless experience which is sad in my opinion. I get that iPad shouldn’t be a Mac but for goodness sake you think safari could be a 1:1 by now…
I've tried all things to have a tablet working as a main driver.
It failed constantly. Nothing is better than a computer. The only thing I like the tablet is media consumption.
It failed constantly. Nothing is better than a computer. The only thing I like the tablet is media consumption.
I did some experimenting with this today. I enabled Universal Control on my Mac Mini, apparently it wasn’t setup for automatically remembering and connecting with my iPad, so I changed that setting. It was actually pretty nice being able to use my iPad Keyboard and trackpad to control the Mac Mini. 👍🏻. The only problem I’ve run into so far is that I can’t seem to use my iPad’s keyboard and trackpad to type in the login code for my Mac Mini. That seems to require a connected keyboard. Is there a setting I can change that you’re aware of that allows it to work for logging in as well? I could possibly always just get a mini keyboard to login with, but it would be nice to figure out a more elegant solution.
On another note, I also just got another display cable set up with my monitor, so now when I want to use the iPad with my monitor, I can just plug my iPad into a USB-C cable, and switch my monitor’s input source which is a pretty simple process. So that will make docking my iPad at my desk much simpler. 👍🏻
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That's a bummer! Never ran into that issue since I own a MBP and whenever I'm logging in... majority of the times I'd use TouchID.
You don't own an Apple Watch to automatically log you in?
Yeah, I like simplicity.... wasn't planning on using the portable display, but figured while I'm at my desk go ahead and use it with the MBP. And when I'm away from the desk... use it for the iPad Pro. I have 3 devices connected to my main monitor... Mini-PC (HDMI to HDMI), MBP (display port to USB-C) and my PS5 (displayport HDMI adapter to HDMI).
And I'm debating on getting this MagFlott stand... but not sure if I want to remove the Magic Keyboard off the desk. But I think the stand will make my setup more uniform.
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Yeah, I’ve been trying to look at some alternative options to get around the login issue. Unfortunately I don’t use an Apple Watch, so the automatic login option with that doesn’t work. I wish that automatic login option would work with the iPhone or iPad, that would be perfect. That’s something I want to look more into, I think I do recall there was some app that could do something similar for automatic login, but with the iPhone, so I’m going to look into some of that stuff. Also, I did consider just getting a mini keyboard or number pad for a login code, I could tuck it under my shelf and pull it out when I’m logging in on the Mac Mini. But it would be interesting to figure out a solution, because then I could do away with that big wired keyboard and mouse, and just use my iPad for both. 👍🏻.That's a bummer! Never ran into that issue since I own a MBP and whenever I'm logging in... majority of the times I'd use TouchID.
You don't own an Apple Watch to automatically log you in?
Yeah, I like simplicity.... wasn't planning on using the portable display, but figured while I'm at my desk go ahead and use it with the MBP. And when I'm away from the desk... use it for the iPad Pro. I have 3 devices connected to my main monitor... Mini-PC (HDMI to HDMI), MBP (display port to USB-C) and my PS5 (displayport HDMI adapter to HDMI).
And I'm debating on getting this MagFlott stand... but not sure if I want to remove the Magic Keyboard off the desk. But I think the stand will make my setup more uniform.
MagFlött Pro - Height Adjustable Magnetic Stand
Your health is a #1 priority. Our height adjustable ergonomic stand will help with your neck/back pain. Video overview of MagFlött Pro V2 with CharJenPro Founder: 13"/12.9" and 11"/10.9". Featured in: MacWorld, 9to5Mac, Cult of Mac, iMore, iDownload. 12" (30cm) min. to 17.5" (45cm) max height...
But I think it’s definitely going to be helpful. I think I had tried experimenting a bit with universal control a ways back, but I don’t remember why I didn’t end up using it more, perhaps I was running into some problems with it at the time. One thing that definitely helps is having it set up to automatically connect, because if my Mac Mini is logged in, then I can literally just set my iPad there on my desk and it’s connected to my Mac Mini, I don’t need to bother with beginning a session or anything. 👍🏻
It’s also going to be nice to be able to dock my iPad with my monitor more readily for some of my projects. Some 3D projects will benefit from the extra screen real-estate, and I like to occasionally use it for photo editing and graphic design with my iPad apps as well. 👍🏻
I guess I’ve been doing so much of my work away from my desk that I really didn’t end up getting everything setup as efficiently as I could. 👍🏻. I’ll probably still end up doing a lot of my work away from my desk, but it will be much nicer when I do use it, and I won’t be spending as much time just getting things set up! 👍🏻
Thanks for all of the great suggestions, I’m stoked about using the iPad’s keyboard to control the Mac Mini. 👍🏻
Edit: It looks like there is an app called Near Lock that unlocks the Mac automatically when your iPhone or iPad is in proximity. I think it’s a $4 single purchase. So that could potentially fix the login issue. 👍🏻
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I think having a number pad specifically for entering your login code would be a good idea. I have a foldable keyboard... use it specifically for the Galaxy Fold, bought it years ago... don't use it as much as I would like (good to have in a pinch).
Good find! Never knew that existed.
I'm glad I can be of help... and if you have any question, please feel free to ask. I experimented using (iPad) Magic Keyboard to control macOS... but I can't give up the mechanical keyboard experience lol.
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Thanks for that folding keyboard suggestion, I may get a compact foldable keyboard like that even with the app solution just as a backup or if I want to do something on the Mac and don’t have the iPad nearby. But I’m definitely thinking I will probably end up using my iPad instead of a large dedicated keyboard most of the time, I think that works out perfectly for maximizing my desk space! 👍🏻
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Okay but when the tablet is 5mm thin and has the same processor as the notebook it’s a little bummy that a simple browser based use case can’t hold up…for sake of it being a tablet….
You can't say that as a universal truth; it all depends on your individual device needs.
The iPad works very well for my job. Which is mostly spreadsheets, emails, and a few web apps.
Unfortunately, we run the Windows desktop version of Quickbooks, so I couldn't use my iPad for that. Could possibly run it through Crossover on my Mac, haven’t tried it. I don’t believe the Quickbooks license is cross platform, meaning I don’t think I can use my same log on for the Mac desktop version. Again, haven’t bothered trying though. Might switch to Quickbooks Online some day and should be able to use my iPad then.
Unfortunately, we run the Windows desktop version of Quickbooks, so I couldn't use my iPad for that. Could possibly run it through Crossover on my Mac, haven’t tried it. I don’t believe the Quickbooks license is cross platform, meaning I don’t think I can use my same log on for the Mac desktop version. Again, haven’t bothered trying though. Might switch to Quickbooks Online some day and should be able to use my iPad then.
Me too...I finally gave up on my iPP as a professional tool and traded it in for $ and I haven't missed it at all.
I use my 13” iPad Pro as a compliment to my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro.
The iPad Pro is prime for things that require focus and minimal distraction (“lean back” work like ideating, planning, etc.) and I use it as a tablet (no external keyboard, mouse or trackpad) exclusively. I find that using my iPad as a tablet provides the best experience for me as I’m not expecting more from it than its core design intent. My MacBook Pro is prime for production tasks (“lean forward” work like coding, modeling and analysis, large documents, etc.).
I’m all-in on the Apple ecosystem so I use iCloud and most of my core apps are available on Mac, iPad and iPhone — and as a result I can access most of my files from all devices which enables overlap in many of my use cases conducted with multi-platform apps. So despite each device having its designated tasks in my workflow I can often use the device that is most convenient for me at a particular point in time.
Net-net: I don’t see these devices as alternatives — they are complementary and both are essential for my use cases.
The iPad Pro is prime for things that require focus and minimal distraction (“lean back” work like ideating, planning, etc.) and I use it as a tablet (no external keyboard, mouse or trackpad) exclusively. I find that using my iPad as a tablet provides the best experience for me as I’m not expecting more from it than its core design intent. My MacBook Pro is prime for production tasks (“lean forward” work like coding, modeling and analysis, large documents, etc.).
I’m all-in on the Apple ecosystem so I use iCloud and most of my core apps are available on Mac, iPad and iPhone — and as a result I can access most of my files from all devices which enables overlap in many of my use cases conducted with multi-platform apps. So despite each device having its designated tasks in my workflow I can often use the device that is most convenient for me at a particular point in time.
Net-net: I don’t see these devices as alternatives — they are complementary and both are essential for my use cases.
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It depends on a users needs and preferences. For me, the iPad replaces both, even though I do technically have a Mac Mini. For the things I do like graphic design, 3D modeling/sculpting, writing, etc., I actually find the iPad to be the superior choice (for me) over a Mac. I mostly just use my Mac Mini to manage some storage so that I can remote access them like an NAS, and I also use it for comparing software and features for my software review SubStack. But all of my work happens on my iPad, and I vastly prefer many of the apps on the iPad, and several of the advantages of iPadOS.
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Agree, there are certain cases where it can work. I meant to say all cases. I use mine more than anything for personal use but there is no way it would do what I need it to do at work. I need multiple screens to be able to be efficient and the size of those screens to more easily read spreadsheets, patient charts, etc. I can see how graphic design may be a good use scenario for the iPad though.
I finally decided to put my MacBook in storage for now, going all in with my iPad. The other day, I bought Jump Desktop to remote into the MacBook for just-incase scenarios. Jump Desktop worked pretty well, I was able to remote into my MacBook from anywhere in the house, or at work, then all of a sudden the MacBook wasn’t available to connect. I didnt bother troubleshooting why. And then I thought about it - do I really need to use this? There's nothing I do on the MacBook that I can’t do on the iPad. Other than wasting $15 on the app, I’m kind of happy I was able to make that decision. My desk is cleaner and I get to use the iPad as a desktop device again. I’m unsure if Apple will grant another refund on Jump Desktop, I bought it years ago when using an iPad with a headless Mac mini - maybe I’ll do that again someday, who knows?
Though, the Mac did come in handy a few days ago. I just bought Microsoft Office to use on my shared work computer (the only account on there is mine), I didn't realize it tied directly into my OneDrive account. So I needed to copy about 3gb worth of data off of my OneDrive account (to prevent anyone looking at my embarrassing files/projects through Excel or something). OneDrive stalls out if you try to download it all from the website. The OneDrive iPad app is pretty useless, the app itself and how it ties into the Files app - wouldn't let me directly copy over the files. I tried logging into OneDrive on the Windows machine and attempting to download the data through the file explorer (this ended up locking up the system). On the Mac, I downloaded OneDrive and it was pretty simple just to download a local copy of everything on OneDrive, then compress it into a .zip file and put on to my iCloud Drive - and delete it off OneDrive. That's all I wanted to do, no idea why it had to be so difficult.
Though, the Mac did come in handy a few days ago. I just bought Microsoft Office to use on my shared work computer (the only account on there is mine), I didn't realize it tied directly into my OneDrive account. So I needed to copy about 3gb worth of data off of my OneDrive account (to prevent anyone looking at my embarrassing files/projects through Excel or something). OneDrive stalls out if you try to download it all from the website. The OneDrive iPad app is pretty useless, the app itself and how it ties into the Files app - wouldn't let me directly copy over the files. I tried logging into OneDrive on the Windows machine and attempting to download the data through the file explorer (this ended up locking up the system). On the Mac, I downloaded OneDrive and it was pretty simple just to download a local copy of everything on OneDrive, then compress it into a .zip file and put on to my iCloud Drive - and delete it off OneDrive. That's all I wanted to do, no idea why it had to be so difficult.
Awesome! I’m glad to hear it’s working well for you! 👍🏻.
That sounds odd the problems you were running into with OneDrive. I don’t really like the OneDrive app on the iPad either, but I added it as a location in Files, and I can access all of my OneDrive files via the Files app and copy them and such. There are only a few things OneDrive won’t allow me to do directly in the Files app, I think mostly with deleting files and folders. But other than that I’ve moved files from OneDrive to my iPad’s native storage by copying them.
I think you’ll enjoy going iPad only. That definitely sounds like it will make your setup simpler and cleaner. 👍🏻. I know that at least for me, my iPad is my primary device, and I enjoy the added portability and flexibility that the iPad and iPadOS offer. 👍🏻
I’ve been iPad-only on and off since 2018. I experiment with a different device and always end right back at using an iPad as my only device again at some point.
The problems I was having with Onedrive might have been because I was trying to copy roughly 20,000 files at once, or around 3gb. Probably too much for the iPad app to handle.
Oh, that makes sense. 👍🏻. I don’t think I’ve ever moved that many files at once from OneDrive before. I really do wish Microsoft would improve the OneDrive iPad app in several ways. On the plus side though, it did just get a new design that is much nicer. 👍🏻
Awesome, I’ve been using the iPad as my primary computer since 2021 without looking back. I replaced my Intel MacBook with the M1 iPad Pro, and put my MacBook in storage. I ended up getting an M1 Mac Mini a couple years or so back for using to remote access my own local storage drives like an NAS, and that’s mostly the way I use it now. I also use it to compare software and features between the iPad and Mac for my SubStack. But all of my work happens on the iPad, I just really like iPadOS and the versatility of the iPad. 👍🏻
Funny you brought up the OneDrive app. I had massive issues with it last week (the app was basically non-responsive and it took multiple reinstalls and resets before it finally got working). Meanwhile, the files app still struggles to load pdf files stored in OneDrive (logging out in in to OneDrive solves the problem for like a day at best) and I am still unsure of where exactly the issue lies. 😕
In your opinion then - what is the 'intended usage' for an iPad?