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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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I’ve been a Mac user for around 20 years now, and have had almost every generation of iPad. Over the years I’ve longed and tried many times for this to be my main work machine and I’ve always had issues with it for various reasons.
I’m a real estate developer so maps, the ability to scribble on architects plans, and do financial models are key to my daily routine. In the past I also needed to access development modelling software, which became possible through a VPN a few years ago. I’ve also started needing to do less Excel modelling (i.e. no macros anymore), and whilst the basic version of Excel on the iPad is definitely subpar, it’s now usable.
With iPadOS 26 I’ve connected it to my Studio Display and with a mechanical keyboard and Magic Trackpad, fit feels like this might actually work. I’m trying it out cold-turkey for a week to see how i get on but so far so good; I’ve even forgotten I’m on the iPad a few times and have tried the Mac OS keyboard screenshot shortcuts before realising I’m not on my MacBook.
My iPad is the 11” M4 1tb with nano texture display, and my MacBook is a 16” MacBook Pro with the nano texture display too - as is my Studio Display. I don’t need the MBP power but the display is the thing that made me upgrade to that; clearly a MacBook Air would suffice for me but i cannot stand the glossy displays anymore.
If this week goes to plan then I might be getting rid of my MBP for good. Sure, i could try getting a Mac mini instead - as others have done, but that sort of defeats the purpose. If i have a Mac mini, surely that just gets used over the iPad for my use case, and then the iPad is just my on-the-move device. I’m looking for something i can use everywhere, and this might just be it.
Only thing I wish for now is a Promotion Studio Display, which I’m sure is coming. No doubt it’ll have curved corners to match the rest of both operating systems too.
I’m a real estate developer so maps, the ability to scribble on architects plans, and do financial models are key to my daily routine. In the past I also needed to access development modelling software, which became possible through a VPN a few years ago. I’ve also started needing to do less Excel modelling (i.e. no macros anymore), and whilst the basic version of Excel on the iPad is definitely subpar, it’s now usable.
With iPadOS 26 I’ve connected it to my Studio Display and with a mechanical keyboard and Magic Trackpad, fit feels like this might actually work. I’m trying it out cold-turkey for a week to see how i get on but so far so good; I’ve even forgotten I’m on the iPad a few times and have tried the Mac OS keyboard screenshot shortcuts before realising I’m not on my MacBook.
My iPad is the 11” M4 1tb with nano texture display, and my MacBook is a 16” MacBook Pro with the nano texture display too - as is my Studio Display. I don’t need the MBP power but the display is the thing that made me upgrade to that; clearly a MacBook Air would suffice for me but i cannot stand the glossy displays anymore.
If this week goes to plan then I might be getting rid of my MBP for good. Sure, i could try getting a Mac mini instead - as others have done, but that sort of defeats the purpose. If i have a Mac mini, surely that just gets used over the iPad for my use case, and then the iPad is just my on-the-move device. I’m looking for something i can use everywhere, and this might just be it.
Only thing I wish for now is a Promotion Studio Display, which I’m sure is coming. No doubt it’ll have curved corners to match the rest of both operating systems too.
I've actually done the opposite. I've been using my iPad as my main device for a while, kept my MacBook in storage. Decided to switch it up a bit and keep my Macbook semi-permanently docked at my desk. macOS 26 and iPadOS 26 just feel similar enough in my day to day tasks that there's been times I’ve been using my Mac thinking I’ve been using my iPad. Like trying to close an app with CMD+W instead of CMD-Q.
To me, the Mac just has better support for my desk setup. Like being able to control my LG monitor's brightness and sound with a third party app, clamshell mode and I like having the rounded corners on the display (again, using a third party app). Other than that, my Mac and iPad are pretty much used for the same things. I think if I had a Studio Display, my opinion might be slightly different (can you directly control the Studio Display's brightness and sound from the iPad? For whatever reason I cannot find an answer on that anywhere). I prefer using the iPad otherwise.
For me the magic ingredient that has finally allowed the iPad Pro M4 to be my main machine (replacing an M1 MacBook Pro) is Remote Desktop, Tailscale and proper external display / keyboard and mouse support (Windows keyboard shortcuts and all). Not only does this bridge the gap between the limitation of the iPad, but also the limitation of ARM Windows. Sure… most things are / have been emulated fine or work on Windows on ARM but that’s fine and dandy… until it’s not and you’re in class or installing something for a project and there you go, incompatibility. I’m using a cheap Intel Pentium Gold HP laptop which has been on for about a month now connected to my Tailscale mesh network so I can access it anywhere reliably. No stupid subscriptions or latency for being on a low tier. It’s as fast as my internet connections allow (and that’s fast). The only thing it’s not really good for is gaming but if I was into that I’d probably not be into Apple.
This is perfect as now, when I need it or want to mess around with proper development or filesystems or things iPadOS doesn’t and will NEVER allow, I can tap right into it. It’s actually easy and fast to jump in and out of the windows app as well to go between iPad OS stuff.
Files with OneDrive and iCloud, then on the HP, iCloud utility and OneDrive logged in makes it surprisingly seamless. I also can just plug things into both devices via USB drive or whatever too when at home.
I start college again tomorrow for the final year of programming… I know I’ll get insane looks and disapproval for ‘bringing an iPad instead of a computer’ for THAT course. I am looking forward to being able to keep up, with an iPad.
I first attempted ‘iPad only’ in 2011/2012 with an iPad 2. Back then I thought just being able to set it up without a Mac was all I needed… how wrong I was. Again in 2017..2019..2020.. but now with iPad OS 26, and the stuff I mentioned above, I can’t believe it’s finally possible, with so little limitation. The only thing I think I might regret is not going 13” but then I don’t know if that’d be so nice under my arm to carry around the office, or college, home or town on days off. I know I’d never trust carrying my MacBook around like that.
Realistically I only need and want and care for full desktop stuff when doing actual work that needs it. Outside of that, I am glad and comforted by the sheer simplicity of iPad OS stuff- and maybe a bit grateful it’s not just macOS plastered onto a touch interface.
This is perfect as now, when I need it or want to mess around with proper development or filesystems or things iPadOS doesn’t and will NEVER allow, I can tap right into it. It’s actually easy and fast to jump in and out of the windows app as well to go between iPad OS stuff.
Files with OneDrive and iCloud, then on the HP, iCloud utility and OneDrive logged in makes it surprisingly seamless. I also can just plug things into both devices via USB drive or whatever too when at home.
I start college again tomorrow for the final year of programming… I know I’ll get insane looks and disapproval for ‘bringing an iPad instead of a computer’ for THAT course. I am looking forward to being able to keep up, with an iPad.
I first attempted ‘iPad only’ in 2011/2012 with an iPad 2. Back then I thought just being able to set it up without a Mac was all I needed… how wrong I was. Again in 2017..2019..2020.. but now with iPad OS 26, and the stuff I mentioned above, I can’t believe it’s finally possible, with so little limitation. The only thing I think I might regret is not going 13” but then I don’t know if that’d be so nice under my arm to carry around the office, or college, home or town on days off. I know I’d never trust carrying my MacBook around like that.
Realistically I only need and want and care for full desktop stuff when doing actual work that needs it. Outside of that, I am glad and comforted by the sheer simplicity of iPad OS stuff- and maybe a bit grateful it’s not just macOS plastered onto a touch interface.
Awesome! I hope it goes well for you! If you run into any snags, feel free to share here, we might be able to help you find some solutions/fixes! 👍🏻
Awesome, I’m glad to hear it’s working out for you! If you run into any snags and want some advice, feel free to ask, I may be able to help with finding solutions/fixes. I just dabble a bit with coding, but some apps that may be useful for you are Code (black icon with a blue rectangle outline, it’s built on the same engine as VS Code, and has very similar layout and tools), and the official web version of VSCode. 👍🏻
I don't think I'd be going "iPad only" anytime soon. There are still many usability limitations, and the cost of setting up a decent "iPad only" system is about the same, if not higher, as having a decently specced out MBA and an 11" iPad Pro without the Magic Keyboard.
However, for someone who primarily needs iPad specific features (maximum portability, pencil), and the docked use comes secondary, this could work out, the new iPadOS definitely makes this less painful.
However, for someone who primarily needs iPad specific features (maximum portability, pencil), and the docked use comes secondary, this could work out, the new iPadOS definitely makes this less painful.
I thought about that but… two devices, two AppleCare plans, two things to charge, moving things between em and still limited by ARM. Plus both having only like what 128 or 256GB each versus 1TB onboard and 24/7 access to (currently) a 4TB drive at the home server / HP end. There are also some true benefits to such a setup if you are up for it
I didn’t used to think that an iPad could be a Mac replacement. I also always had base models, then most recently an M2 Air 11”. I finally decided to treat myself and get a Pro M4 with 1TB storage and nano texture. And now I have a Magic Keyboard and iPadOS 26. This thing feels like a monster. There are VERY few things that I still absolutely need my Mac for such as digital certificate signing PDFs, desktop-class browser, and gaming support (if I could have Minecraft Java on iPad, I’d be in love). Outside of those things, the iPad can do 99% of what I need.
Awesome! 👍🏻. I’ve been using the iPad as my primary computer for about the past 4-5 years now, and I upgraded to a 13” cellular M4 iPad Pro earlier this year, and the M4 makes quite a few improvements, plus iPadOS 26 which I’ve been running in beta the past summer since it was announced. This has been a great year for the iPad, I really think iPadOS 26 is going to make it much easier for more to switch from the Mac to the iPad. And it’s been really encouraging to see people who were extremely critical of iPadOS actually being positive about it and the iPad.
If you have any questions or run into any problems, feel free to ask, we may be able to help you out. 👍🏻
I know I’ve heard of a few third-party browser apps on iPadOS that trick sites into loading the Mac version, I’ve never needed to use one of those myself, but one of those might help you out, I’ll have to look back through here for the link. 👍🏻
PS found it:
Post in thread 'iPad as a laptop replacement'
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ipad-as-a-laptop-replacement.1937134/post-33993632
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FileBrowser, one of my most used 3rd party app received a iPadOS 26 update and it wasn’t all that I hoped it would be… they made slight changes to the tool bar and I see some other elements that’s changed. But nothing drastic…
Checked out the menu bar for the app… and it’s barebones, they didn’t really add anything to it. Hopefully there’s more changes coming…
Checked out the menu bar for the app… and it’s barebones, they didn’t really add anything to it. Hopefully there’s more changes coming…
After struggling for years to find apps that could make my iPads replacements for my MacBooks, and being disappointed in iPadOS26, I finally bought a Surface Pro (the 2025 12in model). I've been using it for about a month, and after that initial struggle trying to figure out how to make it work, I'm finally satisfied. I agree that the touch interface isn't as easy as the iPad, but I find that for simple consumption (reading/watching movies/taking notes) the Windows interface works fine. Snap a keyboard on it and I can get work done with a real desktop that runs the apps I need. Overall, an eye-opening experience stepping out of the Apple ecosystem.
Man, macOS 26 really makes me appreciate my iPad and iPadOS 26 so much more. I really hate the new Apps Spotlight page they replaced Launchpad with on the Mac. I would have rather they brought over the App Library from iPadOS, and also implemented some manual categorization and editing options with it. Categories in the App Library are far more useful as you can actually see the 7 most used apps in each of those categories. In the Apps page on macOS 26, you can’t preview anything in the categories, and you can only see 20 apps on-screen at once. (note, in macOS 26.1 Beta 1, it shows more apps with a slightly larger window, so that’s a bit improved, though it still has all the other problems). It just feels like a major downgrade for accessing apps vs what we have with the iPad with the Home Screen and the App Library. I did find a third-party app in the Mac App Store called AppGrid Launcher that mostly replicates Launchpad’s functionality (though likely can’t replicate some of the more system level features like notification badges). I’m just perplexed by that decision. But it really does make me appreciate iPadOS more. 👍🏻
I agree. Apple missed an opportunity to bring over App Library, that would have been better to use instead of the new App Spotlight page.
But on the flip side of it... my most used apps are on the dock and whenever I want to launch an app a simple CMD+SPACE will do.
Yeah, the dock is at least still a good option. 👍🏻. I submitted Feedback requesting some improvements to the Apps design, so hopefully we’ll see some of those implemented. One of the things I suggested is either just completely starting over with this and replacing it with a default App Library-style view, and then have additional views for an app grid or list like this new setup, or that they add an App Library-style view option to this that displays the categories as app folders like they are in the App Library. And I also requested they add more manual customization options, so that users can recategorize apps, create categories, and rearrange apps in the grid and list views. I’m not holding my breath, but maybe if they get enough similar feedback we’ll have a chance of this. I certainly hope they don’t decide to unify things by copying over this in place of the App Library on iOS and iPadOS next year, so that’s why I specifically wanted to submit feedback on this.
If they do make those kinds of changes, then it would actually be great for it to come to iOS and iPadOS as well, as it would essentially be the App Library with manual customization options as well. But as it currently is, I think that would be a major mistake.
I would like to see some of the other Spotlight improvements come to iOS and iPadOS as well, like the system clipboard manager, etc., but I really don’t want that apps experience, unless it’s it’s own separate thing that doesn’t replace the App Library… 👍🏻
But yeah, at least there are some solutions, I did discover an app called AppGrid that replicates some of the functionality of the OG Launchpad. It’s a pretty good replacement, though I’m still going to miss Launchpad. 👍🏻
I think eventually Apple might get to that point with having an App Library similar to iOS/iPadOS… this is the first step in the process. You can tell how they have the categorization up above when you use the new App Spotlight page, but the Mac and iOS/iPadOS has a different set up guidelines when it comes to installation.
Mac users can easily download outside of the App Store whereas iOS/iPadOS are required to get apps from the App Store (at least from the US)… so it’s much easier to categorize apps. But I never really used the Launchpad on the Mac…Did you?
Yeah, I hope that they’ll iterate and improve this to be more like the App Library, that is a good point, that this could be the first step in that process. 👍🏻
The Launchpad (and App Dock) was the only way I ever accessed apps on my Mac from day one when I first became a Mac user. I had had an iPhone for several years before that, so the Launchpad felt very consistent and familiar, and that is the way most tutorials I read/saw recommended accessing apps on the Mac. I’ve used Spotlight occasionally but not very often. On my Mac, I always used Launchpad to open apps, and on my iPad, I started out using the Home Screen, and then moved to using my Home Screen mostly for widgets folders and files, and using my App Dock and App Library for launching apps, and that’s the system I use on my iPad to this day. 👍🏻.
I don't need a truck. Do you remember that I started using Macs way back in 1984? I kept upgrading until I got the first Macintosh G5.
I also thought the PowerBook 100 was powerful enough. That is, until Microsoft Teams turned the fan in my 2017 MacBook Pro into a jet engine! The iPad Pro M1 has been my go-to device ever since.
However, as our organisation uses Microsoft Office, have you ever tried to watermark a document in Word for iPad?
I also thought the PowerBook 100 was powerful enough. That is, until Microsoft Teams turned the fan in my 2017 MacBook Pro into a jet engine! The iPad Pro M1 has been my go-to device ever since.
However, as our organisation uses Microsoft Office, have you ever tried to watermark a document in Word for iPad?
Awesome! I haven’t ever tried watermarking a document in Word before, but I can look into it and test it out and share the results when I get a chance. 👍🏻