iPad as a laptop replacement

[akash.nu]

I think this video nailed it.

 

[subjonas]

Yeah, cloud = continuous storage and access fees and unavailable in many places I travel so I avoid it.

Me too. For offsite backup I have two time machine hard drives that I switch weekly between home and work. Pretty easy/simple/safe solution, for me much better than paying $10-$15/month.

 

[Perene]

As long as Apple doesn't change this is going to be the end result

And now they have to hide their numbers to disguise their own failure

Nice try but for everything the iPAD can't do I'll opt for a PC.

 

[akash.nu]

Me too. For offsite backup I have two time machine hard drives that I switch weekly between home and work. Pretty easy/simple/safe solution, for me much better than paying $10-$15/month.

Which cloud storage do you use that costs so much?

 

[richpjr]

Which cloud storage do you use that costs so much?

iCloud storage is $10 a month for 2 TB. Dropbox is $16.58 for 2 TB.

 

[akash.nu]

iCloud storage is $10 a month for 2 TB. Dropbox is $16.58 for 2 TB.

Wow what are you storing on iCloud?! I think if you’re using that much cloud space, you’re probably better of having offline storage such as a NAS drive.

 

[Nugget]

Wow what are you storing on iCloud?! I think if you’re using that much cloud space, you’re probably better of having offline storage such as a NAS drive.

A NAS drive really isn't very useful with an iPad. You can't mount it or directly interact with it. No apps are going to be able to save or load from it.

 

[akash.nu]

A NAS drive really isn't very useful with an iPad. You can't mount it or directly interact with it. No apps are going to be able to save or load from it.

Over WiFi you can access the drive.

 

[Nugget]

Over WiFi you can access the drive.

How? Be specific.

 

[Dave-Z]

How? Be specific.

Any number of document apps can access network shares. Readdle's Documents or PDF Expert, also GoodReader.

 

[richpjr]

Wow what are you storing on iCloud?! I think if you’re using that much cloud space, you’re probably better of having offline storage such as a NAS drive.

I don’t use that much, it is shared between myself, my wife and my 3 kids. 200 GB is not quite enough, so the next tier is 2 TB.

 

[ascender]

So, one (obvious) downside of the 12.9 is that its still pretty heavy and unwieldy compared to a traditional size of iPad when doing web browsing, mails and watching media around the house. The sort of stuff I do when not sat at a desk. Which then leads to the question about a second device (another standard iPad maybe) which defeats the purpose of this one in a way.

Really enjoying using iOS though, the more keyboard shortcuts I learn, the quicker everything is become.

But, and its a big but... I still feel like I'd be quicker doing pretty much everything on a device running macOS.

 

[kodos]

I was at the car dealership getting my vehicle serviced. It was going to take about 2 hours and so I came with the intention of working on a large research paper for work. I brought my 15" MacBook Pro and the 11" iPad Pro. It was no contest, the iPad Pro was very unappealing to work with. No trackpad, much slower copy and paste - couldn't open Word documents side by side (or split view), the browser was garbage in comparison to full Chrome, it had odd multitasking behaviors (would close my apps that had opened for reference, but then would then have to reopen them when switching), etc.

It was an awful, terrible experience in comparison to a true computer. But it is great to read on and do occasional writing when I don't have to do heavy research and do much in the way of referencing other works.

 

[AttilaTheHun]

OK this is the way I see it, for most of us that just use the computer for fun, E Mail, surfeiting the net ect. can just go with a tablet but if you must have a good keyboard with truck pad you need a laptop.
me: I have my MBP and use it deals love it and long time ago switched from PC to Apple the main reason was the truck pad. I also have the iPad pro with a pencil don't need or want a keyboard have it on the iPad the pencil is also used as a mouse it portable and has totally deference way of use.

 

[Rogifan]

Saw this tweet from Tom Warren who’s a Verge writer mostly covering Microsoft.

Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
11/15/18, 5:45 PM
Nilay made this point on Vergecast, but the people who have replaced their laptops with an iPad are people who do f—k all work. The rest of us hard working people use a laptop, because we have real stuff to do other than send emails and fart around. Don’t @ me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m didnt hear this conversation so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume a bit of hyperbole here. Still I think it could spark an interesting discussion. So far all the talk seems to be around what is the definition of a computer and what products can be classified as computers. But how about a discussion on the definition of “real work” and how some people are snobs in what they consider “real work” or not. Who gets to decide what “real work” is? Tom Warren and Nilay Patel at the Verge?

 

[secretk]

I will be a bit blunt so guys please do not take it personally. I registered here maybe almost a month and a half ago. I saw enough discussions about is the iPad laptop replacement or not and who gets to do what on an iPad and whether it is considered real work or not.

I think we are a point where we need to accept that when someone posts and talks about real work they mean real work for them. And if they say that the iPad is a laptop replacement (or not) it's for them. No one is able to decide for anyone how the iPad should be used.

Even Apple can't decide that. Apple can advertise the product certain way and have a marketing strategy. This does not mean that the end consumers would follow suit. Of course because of this some consumers would not be happy with their purchase. And that's normal life too.

Now if you ask me what real work means for me here is my answer (heavily influenced by my work which is a lead of a Software Development team):

1. Having access to a company (restricted) Bitbucket server and being able to clone repositories, approve/merge or decline pull requests. Currently not possible with iPad.
2. Having access to the desktop version of the company JIRA (or a good mobile app, the current one is lacking) where I can have access to my dashboards and supervise the team work. For some reason safari has some issues loading the web site, but overall it works.
3. Having access to Eclipse, IntelliJ Idea or any other Development tool that is integrated with GIT so that I can access the code. I have not tested Coda, but due to the issues mentioned in 1, it does not make sense to have Coda on my iPad.
4. Having access to the company chat client and its desktop functionalities (currently the iOS app is crippled and does not support video chats). I have the app, but it's not that useful.
5. Working simultaneously with multiple Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. That kind of sucks on an iPad. I have those apps installed but I use them to annotate with pencil comments on already created files on a desktop/laptop.
6. Chatting simultaneously with multiple people while having access to either the code or the company knowledgebase. Can definitely be done on an iPad, but I prefer to use desktop or laptop where I can have two monitors and mouse/trackpad.
7. Taking notes during meetings (at least half of my week is spent on meetings). Here the iPad excels as I can use the pencil to take notes in OneNote. Could also be done with laptop and typing instead of writing down. Both approaches work for me.
8. Being able to share my iPad screen during meetings (not possible currently as my company infrastructure is not set up like that, need a HDMI dongle for this). I am about to have company laptop that has HDMI though so once I have it I will use the laptop instead.
9. Scribbling, brainstorming - great for an iPad with pencil; could be done on paper/pen but then I end up with numerous papers that I cannot organize properly
10. Reading pdf files and annotating them - great for an iPad with pencil; could be done on desktop/laptop but I prefer the pencil

Things I do at home that I would not consider so much real work as general usage

1. Watching movies. I prefer my 15.6 laptop as the screen is bigger. And it's lappable and more stable on my lap for the cases when I watch movies in the bed
2. Listening to music. I do use the iPad sometimes in the tram/subway when the phone I usually use for this is dead. At home I use my laptop because it is hooked up to external speakers that provide better quality over the iPad.
3. Photos processing. I use my laptop because I use DxO. Its algorithms are optimized for the camera and lens combinations a person can use. I can also do batch processing. Once the batch is ready and I have the files on my laptop anyway for this, I just continue the photos processing on my laptop. Plus for me transferring files from computer to an iPad is a hassle and I just prefer to skip this.
4. Digital art and coloring - definitely done on the iPad with the pencil; I cannot do it on laptop/desktop without Wacom tablet or something like that
5. Posting in forums. Can be done on an iPad, but I am way faster using my laptop so I use my laptop

As you can see I use both my laptop(desktop computer at work) and my Ipad for different purposes. If you ask me to choose only one device though I would choose the laptop/desktop because I do most of the stuff there and it's the important stuff that I need to do for work.

Naturally if you ask me if I can real work on an iPad my answer would be No. If you ask someone that is doing digital art though the answer might be different. Or someone that reads a lot of books and need to annotate them.

 

[Jett0516]

My ma just gotten the new iPad. And all she does is get on Facebook. iMessage her friends. Browse the news. And watch cat videos. I asks and to her she said..the iPad is her computer.

I really think this is what Tim Cook does, just like my ma. And so the iPad will never evolve into being a real computer. Because to Tim Cook and Apple..it already is.

 

[scottrods]

Again, right tool for the job is key in any job. I don’t know about you but when I am handing out tenders I want to hear the a-z of the job. The end result as you point is key, however, equally are the steps / processes that will help you achieve your result. If these are not carried out properly, the end result will not be satisfactory.

I recently had a garage conversion undertaken, I had various builders come out. The end result was to get the room converted into a living space. Price and timeframe were key as well as the finer details such as how they intend on getting local council authorisations, how long this would take, the builders experience, who the 3rd party contractors were, what kind of bricks were being used, how they intended to wire the place electrically, what materials they were going to use for the raising of the floor (as I didn’t want steps), quality of insulation, how they were going to dispose of waste (I didn’t want plasterboard and materials left overnight in the driveway or be a nuisance to my neighbours), what time the builders would start each day and finish and separately I wanted to speak to the electrician personally so that I could get the room kitted to my spec with plug points in places i wanted them as well as sockets / connections for the television.

In the end I went with a builder who had the experience behind him, who was able to arrange house visits for me for clients houses he had converted and who gave me straight answers to my questions.

#writtenonaniPad

And not once did you ask if uses a skill saw and a hammer, or does he use a table saw and a screw gun... I would bet on it. Your comparison lacks parallels.

 

[Rogifan]

My ma just gotten the new iPad. And all she does is get on Facebook. iMessage her friends. Browse the news. And watch cat videos. I asks and to her she said..the iPad is her computer.

I really think this is what Tim Cook does, just like my ma. And so the iPad will never evolve into being a real computer. Because to Tim Cook and Apple..it already is.

Who defines what a real computer is? I’m so sick of the if so and so doesn’t use their device the way I need to use mine it’s not a real computer. So elitist.

 

[DNichter]

A NAS drive really isn't very useful with an iPad. You can't mount it or directly interact with it. No apps are going to be able to save or load from it.

My QNAP NAS has been extremely useful for me and my move to iPad only. I can save files to iCloud Drive for short term use and then transfer to my NAS if I need to keep more long term. QNAP has a Qfile app that integrates directly with the Apple Files app. I also download torrents and run my Plex and Homebridge from my server, all managed by my iPad.

 

[kodos]

My ma just gotten the new iPad. And all she does is get on Facebook. iMessage her friends. Browse the news. And watch cat videos. I asks and to her she said..the iPad is her computer.

I really think this is what Tim Cook does, just like my ma. And so the iPad will never evolve into being a real computer. Because to Tim Cook and Apple..it already is.

Right. They just want a big iPhone. But then, like my mom did - she called me wondering why some website wasn't working for her iPad. Told her to go on her Macbook Air and it worked on Chrome. Why is Chrome not Chrome on an iPad? Because iOS means that you have no real ability to download a real browser (all you can do is reskin mobile Safari/Webkit). This is why the iPad is not a computer in the traditional sense. It is a big phone with the ability to use a stylus and without an earpiece.

 

[Macintoshrumors]

My ma just gotten the new iPad. And all she does is get on Facebook. iMessage her friends. Browse the news. And watch cat videos. I asks and to her she said..the iPad is her computer.

I really think this is what Tim Cook does, just like my ma. And so the iPad will never evolve into being a real computer. Because to Tim Cook and Apple..it already is.

Do you ever see the kids at the grocery store in the basket watching cartoons on their iPads? Or teenagers at the mall on their phones? That who the ipad as computer replacements is really geared towards (along with people who do basic task like your mom) Apple isn’t holding these iPad learning classes in their stores for nothing, they are prepping kids to use iPads.

Ipad as a computer replacement is not for the people who grew up using desktops/laptops, but for the younger generations that are growing up with iPads/iPhones/any touchscreen devices. To them, they wouldn’t know how to use a mouse or what windows/macos is. Apple knows the pc world is dying and are geniuses looking into the future and preserving the company for generations to come.

The pro software for ipads will get better and better as those kids grow up when they need to use them comes. By then everyone here will be old and using their iPads for basic task like facebooking, messenger, watching cat videos or whatever, just like this dudes mom.
[doublepost=1542787539][/doublepost]

Right. They just want a big iPhone. But then, like my mom did - she called me wondering why some website wasn't working for her iPad. Told her to go on her Macbook Air and it worked on Chrome. Why is Chrome not Chrome on an iPad? Because iOS means that you have no real ability to download a real browser (all you can do is reskin mobile Safari/Webkit). This is why the iPad is not a computer in the traditional sense. It is a big phone with the ability to use a stylus and without an earpiece.

So because a webpage doesn’t load like a desktop disqualifies if for being used as a computer for someone that isn’t bothered by some sites using the mobile version of it. Did you tell her she can request the deaktop version easily in the iPad? Prob not, but I’m willing to be she considers it a computer for her needs and who are you to tell her otherwise.

 

[Pricekart]

Real business work needs a Laptop. iPad or any tablet can never replace Laptops.

 

[scottrods]

Real business work needs a Laptop. iPad or any tablet can never replace Laptops.

What will be, is the world will go back to businesses having the business computers (even the individuals who are self employed) and the rest of the world will likely be relegated back to be computer dummies, based on user ship as a consumer instead of being a professional.

You guys remember when only businesses had any computers? "Mainf Frames" that kind of stuff... Really great computers will be industry and job specific more so than they are today, and a personal computer will become just that, a personal computer again. So many people don't even realize how far we've come with personal computing and so many think that professional computers are what EVERY soul needs and wants.

I'm old enough the people who made computers were - IBM pretty much, and the calculator and other strategic electronics were made by Texas Instruments and a few others. Apple is still the new kid on the block in my life. And they're rocking' it big time with both the products and the company direction and decisions so far. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. IBM is still there, but not on the top by any means. They have some pretty solid business stuff still, but the consumers don't care what IBM thinks. They take their cues from Apple and HP and the like...

The good computers that can really perform like businesses and the self employed need for super computing are getting cheaper by the day... It's the software that's outta control. But the difference between the personal computer and the business machine are quickly being defined by how you use it, not by what programs it can run and how much "work" you can do with it. At that point we aren't talking about PC's any more. And even though the iconic "Mac v PC" wording is there... the bulk of what Apple sells is still PC's by definition. (This as far as computers <and tablets> go... not trying to mix phones and other stuff into this conversation).

 

[kodos]

Sorry, there are some sites that just don’t work well on Safari, much less mobile Safari. She had to use Chrome for desktop. Some devs don’t test or support anything else. It shows.

The difference is that her Air had the FREEDOM to run FULL Chrome. It isn't some locked down child's toy.

Google is prepping kids to use Chromebooks btw. They have a lead over iPads in education. I don’t think keyboard and mouse are going anywhere.

Do you ever see the kids at the grocery store in the basket watching cartoons on their iPads? Or teenagers at the mall on their phones? That who the ipad as computer replacements is really geared towards (along with people who do basic task like your mom) Apple isn’t holding these iPad learning classes in their stores for nothing, they are prepping kids to use iPads.

Ipad as a computer replacement is not for the people who grew up using desktops/laptops, but for the younger generations that are growing up with iPads/iPhones/any touchscreen devices. To them, they wouldn’t know how to use a mouse or what windows/macos is. Apple knows the pc world is dying and are geniuses looking into the future and preserving the company for generations to come.

The pro software for ipads will get better and better as those kids grow up when they need to use them comes. By then everyone here will be old and using their iPads for basic task like facebooking, messenger, watching cat videos or whatever, just like this dudes mom.
[doublepost=1542787539][/doublepost]


So because a webpage doesn’t load like a desktop disqualifies if for being used as a computer for someone that isn’t bothered by some sites using the mobile version of it. Did you tell her she can request the deaktop version easily in the iPad? Prob not, but I’m willing to be she considers it a computer for her needs and who are you to tell her otherwise.