When that computer runs better than other computers sporting 8gb or even 16gb of ram? In a heartbeat.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
- WikiPost WikiPost
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
I think you actually hit the nail on the head with this comment. The reviews of the new iPad have largely focused on what it can’t do but to give Apple credit they slowed down the development of software in iOS 12 to focus on stablility. It has worked and both my iPad and iPhone are buttery smooth.
That being said, at the prices they are charging, I think everyone is going to be expecting at least some improvements for day to day usage in iOS 13. Same 2 apps side by side so you can edit documents for example. If it is just another stability update then I think a lot of people will start looking at other options since eventually the competition will catch up to the iPad.
I think the iPad line has been a laptop replacement for more and more people over the years. And not just a laptop replacement for the kids or grandparents, an actual replacement for professionals. Creative professionals and executives are leading the way, but I think the tablet form factor and the app focused workflow of iOS is very appealing to other professions as well. These other professionals (full disclosure, I count myself in this category) are looking at the incredible power of the last two iPad Pros especially, and wanting in on some of that portable, fan less, not cooking your legs sweetness.
Honestly, there’s no competition to iPad at present. If someone is looking for a tablet experience then there’s only one choice - iPad.
Agree with this. I don't think that people will decide to buy another tablet because they are not close to iPad. What might happen is people wondering more if it's worth to buy iPad Pro or they can use regular 2018 iPad. Yes there are differences between those two models, but it's mostly hardware. The software is the same.
Agree that Apple makes the best tablet. But as an iPad a laptop replacement is a vastly different topic and for a lot of people, it isn’t the best replacement - as the 53 page and growing thread attests to.
Last edited:
Ipad is a good tablet I bought it too, but inside of me i think the surface is a better choice but the price is way to high for a tablet you can buy a laptop for that price
I live in the autodesk app world and until an iPad can open a revit file, I will always have a PC. Even if a more robust iOS comes out it isn’t like it will support boot camp so I can run other windows only apps.
I’m loving this article on the iPad Pro. Finally someone just gets it.
https://www.idropnews.com/news/ipad/life-is-beautiful-with-apples-new-12-9-inch-ipad-pro-2018/88616/
https://www.idropnews.com/news/ipad/life-is-beautiful-with-apples-new-12-9-inch-ipad-pro-2018/88616/
As a tablet, there is no doubt that iPad is king...
But that is not what this thread is about. This is not about the iPad as a tablet, but as a laptop replacement. And that, my friend, is a whole different story
Why do you think this thread is 50+ pages long and the debate keeps going?
What is it they are getting? That has to be the lightest, fluff review I have ever read on an iPad.
Last edited:
And that is where you are wrong.
A laptop can indeed operate as a full desktop replacement. Why? Because BOTH the laptop's hardware AND software can match the desktop's.
Unfortunately, that is not the case with iPad vs Laptop. The iPad hardware is indeed powerful enough, but the software is far too restricted. Thus, the problem.
As a tablet, there is no doubt that iPad is king...
But that is not what this thread is about. This is not about the iPad as a tablet, but as a laptop replacement. And that, my friend, is a whole different story
So for me iPad pro is only a tablet and i like it that way it can't replace my MBP
Rene Ritchie had this comment in a tweet:
“What’s a computer?” was poorly executed. It was meant to challenge the idea that only a laptop running Windows or macOS was a “computer” and show alternatives like iPad as just as valid a “computer” and better for some.
I think that is fair. A lot of people took it as a rallying cry around Apple wanting to get rid of Macs, but Apple is clearly investing a lot in Macs. I am curious to see what the Arm transition will do for a unified OS.
“What’s a computer?” was poorly executed. It was meant to challenge the idea that only a laptop running Windows or macOS was a “computer” and show alternatives like iPad as just as valid a “computer” and better for some.
I think that is fair. A lot of people took it as a rallying cry around Apple wanting to get rid of Macs, but Apple is clearly investing a lot in Macs. I am curious to see what the Arm transition will do for a unified OS.
I agree that’s the correct narrative. And I think we can all agree with Apple, that an iPad is an adequate and even better computer choice for a subset of people. Apple never said that an iPad can do EVERYTHING that a Mac can do (which it can’t, nor can a Mac do everyting that an iPad can do). Like you said, that’s something certain people somehow inferred and ran with, but it was not the intended implication.
There is also the narrative floating around that iPad/iOS is the future, that it will eventually be built out enough to fill EVERYONE’S needs, and that Macs will eventually get phased out. I haven’t heard Apple explicitly say anything to that effect, nor am I sure that’s necessary nor possible, since each OS has a different focus and therefore fills different sets of needs, and some of those needs are in direct conflict with each other (eg. simplicity vs flexibility). For iPads to be able to fill EVERY need filled by Macs, it would essentially have to transform into a Mac.
Which leads to the other two ideas floating around: that the two OSes will converge into one or that there should be a dual OS device. Again, convergence doesn’t much sense to me, since the two OSes have different focuses. And dual OS—I’m not sure it can be done without being clunky. In either case, these are both ideas that Apple has emphatically spoken against repeatedly over the years.
So I think the real debates here are regarding HOW LARGE THE GROUP IS for whom iPads can replace laptops, and WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE IN iPAD/iOS for that group to become significantly larger. In regard to the former question, I don’t have much of an opinion—it replaces a laptop for whoever wants it to/whomever it can. In regard to the latter question, it seems to always come back to mouse/trackpad support and universal file management with external drive support.
I thought this was a reasonable way to approach this topic. No, it doesn't blow away arguments that the iPad Pro is a laptop replacement. But, the author defines the product in a way that it may help others make a decision.
https://qz.com/1478302/the-new-ipad-pro-reviewed-its-a-lightweight-marvel/
https://qz.com/1478302/the-new-ipad-pro-reviewed-its-a-lightweight-marvel/
Never had a laptop and never had a iPad Pro but sometimes my iPad mini 2 works better at things than my desktop pc.
I toyed with the idea of getting an iPad as a laptop replacement but decided against it. Just too many compromises. I'm open for new devices taking the place of good old laptops but the iPad is not such a device. Guess I'll wait for the rumored all new Surface Pro next fall or some other interesting devices that will certainly be released when Intel finally gets its 10 nm Ice Lake CPUs on the market.
You know, I just realized that I’ve been using my new 12.9” Pro as my laptop replacement and I didn’t even know it. My Windows laptop died a few months back and I started using my old 9.7” Pro more often - checking email, quick web browsing, etc. But, if I wanted to watch Netflix or do something a bit more labor intensive - create/edit documents, read PDFs, etc. - I’d switch over to my work Windows laptop.
But, since getting the 12.9”, I’ve not missed my personal laptop at all and have used the iPad a lot more for work as well. I still fire up the work laptop for a variety of reasons, but I never use it for personal computing. I’m solely using the 12.9”. Of course, it helps that I have a keyboard for it (keyboard folio for traveling and the magic keyboard for home), but I think I could get by with the onscreen keyboard if I had to.
Over the last few days, I’ve been contemplating picking up a MacBook Air to replace my dead Windows laptop. But, when I take a look at what I’m really doing at home, I don’t think I need a laptop anymore - the Pro is ticking all the boxes. Really, the only thing a laptop would give me that the iPad can’t would be the ability to play games with a mouse and keyboard (I’m old skool that way), but I recently grabbed a PS4 and that has definitely quenched my “hardcore” game thirst - as soon as I completely make the transition from keyboard/mouse to PS4 controller! So, laptop-less it is!
But, since getting the 12.9”, I’ve not missed my personal laptop at all and have used the iPad a lot more for work as well. I still fire up the work laptop for a variety of reasons, but I never use it for personal computing. I’m solely using the 12.9”. Of course, it helps that I have a keyboard for it (keyboard folio for traveling and the magic keyboard for home), but I think I could get by with the onscreen keyboard if I had to.
Over the last few days, I’ve been contemplating picking up a MacBook Air to replace my dead Windows laptop. But, when I take a look at what I’m really doing at home, I don’t think I need a laptop anymore - the Pro is ticking all the boxes. Really, the only thing a laptop would give me that the iPad can’t would be the ability to play games with a mouse and keyboard (I’m old skool that way), but I recently grabbed a PS4 and that has definitely quenched my “hardcore” game thirst - as soon as I completely make the transition from keyboard/mouse to PS4 controller! So, laptop-less it is!
Last edited:
It is funny how some piece of tech. makes its way into your life. That a sign of how useful it is.
I’m one of the biggest defenders of iPad as a laptop replacement, but I’m finally slightly getting the point about mouse support. I mean... when I use it as a laptop, I still don’t feel the need for mouse support, because my fingers are so close to the screen, that using a touch screen instead of track pad really doesn’t bother me at all. But now I have a longer piece of writing to do, and I’m getting neck strain from using the iPad on a lap desk, or even on a table and want to have my eye level up higher. So I’m looking for the first time at getting a dongle for an old monitor and a Bluetooth keyboard, and NOW I wish I could have mouse support. Otherwise, I guess I can essentially use the iPad itself as a trackpad? Assuming that the iPad still shows what is on the screen—the monitor is just mirroring what is on the iPad, not making the iPad go black and unresponsive?
It depends on the person I guess. If I use regular laptop I don't get neck strain because I don't actually look at my hands (keyboard and mouse). I look at my screen and that tells me if I hit the right key or move the mouse to the right spot. With iPad honestly I do get neck strain quite often. I honestly can't find a place for it. I can put it on a stand, but then it's not comfortable enough to use the touch screen. In that case I would prefer to have a mouse instead of reaching out with my hands.
It's sort of preference. Also I never type long text on an iPad. I dislike the way I can edit text in iOS. It's slow, inefficient, unnatural and not intuitive.
I had a workshop at work in the beginning of the month. I decided to try and use the iPad for taking notes during meetings instead of my laptop. I used the pencil to take notes and then I had to transfer my handwritten notes into typed text to give to my co-workers. Why did I have to do it? Because typing on an iPad for 8 straight hours 5 days a week would make me go insane. It's just not practical for me.
I don’t look at my hands either... but the screen position itself is too low for hours and hours consecutive. It was the same when I used my MBP. I get really bad headaches from neck strain, and I need the screen basically right in front of me, with my no bend in my neck. So I need an adjustable monitor or a monitor stand.
Like I said, most of the time it’s fine... I’ve been iPad only for a year now, and this is the first time I’ve had a project that is long enough that it is becoming an issue. I am typing in Pages, and while it’s taking a bit of learning and I wish I could do page numbers or a ToC, no big deal. I’m not even finding the text selection thing to be bothersome, but maybe that’s because I have been doing this for a year and am pretty proficient at it. Generally speaking, I’m a huge fan of ASK.
[doublepost=1544383251][/doublepost]I will note that the neck strain problem is worse on my 11 inch than on my 2017 12.9. Just that extra little angle down.