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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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I may have missed it but what is she using the laptop for?
My daughter is training to be a vet and while all these "toys" she likes, due to the coursework she had to go with a Windows machine. Some of the required software is only out for Windows.
Her iPad was a no go even though her iPhone and iPad are her primary devices.
I agree and we haven't decided on anything yet. I am not a fan of the MacBook air especially with the thermal issues. My friend already sent his back because of this and purchased a base 2020 Macbook Pro instead. For an Ipad, I am open to the Ipad Air but not a fan of the base model.
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She is in Education. That's why I would be installing windows 10 via boot camp to cover any possible incompatibility issues.
You’re a cool parent. I wish mine had given me such tech support for my university years. Also, the combination of the 13” 10th Gen + iPad Pro 11” is perfect. Mind you, in case you haven’t done so already, add the Apple Pencil in the mix, it’s a lifesaver for PDFs and reading.
iPad has always been a consumption device for me and an expensive one at that, much prefer my iMac and now new MacBook Air 2020.
Yeah... it is becoming more and more personal preference now than ever before. It is a matter of workflow and familiarity in almost all cases that don’t require legacy software of some kind (usually some program that dates back Snow Leopard, or Windows 95 or even 3.1!) If you are familiar and comfortable with macOS / Windows, then iOS/iPadOS for “real” work will be frustrating, the same with anything.
My young kids, 8 and 10, think laptops and desktops are these old fashioned things. They ask me why they can‘t touch our iMac screen. I say, “because you’ll get fingerprints all over it.” They then ask, ”But how do you do things then? Why do you have to use that thing to point at stuff when you could just touch it?” I have a feeling they will be choosing a touch first OS over a cursor first OS as they grow up.
My young kids, 8 and 10, think laptops and desktops are these old fashioned things. They ask me why they can‘t touch our iMac screen. I say, “because you’ll get fingerprints all over it.” They then ask, ”But how do you do things then? Why do you have to use that thing to point at stuff when you could just touch it?” I have a feeling they will be choosing a touch first OS over a cursor first OS as they grow up.
I’d really like to replace my laptop with my 11” ipad with magic keyboard, but I’m still having trouble with the most basic of computer tasks. For instance, I don’t use the gmail app because it has some annoying limitations, but using gmail through safari still doesn’t work very well; I’m getting some buggy behavior with the cursor and scrolling that makes me want to throw my ipad across the room.
The above is a small example, but there is a laundry list of this type of annoyance at every turn with basic office type work and file management. People complain they can’t use final cut, do coding, or do CAD on the ipad which would be great, but more pressing is that we’re 10 years in and some very basic web and office stuff is still glitchy and half baked.
Anyone else having issues with gmail, ms office, google docs, file management etc?
The above is a small example, but there is a laundry list of this type of annoyance at every turn with basic office type work and file management. People complain they can’t use final cut, do coding, or do CAD on the ipad which would be great, but more pressing is that we’re 10 years in and some very basic web and office stuff is still glitchy and half baked.
Anyone else having issues with gmail, ms office, google docs, file management etc?
Of course, if you try to use an iPad as a traditional laptop, you will start seeing all of its limitations, but I think we should see the iPad for what it is and not try to make it something it isn't. iPadOS has extreme limitations which do not allow for some more advanced application development, thus leading to lightweight apps. On the other hand, the iPad is versatile and offers functionality that a laptop cannot offer (for example sketching, editing and signing pdfs with a pen, using the pen for note taking). Each of us should really take a look at his/her workflow and see what type of device is better suitable.
The biggest issue is that the ios apps for these services still aren’t very good. I still can’t attach files in the gmail app despite it claiming to support the iOS files app. Office is okay if you just use the basic functionality. File management is fine for me, but that’s probably because the bulk of my files reside in Dropbox.
I think we look at it the wrong way. A iPad is not a laptop replacement and a laptop is not a Ipad replacement. I absolutely hate my MacBook Pro but I need it for certain things. I love using my iPad a majority of the time but it obviously doesn't have a physical keyboard, its top heavy, and it uses a mobile operating system. Can't get away from the fact that a Macbook is easier to be productive on.
Why not?
I can ... This is on my IPP 11 13.5
When you go to attach (clip) look under the heading Attachments > Locations
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Even if you look at the “other side”.
My X280 running Windows 10 is a fantastic laptop and a decent tablet but nowhere as good as an iPP.
But using it I do wish my MB had a touchscreen.
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I am still not seeing the attachment option. It’s possible that this hasn’t been rolled out to me yet.
I don’t see that option either and I just updated the gmail app. Is this feature still being rolled out? If so, this is welcomed news. Not being able to attach any file I want has been a debilitating limitation for Gmail on iPad.
Use the Spark app to access Google Mail, that is excellent. In most cases there are iPadOS apps to do what is required, but not necessary the software you are familiar. Do a bit of research and experiment.
i’ve done that whenever I come across a problem ever since moving across to iPad, and if you are flexible and try out different methods, there is very little you cannot do on the device.
You might say why bother? But I just love the iPad experience and want to make it work
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In my case, my work gmail account has IMAP disabled, so I am only able to use it in the gmail app. My other personal gmail accounts work with the mail app, so managing attachments isn't an issue.
Ah, found it. There was no “locations” per se. When you go to attach, under “attachments”, the first thumbnail is actually a picture of a folder. That will bring up Files.
A lot of developers still treat iPad like a large glorified iPhone, which leads to over simplicity in a lot of apps available for it. The potential is there, it just needs to be recognized.
You have a good point. Those apps often only work in portrait and not landscape and are a right pain. I usually delete and go elsewhere with my business
Agreed.
I did manage this morning to actually file my expense report in a fairly straightforward manner, however there were still a number of irritations. This was a pretty basic routine of printing pdf’s of receipts, filling out a spreadsheet, zipping everything together, then sharing that link via email or Teams.
Examples -
- Google Ads website does not display their invoices correctly
- Renaming a file that I’m in the act of saving has a bug where it just jumps out of the renaming interface and you have to start over
- I can’t copy a screen capture from the iOS capture interface and paste it in-line in Outlook
- I can’t zip a folder in the normal Files interface (maybe I can with a 3rd party app?)
- Magic Keyboard still does not work reliably in Excel or the Gmail app
The iPad remains the best companion device on the market, but as a stand alone work device I’d have a really, really hard time considering it.
You can save the capture in Photos and then add it as such in Outlook. I know it is different compared to macOS, but it's possible..
There are 3rd party apps that can be used for that
It can be added in-line or as an attachment? The attachment part is easy. The fact that copy/paste doesn't work reliably between different apps is a productivity deal-breaker.
A 3rd party app for something as simple as a zipped folder - which is practically a requirement today as most file types are likely to get rejected from most mail servers otherwise is also a near deal-breaker.
You can zip in Files.
*Edit* long press or right click and select compress. It’s identical to doing it on macos. Do you have an iPad?
*Edit* long press or right click and select compress. It’s identical to doing it on macos. Do you have an iPad?
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