Thanks for sharing! ? I totally agree, all the current “iPad limits” are iPadOS-related, as the hardware is fine and now that Air 4 and Pros are USB-C based, we have adapters galore. ? The way things are today mean that we still need to have some sort of a computer as a backup, even if we have a super simple workflow, restoring a DFU-ed iDevice will still need a computer. I believe that Apple are working on it and each major iPadOS update will make things better, yet for now I still need a computer for those 5% of cases when my iPad simply won’t do it. My iPad adventure continues... ?
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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Thanks for sharing! ? I totally agree, all the current “iPad limits” are iPadOS-related, as the hardware is fine and now that Air 4 and Pros are USB-C based, we have adapters galore. ? The way things are today mean that we still need to have some sort of a computer as a backup, even if we have a super simple workflow, restoring a DFU-ed iDevice will still need a computer. I believe that Apple are working on it and each major iPadOS update will make things better, yet for now I still need a computer for those 5% of cases when my iPad simply won’t do it. My iPad adventure continues... ?
I just want preview app on iPad OS. That damn thing can cut/edit PDFs, reduce their size, search them way faster and better than anything else out there. It also converts all sorts of files. Two days back I wanted to convert a few jpeg to heic format. App store didn't help much. I searched the internet - it's preview, yes that damn little thing can do all kinds of conversions. We got files app with tagging on iPad - then why not preview?
Thanks all that provided their use cases for not being able to go all in. There are things in my long computing career that I've given up, sometimes reluctantly from the first days of my Timex Sinclair. I'm a programer. For years I refused to give up my command line shell and VIM because productivity. Now I can publish a website from my couch using an iPad text editor that also allows me to SFTP to a web server. (Textastic)
Three years ago, I had several external drives that I couldn't live without. All that is now cloud based with redundancies. In fact, I'm 64GB on my iPad with 43 of those free.
As times change we have the ability, though usually not the willingness to change with them. My 14 year old daughter goes to school, from home, thanks to covid, on a Gen III iPad Air. (Her choice) her brother uses a MacPro, he admits his Chromebook was sufficient.
I've given up my Dual monitors, I'm more productive and less distracted using one 24inch. I use VM ware to connect to my corporate job, but can do so using iPad, Chromebook, or Mac mini.
I guess my point is we are right on the cusp of being less tied to Home "MainFrames" and have a slew of options to connect via networks that are in abundance. For those with less meta tasks, more than we realize, we just need a window into the data and a way to manipulate it. More and more those devices are starting not to look like a computer.
I don't know who said this, but I find it true: "The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed."
Incidentally, my wife's iPad prod, has more RAM and storage than my Desktop Computer. OS, is not quite there yet. But get ready. We are almost there. (IMHO)
For those of you with valid use cases, if you were doing it 10 years ago that way, I wonder if there is a better way today. May not be. Certain things have to be shipped by tractor trailer ... wide load coming through.
Three years ago, I had several external drives that I couldn't live without. All that is now cloud based with redundancies. In fact, I'm 64GB on my iPad with 43 of those free.
As times change we have the ability, though usually not the willingness to change with them. My 14 year old daughter goes to school, from home, thanks to covid, on a Gen III iPad Air. (Her choice) her brother uses a MacPro, he admits his Chromebook was sufficient.
I've given up my Dual monitors, I'm more productive and less distracted using one 24inch. I use VM ware to connect to my corporate job, but can do so using iPad, Chromebook, or Mac mini.
I guess my point is we are right on the cusp of being less tied to Home "MainFrames" and have a slew of options to connect via networks that are in abundance. For those with less meta tasks, more than we realize, we just need a window into the data and a way to manipulate it. More and more those devices are starting not to look like a computer.
I don't know who said this, but I find it true: "The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed."
Incidentally, my wife's iPad prod, has more RAM and storage than my Desktop Computer. OS, is not quite there yet. But get ready. We are almost there. (IMHO)
For those of you with valid use cases, if you were doing it 10 years ago that way, I wonder if there is a better way today. May not be. Certain things have to be shipped by tractor trailer ... wide load coming through.
Preview needs a lot more recognition. No other OS has anything like it–I've thought about switching to Windows, and also to embracing the iPad-only lifestyle, but in both cases I just couldn't bear the thought of losing Preview. With Windows I'd have to trade it for Acrobat, or Nitro, both of which are overpriced, bloated garbage. PCs are cheaper than Macs, yes, but I think Preview alone is worth at least $150-200.
Thanks all that provided their use cases for not being able to go all in. There are things in my long computing career that I've given up, sometimes reluctantly from the first days of my Timex Sinclair. I'm a programer. For years I refused to give up my command line shell and VIM because productivity. Now I can publish a website from my couch using an iPad text editor that also allows me to SFTP to a web server. (Textastic)
Three years ago, I had several external drives that I couldn't live without. All that is now cloud based with redundancies. In fact, I'm 64GB on my iPad with 43 of those free.
As times change we have the ability, though usually not the willingness to change with them. My 14 year old daughter goes to school, from home, thanks to covid, on a Gen III iPad Air. (Her choice) her brother uses a MacPro, he admits his Chromebook was sufficient.
I've given up my Dual monitors, I'm more productive and less distracted using one 24inch. I use VM ware to connect to my corporate job, but can do so using iPad, Chromebook, or Mac mini.
I guess my point is we are right on the cusp of being less tied to Home "MainFrames" and have a slew of options to connect via networks that are in abundance. For those with less meta tasks, more than we realize, we just need a window into the data and a way to manipulate it. More and more those devices are starting not to look like a computer.
I don't know who said this, but I find it true: "The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed."
Incidentally, my wife's iPad prod, has more RAM and storage than my Desktop Computer. OS, is not quite there yet. But get ready. We are almost there. (IMHO)
For those of you with valid use cases, if you were doing it 10 years ago that way, I wonder if there is a better way today. May not be. Certain things have to be shipped by tractor trailer ... wide load coming through.
Aside from my use cases I noted, it's also that I have no burning desire nor driving need to go all in. There are a number of tasks that I could do on my iPad but I prefer to do them on a device - desktop or docked laptop - where I find the flow to be more efficient and/or more pleasurable from a user experience perspective. Same is true in the other direction - the iPad provides a better user experience for some tasks.
Preferences aside, Mac vs iPad depends on people’s different needs. Some people do things that require multiple monitors and windows, some don’t. Some have a modest amount of files and can store all their data in the cloud for a small monthly fee. Others have too much data and don’t need access to it everywhere they go, so it makes more financial sense to use local hard drives. Not to mention some people aren’t allowed to store proprietary data in the cloud. Some people need versioned backups, some can get by with non-versioned backups.Thanks all that provided their use cases for not being able to go all in. There are things in my long computing career that I've given up, sometimes reluctantly from the first days of my Timex Sinclair. I'm a programer. For years I refused to give up my command line shell and VIM because productivity. Now I can publish a website from my couch using an iPad text editor that also allows me to SFTP to a web server. (Textastic)
Three years ago, I had several external drives that I couldn't live without. All that is now cloud based with redundancies. In fact, I'm 64GB on my iPad with 43 of those free.
As times change we have the ability, though usually not the willingness to change with them. My 14 year old daughter goes to school, from home, thanks to covid, on a Gen III iPad Air. (Her choice) her brother uses a MacPro, he admits his Chromebook was sufficient.
I've given up my Dual monitors, I'm more productive and less distracted using one 24inch. I use VM ware to connect to my corporate job, but can do so using iPad, Chromebook, or Mac mini.
I guess my point is we are right on the cusp of being less tied to Home "MainFrames" and have a slew of options to connect via networks that are in abundance. For those with less meta tasks, more than we realize, we just need a window into the data and a way to manipulate it. More and more those devices are starting not to look like a computer.
I don't know who said this, but I find it true: "The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed."
Incidentally, my wife's iPad prod, has more RAM and storage than my Desktop Computer. OS, is not quite there yet. But get ready. We are almost there. (IMHO)
For those of you with valid use cases, if you were doing it 10 years ago that way, I wonder if there is a better way today. May not be. Certain things have to be shipped by tractor trailer ... wide load coming through.
There are people on both sides of those examples, but one thing I’m not sure is how people restore their iPads without a Mac or pc. Sometimes it’s required to plug it in. I guess one could rely on someone else to own a Mac or pc.
In any case, this same conversation has been happening in these forums for years and years, and the result is still the same—for some, iPad is all they need, for other it’s not. Though, there are still some iPad enthusiasts who hold onto the idea that Macs (or any pc desktop or laptop) already are or are soon becoming antiquated machines (despite what Apple says). While iPad functionality has grown and therefore so has the number of people who can get by without a Mac, there are people who are well aware of what the iPad is capable of and who still need to keep using Macs because of the fundamental difference in the iPad’s functionality. These fundamental differences are what make it better for some things, worse for others.
I think there is some prevailing idea that because some technology has been around for a long time, it’s worse, and that because some technology is new, it’s better. But that is not always the case. Old tech can simply be mature. And new tech can be better, worse, or its own thing. Time will tell. If it is truly better, then I believe the older tech will get replaced inevitably. There’s nothing any of us need to do.
The biggest thing for me is Tableau. For whatever reason, even the web-editor for public dashboards just doesn't work on the iPad, even with the new full Safari.
I can't play my games on the iPad -- some are there, some are not. They aren't really a deal breaker, anyway.
I try and lead a minimalist lifestyle, and the iPad would be the perfect device to channel my inner Jony Ive and get to the essence of creative work. Choosing to go iPad-only is a digitally ascetic lifestyle. The things you can't do on an iPad, well, you just can't do on an iPad. There really isn't a clever workaround if the software or OS just aren't there for that.
I have a 2012 (2011?) Macbook Pro. 5 minutes to boot it up. Unusable in real world terms. I mainly use an iMac in the home office. Haven't felt like suffering through booting up the MacBook in a couple of years.
Am considering Air 4 with Magic keyboard as my replacement for the dinosaur MacBook.
Am wondering if Air 4 with Magic Keyboard would be an "acceptable" laptop replacement. Surfing web, emails, YouTube, iBooks, Kingdom Rush and similar, ...
Am considering Air 4 with Magic keyboard as my replacement for the dinosaur MacBook.
Am wondering if Air 4 with Magic Keyboard would be an "acceptable" laptop replacement. Surfing web, emails, YouTube, iBooks, Kingdom Rush and similar, ...
Performance-wise, absolutely!
The question is if you personally can accept the tradeoffs.
I feel trying to do anything, even something as simple as writing an e-mail, is so frustrating on iOS that it feels like I have one hand tied behind my back and a glove on the other one.
Even with an external keyboard? I find, with iPad in stand and an external keyboard, I’m focused on the task at hand and suffer no loss free from other distractions.
It really depends on how you do those activities. What I mean is that for me surfing the web means multiple tabs and windows being open, sometimes even wanting to reference info from one tab to another. iPads do not handle multiple tabs properly. First of all the screen is small so the real estate is less, second enough tabs reloading happen even on newer iPads to distract me from what I am doing.
In terms of YouTube well unless you pay for Youtube Premium, the experience with the app itself is lesser than opening it in a browser. As a whole though I would not use iPads for this because for them everything is singular. Let's say you start a video on YouTube that you want to listen but not watch, you go to another tab and this site has video or audio add. YouTube stops and you hear the audio. This is what I mean. This is kind of singular thinking is honestly annoying. I use YouTube to listen to music for example and definitely do not want to have to stop the add, then go back again to YouTube to resume the music. Especially with the smaller screen real estate and the tabs I have to go through.
I can type on the iPad but if you use keyboard case the keyboard is not as ergonomic as 15.6 or even 14 inch laptop. For shorter emails it works, but if I need to write longer email or another document or if I need lots of styling, I would honestly feel more comfortable with the laptop where text editing, copy/paste and select operations are more intuitive and easier to handle.
For iBooks it would be awesome, especially if you get a pencil and annotate and highlight.
Another small thing to mention is the usage of the device while being charged. The charging cords are rather short for me to be able to use the iPad while charging on a desk (similar to how I would do it with laptop). I can buy other cords but it would be third party and I do not want to use third party chargers.
However my biggest problem with iPads is the lack of multitasking. What I mean is that those devices cannot handle background processes. I cannot open an app and start exporting a video for example and let it work in the background while I am reading. This is not possible. I have to sit and wait and watch the screen no matter how long it takes to export the video before even going to the Books app. This for me is like going back in 2005 in terms of computers (even earlier) and I just feel that my time is being wasted watching an app doing something just to make sure that it won't be lost.
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It might work for you, depending on your patience. I use my iPad 95% of the time, but every now and again still have to reawaken my MacBook Pro (2015) for an odd task.
Yes. I typically need a web page or two that I want to see at the same time, the e-mail thread I’m replying to in a separate window and often some tool such as OmniFocus or Excel.
I also want to see recipients expanded to names and addresses.
There is just too much juggling and too many extra steps on iOS for everything but the most simple tasks.
By any chance, is your MacBook Pro still using HDD? My 2009 MacBook Pro boots only seconds with an SSD. It’s a night and day performance difference and a real worthy upgrade compared to when I swap the 2gb RAM to 8gb.
Air 4 with MKB will handle web surfing, emails, YouTube, iBooks like champ! Once you empty a bit your of cup when switching to iPad OS ecosystem and task handling and adapted to it.
As for games, I’m extensively playing Call of Duty Mobile now on my iPad Pro 2020 with a DualShock 4 controller, and it feels like console quality experience.
For books/pdfs and markups, I find the iPad to be a much better experience than a laptop. For productivity apps (e.g. iWork & Office), my MacBook Air beats the iPad every time. Some people say that they focus better on an iPad, because there are fewer distractions from multiple windows etc. My problem is that I never do truly creative writing purely from my imagination. I am always referencing a web link, document or spreadsheet, so MacOS fluid movement between apps and files is essential for me.
The iPad is a great tablet. Wonderful for taking on vacation. Useful for light productivity, such as email, calendar, notes, and reading/reviewing documents. However, for me, it just isn't a laptop replacement, and I don't need it to be. I paid $900 for my 2020 MBA and $250 for my iPad 7, both brand new. Which is the same or less than a full priced iPad Pro with Magic keyboard. With Cloud storage, I can access files across devices seamlessly, so there really isn't a big reason for me to shoehorn these two devices into one.
The iPad is a great tablet. Wonderful for taking on vacation. Useful for light productivity, such as email, calendar, notes, and reading/reviewing documents. However, for me, it just isn't a laptop replacement, and I don't need it to be. I paid $900 for my 2020 MBA and $250 for my iPad 7, both brand new. Which is the same or less than a full priced iPad Pro with Magic keyboard. With Cloud storage, I can access files across devices seamlessly, so there really isn't a big reason for me to shoehorn these two devices into one.
I am using my iPad Air 4 256 GB as laptop since last friday. I can say that this is very reliable device. I think this will be my travel and couch laptop. I use Logitech Folio Touch Keyboard. It is very good Magic Keyboard alternative. One issue with using iPad as laptop is that that sometimes pointer to do not hide when not used. This is iPadOS bug to be fixed. Overall this is my new travel and couch laptop. iPadOS(iOS) is very efficient system. A14 processor has very high performance. There is no better tablets then iPad’s. Very good experience with new Air with Logitech Folio Touch.
I purchased the Ipad Air 4 and Magic keyboard. It compliments my IPP 12.9 and is a joy to use. So much that I rarely use my macbook air (2018). The Macbook Air as is slower, the battery is worse, fan goes on when video conferencing to name a few gripes.I do alot of writing, website work with occasional video/music/photo editing on my Ipad. The apps I use such as Ulysses and I thoughts offer same functionality as their desktop counterparts for example. The Ipad also offers some really great accessories like Apple Pencil and Magic keyboard. The Ipad is very enjoyable to use and offers greater flexibility for me. As ever, you choose the correct tool for what you want or need to achieve. For me the Ipad is a laptop replacement but for others with their own individual needs, a laptop or desktop will be better suited.
I don't really use a Ipad anymore but I do have a Ipad Mini 2 yes I know its pretty dated. I use my laptop for pretty much everything now and my iphone 8 when im out and about.
Yeah, iPad Pro is just a big iPhone. I wanted to log into somebody else his remote server which is super easy on a laptop with all the software that is available.
iPad Pro was a disaster and just wouldn't work. And I am not even going to waste anymore time on it. Maybe I can get it working by doing all kinds of silly work arounds, but that is absolutely a waste of time compared to how easy it is on a laptop.
iPad Pro was a disaster and just wouldn't work. And I am not even going to waste anymore time on it. Maybe I can get it working by doing all kinds of silly work arounds, but that is absolutely a waste of time compared to how easy it is on a laptop.
Everything has the potential to be a server. I SFTP into a few servers to manage files and otherwise connect to thousands on the internet. Everyone does. Just depends on the protocols in use.
I’m not faulting you for using Laptop, just setting the expectations that it is doable for others.
I initially was trying to use my iPad as a laptop replacement to do work and like you, I found doing a lot of things on the ipad needed a lot of workaround.
The last annoying iPadOS behavior that pushed me back to my laptop was while multitasking with a terminal and Safari/Simplenote, the iPad would forget which window the keyboard should focus on. I'd always have to go back to home, then quickly reopen the terminal program (before losing connection) to get keyboard focus back to the correct window.
The past month I basically gave up and went back to the laptop to do work. I do still use the ipad for the quick remote log in, check a few things, then log out.
I'm much happier with my iPad when I treat it as an iPad that lets me do *some* work instead of trying to force the iPad to do *all* work.
Is there a way to access Alias folders on iPad? (even when created on an iMac) just to maintain the icloud file structure.?
What about the new word that ought to be Desktop style with all the mouse support? I opened a Thread about this issue here:
forums.macrumors.com
What about the new word that ought to be Desktop style with all the mouse support? I opened a Thread about this issue here:
New MS Word for ipadOS?
Hi there, so in the heading it said iPhone and iPad, but within the structure there where only iOS branches so I hope I'm right here anyways.. I'm wondering when the new iPadOS optimized word update comes out, everywhere it says: now, from now on, in fall, soon but no real date. I have the...
forums.macrumors.com
I feel the same way. For me multitasking is not making me lose focus, on the contrary. It helps me achieve my task/goal faster and better. I don't just do few completely different things at once, it is more like looking at few things in parallel that help me work on the same goal/task. Granted sometimes I also do different things but that's rooted in my own deficiency. I get easily bored. So I need to switch between tasks every 30 - 60 minutes, otherwise I stop being efficient due to me being bored.
Btw now with Scribble using iPad for books and pdfs is even better. I can handwrite my notes in the books themselves. This helps me personally to process the information better visually. I am visual learner and as a kid I would write with pencil notes in my books all the time. Then I would transfer them to a notebook and this was enough for me to learn the material. So now with the Scribble functionality, this for me puts the iPad one level up when it comes to be used for studying and reading in general.
Opinions on iPad Pro w/ Magic Keyboard as "interim" step before ARM 16 inch Pro
So, I have Late 2013 15 inch pro. Its working fine, except speakers blown but I use external speaker as workaround. Want to get new 16 inch...but...if I do, then I would want to keep for long time as I did with this 15 inch. And it would be, or would at least feel, "outdated" as ARM macs come out. So...I am wondering...perhaps to get 12.9 iPad Pro with Magic keyboard now...use it as laptop..and then wait for 1st or second gen 16 inch ARM. That way I would have the ipad as a "backup" for the ARM 16 inch laptop....and I can keep that ARM 16 inch for many many years. Seems more cost effective than to buy 16 inch intel now and then another 16 inch ARM within say 2 years. ? Silly question I know...but wondering if others have contemplated the same...I guess basic pro of this is to move on from intel macs asap.? Ipad would work fine for me as I don't use any "unusual" software.
Thanks
So, I have Late 2013 15 inch pro. Its working fine, except speakers blown but I use external speaker as workaround. Want to get new 16 inch...but...if I do, then I would want to keep for long time as I did with this 15 inch. And it would be, or would at least feel, "outdated" as ARM macs come out. So...I am wondering...perhaps to get 12.9 iPad Pro with Magic keyboard now...use it as laptop..and then wait for 1st or second gen 16 inch ARM. That way I would have the ipad as a "backup" for the ARM 16 inch laptop....and I can keep that ARM 16 inch for many many years. Seems more cost effective than to buy 16 inch intel now and then another 16 inch ARM within say 2 years. ? Silly question I know...but wondering if others have contemplated the same...I guess basic pro of this is to move on from intel macs asap.? Ipad would work fine for me as I don't use any "unusual" software.
Thanks