Whether one chooses to believe Apple at their word is of course up to the individual.
Yep, it is possible, we agree on that.
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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Yep, it is possible, we agree on that.
Can an iPad replace a laptop?
No, it cannot. Unless for your particular needs, it can.
Can an iPad replace a laptop?
Yes, it can. Unless for your particular needs, it cannot.
No, it cannot. Unless for your particular needs, it can.
Can an iPad replace a laptop?
Yes, it can. Unless for your particular needs, it cannot.
Just found out M1 MB only support one external monitor. That right there would stop me getting one. My MBP runs dual and it's essential (for me) as a desktop replacement.
The fact the iPad does not support extended external displays (in most apps) is one of it's biggest draw backs but the M1's not supporting more than 1 external is poor.
I just recently got a Lenovo 27 inch desktop and now considering selling my MacBook Pro and getting a keyboard for my iPad Pro. I don’t use my laptop often at all... only when typing documents and that’s rare. I’m thinking. This is the way to go for me since I have the desktop now but it makes me nervous since it’s a PC and also resale value of the MacBook Pro is horrible. Going to continue reading through the thread to see what other people’s experiences have been to make a better decision but I definitely don’t think I need (and want really) a desktop, a MacBook, and an iPad Pro.
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Unless perhaps it’s a 2016-2019 MacBook Pro, in which case it may need to be sold with a keyboard to be usable. 😀
I’ve never been a fan of touchscreen laptops, nor have I wanted Apple to make their MacBooks touch-capable. But having been using a 12.9” iPad Pro again this last week, I’m surprised by how often its nice to have the option to just reach out and interact with the screen at times - sometimes its just to make a selection or scroll the screen, but it seems like the natural thing to do.
And yet came out with that "What's a computer" ad, sort of contradicting themselves.
Things change, even at Apple (though they seem to adept a lot slower for some things). Wasn't that long ago people were clamoring for mouse support and many here were adamant that it would never happen because the iPad is a touch only device and it would ruin the experience. And yet we eventually got it. I fully expect we'll see support for an extended desktop sometime in the not so distant future. Not sure about the many open windows (though that would REALLY make it much more useful for me for certain tasks).
How do you mean? I think the point of those ads was to convince people to rethink what a computer is and whether they needed a traditional one or whether they could do everything they need on an iPad. I don’t think that message contradicts Apple’s stance on keeping Mac/macOS and iPad/ipadOS separate.
I think where Apple contradicted themselves was in the keyboard. They criticized touch screen laptops and then essentially gave the iPad a laptop form factor with the keyboard. My view was that they had painted themselves into a corner and either needed to retract that statement or add some kind of cursor support. As it turns out, they chose to stick to their statement and add cursor support. Maybe internally that was the plan all along, who knows.
Everything can change, sure. We really don’t know what Apple will and won’t do. We can only give our opinions regarding likelihood based on what we observe (and whether we choose to take Apple at their word). I think iPad mouse support came about because of Apple’s aforementioned contradiction, and the relatively high return on investment, and because they figured out a good “iPad” way to implement it. I’m sure Apple could figure out a good way to implement extended desktop as well, but the difference is it would be much more work for Apple and developers, and I’m guessing the demand for the feature is lower. So it would overall be a much lower return on investment, therefore not as likely to happen, or happen soon. But they may do it at some point if they are really intent on pushing the iPad further into laptop replacement territory.
There are some things that I think are even less likely to change in any foreseeable future, like sandboxing and limited background processes because these seem to be pretty core to the identity of the iPad.
Agree that the attempt was to get people to rethink what a computer is and to highlight some can do everything on an iPad. Apple is already pushing the iPad into laptop territory, albeit at a glacial pace. We have keyboards, trackpads/mice, external displays, access to certain parts of the file system and cloud storage, can mount external drives - it's getting pretty close. I think you are right that sandboxing is core to the iPad and won't change. I think the background processes are more of a remnant of the limitations of the early iPad OS rather than a long term strategic choice, but that is just speculation on my part.
With a few changes to the OS, a lot more could use it is their only computer. Adding real mouse/cursor support increased what I can use it for tremendously. An extended desktop would also take it to the next step for the times when I'd want to "dock" it and use it as a laptop, while still allowing the flexibility of a portal device with a touchscreen. Time will tell what they decide to do - will be interesting to see what the next iPadOS adds. The one constant is it won't be enough for impatient people (like me)!
I see what you are saying in terms of Apple contradicting themselves or not. That being said for me it was still a bad move (for people like me) because it made me also compare prices for iPad Pro vs laptop. Once I stared doing this the picture changed completely because well iPad Pro kind of costs more than some laptops (Windows, maybe now Macbook Air as well) and once I see this I do ask myself can I do on an iPad everything I can do on my laptop. The answer is no. I can't do on my laptop certain things that I do on an iPad too. I am just saying for me this ad narrative was not a good move as it put things into really weird perspective.
I did not follow Apple closely back in the day but didn't this happen for the pencil as well? I do remember some comments saying that Steve Jobs was completely against the stylus stuff, but maybe it was about the phone and not the iPad.
I hope that you are wrong re limited background processes but I am not sure. This is actually one of the biggest constraints for me to see iPad Pro as anything more than a tablet to replace paper notebooks and for media consumption. I cannot see any device as a professional device if I cannot run multiple background processes in the same time. No matter how powerful the CPU and GPU are.
I guess we will wait and see what Apple would do the next few years. They are definitely slow, but they are also the only ones in the game. Android tablets are so far from the truth, it is not even in the same league as Apple.
Background processes seem like direct opposition to battery life, which is crucial to mobility, which is a core identity of the iPad. So I don’t see how that can change any time soon. But maybe if they ever have a dock mode, they’ll allow more background processes while plugged into power. 🤷♂️
I know he said it for the iPhone, and I think he may have also said it for the iPad on a later occasion. But those people seem to be completely unaware of the context of those remarks. (I think a lot of that is due to tech writers who purposely sensationalized the “contradiction” of the Apple Pencil.) When he introduced the iPhone/iPad, Apple’s competitors were using the stylus as the main input method. Apple’s devices were the first to mainly use touch, and Steve was touting its superiority on these form factors.
Also, those people seem to be making an awfully strange inference. Of course drawing and handwriting cannot be done with touch, so apparently they believe that Steve, who was trying to sell the value of these new products at their unveiling, made these remarks in order to ensure that there would be no possibility of them ever supporting handwriting or drawing in the future (despite the iPad being the perfect form factor for handwriting and drawing)?? That makes absolutely no sense.
So the only logical conclusion is that he was writing off (pun intended) the stylus as a main input method for these particular devices. So I’d say no contradiction there.
Hate the support for single screen only, but I think I'm still going through with my MBA purchase (just waiting in case they reveal something crazy at the April Apple event for the iPad Pros). It's going to be my 'desktop workstation' computer, so I was planning on replacing a monitor anyway. I'm researching relacing everything with a wide screen, knowing that I'll be turning this computer over to the kiddo in 1-2 years and getting myself something else.
I've never used a wide screen so still researching and kinda miffed at Apple for having to compromise on something that the $50 Raspberry Pi 4 we ordered can do.
There is a workaround for now:
If you have an iPad you can also use Sidecar.
Use an iPad as a second display for a Mac - Apple Support
With Sidecar, you can use your iPad as a second display for your Mac.
To be fair, the Pi 4 only supports 4k60 on one display, or 4k30 on two displays.
The MacBook Air supports 6k60 on the external display, and is also driving the internal display.
I do think it is a little silly that the MBA doesn't support a second 4k60 display (like the M1 mini does) in clamshell mode, but I can also see why Apple wouldn't want to have to implement, support and explain this complexity.
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Only? What a world we are living in when specs like that are taken for granted.
And for the MBA, I’d bet good money the vast majority of those going for it don’t even have 4k monitors, never mind anything approaching 6k. I believe a single 4k60 or two 2k monitors would have been a better option.
I would bet the same amount of money that the same vast majority of those going for it are never going to know or care that they cannot connect more than one external monitor.
I’ll take that bet that there are more people in this price range/need for a base computer with dual monitors than those with 6k monitors.
So iPads hold a unique role in my workflow. I do a lot of design and art work outside of work, but I’m not a traditional graphic designer. I have taught myself inDesign, which I use at work, but Adobe Illustrator and anything that incorprates the pen tool is daunting to me. The iPad and Pencil has answered the prayers I’ve had for a long time—a digital drawing tablet that allows you to be create high-quality designs from conception to production. I have tried the cheapest Wacom tablets for a pen-like experience on the desktop, but it still felt awkward. To me, a tool should allow you to create without restriction. The desktop experience created A LOT of restrictions that kept me from producing content because, for me, I had to go through the Adobe initiation that the right side of my brain could never understand.
Recently, I just started getting into heat sublimation, a crafting process where you can put your own designs and artwork onto materials such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and tumblers. I am able to use Procreate to create my design, then import it into Affinity Designer on my MacBook Pro to modify it and print it out. Procreate changes the game for people like me. It would have taken me years to use the pen tool in Illustrator to conceptualize the complex designs in my head onto the computer.
Last year when the pandemic started I purchased a base refurbished 16-inch Macbook Pro to replace my 13-inch 2013 with swollen battery. I still feel like I need a traditional computer in my life. I just can’t get past the iPad file system. It has gotten better over the years, but when I need to move files around I need and get stuff done quickly I need a traditional file system. I also need a traditional desktop environment for inDesign—I don’t see the iPad being a good fit for powerful, granular desktop publishing. The new M1 Airs are VERY tempting, but common sense tells me to wait.
Anyway, I thought I would share the thoughts of using the iPad as a right-brainer.
Recently, I just started getting into heat sublimation, a crafting process where you can put your own designs and artwork onto materials such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and tumblers. I am able to use Procreate to create my design, then import it into Affinity Designer on my MacBook Pro to modify it and print it out. Procreate changes the game for people like me. It would have taken me years to use the pen tool in Illustrator to conceptualize the complex designs in my head onto the computer.
Last year when the pandemic started I purchased a base refurbished 16-inch Macbook Pro to replace my 13-inch 2013 with swollen battery. I still feel like I need a traditional computer in my life. I just can’t get past the iPad file system. It has gotten better over the years, but when I need to move files around I need and get stuff done quickly I need a traditional file system. I also need a traditional desktop environment for inDesign—I don’t see the iPad being a good fit for powerful, granular desktop publishing. The new M1 Airs are VERY tempting, but common sense tells me to wait.
Anyway, I thought I would share the thoughts of using the iPad as a right-brainer.
I think the bottom line is that it just depends on what you need to do with it. For my work, which has me on fast boats all the time testing, that requires a very portable device, so my iPad Pro is great for that. It's also easier and faster to edit video and photos on than a laptop, and far speedier to pull out in the field to do some quick work. I would say for me, the iPad replaces about 95% of the functionality of a laptop. I usually keep a laptop at the hotel and of course I have my desktop workstations which an iPad could not replace.
Before my iPads came along I was always toting laptops with me all over, and for me, the iPad has made many aspects of my work much easier and more enjoyable. The only thing I wish the iPad had was a file system much more like Windows or MacOS. Apple has definitely improved it over the years, but I still feel the iPad stifling sometimes for basic tasks.
Before my iPads came along I was always toting laptops with me all over, and for me, the iPad has made many aspects of my work much easier and more enjoyable. The only thing I wish the iPad had was a file system much more like Windows or MacOS. Apple has definitely improved it over the years, but I still feel the iPad stifling sometimes for basic tasks.
I would say the exact same for me. Well maybe down closer to 80% of my desktop work. The main positive point is I can work anywhere. Also that 20% of stuff I can only do on my desktop is absolutely vital and I cannot function without. So I still need the desktop but the iPad is a wonderful tool that allows me to set up on the couch, bed, hotel room etc and can get a lot of work done.
Now as a media consumption device the iPad has not only functioned as a laptop but I would say surpassed it. And it’s not even close. I’m just waiting on real hdr support and I’ll be upgrading my 2020 pro
It was fine for me last year when schools were not open and all I had to do was get on staff google meets every week but when online learning came back full force in the beginning of the year I couldn’t hang with just an iPad Pro and a magic keyboard due to chrome extensions. But for personal reasons it works really good As a laptop replacement.