In my case I never liked laptops in the first place ? mouse + keyboard case (no trackpad - hate those too) is the combo for me. For everything else my built gaming rig takes care of things.
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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My iPad is for basic things: Note taking, checking tasks, casual internet surfing but main purpose is reading scientific PDFs and annotation. For more complex things it is clumsy and I stay away from it. Multitasking, moving files and Office apps and scientific programs I use only on my MBP. I never see me using an iPad for those things.
I was very disappointed when I got my first iPad this year and had to realize how limited it is in its usability for me and how subpar the implementation of widgets is. All this talk about iPad as laptop replacement is a big hype and probably only true for a small niche of people.
I was very disappointed when I got my first iPad this year and had to realize how limited it is in its usability for me and how subpar the implementation of widgets is. All this talk about iPad as laptop replacement is a big hype and probably only true for a small niche of people.
Most people don’t use scientific apps, and rarely need anything beyond web, e-mail, streaming entertainment, social media and the occasional office app.
(That said, I personally much prefer using most of those apps on a Mac anyhow, but I realize I am in the minority.)
Personally, I would try the iPad for a week or two before selling that new MBA. You are going to take a hit selling a 4 month old computer, and you might really miss it.
I agree. A few months ago I retired my 2013 MBP and have been using the basic 2020 iPad since. I don't have any onerous needs but I am feeling it is time to get back to the laptop form factor. I have no interest in using an add on keyboard with the iPad. But everyone is different...
spot on and the best answer in this thread
I’ve not had a laptop since the launch of the second iPad many years back
I’ve had a few since then, currently on latest 11 inch pro
use nearly 100% in handheld portrait mode and it does everything I need
Experimented with connecting to monitor whilst I was without a desktop and worked brilliantly for that with mouse and keyboard.
Seriously, this answer is the gold standard. It applies across the board.
Did the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard replace my work laptop?
No. Adobe Creative Cloud isn't available.
Did the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard replace my personal laptop?
Yes. It does everything I used my laptop for, from video conferencing to limited photo/video editing, media viewing, social media posting/viewing, and simple productivity via the G suite.
Never mind the ipad as a laptop replacement I struggle to fit it into my daily routine at all. I do love its capabilities but I never really feel like I put it to 'good' use. I find myself writing to do lists or notes on scraps of paper rather than writing on the ipad to keep everything in one safe digital place. I sporadically pick it up without having a set routine of emails in the morning, video calls in the day or media of an evening etc.
I watch youtube videos of people who seem to have figured out the most perfect routine with an iPad and how they fit it into their lives. There seems to be more and more examples of apps and scenarios that make incorporating the ipad into daily life that bit easier but for me I use it for sketching now and again and media consumption in bed. The truth is that it all depends on the individuals needs... and I probably just don't need one!
That being said ill be buying the latest 11" pro when its announced ? and trying my best to use it as much as possible.... because lets face it, it is absolutely the most fun way to interact with the digital world.
I watch youtube videos of people who seem to have figured out the most perfect routine with an iPad and how they fit it into their lives. There seems to be more and more examples of apps and scenarios that make incorporating the ipad into daily life that bit easier but for me I use it for sketching now and again and media consumption in bed. The truth is that it all depends on the individuals needs... and I probably just don't need one!
That being said ill be buying the latest 11" pro when its announced ? and trying my best to use it as much as possible.... because lets face it, it is absolutely the most fun way to interact with the digital world.
So people, what do we think? Will we see pro apps mentioned this Tuesday? Or WWDC? About a year ago Jon Prosser said logic and fcpx are coming in about a year. There are rumours of a thunderbolt port. Will this finally happen?
Thunderbolt would be nice. I mainly want iPadOS updates (more capabilities added to iPadOS Safari, full external monitor support).
As long as I don’t see an announcement I don’t trust Apple with regards to Pro apps as the Aperture example showed.
I should have been more specific, and said the Creative Cloud apps I use for work, primarily DreamWeaver, InDesign, and full Photoshop.
Perhaps, he's thinking of 3rd party support. Apps that run on traditional OS that doesn't come from Apple. Tbh, until people get out of that mindset that iPad is just a consumption device... then it won't be taken seriously. I like those ads from Apple with "What is a Computer?"... hopefully we see more of those going forward.
If “Air” is an iPad Air: SD, USB HDs or SSDs = yes. Copying FROM external media to an iPad isn’t a problem; copying TO external media from the iPad is a completely different thing. Working ON external media is theoretically possible, but is not reliable.
If “Android” means “connecting your Android device directly by cable to transfer
EDIT: correction-> photos taken by the camera on an Android phone can be transferred when directly connected.
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I want that as well! Unfortunately even if pro apps are on the way, I feel like they're more likely to be discussed at WWDC as that's mostly a software centric event.
Does anyone know if there any history of Apple announcing software during iPad type events?
Interestingly, having recently bought a 16GB/i7 Surface Pro 7, I'm finding my hybrid laptop is replacing my 12.9 iPad Pro. While the touch experience is not as good on the SP7, it is entirely usable and I don't find it problematic. And the SP7 plugs into my 4K monitor with full-screen display and supports multi-windowing and multi-tasking far better than my iPP and mouse interaction is normal. And no memory issues, e.g. browser tabs reloading. Performance has been excellent, with no apps crashing or BSODs. Previously, where I left the laptop at home and took the iPad, I now see doing the opposite. And if the iPad were to die, now I'd think long and hard about replacing it.
Have you tested the Surface Pen? If yes do you think that it does adequate job for digital note taking?
Yes and it seems fine but I don't do handwritten note taking any longer as I have hand tremors - I stick with the keyboard. And I like the Surface keyboard - it has a good feel to it. For an artist - which I am not - the iPad is superior. But for photo work, which I do a lot of, including RAW processing in Lightroom and archiving on off-line storage - the Surface is better. So it depends a lot on what you do with your device and I find that for me, I can do everything I need on the Surface but not vice versa on the iPad. I hadn't expected to like using the Surface as a tablet but I find it quite usable as one.
Got it! Thanks! Sucks about the hand tremors. I assume Surface is kind of superior when it comes to file management and peripherals. So not surprised that you prefer it over the iPad for photos processing. Plus you get desktop class apps.