iPad as a laptop replacement

[sparksd]

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.

Age got me an early vaccination but it does have its drawbacks ...

The file management issue is big as I have tens of thousands of images that I manage on my network storage and that is impossible with the iPad (I never expected it to be a solution there) but the Surface has both the power and tools that I previously only had on my desktop (my earlier laptop, a Dell XPS 13, couldn't handle it). But I do recognize that a lot of people simply don't like Windows and I'm not trying to make any converts, just pointing out what I found works for me.

 

[Weed]

Surface with its quality control issues and trash battery life is marked off my list of candidates with a big fat red X.

At least for artists/graphic designers, iPad Pro with a Clip Studio subscription is all you will ever need.

 

[sparksd]

Surface with its quality control issues and trash battery life is marked off my list of candidates with a big fat red X.

At least for artists/graphic designers, iPad Pro with a Clip Studio subscription is all you will ever need.

Surface Pro 7 has been perfect for me and I don't see battery life as any worse than my 12.9 Pro.

 

[loybond]

Why not announce them alongside a much more powerful iPad Pro?

They should to be honest, it would probably help in terms of sales and media spotlight. Also because I just sold my 2020 yesterday to buy the new one next week and I would love to see new software doing cool things with the new hardware.

In the past though, they have released iPad pros earlier in the year, and then ipados at WWDC later iirc.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Surface with its quality control issues and trash battery life is marked off my list of candidates with a big fat red X.

What quality control issues? Mine is great and has acceptable battery life for what it is.

Maybe you should try the Surface Pro X. It has an "X" in its name, but it isn't big, fat, or red.

 

[AutomaticApple]

In the past though, they have released iPad pros earlier in the year, and then ipados at WWDC later iirc.

I don't think that means they cannot release new software apps before or after WWDC.

 

[Ludatyk]

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.

I too, recently had bought a SP7... i5/8GB model. I only used it for about a week or so. I returned it because I felt it's as similar to my iPad... for which my iPad is irreplaceable. But i do agree with the performance being excellent.

During my brief time with it, I enjoyed the touch experience and how well Microsoft improved Windows10 on SP7.

 

[ericwn]

What is that A14X processor going to be used for then?

It’s as useful as always for the usual pro apps that already exist on the platform. If Apple thought that their own Pro apps would be such an incentive to have on iPad we would have seen them on that platform for a long time but they haven’t provided any.

 

[AutomaticApple]

It’s as useful as always for the usual pro apps that already exist on the platform. If Apple thought that their own Pro apps would be such an incentive to have on iPad we would have seen them on that platform for a long time but they haven’t provided any.

Don't you think that now would be a good time for Apple to unveil pro applications now that Macs have transitioned to ARM and the new iPad Pro will have a processor on par with the M1?

 

[ericwn]

Why not announce them alongside a much more powerful iPad Pro?

Certainly that would be better timing than wwdc.

 

[jeremiah256]

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.

I've been experimenting for years now, using both a Surface (2015 Surface 3) and an iPad (2016 iPad Pro 9.7"), and planning to go all tablet, all the time, as soon as possible. Only fairly recently have the stars started to align (iPadOS: mouse support, Windows 10: Windows Terminal and Windows Subsystem for Linux) in what I want from these devices.

I don't need power, per say, I need battery life, connectivity, and I very much prefer the tablet form factor. If Microsoft gets the Surface Pro X battery life up, and can get their ARM chips to even 50% of Apple's capability, then the Surface would become my main platform, with the iPad (and I could then probably scale down to the iPad Air) as my secondary/backup device.

 

[sparksd]

I've been experimenting for years now, using both a Surface (2015 Surface 3) and an iPad (2016 iPad Pro 9.7"), and planning to go all tablet, all the time, as soon as possible. Only fairly recently have the stars started to align (iPadOS: mouse support, Windows 10: Windows Terminal and Windows Subsystem for Linux) in what I want from these devices.

I don't need power, per say, I need battery life, connectivity, and I very much prefer the tablet form factor. If Microsoft gets the Surface Pro X battery life up, and can get their ARM chips to even 50% of Apple's capability, then the Surface would become my main platform, with the iPad (and I could then probably scale down to the iPad Air) as my secondary/backup device.

I'm pretty happy with the i7 and 16GB in the Surface Pro 7. It easily handles running Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop, Outlook and a browser with multiple tabs all simultaneously (not how I normally run but I've tried stressing it). It certainly blows my Dell XPS 13 out of the water and Lightroom runs much better on it than my 12.9 Pro. Its performance has surprised me.

 

[sparksd]

I too, recently had bought a SP7... i5/8GB model. I only used it for about a week or so. I returned it because I felt it's as similar to my iPad... for which my iPad is irreplaceable. But i do agree with the performance being excellent.

During my brief time with it, I enjoyed the touch experience and how well Microsoft improved Windows10 on SP7.

My Dell XPS 13 has a touch display but I never used it because I don't care to combine a laptop form factor with a touch display - just never felt natural to me (same as using touch with my 12.9 iPP and a keyboard - feels awkward). But removing the keyboard - or folding it back - makes a big difference in how I feel about the Win10 touch interface now.

 

[ericwn]

Don't you think that now would be a good time for Apple to unveil pro applications now that Macs have transitioned to ARM and the new iPad Pro will have a processor on par with the M1?

In all honesty, the perfect timing would have been with the start of the iPad Pro line.

Anytime is fine with me, I just don’t think it’s going to suddenly add a significant amount of new users to the platform. Good marketing potential of course.

If you’re in a professional video editing or music production workflow with Logic or Final Cut, you likely already have the tools that you need hence to really make an impact the offering needs to knock the existing solutions out of the park.

 

[AutomaticApple]

In all honesty, the perfect timing would have been with the start of the iPad Pro line.

I don't think the iPad Pro was powerful enough at the time. It wasn't until 2018 that it became powerful enough to run true pro applications like Photoshop.

 

[ericwn]

I don't think the iPad Pro was powerful enough at the time. It wasn't until 2018 that it became powerful enough to run true pro applications like Photoshop.

I have run photoshop on my less performance oriented hardware on Macs in the 90s already. The power is there. You just need to supply enough storage, ram, and then build a suitable software. Like procreate has shown. Or Lumafusion.

 

[secretk]

Age got me an early vaccination but it does have its drawbacks ...

The file management issue is big as I have tens of thousands of images that I manage on my network storage and that is impossible with the iPad (I never expected it to be a solution there) but the Surface has both the power and tools that I previously only had on my desktop (my earlier laptop, a Dell XPS 13, couldn't handle it). But I do recognize that a lot of people simply don't like Windows and I'm not trying to make any converts, just pointing out what I found works for me.

For me personally makes sense. When I bought my first iPad, I did consider the Surface line. I discarded it as an idea because I read that the note taking experience is inferior compared to the iPad and because the Surface was far more expensive than the basic (then 6th gen) iPad. However the pictures changes when it is iPad Pro vs Surface. I am also no artist so my needs when it comes to the pencil are not so big and demanding. For now I get what I want/need from the iPad but it definitely makes sense for me to consider the Surface line once I decide to upgrade/change.

 

[Ludatyk]

My Dell XPS 13 has a touch display but I never used it because I don't care to combine a laptop form factor with a touch display - just never felt natural to me (same as using touch with my 12.9 iPP and a keyboard - feels awkward). But removing the keyboard - or folding it back - makes a big difference in how I feel about the Win10 touch interface now.

I'm not a fan of using the touch display on a "laptop." Interacting with the display via touch was smooth on the SP7, my only issue is that the whole UI of Windows10 just doesn't quite fit when it comes to touch. Moving things around and typing... just doesn't do it for me on SP7 via touch. Perhaps, I'm just accustomed to the iPad.

Anytime is fine with me, I just don’t think it’s going to suddenly add a significant amount of new users to the platform. Good marketing potential of course.

If you’re in a professional video editing or music production workflow with Logic or Final Cut, you likely already have the tools that you need hence to really make an impact the offering needs to knock the existing solutions out of the park.

I tend to disagree. I think the more pro apps are added to the iPad will add a significant amount of new users... and at this point, that's what Apple is trying to do.
IMO, pro added apps to the iPad serves as a dream for a professional editor. The idea of having something portable to edit music or videos... who doesn't want that? But then again... I do understand having a much larger display helps in editing workflows.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I do understand having a much larger display helps in editing workflows.

That would ruin the tablet element from the iPad though.

I'm not a fan of using the touch display on a "laptop." Interacting with the display via touch was smooth on the SP7, my only issue is that the whole UI of Windows10 just doesn't quite fit when it comes to touch. Moving things around and typing... just doesn't do it for me on SP7 via touch. Perhaps, I'm just accustomed to the iPad.

Have you tried enabling tablet mode?

 

[Ludatyk]

That would ruin the tablet element from the iPad though.

That's why I mention that tidbit. Screen size will always be a deterrent when it comes to the iPad.

Have you tried enabling tablet mode?

I only tried it briefly, and I don't want to come off as criticizing Windows10, as I mention in a earlier post... Microsoft improved the touch experience. I owned a SP3 or SP4... and I can see a difference in terms of how well it responds to touch interactions.
But I do want to acknowledge the app support isn't as rich as I would like to be and that doesn't help tablet mode at all.

 

[AutomaticApple]

That's

Yes, exactly.

I only tried it briefly, and I don't want to come off as criticizing Windows10, as I mention in a earlier post... Microsoft improved the touch experience. I owned a SP3 or SP4... and I can see a difference in terms of how well it responds to touch interactions.
But I do want to acknowledge the app support isn't as rich as I would like to be and that doesn't help tablet mode at all.

The first few Surface devices were the best. I used to own a Nokia Lumia 2520 that ran Windows RT. The tablet experience was awesome, but the Windows Store was lackluster in terms of app support. Microsoft quickly gave up on Windows RT and those devices quickly became paperweights, although support won't end until January 2023, a little over a decade since the first Surface device was released. Windows Phone fell into the same trap.

 

[sparksd]

That's why I mention that tidbit. Screen size will always be a deterrent when it comes to the iPad.

I only tried it briefly, and I don't want to come off as criticizing Windows10, as I mention in a earlier post... Microsoft improved the touch experience. I owned a SP3 or SP4... and I can see a difference in terms of how well it responds to touch interactions.
But I do want to acknowledge the app support isn't as rich as I would like to be and that doesn't help tablet mode at all.

From a general tablet experience, nothing is comparable to the iPad (and I have several now-unused Android tablets). My tablet usage is mainly consumption so the Win10 tablet experience isn't all that bad to me but for producing anything, I prefer a keyboard and mouse and large monitor, the latter two of which are poor experiences with the iPad (though mouse usage is improving).

 

[Ludatyk]

Microsoft quickly gave up on Windows RT and those devices quickly became paperweights

I really was disappointed when Microsoft gave up on Windows RT... they was trying to build a touch-first OS, but people did not want to give up on years of traditional Windows interface. I think Microsoft was on the verge of building something great... but didn't get the time to see it through.

but for producing anything, I prefer a keyboard and mouse and large monitor, the latter two of which are poor experiences with the iPad (though mouse usage is improving).

I've been using my MM2 and keyboard in combination with an Apple Pencil... makes for producing content a lot easier.

 

[ericwn]

I'm not a fan of using the touch display on a "laptop." Interacting with the display via touch was smooth on the SP7, my only issue is that the whole UI of Windows10 just doesn't quite fit when it comes to touch. Moving things around and typing... just doesn't do it for me on SP7 via touch. Perhaps, I'm just accustomed to the iPad.

I tend to disagree. I think the more pro apps are added to the iPad will add a significant amount of new users... and at this point, that's what Apple is trying to do.
IMO, pro added apps to the iPad serves as a dream for a professional editor. The idea of having something portable to edit music or videos... who doesn't want that? But then again... I do understand having a much larger display helps in editing workflows.

So if Apple adds them as iPad users they tend to not use their MacBook Pro anymore.
Something portable exists. Does it need to not have a keyboard? I’m not convinced that’s a great improvement.

The amount of professional editors not already buying Macs but interested in iPads could be minimal. I bet they make a small subset of Mac users already.

 

[AutomaticApple]

years

It was basically iPadOS seven years before iPadOS.