iPad as a laptop replacement

[Ds6778]

Very well said. I think the iPad being a laptop replacement is something that is being pushed by people who are having the most first-world of all first-world problems - how to make an 800 dollar device do the work nearly as well as a 1000-dollar device. Apple did the "What's a computer" PR campaign and some people got on the bandwagon, most of those people being Youtubers who have an interest in pushing this nonsense. How many videos have been made about the iPad replacing a laptop? Youtubers have been milking that topic since 2018.

For me, the idea has always been ridiculous because what is usually ignored is the type of work a person does on a device. Whenever this topic comes up, it's mostly because the new iPad has gained in computing power instead of workflow improvements. I work in the field of law so you can probably imagine that I don't use LumaFusion or whatever those programmes are called. My needs are not great when it comes to computing power because I don't need 32GB of RAM, so my work is apparently not labelled "pro." And yet what I want to do, the iPad can't deliver. It's not even close.

This is why this discussion is always distorted in favor of people who have requirements focused on ports, transfer speeds and RAM, and this completely ignores the fact that the iPad is unfit to comfortably perform basic office work that revolves around editing word documents, viewing PDF files, working in Excel etc. It requires less raw power, and yet the iPad is found severely lacking because the software isn't there. This is why the iPad can't begin to replace my Macbook Pro. I realize it can be a laptop replacement for some, but I feel this happens in two cases: 1. a person has a simple workflow or 2. they are willing to jump through a lot of hoops to be able to push the idea of the iPad replacing their laptop.

In the first case, if you can work comfortably on an iPad without your workflow suffering, then sorry to say but you didn't have a need for a laptop to begin with, instead you needed a larger faster iPhone. That someone can do their work on a mobile OS tells me their workflow is so simplified that a laptop / desktop OS wasn't really a necessity (again, this is where people confuse raw computing power with workflow requirements and make the wrong assumption that a workflow is professional only if it requires a lot of RAM). In the second case, it isn't worth it if you have to compromise the way you work just to adapt to a different form factor. Maybe people do this because of the overall appeal of the device and to more easily justify its price, because I don't know why else someone would go out of their way to try and make the iPad replace a more capable machine.

I love my 10.5 inch iPad Pro, but it is either a fantastic media consumption device or a reliable companion to my Macbook Pro, where the actual work is done. If I had to work exclusively on my 10.5 or even a 12.9 inch iPad Pro, I would have very serious problems.

I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I did a video kind of ranting over exactly what you stated (

)

Desperate to prove its “worth” as a “computer” most reviews I’ve seen are like paid marketing campaigns! Look what I was able to do! *quietly goes back to their iMac or Windows build*

 

[Zazoh]

format an external drive.

Absolutely Legacy. I can access my objects any device anywhere I have a connection. But even the concept of a file is outdated.

I work in an industry where data is assembled from a database and appears as a document to a user but isn’t a document at all.

Many of us do.

 

[sparksd]

Absolutely Legacy. I can access my objects any device anywhere I have a connection. But even the concept of a file is outdated.

I work in an industry where data is assembled from a database and appears as a document to a user but isn’t a document at all.

Many of us do.

Outdated? I don't think so. A lot of us still use hard drives & SSDs at home. And use files, too.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I did a video kind of ranting over exactly what you stated (

)

Desperate to prove its “worth” as a “computer” most reviews I’ve seen are like paid marketing campaigns! Look what I was able to do! *quietly goes back to their iMac or Windows build*

This isn’t new with Apple. It happens every year. And most every year, we are let down by iPadOS being far behind the ability of the hardware. I think a lot of people are going to be really disappointed in June.

 

[Ludatyk]

This isn’t new with Apple. It happens every year. And most every year, we are let down by iPadOS being far behind the ability of the hardware. I think a lot of people are going to be really disappointed in June.

I'm not let down by iPadOS. I understand the limitations of iPadOS... I choose iPad over the Mac for the versatility it provides. People are in this mindset that iPadOS has to be this sort of macOS clone, but it never had the same specs to be in that area.

You have been on this tirade... of "hey iPad users... you gonna be disappointed in June." By your user name... I would think you'll have more a positive outlook than negative one. Perhaps, you lean more towards the Mac. But if we are fully aware that 2021 iPad Pros are dependent on iPadOS to be a success. You don't think Apple is.

 

[ericwn]

No, not even close if you are a real gamer

Because then you’d most likely rather use a powerful desktop or a console? Laptop? Tablet? Get outta here!

 

[Apple_Robert]

I'm not let down by iPadOS. I understand the limitations of iPadOS... I choose iPad over the Mac for the versatility it provides. People are in this mindset that iPadOS has to be this sort of macOS clone, but it never had the same specs to be in that area.

You have been on this tirade... of "hey iPad users... you gonna be disappointed in June." By your user name... I would think you'll have more a positive outlook than negative one. Perhaps, you lean more towards the Mac. But if we are fully aware that 2021 iPad Pros are dependent on iPadOS to be a success. You don't think Apple is.

I am a realist. I hope Apple proves me wrong in June. I really do but, going by their track record, we are slated to see spec bumps with the iPadOS. It wouldn’t bother me at all to go to iPadOS full time but, the OS isn’t there.

 

[grmlin]

I just realized that my idea of replacing my laptop/pc with an iPad for photo editing is not happening anytime soon, as I can't use my cloud backup software with it anymore then.

Even if I could run Capture One on an iPad, I would still need a Mac/PC to backup my files. Damn

 

[Slartibart]

Even if I could run Capture One on an iPad, I would still need a Mac/PC to backup my files. Damn

actually a NAS or SSD works perfectly fine.

 

[Ludatyk]

I am a realist. I hope Apple proves me wrong in June. I really do but, going by their track record, we are slated to see spec bumps with the iPadOS. It wouldn’t bother me at all to go to iPadOS full time but, the OS isn’t there.

I truly understand. But correct me if I'm wrong here... this is the very first time that both the Mac and iPad share the same processor? You don't think that holds any weight? And at this point... iPadOS 15 has been reported to have some sort of HomeScreen redesign, I don't know if that is consider a spec bump. But the iPad HomeScreen has been the same since it's introduction.

And, perhaps... HomeScreen won't really move the needle in terms of pushing the platform forward... but I'd like to think that both the iPad and Mac sharing the same processor could mean desktop-class app support.

 

[grmlin]

actually a NAS or SSD works perfectly fine.

How do I backup the files on the SSD connected to my iPad to a cloud backup service or a NAS (which I don't have and don't want)?

 

[richpjr]

This topic has been pretty thoroughly discussed with a lot of arguments both ways as to why it could or couldn't be a laptop replacement. The frustrating thing for a lot that can't is that with just a few enhancements to iPadOS a whole lot more people could use it as a replacement. I do too many specialized things on different platforms (iPhone, iPad, MBP and Windows PC) so it isn't close to doing that for me - but it could stop me from bouncing around from device to device less frequently.

 

[Slartibart]

How do I backup the files on the SSD connected to my iPad to a cloud backup service or a NAS (which I don't have and don't want)?

I just plug-in the Samsung T7 (or a T5 when travelling) into the iPad Pro and copy or synch the things I want from the SSD to my personal webspace, Dropbox, Amazon S3, pcloud, Google drive, sftp/ftp, backblaze b2, WebDAV… I mean, how do you backup stuff on whatever device you’re using?
I only mentioned the NAS because it offers convenience when sharing things in my house.

 

[grmlin]

I just plug-in the Samsung T7 (or a T5 when travelling) into the iPad Pro and copy or synch the things I want from the SSD to my personal webspace, Dropbox, Amazon S3, pcloud, Google drive, sftp/ftp, backblaze b2, WebDAV… I mean, how do you backup stuff on whatever device you’re using?
I only mentioned the NAS because it offers convenience when sharing things in my house.

I never did this with an iPad so I have no idea. I used CrashPlan for years and currently switch to Arq. On a pc this is a fully automated process. There is no way I can manage this manually.

 

[Slartibart]

I never did this with an iPad so I have no idea. I used CrashPlan for years and currently switch to Arq. On a pc this is a fully automated process. There is no way I can manage this manually.

Sorry, I misunderstood your “how do I backup the files on the SSD connected to my iPad to a cloud backup service” as something more “general”.

For the automatic stuff I use rsync. Historically, as well as convenience and meanwhile redundantly, also iCloud.

 

[Slartibart]

I never did this with an iPad so I have no idea.

So how come you write here? ?

 

[grmlin]

Sorry, I misunderstood your “how do I backup the files on the SSD connected to my iPad to a cloud backup service” as something more “general”.

For the automatic stuff I use rsync. Historically, as well as convenience and meanwhile redundantly, also iCloud.

Thanks. Didn’t know rsync is a thing on iPad!

 

[grmlin]

So how come you write here? ?

Well. I ordered a 12.9” and will sell my desktop lol.
I have a laptop from work I can use for my photos though.

 

[zkap]

I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I did a video kind of ranting over exactly what you stated (

)

Desperate to prove its “worth” as a “computer” most reviews I’ve seen are like paid marketing campaigns! Look what I was able to do! *quietly goes back to their iMac or Windows build*

Excellent video.

Before they released the M1 iPad, I thought the Pro models were overkill because Apple was just flexing, they did it to show that they could and also to drive sales by convincing the buyers that they were future-proofing their device. But now with the M1 they went even further with the overkill and it's come to the point where it is just so unnecessary that they do this, unless we see some software movements that make it worthwhile.

Something that you touched on in your video is how much of a difference you will see between ordinary apps working on the latest Pro and some other iPad. I wonder what kind of a limitation this sets on Apple, because it is true they develop software that works across different iPads so it's not like they will develop one version of Pages for the iPad Pro and another slower version for the other iPads. I guess they'll release some new apps that will need the latest iPad Pro for compatibility, and those apps will essentially justify the extra RAM. This will inevitably be underwhelming for a majority of people, because most of us don't use FCP or such apps.

Another thing you touched on is Apple talking about RAM and cores and stuff like that, when usually they'd avoid putting that info in the specs. I think this is in line with my assumption that they're just going overboard with the iPad Pro to drive sales. They know it's overkill, but marketing 16GB or RAM now when prior to this they didn't market 6GB of RAM that was already overkill tells me that the specs justify themselves.

This leads me to my next point. I wonder how much all of this was influenced by Apple Silicon. The transition to M1 is something that Apple has definitely been working on for some time and I imagine they devoted a lot of their resources to Big Sur, which may be why we've seen buggy iOS 13 and iOS 14 releases. I think it may be that Apple went all in on a generational move that is the Apple Silicon transition and had to delay some other stuff because of it, which is why we've had the iPad Pro receive hardware improvements that were not followed by more robust software.

Knowing Apple, they will not be making substantial changes to iPadOS at the same time as the Apple Silicon transition. They think long-term and like to space things out so I suppose they'd manage their efforts. The iPad has for the last few years received what are basically automatic updates (better camera, faster CPU, better screen), but the actual improvements to the core of the machine require a lot more effort and maybe now that the M1 transition is going well Apple will focus on developing iPadOS into a more capable system. I don't expect a lot, because I can't imagine what kind of improvement to iPadOS they'd have to make for someone like me to be able to use 8GB of RAM on the M1 iPad Pro, but maybe that's not the point anyway. The point of these massive hardware jumps was to impress and flex so they could sell as many units of this space shuttle of a tablet, and now I hope the next strategy to sell as many iPads as possible is to add functionality to iPadOS. The software can't really catch up to hardware, but like I said, that's probably beside the point.

 

[rukind2]

Excellent video.

Before they released the M1 iPad, I thought the Pro models were overkill because Apple was just flexing, they did it to show that they could and also to drive sales by convincing the buyers that they were future-proofing their device. But now with the M1 they went even further with the overkill and it's come to the point where it is just so unnecessary that they do this, unless we see some software movements that make it worthwhile.

Something that you touched on in your video is how much of a difference you will see between ordinary apps working on the latest Pro and some other iPad. I wonder what kind of a limitation this sets on Apple, because it is true they develop software that works across different iPads so it's not like they will develop one version of Pages for the iPad Pro and another slower version for the other iPads. I guess they'll release some new apps that will need the latest iPad Pro for compatibility, and those apps will essentially justify the extra RAM. This will inevitably be underwhelming for a majority of people, because most of us don't use FCP or such apps.

Another thing you touched on is Apple talking about RAM and cores and stuff like that, when usually they'd avoid putting that info in the specs. I think this is in line with my assumption that they're just going overboard with the iPad Pro to drive sales. They know it's overkill, but marketing 16GB or RAM now when prior to this they didn't market 6GB of RAM that was already overkill tells me that the specs justify themselves.

This leads me to my next point. I wonder how much all of this was influenced by Apple Silicon. The transition to M1 is something that Apple has definitely been working on for some time and I imagine they devoted a lot of their resources to Big Sur, which may be why we've seen buggy iOS 13 and iOS 14 releases. I think it may be that Apple went all in on a generational move that is the Apple Silicon transition and had to delay some other stuff because of it, which is why we've had the iPad Pro receive hardware improvements that were not followed by more robust software.

Knowing Apple, they will not be making substantial changes to iPadOS at the same time as the Apple Silicon transition. They think long-term and like to space things out so I suppose they'd manage their efforts. The iPad has for the last few years received what are basically automatic updates (better camera, faster CPU, better screen), but the actual improvements to the core of the machine require a lot more effort and maybe now that the M1 transition is going well Apple will focus on developing iPadOS into a more capable system. I don't expect a lot, because I can't imagine what kind of improvement to iPadOS they'd have to make for someone like me to be able to use 8GB of RAM on the M1 iPad Pro, but maybe that's not the point anyway. The point of these massive hardware jumps was to impress and flex so they could sell as many units of this space shuttle of a tablet, and now I hope the next strategy to sell as many iPads as possible is to add functionality to iPadOS. The software can't really catch up to hardware, but like I said, that's probably beside the point.

Exactly! Thas been my hope for several years and the iOS remains limited compared to Mac OS. I do not have the desire to buy the new M1 and it is not a laptop replacement despite the multiple keyboards I’ve purchased in futile pursuit. It’s all about that iOS.

 

[Slartibart]

Exactly! Thas been my hope for several years and the iOS remains limited compared to Mac OS. I do not have the desire to buy the new M1 and it is not a laptop replacement despite the multiple keyboards I’ve purchased in futile pursuit. It’s all about that iOS.

I don't expect a lot, because I can't imagine what kind of improvement to iPadOS they'd have to make for someone like me to be able to use 8GB of RAM on the M1 iPad Pro,

I choose the above quotes just for representation of the ongoing discussion/rants/comment/etc. about Laptop and iPads (*emphasis in the quotes is mine).

That out of the way: as always, all this written by others and what I’m writing here now is personal opinion/usage scenario, isn’? Apparently it is difficult for some people to imagine and to accept that there are quite a lot people out there who, by having completely other personal requirements regarding iPads, get things done. My educated guess is, that’s the silent majority ?

Before now someone throws additional scenarios around which perchance are not possible on iPadOs - yes, you are probably right. But then there are the other usage cases where a 2020 iPad Pro is pushed to it’s limits and the new 2021 configurations are eagerly awaited.

That you - for personal reasons - can’t “imagine” or “do not have the desire” has no meaning to many if not most.

would it be great to get additional “pro”-software on the iPad? Yes. Bug fixes? Of course. Additional features which I can imagine but will as a surprise fit perfectly in my workflow? Please.

But for what I bought an iPP in 2020 this probably has not much impact. I bought it because it did things I do e.g. faster for a lower price than most MacBooks at the time (I know that argument is futile in 2021, but I have more than that reason to use an iPP ?). And I ordered one of the new 2021 ones because I sometimes actually push the 2020 iPP to it’s limits. Yep, hardware wise. What I need software wise is there… or there is an app for that. ??

 

[bsamcash]

When the iPad 2 came out in 2011 I thought it would be the future of home computers. I honestly believed that the vast majority of consumers would stop buying desktops and laptops and move to tablets like the iPad because it can do most of the things that most of consumers do on a computer but more cheaply and portable. Yet here we are 10 years later and the iPad just seems to supplement traditional computers rather than replacing them. And I put full blame on Apple for this. Apple has kept the software just crippled enough that many still need a desktop operating system. I guess it’s good for their share holders, but it has slowed what once was an exciting PC revolution.

 

[zkap]

I choose the above quotes just for representation of the ongoing discussion/rants/comment/etc. about Laptop and iPads (*emphasis in the quotes is mine).

That out of the way: as always, all this written by others and what I’m writing here now is personal opinion/usage scenario, isn’? Apparently it is difficult for some people to imagine and to accept that there are quite a lot people out there who, by having completely other personal requirements regarding iPads, get things done. My educated guess is, that’s the silent majority ?

Before now someone throws additional scenarios around which perchance are not possible on iPadOs - yes, you are probably right. But then there are the other usage cases where a 2020 iPad Pro is pushed to it’s limits and the new 2021 configurations are eagerly awaited.

That you - for personal reasons - can’t “imagine” or “do not have the desire” has no meaning to many if not most.

would it be great to get additional “pro”-software on the iPad? Yes. Bug fixes? Of course. Additional features which I can imagine but will as a surprise fit perfectly in my workflow? Please.

But for what I bought an iPP in 2020 this probably has not much impact. I bought it because it did things I do e.g. faster for a lower price than most MacBooks at the time (I know that argument is futile in 2021, but I have more than that reason to use an iPP ?). And I ordered one of the new 2021 ones because I sometimes actually push the 2020 iPP to it’s limits. Yep, hardware wise. What I need software wise is there… or there is an app for that. ??

I get what you're saying, but I think you didn't highlight all the parts of the quote that you should have, and/or you may have misunderstood my point somewhat. I said that I can't imagine what they could do *for someone like me* to be able to use up the available RAM. I now use an M1 MacBook Pro with 8 GBs of memory, and with that in mind, I think we won't see iPadOS on a scale that matches MacOS for depth, complexity, features etc. I think this is a reasonable assumption, hence I don't see that Apple could develop iPadOS to the extent that makes all this power useful to someone like me, because iPadOS is lighter than MacOS.

I understand that there are some people who use the iPad Pro's capabilities, but I think this is a niche group and we differ here by a lot, as I don't consider them/you to be a silent majority. I think the iPad Pro's strengths cater to a small group of people who use it in a specific way and I don't think that creators and artists who have a need for a lot of power on a portable sheet of glass form a majority of iPad users, I just don't see it. If I did, we wouldn't have this discussion. There are Youtube videos claiming that there is nothing currently available for the iPad Pro 2020 that can push its limits. Maybe there is, I don't know, but the point stands - the iPad is, in my view for a vast majority of people, too powerful for the software it currently offers. And even if you are determined to do your work on the iPad Pro, most likely you have to use some workarounds, which then brings up the question of just how worthwhile that is.

About the last paragraph, by all means go for it and enjoy it. I am not saying people shouldn't buy the iPad Pro, I'm just discussing Apple's strategies and what may come. You should buy the iPad Pro if you want it, I don't think it's bad that Apple is putting so much power in there. This whole discussion is rather about the software limitations that seriously hamper the whole "laptop replacement" thing, but that isn't to say that it's a bad thing a device is being improved on, of course not. Just out of curiosity, what kind of workflow do you have that pushes the iPad Pro to its limits and how can you tell?

 

[rui no onna]

I get what you're saying, but I think you didn't highlight all the parts of the quote that you should have, and/or you may have misunderstood my point somewhat. I said that I can't imagine what they could do *for someone like me* to be able to use up the available RAM. I now use an M1 MacBook Pro with 8 GBs of memory, and with that in mind, I think we won't see iPadOS on a scale that matches MacOS for depth, complexity, features etc. I think this is a reasonable assumption, hence I don't see that Apple could develop iPadOS to the extent that makes all this power useful to someone like me, because iPadOS is lighter than MacOS.

MacOS supports swap. iPadOS does not.

On the 8/512 MacBook Air, I regularly have 2-4GB swap used. Websites like Best Buy, etc. appear to use 400-500MB per tab.

At this point, I don't think iPadOS is that much lighter than MacOS. The only reason it can make do with less RAM is because it ditches background apps from RAM causing reloads and sometimes data loss.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

Whether or not the new M1 12.9 16gb RAM iPad is a laptop replacement or not, I will be using mine to play snake and asteroids. Don't @ me