(almost) the opposite could be said for Android phones users (if the reference was to smartphones). While the integration is not as seamless as in the Apple ecosystem, things like the your phone app on windows make things much easier than before they existed... (without third party apps)
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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Tbh, it's more about Samsung and Windows integration than Android and Windows. Granted, Samsung runs Android... but not all Android phones are as seamless integrated with Windows than Galaxy phones. But perhaps, I'm in a bubble and haven't experienced anything outside of Galaxy phones.
But majority of the news I read.. mentions compatible with Galaxy phones (supported Android phones will come in the future).
Maybe I am in the same bubble, since I have very little experience with non Samsung devices. I am with Samsung since I am on Android (Galaxy S1, S3, S4, S7 and S10e). My main tablets, outside iPads, have also been Samsung (Galaxy Note 8, yes it was a tablet, an 8in tablet with S pen, before being a phone, and that's why the phone is spelled Note8, and Tab S7+), although I had 2 non Samsung Android tablets, a very old convertible Asus, which broke, and 13.3in Lenovo Yoga 2 pro, which still works but it's too old and stuck on Android 5.
I was convinced that the your phone app worked with any Android phone, but I might be wrong....
I can confirm that the phone app works with other Android phones as I used it with my Sony. However Samsung might offer additional perks that the Sony phone did not offer
. To be honest I did not venture a lot into the ecosystem stuff because I knew that Windows/Android do not offer what Apple does on one side, on the other I was not interested in owning Macbook. So I kind of accepted the fact that the integration would be simple - me plugging the phone into the laptop and getting access to the full file system. So usually this is how I was doing things.
I'm curious... why the lack of interest in owning a MacBook? Having a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop helps with the integration with an iPhone.. no?
I can confirm that the phone app works with other Android phones as I used it with my Sony. However Samsung might offer additional perks that the Sony phone did not offer
To be honest I did not venture a lot into the ecosystem stuff because I knew that Windows/Android do not offer what Apple does on one side, on the other I was not interested in owning Macbook. So I kind of accepted the fact that the integration would be simple - me plugging the phone into the laptop and getting access to the full file system. So usually this is how I was doing things.
I did the same with my multiple Android devices - phones & tablets - and also have had no interest in owning a Mac.
Integration with iOS devices, sure. Personally, I haven't found that to be a good reason to switch especially when I only use a desktop/laptop for personal use once in a blue moon and I would need to relearn a lot of things on the Mac.
Note, I actually did buy a MacBook Air (M1 8/8/8/512) last year. When I need to use a computer, I still go to either the Windows NUC desktop or pick up one of my Windows laptops (ThinkPad X1 Nano and ThinkPad E15 G2 AMD).
This ain't happening. The iPad will remain an iPad, which is a tablet, created mainly with mobile on mind. It is meant to be a very simple computer for all those people that find computers complicated. The iPad will not get as complicated as a desktop OS. It will become more powerful though without sacrificing simplicity. It's not an easy task, but iPadOS will get there. This year we are probably getting new Multitasking features, notifications and widgets. It's a process, so do not expect miracles from one day to another.
Um.. you generalizing a bit too much here. The iPad is my primary computing device… I didn’t choose it because the Mac/Windows is too complicated for me. I chose it because of the versatility it provides.
And as a iPad user.. I don’t view the iPad as a tablet, I just view it as a computer.
Exactly. It's a computer that can handle a lot of complex tasks/apps but also present a simple interface and stable platform, one that even my 95-year-old, technically-illiterate mother was able to comprehend and use.
Yes, iPad isn’t only meant for those people of course. It’s also meant for people who just enjoy its simplicity and intuitiveness, and whose needs are met by it, either fully or partially in conjunction with a traditional computer. But I don’t think it can be argued that macOS isn’t more versatile than iPadOS, though that probably wasn’t what you were implying.
Apple has been clear thus far, that they are not interested in doing that with the iPad.
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Having a Macbook definitely helps when it comes to the integration with the iPhone or the iPad I own. However I spend most of my time on my laptop and I need more reasons to buy a certain laptop. I just have certain expectations that Macbooks do not provide. When I buy laptop, I choose a model based on the components I want to have - certain CPU, certain GPU, SSD/HDD options, RAM options and upgradability. Macbooks are rather restricted in how you can configure them.
Historically speaking before M1 Macbooks have never impressed hardware wise. They had Intel chips like Windows laptops and RAM was rather scarce, same for SSD and storage and did not have the best GPUs either. Plus I do not have issues with Windows as an OS and I don't see the need to look a machine with another OS. On the contrary, buying Macbook means having to learn MacOS. That for me is an investment in terms of time that needs to make sense for me.
So yeah before M1, Macbooks IMO were offering the same as Windows machines but for more money. They are also more mainstream in terms of what they offer and if you want something more niche you cannot get it. For example my laptop has both SSD and HDD and that for me to be honest is what I wanted. I need SSD more for the OS itself and its computer power and less for my movie, music and images collection. Having both storage options at once helps me separate a bit. This way even if something goes back with one drive, the other is still working. I also can upgrade my RAM up to 32 GB RAM, something Mac laptops do not provide. And I have more ports.
M1 now changes the picture as it provides more computational power than Intel and more battery life. I am still not at the point of saying I will buy Macbook but I am saying that now for me they offer something that makes me think about it. And I would definitely observe on how M1/M chips in general are being adopted by Developers in terms of offering optimized software.
This is the funny thing. I actually find iPadOS more complex than my Windows machine. It is not in the design of the OS and I definitely understand how it was not planned like that from the beginning, but with the years and the changes they have made, the OS is a bit fragmented and this makes it rather more complex to use.
Windows is most probably the same but I just have like history of 20 years using it while I have just 3 years of using iPad OS. Maybe for people that have started with an iPad and this was their first computing device, the picture changes but for a person like me there are certain things on iPad OS that are rather weird and convoluted for me. I cannot remember for which app I need to go to the Settings app, and for which I need to find the Settings in the app itself.
Interesting perspective. I have never needed a Macbook. But as tech enthusiast who wants to know as many platforms as possible, a couple of years ago I bought a 11in Macbook air from 2013 for $400 just to know how it is to have a Mac, not to be my main device (I need Windows for my work and I also need a stylus to annotate, plus I am very used to touch on my laptops), just as a bought a used iPhone a couple of years ago to know what it is like to have an iPhone, not as my main phone...
I ended up using it essentially as a youtube machine in my kitchen for watching videos (in Chrome) when I have my meals (I work from home so I eat at home) and around the house, since it's light enough to be carried with one hand while I do other things (but when I don't use it it lives in my kitchen....).
This gave me the possibility to learn to use a Mac and appreciate the good and bad things about it.
I don't plan to have a Mac in my work room (where my Windows devices and iPads live), but I like having a Mac as a sort of Chromebook and I am waiting for M2 Macbooks to upgrade it (current Macbooks are all too heavy for my use). If they add cellular support, this might also replace my iPad pro as an on the go device, or even at home for things not related to work (funny enough, that would be the opposite of this thread, a Macbook as an iPad replacement.... ?)
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I definitely agree on that, myself also coming from a deep Windows background (going back farther in that world, to pre-Windows DOS days). For my Mom, once we set the iPad up for her, it was very easy to use and she never had to worry about Settings, etc. She could use email, look at family pictures, etc. in a very stable and generally unchanging environment with an easy-to-understand UI. It's harder to do the same with other platforms.
I see your point. I am a tech enthusiast too but on lower level
. I do watch a lot of youtube videos and tech reviews, but I would not want to spend money just to service my curiosity. It just does not sit well with me.Ha indeed
.The thing for me is that I have technical and software background. I am working in the software business industry but I studied both software and hardware in university. I chose rather specific degree that is mix between computer science and computer hardware engineering and German (my lectures were mostly in German, some in English, none in Bulgarian which is my native language). As a result I am not just interested in the software thing, but also on the hardware aspect - CPU, GPU, RAM, caching levels for processes optimization. So I needed to know that I have freedom and flexibility to choose my hardware. This is something that Apple computers do not give you.
I see how Apple computers make sense for people that want to buy a machine that just works, not wanting to think about hardware setup. I on the other hand have studied about hardware setup and I know how to do it and I enjoy it. I never got to a point to physically build my own computers and piece things together, but I do like to pick up and choose the components I want and I need. I also know rather well just based on reading hardware specifications what a machine is capable of and I am able to compare different hardware configurations to get the best I can at feasible price.
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This is the thing for me though - it took me a lot of time to set up the iPad up the way I want. And I still change things to my needs. There is just not a small learning curve in my opinion to be able to setup the iPad to meet my needs the best.
My mother has used Android phones all her life and is still with Android. However the last phone we bought for her is Huawei. Huawei sometimes copy from Apple and a lot of things and gestures on their customer Android setup are similar to how iOS works. It took quite the time for my mother to learn this. And she just did not like it. Luckily they allow users to go back to more general Android experience with toggling setting so this is what I did.
I have always liked to tinker with my devices and upgrade them... but at some point I started accepting that you miss out on too many great devices if you limit yourself to upgradable ones...
Personally the only thing I make sure I can change is the battery and even then if the battery is good to begin with and the price is right (my surface book 2 15 new at $1200) I can even pass on that...
What made me realize this is that even devices that I had upgraded with SSDs and tons of RAM progressively became secondary devices, as in laptops you cannot upgrade the CPU and the screen and even if in desktops you can upgrade everything in the end you are only keeping the power supply and, at best, the case if it fits...so I don't call it an upgrade anymore, but just reusing some stuff....
Yeah, it is about finding a balance. I try to change my computer every 4-5 years. I am not looking for a machine that can last more than that because to be honest I need the novelty. I like I get bored with the machine and I need to change it even if it works.
Yes, you can't change the CPU in laptops true. I play with RAM, SSD, HDD and things like that. We cannot change the laptop display, but we can hook up a newer monitor or add external GPU if the machine supports it. I mean I have found a way to change a bit the setup that I use. I need it. I am easily bored. I need to have small incremental ways where I can tweak my devices to feel again the sense of novelty.
Perhaps, that word choice is subjective. No shade to those who choose macOS over iPadOS, but I like the fact that iPadOS is given mouse-input (external keyboard support) in addition to the excellent touch-input it already has. That factor alone makes it much more valuable to me.
And, I've been a proponent of cellular use with the iPad since the introduction of the feature. Obviously, Apple makes it easy to use hotspot with iPhone and iPad integration. But I like the convenience of having cellular use with the iPad. And this factor is invaluable for me.