iPad Pro iPad as a REAL Productivity Device

[ouimetnick]

So I bought a used 1 year old iPad Pro 10.5" 512GB for $500 back in late 2018. It's had some battery issues, and Apple refused to replace it the first time around. I went to the Apple Store today (3rd times a charm). This time I dealt with a nicer and more polite “Genius” He also witnessed the iPad’s battery percentage jump down slightly, and it failed the battery test. $99 later, I left with a refurbished iPad Pro 10.5.

I recently bought the 11” iPad Pro 1 TB from Apple during the Black Friday sales event after being denied the first time for a battery "replacement". Here’s the dilemma, and I'm thinking I should return the iPad Pro 11. Lets hypothetically say I sold the 10.5” iPad Pro 512GB for $350. That means I get $250 (spent $100 for battery service) iPad Pro 11” cost $1199-$250=$949

$949 gets you a

2 year old A12Z (really an A12X)
2GB more RAM
512GB more storage
0.5” larger screen
FaceID (works well at home since I don’t wear a mask at home)

More flimsy feeling chassis (you can easily flex and twist the iPad Pro 11, iPad Pro 10.5 doesn’t flex as easily) The iPad Pro 10.5 feels more rigid and less fragile than the newer iPad Pro 11.

USB-C

Am I missing anything? USB-C is nice, but the iPad doesn’t have proper external monitor support like a real computer does.
The iPad’s Files app is pathetic, iMovie is under featured, and a real keyboard costs an extra $300

• Why can't iMovie for iPad export a movie project in the background or upload to YouTube in the background? My super old Mid 2012 MBP 13" with 4GB of RAM can do it, why can't a 2020 iPad Pro with 6GB RAM do it? Why can an 8 year old computer (probably worth $300 run a full featured version of iMovie but $1199 iPad "Pro" cannot)
• Why can an 8 year old MacBook Pro copy 500GB worth of files and folders with out issue and do it in the background, but the 2020 iPad "Pro" Files app crashes and burns when copying more than 15GB? Isn't the iPad "Pro" suppose to be "your next computer"? Isn't the iPad Pro suppose to be more powerful than a 8 year old MBP? I don't even use that MBP anymore, I have a newer retina MBP Mid 2014.

I don’t need a new Mac right now either, but I spent $800 on a used Mid 2014 MBP 13” back in 2016. It struggles when editing 4K video, but it has a real version of iMovie that allows for actual video editing, it runs FCPX fine, has proper external display support, built in keyboard, real file support, etc. Even the 3 year old A10X with 4GB RAM in the 10.5” Pro handles 4K just fine.

Unless someone has any suggestions that don’t involve spending $30 on LumaFusion, I don't think iPad Pro isn’t really worth of the “Pro” name.

I wouldn’t consider 4 speakers to be a professional feature nor do I consider 120Hz refresh to be a professional feature considering Android devices have had this feature for a while now. $949 is a lot to spend on a device mostly used for media consumption and web browsing. I’d like to use it for productivity, but if it involves heavy typing, why would I spend $300 for a Magic Keyboard when I can use a perfectly capable keyboard on my MacBook Pro or Mac Pro? Why spend $30 on a video editing app when I could use iMovie on macOS for free or use FCPX (still learning my way around it?)

I will give the iPad Pro 11” credit, it scores higher in GeekBench 5 compared to the iPad Pro 10.5, it boots a few seconds faster and games like Asphalt and Need For Speed do load quicker, but once loaded, the game play is the same. If $949 got me a new iPad Pro 11” 1 TB with a A14X and some other improvements, I’d be tempted. But it seems like perhaps a MBP with M1 would be a smarter choice (when the time comes to replace my 2014 MBP) I do use my iPad more than my Mac, but a Mac seems to be a more powerful, more useful, more features, better value, etc.

I can't speak for everyone. I know that for some folks, iPad has replaced their computer for basic tasks. Some iPad owners like to draw with Apple Pencil and also do light photo editing with the Pencil. I've heard of iPad Pro being used by D.J.s rather than a full computer.

But why doesn't Apple make their professional apps like Logic and FCPX for iPad? They've demoed them running on a A12Z Mac mini. So they have their Mac Apps running on A12Z silicon and Apple M1. It seems all they need to do with enhance the UI for a touch based device. The hardware of even the A10X seems more than capable, but Apple appears to intentionally be holding iPad "Pro" back from being a real computer replacement for some reason. I find it interesting that a "professional" device doesn't even run Xcode. You can't even develop apps for iPadOS or iOS on an iPad, you need a real traditional Mac even though they have Xcode running on A12Z & M1

Some of the basic things I do on my MBP/Mac Pro that an iPad cannot do due to software limitations
Move large files over from one computer to another
Move files over the network (Finder shows everything on my network, why doesn't the Files.app?)
Ability to select chapters in videos (used to be a feature on iOS and iPadOS) (Helpful when watching guitar tutorial DVDs and I could pick a certain song. QuickTime and iTunes still allow this, not sure why Apple removed it from iPadOS/iOS)
Use plugins in FireFox & Chrome to save streaming video(s)
Occasionally edit video in iMovie & FCPX, but I want more title options, and the ability to speed clips more than 2X (iMovie for iPadOS limitation, intentional it seems)
Occasionally use Terminal for various tasks like exploring firmware files.
Typing anything more than a few sentences (like this post) (Suppose I could pair a bluetooth keyboard)

Everything else such as facebook, twitter, Instagram, YouTube, reading, Netflix, movies, I'll use an iPad for, and it does those things well. If they made an iPad Air with 512GB or 1TB, I'd probably buy it. Getting close to maxing out the 512GB 10.5"

Sorry for the long post, Just curious to hear other iPad/Mac user's thoughts. Had the "Geniuses" not been such a PITA and took my $99 like Apple's site advertises, I never would have bought a new iPad Pro. Even if the 11" iPad Pro did end up costing $949, I feel that's a lot of money to spend for some small improvements (listed above) especially when $50 more gets you a much more capable MacBook Air

 

[cupcakes2000]

Again and again- massive posts about wanting to use the iPad like a Mac. Doesn’t work. The iPad can work if you let it, but you need to change the way you do stuff.
It’s not a mac.
Get that out of your head.
It’s an iPad. It needs a change of ideas if you’re to use it as a laptop replacement. Apple sell it so to their users that need basic computer functions. If you need more, then either learn how the iPad does things and adapt, or stick with a Mac.

 

[ouimetnick]

Again and again- massive posts about wanting to use the iPad like a Mac. Doesn’t work. The iPad can work if you let it, but you need to change the way you do stuff.
It’s not a mac.
Get that out of your head.
It’s an iPad. It needs a change of ideas if you’re to use it as a laptop replacement. Apple sell it so to their users that need basic computer functions. If you need more, then either learn how the iPad does things and adapt, or stick with a Mac.

How do I learn how to use an iPad to edit video content when it can’t transfer large files from a USB device in the files app?

I’m not trying to replace my Mac for everything, I’m just baffled that all these years later Apple doesn’t offer a version of iMovie with features similar to the desktop version. How can I let it “work“ for me if the Files app can’t copy over files?

It’s a great way to look at guitar tablature, but how can I select chapters in the TV app like I used to be able to do in the old Movies app? I like that iPad is smaller and lighter and more portable than a MBP, but how can I make the TV app “work“ for me?

I’m not asking for a Mac, I’m asking for a more featured iPad worthy of the “Pro” name. I don’t need Terminal or ability to download streaming videos with plugins like on a Mac. Just a featured non broken files app and a Movie editor that can export movies in the background. If I can play music in the background, why can’t it do something simple like export a movie project or upload a movie project while I browse the web? Other tablets can do that. (I‘m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and am mostly satisfied, so I would never buy a Surface tablet)

 

[KittyKatta]

I’m not asking for a Mac, I’m asking for a more featured iPad worthy of the “Pro” name.

As I've learned over a decade of expectations, Apple has no desire to make that product. The iPad is an amazing platform, but it seems to have stumbled into all this power so it had actually had no plans on being anything more than "a very awesome tablet... but not a computer".

 

[cupcakes2000]

How do I learn how to use an iPad to edit video content when it can’t transfer large files from a USB device in the files app?

I’m not trying to replace my Mac for everything, I’m just baffled that all these years later Apple doesn’t offer a version of iMovie with features similar to the desktop version. How can I let it “work“ for me if the Files app can’t copy over files?

It’s a great way to look at guitar tablature, but how can I select chapters in the TV app like I used to be able to do in the old Movies app? I like that iPad is smaller and lighter and more portable than a MBP, but how can I make the TV app “work“ for me?

I’m not asking for a Mac, I’m asking for a more featured iPad worthy of the “Pro” name. I don’t need Terminal or ability to download streaming videos with plugins like on a Mac. Just a featured non broken files app and a Movie editor that can export movies in the background. If I can play music in the background, why can’t it do something simple like export a movie project or upload a movie project while I browse the web? Other tablets can do that. (I‘m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and am mostly satisfied, so I would never buy a Surface tablet)

I don’t have issue with downloading or transferring to the iPad so I can’t help there. Luma does the job for me.
Again, if you want mac like features, if you want to browse the web at the same time outside the feature that allows it, split screen, then I can’t help. You’re complaining about not having mac like features in a different type of os. Get a mac! Or work out how to do the same stuff with an iPad. It can work, you just need to figure it out to fit you.

 

[Seanm87]

The iPad can be a laptop replacement for people with basic needs. Of which it doesn’t sound like you are one of them.

Stick with a Mac. Apple makes both products for a reason. Different folks different strokes.

 

[dk001]

How do I learn how to use an iPad to edit video content when it can’t transfer large files from a USB device in the files app?

I’m not trying to replace my Mac for everything, I’m just baffled that all these years later Apple doesn’t offer a version of iMovie with features similar to the desktop version. How can I let it “work“ for me if the Files app can’t copy over files?

It’s a great way to look at guitar tablature, but how can I select chapters in the TV app like I used to be able to do in the old Movies app? I like that iPad is smaller and lighter and more portable than a MBP, but how can I make the TV app “work“ for me?

I’m not asking for a Mac, I’m asking for a more featured iPad worthy of the “Pro” name. I don’t need Terminal or ability to download streaming videos with plugins like on a Mac. Just a featured non broken files app and a Movie editor that can export movies in the background. If I can play music in the background, why can’t it do something simple like export a movie project or upload a movie project while I browse the web? Other tablets can do that. (I‘m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and am mostly satisfied, so I would never buy a Surface tablet)

For large files, I currently utilize an microSD card adapter and transfer them physically. You can also use a wifi SSD. Both work fairly well. I do more photos than video.

The term “Pro” is technically a sales gimmick.

 

[Digitalguy]

I think it's objectively hard for Apple to turn IOS, a completely locked system made to fit very low specs into a productivity machines. They did a lot with iPadOS, but given the starting point some things don't work well and many apps are left behind. IOS was never made to work with a file system and now it's hard to make it work well... I think it will improve but it takes time, I mean iPadOS was buggy as hell at the beginning, not at least it's stable. It will take years for a proper file system, especially for apps to be adapted to it...
The quick solution would be to allow it to run MacOS, but that's not in Apple's interest at all...

 

[Digitalguy]

For large files, I currently utilize an microSD card adapter and transfer them physically. You can also use a wifi SSD. Both work fairly well.

The term “Pro” is technically a sales gimmick.

Yeah, pro just means premium, not professional

 

[muzzy996]

I’m not asking for a Mac, I’m asking for a more featured iPad worthy of the “Pro” name. I don’t need Terminal or ability to download streaming videos with plugins like on a Mac. Just a featured non broken files app and a Movie editor that can export movies in the background. If I can play music in the background, why can’t it do something simple like export a movie project or upload a movie project while I browse the web? Other tablets can do that. (I‘m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and am mostly satisfied, so I would never buy a Surface tablet)

You’re not the first to bark up the “pro” tree and certainly won’t be the last but IMO it’s a wasted argument. The pro name is nothing more than marketing to distinguish beefier hardware just like the MacBook Pro line. There is no hardware differentiation between baseline MacBooks and Pros that is so different as to lead to any kind of forking of MacOS or software applications. Similarly there’s nothing so special about iPad Pros that warrant distinguishing software functionality beyond things like FaceID etc. So I can see what @cupcakes2000 is saying . . . If you want Mac like workflow get a Mac but don’t expect an iPad Pro to be significantly different in software application capability from a baseline iPad.

 

[Zazoh]

One can’t buy a modern technology and expect to keep the workflow of the past.

 

[dk001]

One can’t buy a modern technology and expect to keep the workflow of the past.

But one should not have to reinvent the wheel either.

 

[sparksd]

I use FileBrowser for moving large files to my iPad and between other computers (including videos for editing in LumaFusion - or just use LumaFusion and do an import). I use nPlayer, it allows me to select and move to chapters embedded in my videos. If I need to type a lot, I use a keyboard.

 

[bill-p]

I will give the iPad Pro 11” credit, it scores higher in GeekBench 5 compared to the iPad Pro 10.5, it boots a few seconds faster and games like Asphalt and Need For Speed do load quicker, but once loaded, the game play is the same. If $949 got me a new iPad Pro 11” 1 TB with a A14X and some other improvements, I’d be tempted. But it seems like perhaps a MBP with M1 would be a smarter choice (when the time comes to replace my 2014 MBP) I do use my iPad more than my Mac, but a Mac seems to be a more powerful, more useful, more features, better value, etc.

For the first bolded part: this is exactly why even if an iPad Pro with A14X comes, you may not want that either. Sure, A14X benchmarks and runs faster than A12X/Z for sure, but... will you see that in any of the games you currently own? Or will you even want to play any of the games that are coming out? Does any app in the App Store actually "needs" to run on A14 for any specific feature? And hell, do you see apps in the App Store that can help you do anything in your current workflow as a "professional" individual?

If you answer "no" to any of the above questions, then... the second bolded part is your answer: just get a M1 MacBook Pro.

Personally, I have an M1 MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro 12.9. Both have their own uses.

1. I can see the iPad being a "professional" device for people who do illustrations and art for a living. If you're in that world, you know how much a Wacom Cintiq costs. And the Cintiq is not even as "complete" a package as an iPad, because the iPad is (mostly) self-contained, whereas you need to connect the Cintiq to a computer. One can argue that you can go with a Cintiq + MacBook setup, but... trust me, I've tried that. I've also tried the MobileStudio and simply just... gave up. The iPad is the better overall device. If I was an illustrator, I'd wish for a 32" iPad and more Apple Pencil nib variations. Personally, I just like the iPad as a consumption device. Reading news, books, comics, etc... is far more enjoyable on the iPad than on the MacBook.

2. But outside of that specific use case, I honestly would just use the MacBook Pro M1 for everything else. If a website doesn't work properly on the iPad Pro, it'll for sure work on the MacBook Pro with M1. If I need to write code (and I do write code for a living), the M1 MacBook Pro is now the unparalleled coding device IMO because it can go on battery for a long time while running fast enough to compile most projects in seconds. If I need to edit videos or photos, the MacBook is also the better device because of the ability to connect to external monitors, and also because of MacOS' superior color profile management compared to iOS. If I need to edit large spreadsheets, work on presentations, or maybe write a whole book, the MacBook is better because it comes with a keyboard and trackpad built-in already, whereas the same thing costs $350 for the iPad Pro 12.9, and it's not even full-featured.

There is no hardware differentiation between baseline MacBooks and Pros that is so different as to lead to any kind of forking of MacOS or software applications.

Well, on this... arguably, there's the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar allows for quick access to some of these things:

1. More granular brightness and volume control. Real buttons don't allow for this kind of granular control.
2. Customizable function keys.
3. Quickly adjust keyboard backlight brightness. Weirdly enough, the M1 MacBook Air did not come with this feature.
4. If you use BetterTouchTool, the Touch Bar can also be made to display the current time, remaining battery percentage, weather, and etc... information that would otherwise crowd the status bar. This makes the Touch Bar actually "useful" for something other than quick shortcuts.

That and the MacBook Pro has a brighter display, more display contrast, louder speakers, better microphone, fan that allows it to keep performance up higher, etc...

So there are hardware differentiation. Just like how the iPad Air 4 doesn't have 120Hz display, doesn't have quad speakers, doesn't have thinner bezels, doesn't have the same thinness as the iPad Pro 11, doesn't have the extra camera (or camera features like Face ID for that matter), doesn't have the same display brightness, etc...

It's all of the little things that add up. Maybe the extra features don't make a difference to software, but it all adds up to a more "premium" experience all the same. And yet... "MacBook Pre" or "iPad Pre" just sounds plain weird. I guess that is why they chose to go with "MacBook Pro" and "iPad Pro" instead. Both the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro are more "premium" experience compared to the "Air" counterpart.

And then it actually makes sense. The "Pro" moniker is still more than just a marketing gimmick for those who care about the little things.

 

[AutomaticApple]

The iPad’s Files app is pathetic

Use FileBrowser for Business.

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iMovie is under featured

Use LumaFusion.

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a real keyboard costs an extra $300

Use a Logitech K380 Multi-Device.

Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard - White, Black, Pink

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[ouimetnick]

I just find it strange that I should need a 3rd party app to fix lazy half assed attempts that Apple themselves made. I'm using the $19 USB-C to USB-A adapter from Apple I plug in the external drive I use for moving large files. I select the files on the drive using the Files.app, chose Copy, and then paste it into the local iPad storage. Small files transfer Fien, but large folders with large files causes it the app to freeze for 15-30 seconds before either actually copying or crashing. Why offer external storage support when the implementation is half-assed? No real progress indicator with time remaining, prone to crashing, etc. Other folks have had this issue since iPadOS 13.

Why after 10 years won't they update iMovie to be closer to the full macOS counterpart? Why should I have to spend $30 on a 3rd party app when Apple *could* just update their own versions?

For those suggesting it isn't meant to replace a Mac, they surely have done things to make it closer to replacing a Mac. Why bring the ability to run 2 apps side by side? Shouldn't they force folks to buy a traditional computer for that? Why create Files.app in the first place if those who need a file system should be using a Mac? Why add support for a mouse or trackpad? The iPad and iPadOs/iOS was designed to use touch, not some outdated pointing device ? I'd love to be able to do more with my iPad, I'm not looking to replace my Mac, but being able to use a smaller lighter device to do more would be convenient. For the record, iPadOS, iOS, tvOS, HomePodOS all have a file system. It's not user accessible, but it exists. Remember all of those operating systems are based on Mac OS X. Use terminal to extract and explore the inner workings of an .IPSW or OTA firmware file.

Another nice feature that I first used my iPad 10.5" for when I bought it was to play guitar DVD lessons, and being able to pick chapters in the Movies.app to pick and chose certain songs was very handy. Worked that was on iPhone for MANY years. Then once Apple revamped the app and launched Apple TV+, they took it away and gave us a lousy 15sec forward/backwards button (with no option in settings to revert back) It was nice to do this and be able to swing over to iBooks to read the tablature. Much easier than putting a MacBook in my lap and banging my acoustic guitar into it.

As far as nPlayer goes, do I need to manually copy the large video files over to it, or can it access the content I synced using iTunes (content shown in the TV.app)?
I tried VLC a while back, but it was cumbersome and irrupting to have to unsync files, and then copy them back over. very unApple like.

 

[sparksd]

I just find it strange that I should need a 3rd party app to fix lazy half assed attempts that Apple themselves made. I'm using the $19 USB-C to USB-A adapter from Apple I plug in the external drive I use for moving large files. I select the files on the drive using the Files.app, chose Copy, and then paste it into the local iPad storage. Small files transfer Fien, but large folders with large files causes it the app to freeze for 15-30 seconds before either actually copying or crashing. Why offer external storage support when the implementation is half-assed? No real progress indicator with time remaining, prone to crashing, etc. Other folks have had this issue since iPadOS 13.

Why after 10 years won't they update iMovie to be closer to the full macOS counterpart? Why should I have to spend $30 on a 3rd party app when Apple *could* just update their own versions?

For those suggesting it isn't meant to replace a Mac, they surely have done things to make it closer to replacing a Mac. Why bring the ability to run 2 apps side by side? Shouldn't they force folks to buy a traditional computer for that? Why create Files.app in the first place if those who need a file system should be using a Mac? I'd love to be able to do more with my iPad, I'm not looking to replace my Mac, but being able to use a smaller lighter device to do more would be convenient. For the record, iPadOS, iOS, tvOS, HomePodOS all have a file system. It's not user accessible, but it exists. Remember all of those operating systems are based on Mac OS X. Use terminal to extract and explore the inner workings of an .IPSW or OTA firmware file.

Another nice feature that I first used my iPad 10.5" for when I got it was to play guitar DVD lessons, and being able to pick chapters in the Movies.app to pick and chose certain songs was very handy. Worked that was on iPhone for MANY years. Then once Apple revamped the app and launched Apple TV+, they took it away and gave us a lousy 15sec forward/backwards button (with no option in settings to revert back) It was nice to do this and be able to swing over to iBooks to read the tablature. Much easier than putting a MacBook in my lap and banging my acoustic guitar into it.

As far as nPlayer goes, do I need to manually copy the large video files over to it, or can it access the content I synced using iTunes (content shown in the TV.app)?
I tried VLC a while back, but it was cumbersome and irrupting to have to unsync files, and then copy them back over. very unApple like.

Regarding nPlayer - don't know about TV.app as I never use it. But with nPlayer I can manually copy via iTunes or local network connection or just stream directly from another device (e.g., my NAS) or attached external storage (I use an SSD). I don't use Files because it's clearly an immature product and problematic; hence, the use of FileBrowser. As for LumaFusion, it's a highly capable video editor and well worth the price; if your needs are less than what capabilities it provides, there are cheaper products available. If there are 3rd party solutions available that make my iPP more productive for me, I buy them just as I do for my desktop & laptop.

 

[bill-p]

For those suggesting it isn't meant to replace a Mac, they surely have done things to make it closer to replacing a Mac.

Apple added "just enough" to the iPad to make it a standalone device that does not depend on the Mac. But as far as iOS goes, they have maintained a very obvious "distance" compared to MacOS. iOS is not MacOS Lite. It's iOS. Steve Jobs was "sort of" lying when he said that iOS is Mac OS X. It's not. The two OSes have fundamental differences to the way they work, and might as well be separate entities.

Saying "iOS is like Mac OS X" is like saying "Android is like Ubuntu".

Let's just say... there's a lot more going on underneath than what you see. Also, the fact that Apple came out with M1 MacBooks and Mac Mini is a tell-tale sign that they want to keep things this way for a while yet.

Perhaps what you want will eventually be a reality, but that's not the case right now. For now, if you want to do the things you have listed, they are better done on a Mac.

 

[ouimetnick]

Apple added "just enough" to the iPad to make it a standalone device that does not depend on the Mac. But as far as iOS goes, they have maintained a very obvious "distance" compared to MacOS. iOS is not MacOS Lite. It's iOS. Steve Jobs was "sort of" lying when he said that iOS is Mac OS X. It's not. The two OSes have fundamental differences to the way they work, and might as well be separate entities.

Saying "iOS is like Mac OS X" is like saying "Android is like Ubuntu".

Let's just say... there's a lot more going on underneath than what you see. Also, the fact that Apple came out with M1 MacBooks and Mac Mini is a tell-tale sign that they want to keep things this way for a while yet.

Perhaps what you want will eventually be a reality, but that's not the case right now. For now, if you want to do the things you have listed, they are better done on a Mac.

My understanding is that Mac OS X, iPadOS/iOS all share the same underlying foundation and framework, libraries, etc and that it's mostly the UI and UI related areas that are different. Of course iOS/iPadOS being optimized for less powerful hardware and also more power efficient. There is an old slide from one of their keynotes showing how they are similar and where things are different, eg Cocoa vs Cocoa Touch.

I just wish the iPad was more capable. It does some things better than a Mac. You can't scan a document with the crummy webcam. You can't sign PDFs with an Apple Pencil on a Mac. I know newer Mac computers allow you to use SideCar and use the iPad & Apple Pencil for some of that, but as far as scanning documents or signing documents, it's much easier and efficient to use an iPad (or even an iPhone if just scanning)

 

[bill-p]

My understanding is that Mac OS X, iPadOS/iOS all share the same underlying foundation and framework, libraries, etc and that it's mostly the UI and UI related areas that are different.

Well, there is more going on.

For instance, memory management is not the same. Both iOS and MacOS support Virtual Memory, but only MacOS supports "swap". What that means is that all processes (background and foreground) on Mac will be able to keep going even when they have exceeded the total amount of available RAM. Going from 8GB to 16GB or 32GB RAM on Mac just means "swapping" won't happen until way later, but effectively, all apps can still be launched, and they can still keep asking for more memory from the OS. In contrast, not having "swap" means when more memory is needed, background processes will be terminated and memory reclaimed, and no app can exceed the total amount of available memory. This is how iOS works, and it is why you see apps like Photoshop and Affinity Designer have a limit to how many layers can be added to a single project.

iOS allows background tasks, but these tasks have a finite amount of run time, and it depends highly on what you typically do on the device. Typically, this is in seconds, so it's barely enough time to save the state of the app for the next launch. For longer-running tasks, specific types of tasks are defined in the system, and if your use case somehow fits these pre-defined tasks, then you can schedule them to be ran by the OS. Otherwise, that's it.

So as you can see, memory management is different, which leads to a difference (limitation) in how background tasks are handled in iOS vs MacOS. That's why it's not just the UI.

I do get that you want a device that's more capable. But that's not what Apple is willing to give us right now.

 

[Tsepz]

So I bought a used 1 year old iPad Pro 10.5" 512GB for $500 back in late 2018. It's had some battery issues, and Apple refused to replace it the first time around. I went to the Apple Store today (3rd times a charm). This time I dealt with a nicer and more polite “Genius” He also witnessed the iPad’s battery percentage jump down slightly, and it failed the battery test. $99 later, I left with a refurbished iPad Pro 10.5.

I recently bought the 11” iPad Pro 1 TB from Apple during the Black Friday sales event after being denied the first time for a battery "replacement". Here’s the dilemma, and I'm thinking I should return the iPad Pro 11. Lets hypothetically say I sold the 10.5” iPad Pro 512GB for $350. That means I get $250 (spent $100 for battery service) iPad Pro 11” cost $1199-$250=$949

$949 gets you a

2 year old A12Z (really an A12X)
2GB more RAM
512GB more storage
0.5” larger screen
FaceID (works well at home since I don’t wear a mask at home)

More flimsy feeling chassis (you can easily flex and twist the iPad Pro 11, iPad Pro 10.5 doesn’t flex as easily) The iPad Pro 10.5 feels more rigid and less fragile than the newer iPad Pro 11.

USB-C

Am I missing anything? USB-C is nice, but the iPad doesn’t have proper external monitor support like a real computer does.
The iPad’s Files app is pathetic, iMovie is under featured, and a real keyboard costs an extra $300

• Why can't iMovie for iPad export a movie project in the background or upload to YouTube in the background? My super old Mid 2012 MBP 13" with 4GB of RAM can do it, why can't a 2020 iPad Pro with 6GB RAM do it? Why can an 8 year old computer (probably worth $300 run a full featured version of iMovie but $1199 iPad "Pro" cannot)
• Why can an 8 year old MacBook Pro copy 500GB worth of files and folders with out issue and do it in the background, but the 2020 iPad "Pro" Files app crashes and burns when copying more than 15GB? Isn't the iPad "Pro" suppose to be "your next computer"? Isn't the iPad Pro suppose to be more powerful than a 8 year old MBP? I don't even use that MBP anymore, I have a newer retina MBP Mid 2014.

I don’t need a new Mac right now either, but I spent $800 on a used Mid 2014 MBP 13” back in 2016. It struggles when editing 4K video, but it has a real version of iMovie that allows for actual video editing, it runs FCPX fine, has proper external display support, built in keyboard, real file support, etc. Even the 3 year old A10X with 4GB RAM in the 10.5” Pro handles 4K just fine.

Unless someone has any suggestions that don’t involve spending $30 on LumaFusion, I don't think iPad Pro isn’t really worth of the “Pro” name.

I wouldn’t consider 4 speakers to be a professional feature nor do I consider 120Hz refresh to be a professional feature considering Android devices have had this feature for a while now. $949 is a lot to spend on a device mostly used for media consumption and web browsing. I’d like to use it for productivity, but if it involves heavy typing, why would I spend $300 for a Magic Keyboard when I can use a perfectly capable keyboard on my MacBook Pro or Mac Pro? Why spend $30 on a video editing app when I could use iMovie on macOS for free or use FCPX (still learning my way around it?)

I will give the iPad Pro 11” credit, it scores higher in GeekBench 5 compared to the iPad Pro 10.5, it boots a few seconds faster and games like Asphalt and Need For Speed do load quicker, but once loaded, the game play is the same. If $949 got me a new iPad Pro 11” 1 TB with a A14X and some other improvements, I’d be tempted. But it seems like perhaps a MBP with M1 would be a smarter choice (when the time comes to replace my 2014 MBP) I do use my iPad more than my Mac, but a Mac seems to be a more powerful, more useful, more features, better value, etc.

I can't speak for everyone. I know that for some folks, iPad has replaced their computer for basic tasks. Some iPad owners like to draw with Apple Pencil and also do light photo editing with the Pencil. I've heard of iPad Pro being used by D.J.s rather than a full computer.

But why doesn't Apple make their professional apps like Logic and FCPX for iPad? They've demoed them running on a A12Z Mac mini. So they have their Mac Apps running on A12Z silicon and Apple M1. It seems all they need to do with enhance the UI for a touch based device. The hardware of even the A10X seems more than capable, but Apple appears to intentionally be holding iPad "Pro" back from being a real computer replacement for some reason. I find it interesting that a "professional" device doesn't even run Xcode. You can't even develop apps for iPadOS or iOS on an iPad, you need a real traditional Mac even though they have Xcode running on A12Z & M1

Some of the basic things I do on my MBP/Mac Pro that an iPad cannot do due to software limitations
Move large files over from one computer to another
Move files over the network (Finder shows everything on my network, why doesn't the Files.app?)
Ability to select chapters in videos (used to be a feature on iOS and iPadOS) (Helpful when watching guitar tutorial DVDs and I could pick a certain song. QuickTime and iTunes still allow this, not sure why Apple removed it from iPadOS/iOS)
Use plugins in FireFox & Chrome to save streaming video(s)
Occasionally edit video in iMovie & FCPX, but I want more title options, and the ability to speed clips more than 2X (iMovie for iPadOS limitation, intentional it seems)
Occasionally use Terminal for various tasks like exploring firmware files.
Typing anything more than a few sentences (like this post) (Suppose I could pair a bluetooth keyboard)

Everything else such as facebook, twitter, Instagram, YouTube, reading, Netflix, movies, I'll use an iPad for, and it does those things well. If they made an iPad Air with 512GB or 1TB, I'd probably buy it. Getting close to maxing out the 512GB 10.5"

Sorry for the long post, Just curious to hear other iPad/Mac user's thoughts. Had the "Geniuses" not been such a PITA and took my $99 like Apple's site advertises, I never would have bought a new iPad Pro. Even if the 11" iPad Pro did end up costing $949, I feel that's a lot of money to spend for some small improvements (listed above) especially when $50 more gets you a much more capable MacBook Air

I get you and I also tend to ask myself the same thing, with all this power why are Apple not opening up the iPad and iPad Pro even more?

Well to me it seems Apple have the perfect setup here, they want you to own an iPhone, iPad and Mac, why give you everything in one device when they can get you to get all 3? As you rightly point out, the iPad Pro has the power to do a lot of this stuff but seems to be held Back by iOS/iPadOS.

The other argument here is that Apple may have a plan to bring all of that to the iPad Pro but are still far away from it, but could explain why the iPad now has iPad OS instead of just iOS. iPad OS is a work-in-progress and I think we should see a substantial amount of functionality come to it over the coming years as they continue to build on it.

For now though it sounds like you should take the iPad Pro back and swap it for a M1 MBP.

 

[Digitalguy]

One important productivity feature, that Android has, and not really iPadOS, is file type association. For instance, being able to chose which app should open PDFs, txt files or whatever...This is a big miss of the files apps and one of the reasons it works so poorly. It seems to decide arbitrarily... Same things for download from Safari...

 

[spiderman0616]

How do I learn how to use an iPad to edit video content when it can’t transfer large files from a USB device in the files app?

I’m not trying to replace my Mac for everything, I’m just baffled that all these years later Apple doesn’t offer a version of iMovie with features similar to the desktop version. How can I let it “work“ for me if the Files app can’t copy over files?

It’s a great way to look at guitar tablature, but how can I select chapters in the TV app like I used to be able to do in the old Movies app? I like that iPad is smaller and lighter and more portable than a MBP, but how can I make the TV app “work“ for me?

I’m not asking for a Mac, I’m asking for a more featured iPad worthy of the “Pro” name. I don’t need Terminal or ability to download streaming videos with plugins like on a Mac. Just a featured non broken files app and a Movie editor that can export movies in the background. If I can play music in the background, why can’t it do something simple like export a movie project or upload a movie project while I browse the web? Other tablets can do that. (I‘m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and am mostly satisfied, so I would never buy a Surface tablet)

Try LumaFusion for your video editing. It's better than iMovie by far, and exports much faster. Runs great on M1 Mac too.

 

[spiderman0616]

I get you and I also tend to ask myself the same thing, with all this power why are Apple not opening up the iPad and iPad Pro even more?

Well to me it seems Apple have the perfect setup here, they want you to own an iPhone, iPad and Mac, why give you everything in one device when they can get you to get all 3? As you rightly point out, the iPad Pro has the power to do a lot of this stuff but seems to be held Back by iOS/iPadOS.

The other argument here is that Apple may have a plan to bring all of that to the iPad Pro but are still far away from it, but could explain why the iPad now has iPad OS instead of just iOS. iPad OS is a work-in-progress and I think we should see a substantial amount of functionality come to it over the coming years as they continue to build on it.

For now though it sounds like you should take the iPad Pro back and swap it for a M1 MBP.

People keep saying things like this, but I don't think that's the reason at all. I think the vast majority of iPad owners/users just don't WANT the iPad to do laptop things. They want it to do iPad things. Likewise, only a small subset of iPad users is on an iPad Pro, especially the 12.9" model. So it doesn't make sense for Apple to completely convert the iPad into a more Mac/Windows-like experience. They'd be alienating a lot of users if they did that. The only solution I can really see is if they fork iPadOS off into an iPad Pro version, but that just doesn't seem like a very Apple-like move. I think if anything, they move the M1 Macs closer to what the iPad can do rather than the other way around.

Nobody wanted the iPad Pro to eventually replace the Mac more than I did. But for the second time in all the years I've been using iPads, the evolution just isn't happening fast enough for me. I was not of that opinion before the M1 Macs came out. You could not have paid me to go back to a Mac full time and ditch my iPad. But Apple made a strong case to me to do just that, and I couldn't resist. Haven't looked back yet. The last time I did this, I was regretting it by this point. Not this time.

 

[ouimetnick]

At this point, I’m just asking for a functional Files.app and moving some of their professional applications to iPad. How is it that iMovie for iPadOS can do Picture in Picture, but you can only speed a clip up by 2X? ? Why does adjusting the duration of a title require me to split the clip and have the title run for the duration of the clip? Seems pretty pathetic that a $1200 iPad “Pro” is rendered useless while exporting/uploading a movie but a $900 MBA can multi task.

I realize their are 3rd party work arounds. I’ve downloaded FileBrowser and will be using that. I’ve also been using RemoteFiles to access my Time Capsule. It just feels weird that Apple’s own products don’t work together. If feels “off” that the Files.app can not access Apple’s very own Time Capsule. RemoteFiles also doesn’t have the same Apple like UI that I prefer.

I will be giving LumaFusion a try. But as I mentioned before, the iPad does many things better than the Mac. Web browsing, reading, games, signing documents with Apple Pencil, scanning and emailing documents, etc. I’m not a developer, but if someone can write code for macOS, iPadOS/iOS on the Mac, why couldn’t they at least write and debug iPadOS/iOS apps on the iPad? Seems like a no brainer. I remember Steve Jobs saying that PCs will be like trucks. Not sure I would agree with him unless the iPad is more capable.

Also, thanks to bill-p for the memory management explanation. Couldn’t they allow iOS/iPadOS to swap over the the solid state storage on iPad/iPhone? They can do it on a Mac, why not on iPhone/iPad? If it’s a battery life concern, then how do they do it on a MacBook Air?