iPad Pro iPad has become quite useless and I regret purchasing it

[xraydoc]

Pages doesn't have an import feature. Well, I haven't been able to find it. The same for Safari, and Contacts. If those features would be present in these apps, one could easily move contacts, bookmarks, and pages documents from a thumb drive to the Download folder in the iPad, and then import them in Safari, Contacts, and Pages. The iPad relies on syncing. I just looked at a MS Word blank document for the iPad, and the document has a very nice menu.

For import, you can just open a .doc/.docx or .rtf file with Pages; there’s no menu item called “Import”. Documents on your iPad, in your iCloud Drive, DropBox, etc., can be opened by Pages directly. It may open other file types, too, but I’ve not tried.

Export looks like this:

 

[AlaskaMoose]

For import, you can just open a .doc/.docx or .rtf file with Pages; there’s no menu item called “Import”. Documents on your iPad, in your iCloud Drive, DropBox, etc., can be opened by Pages directly. It may open other file types, too, but I’ve not tried.

Export looks like this:
View attachment 2012547

Thanks for sharing!

 

[AlaskaMoose]

This exactly! I have an M1 iMac and an iPad Pro 2020 which I'll be holding onto for as long as possible. But as someone who is having to travel a lot now, and who has a bad back, I have no interest in having to purchase a MacBook in addition to my current Apple devices and carry two devices whilst traveling. The extra weight adds up for me. All of this has led me to start looking outside of the Apple ecosystem which may be a counterpoint to Apple's desire for maximum revenue if they're purposefully limiting iPad OS.

I've been a fan of iPad since the iPad 2, but my needs have grown so much over the past year and and I'm looking elsewhere for a device to travel with because the iPad no longer meets all my needs. I'm going to vote with my wallet and not purchase any future iPads until iPad OS evolves into something which will fulfil the on-the-go needs I now have.



I agree about the app experience lagging. I have noticed that Pages on Mac OS and iPad OS may run the same underneath, but from a user experience perspective, it's like having to learn two separate apps because button placements are so different. Equally, Pages on iPad lacks feature parity so you may come across an instance where you have to move from the iPad to your Mac to complete a task. It's a similar experience across most apps on iPad OS where they are lacking features, and I believe that's what largely leaves people looking for a laptop replacement dissatisfied.

I tested the Surface Pro 8 in store the other day as it's one option I'm seriously considering. It felt notably lighter than my iPad Pro 12.9 with Magic Keyboard. But I don't think it's an iPad competitor and leaving the store I was left with this impression: iPad is the much better tablet with a wonderful touch-based interface and some incredible drawing/ note taking applications. However, for many people trying to use it as a "laptop replacement", there will be limitations and bottlenecks. The Surface in contrast is a laptop in a tablet body that can do all your work needs and has the ability to draw on screen with desktop design applications - you compromise heavily on the tablet experience. They serve different purposes and the user will need to decide what they ultimately need.

The iPad fills a niche very well for a lot of people. If you don't fit in that niche, the iPad can suddenly feel very limiting, so I do empathise with OP and others on this thread who feel the device doesn't do enough. But equally, I feel it's important to understand what a device can do for you, and where it fits in your life, before pulling the purchase button. Don't just go off the marketing/ hype and do your own research always. I purchased my iPad Pro 2 years ago when I did my research and saw it would fit my needs at the time. Over the last year, my needs for a device have grown and so I am no longer considering an iPad for my next purchase because I know iPad doesn't fit those needs and I'm not going to try to force it to.

Very sensible comments! Much appreciated

 

[xraydoc]

Very sensible comments! Much appreciated

I had a Surface Pro 3 many years ago. Gave it a solid try as a one-stop-shop device. While Windows has gotten a bit better since then, it was not a great experience. Browsing the web on the sofa still felt like I was trying to operate a desktop OS with my finger when it was clearly expecting a mouse. Whole thing felt clunky and slow. And the battery was pretty terrible. Even basic web browsing would heat up the machine.

I also used a Surface Book 2 for a good 18 months, and while it definitely felt like an Apple product in hardware fit & finish, ultimately the battery life left we wanting, especially with the display detached and in tablet mode (I knew going in that the display only had a small battery). The SB2 did ok in terms of battery when it was in Intel's battery-saver mode, but it was horribly slow. In 'normal' mode, battery life really suffered. And in 'performance' mode, which was required to meet the browser performance of my then-owned 11" iPad Pro, it became a furnace with a barely 3 hr battery.

I suspect the newer Surface devices are better given recent improvements in the Intel mobile processors, but I wouldn't expect Apple M1 performance or battery life.

I think (my own personal opinion) in both the Windows world and in the Apple world (macOS/iPadOS), there's still no one single device that's going to give you the best of both worlds. For me at this stage, however, I'm able to get 90+% of my needs met with an iPad Pro, a keyboard folio and an Apple Pencil...

My word processing needs are mostly basic -- anything requiring significantly advanced formatting (tables with borders, shading, landscape pages, multicolumns, etc.) which is difficult to create on the iPad is usually created for me by others on a Windows machine, so their files will load just fine on my iPad with Word for iPadOS and I can fill in what I need or make edits as required.

When I create a PowerPoint presentation, I almost always start it on my desktop machine with its 32" 4K main display and secondary monitor for open folders and other utilities. Even using a single laptop display is claustrophobic for content creation like this. Once the basics are completed, then I have no issues editing/tweaking on my iPad.

My spreadsheet needs are also relatively basic, so Excel for iPad works fine for work stuff and Numbers does fine for personal stuff or things I'm going to send out as PDFs or images (since Numbers can export really nice looking stuff).

The Apple Pencil is great for taking notes and marking up PDFs in GoodNotes (and similar apps) and Word files with Word's Pencil support. And signing documents is easy since I can drop my saved signature right on to PDFs or use the Pencil with DocuSign.

Otherwise, Mail and Safari are more than sufficient for my needs on iPadOS. Mail filters and automations would be nice, but not required for me as I can leave my desktop running to process inbox filters and such anyway.

If the iPad were my ONLY device, then I'd likely feel differently and probably stick with a MacBook Pro. But I think of the iPad Pro as my daily driver car and my desktop(s) as the truck I only need occasionally to handle something really big.

 

[rui no onna]

If the iPad were my ONLY device, then I'd likely feel differently and probably stick with a MacBook Pro. But I think of the iPad Pro as my daily driver car and my desktop(s) as the truck I only need occasionally to handle something really big.

That’s an excellent way to put it.

I’m the same. iPad as daily driver. Laptop/desktop when I need to do techie/hobby stuff (e.g. Calibre ebook management, writing Raspberry Pi and Live Linux images, Blu-ray ripping, backups, etc).

 

[wills11]

Now, this will depend on the individual use case but I want to share my experience.

I bought iPad Pro 12.9 M1 6 months ago, I had the Air 2 previously. Initially I used to use it as a multimedia/Youtube device and was so impressed by the display and speakers. But as I bought the MacBook Pro 16, the use case of iPad Pro has completely diminished for me.

I mostly use my laptop and don't even pick up my iPad Pro anymore. I knew beforehand that iPad was severely limited in software. I don't know why this even exists anymore. Even the baseline MacBook Air has good value and could do heck more than the iPad.

Most of my gripes are with the software, it just cannot do much. It doesn't even have a good video player where I can watch local dolby vision content, the ones on the App Store are unnecessarily expensive. On my MacBook I can use Subler to convert an mkv DV file with 4-5 clicks and watch it on the QuickTime player. Everything is unnecessarily complicated on the iPad.

The files app is a hot mess as well on iPadOS 14. I haven't upgraded to the 15 as I have read posts about the battery life gone down to the *******. There isn't even the progress bar for copying/pasting files to and from the iPad and It sometimes fails when doing that. Every time I use the files app, I fold my hand and pray for it to go smoothly. The widgets on the iPadOS 15 has messed up the spacing on the home screen as well. Instead of adding some features the update has been an annoyance for the users. ymmv.

I am not an artist or a gamer. I did thought about picking up the Apple Pencil for the heck of it but I read forum posts about how it doesn't jive well with screen protectors so I just gave up on that idea.

Then I thought I could use it to read books but this damn thing is not that easy to hold or read on without getting fatigued eyes and hands.

It's a shame that such a good hardware is just completely hampered by the bad software experience.

For me, this has been the most regretful purchase I have ever made in my life. I am thinking about selling it but I don't know if it will fetch any good value where I live. I wished I had purchased a Mac mini or the Air instead of the iPad. Another Mac could have actually helped me in web development or other hobbies that I like exploring from time to time.

I totally understand this, but find the iPad super useful and actually just bought a second one:

2018 iPad Pro was expensive, but AppleCare+ has saved my bacon at least once. I've also had two of them covered under warranty when they crapped out—both, oddly enough, in the USB-C port). I use it constantly, and almost exclusively, for taking notes. The Pencil is amazing, and I probably save 10,000 or more sheets of paper per year with it. I use it to mark up drafts (which I then throw up on my iMac's second monitor), and for taking meeting notes. These I often record (with permission) using Notability—I can't recommend it enough, especially the feature which, when I tap something I've scrawled, jumps to that section of the audio. It makes note-taking much easier and allows me to focus better, because I can simply write "books", then click and go back and hear the exact four books someone mentioned during the meeting. I also sometimes use it as a third display for my iMac, especially if I want a video on in the background.

2022 iPad Mini was quite cheap and is the best e-book reader I've ever experienced. I read a ton, and used to use the 12.9" Pro, but it's a little big for one-handed use and since I often fall asleep reading, it hit the floor a couple times and cracked the screen. So I got the cheapest iPad Mini, got a quality case (which is magnetic and allows me to stick it to my bed frame!), and it's used 90% for reading. But I will also sometimes take it for note-taking, again using Notability, when I want something smaller and lighter—it actually fits in my jeans back pocket, although isn't very practical. I won't need to upgrade it for 5 years, at minimum. I guess I could have gotten a cheaper e-reader, but I really like using the Mac ecosystem for ePub books, as I also read and take notes on my iMac.

And while the iPhone is fine, both are also better for video calls; sometimes I can't take them at my desk, and while my MacBook works equally well, the iPad's are just much lighter weight and more convenient, plus allow me to see more participants.

Now, this will depend on the individual use case but I want to share my experience.

I bought iPad Pro 12.9 M1 6 months ago, I had the Air 2 previously. Initially I used to use it as a multimedia/Youtube device and was so impressed by the display and speakers. But as I bought the MacBook Pro 16, the use case of iPad Pro has completely diminished for me.

I mostly use my laptop and don't even pick up my iPad Pro anymore. I knew beforehand that iPad was severely limited in software. I don't know why this even exists anymore. Even the baseline MacBook Air has good value and could do heck more than the iPad.

Most of my gripes are with the software, it just cannot do much. It doesn't even have a good video player where I can watch local dolby vision content, the ones on the App Store are unnecessarily expensive. On my MacBook I can use Subler to convert an mkv DV file with 4-5 clicks and watch it on the QuickTime player. Everything is unnecessarily complicated on the iPad.

The files app is a hot mess as well on iPadOS 14. I haven't upgraded to the 15 as I have read posts about the battery life gone down to the *******. There isn't even the progress bar for copying/pasting files to and from the iPad and It sometimes fails when doing that. Every time I use the files app, I fold my hand and pray for it to go smoothly. The widgets on the iPadOS 15 has messed up the spacing on the home screen as well. Instead of adding some features the update has been an annoyance for the users. ymmv.

I am not an artist or a gamer. I did thought about picking up the Apple Pencil for the heck of it but I read forum posts about how it doesn't jive well with screen protectors so I just gave up on that idea.

Then I thought I could use it to read books but this damn thing is not that easy to hold or read on without getting fatigued eyes and hands.

It's a shame that such a good hardware is just completely hampered by the bad software experience.

For me, this has been the most regretful purchase I have ever made in my life. I am thinking about selling it but I don't know if it will fetch any good value where I live. I wished I had purchased a Mac mini or the Air instead of the iPad. Another Mac could have actually helped me in web development or other hobbies that I like exploring from time to time.

and

 

[ackmondual]

I’m a conductor and choirmaster. I keep all my sheet music on my 12" iPad. It’s my everyday companion. The display is easy on the eye even after hours. You can do light office stuff, score editing, video editing, audio recording. Of course, the respective apps might not be as full-fledged as the Mac versions, but it’s a great mobile experience.

I ended up using my Chromebook for a lot of sheet music. It's laptop like design means I can set it on a flat surface to read music!

 

[MrTSolar]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-needs-to-give-us-the-80-max-charge-option-on-the-iphone.2365460/post-31653730

Due to events ^, all I have to say now is:

 

[ARH1956]

My iPad Pro is indispensible even though it gets less use than my iMac or iPhone. It's perfect for speaking/presentations IMO. Although after seeing the posts here I'll be surprised if Apple sells another one.

 

[prospervic]

My iPad Pro is indispensible even though it gets less use than my iMac or iPhone. It's perfect for speaking/presentations IMO. Although after seeing the posts here I'll be surprised if Apple sells another one.

Don’t judge by what you read in this forum. Those posts are gripes by people who expected their iPad to replace their laptop.
It doesn’t need to do that to be a great and useful device. Keep enjoying yours the way you do.

 

[GhostOS]

It’s fascinating to read posts from people who get an Pro iPad knowing what an iPad experience is like, somehow expect Apple to magically re-invent iPadOS overnight to suit their very niche unicorn level macOS-like magical OS, and then get upset that Apple hasn’t done exactly that and they’re gonna file a class action lawsuit on iPadOS while they rediscover MacOS.

I expect a barrage of more posts after they’re disappointed with WWDC today, brace yourselves!

 

[BhaveshUK]

Don’t judge by what you read in this forum. Those posts are gripes by people who expected their iPad to replace their laptop.
It doesn’t need to do that to be a great and useful device. Keep enjoying yours the way you do.

Great advice and reminder! I’m someone who loves my iPad whilst wanting more from the device. But I’ve notices sometimes reading these threads makes me feel less appreciative and thankful for the great device I already have as all I can see is what it “could be”. Once I step away from the threads for a few days, I wind up just enjoying iPad for what it does best.

It’s fascinating to read posts from people who get an Pro iPad knowing what an iPad experience is like, somehow expect Apple to magically re-invent iPadOS overnight to suit their very niche unicorn level macOS-like magical OS, and then get upset that Apple hasn’t done exactly that and they’re gonna file a class action lawsuit on iPadOS while they rediscover MacOS.

I expect a barrage of more posts after they’re disappointed with WWDC today, brace yourselves!

Even more fascinating to see posts from people who bought an iPad and then are angry it doesn’t run Mac OS! I think there’s something to be said for doing your research before purchasing a device and making sure it will do what you need to achieve. If you need and want a Mac, buy a Mac.

Equally, we’re not entitled to yearly software updates so anything that comes at WWDC today to improve my iPad experience is just a bonus on top of what I already have. But I too am expecting a lot of disappointed commenters after WWDC today and that disappointment stems from unrealistic expectations.

 

[dumastudetto]

I'm so excited by the big reveal later that will demonstrate Apple taking the iPad Pro experience to whole new levels of enhanced productivity and exceptionalism.

 

[arvinsim]

I'm so excited by the big reveal later that will demonstrate Apple taking the iPad Pro experience to whole new levels of enhanced productivity and exceptionalism.

If there is one thing I learn from Apple, it's to always take hype with a grain of salt.

 

[Digitalguy]

If there is one thing I learn from Apple, it's to always take hype with a grain of salt.

I think he was being sarcastic...

 

[BigMcGuire]

Great advice and reminder! I’m someone who loves my iPad whilst wanting more from the device. But I’ve notices sometimes reading these threads makes me feel less appreciative and thankful for the great device I already have as all I can see is what it “could be”. Once I step away from the threads for a few days, I wind up just enjoying iPad for what it does best.



Even more fascinating to see posts from people who bought an iPad and then are angry it doesn’t run Mac OS! I think there’s something to be said for doing your research before purchasing a device and making sure it will do what you need to achieve. If you need and want a Mac, buy a Mac.

Equally, we’re not entitled to yearly software updates so anything that comes at WWDC today to improve my iPad experience is just a bonus on top of what I already have. But I too am expecting a lot of disappointed commenters after WWDC today and that disappointment stems from unrealistic expectations.

Very well said. I too have found that these forums often make it so I don't enjoy my device as much as I would have... People focus on the tiny often very insignificant flaws, complain about them to get 10-20-30 page threads here. Also, people like to complain more than "wow I really like this device" and those threads prompt a lot of responses as well.

I get tools to fit my needs. I don't buy a tool and try to fit my needs around that tool.

I've been a Macrumors member for awhile... I was attracted to this place because it was a great forum to enjoy my Apple Devices along side other Apple Device lovers. Now days it's more of a Facebook complaint meme where (to what it seems to me) trolls come to rant on Apple over and over. I imagine this drives far more clicks to Macrumors than 2011... so I guess I can't blame the owner but ... definitely means I don't spend as much time here as I used to. I've noticed a lot of good posters are either suspended or have left.


Anyway, I've tried to get rid of my iPad but I find reading on it for long periods of time is far more enjoyable than my other devices but doesn't mean I want to use my iPad for everything. My MBP with a 4k monitor is amazing. My iPhone's mobility is unrivaled and it's almost there for reading - I rely on it more than I ever have.

Multi-screened iPad OS doesn't really interest me. My iPad Pro 11's screen is very readable and I love the 1 app focus. If I need to do things with multiple windows I'll use my MBP. For those who use an iPad as their only device - I can see how this would be hugely beneficial to them.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I got the 512 IPP, and now find out I can't (easily) put music on it, so having some regret that I didn't get the smaller one. There is so much I can do with it, but so much that I try to do ends with 'You can't do that', or 'You can't do that the way that you wanted to'.

Not hugely disappointed as I knew going in that it's a 'tablet', not a notebook, but the size is unnecessary. *sigh* Hindsight and all... It's a 4th gen too, so might not be so sellable, sadly. And I over thought this purchase so much and was tied between the 512 and the 1t, and so glad I went smaller rather than bigger. Yikes...

Still figuring out how to kill the 'Cloud Music Library' to put music actually on this thing and not have to use wifi to jam...

EDIT: AND I got the cellular version too! What was I thinking?!? Could have saved come money on that feature too. *shrug* I mean, I do like it since I got the Apple Magic (missing of too much money) Keyboard that I got half off at Worst Try. (Can't actually complain much, the price was right) I've been able to work it for a while as a real computer, but eventually hit a wall and have to revert to the actual notebook. The last months, it's sat in my office, read, not being used. I have to reconfigure a Solaris server so tried to get the manuals onto it. Wow, a little bit more work then I was expecting. *shrug*

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Very well said. I too have found that these forums often make it so I don't enjoy my device as much as I would have... People focus on the tiny often very insignificant flaws, complain about them to get 10-20-30 page threads here. Also, people like to complain more than "wow I really like this device" and those threads prompt a lot of responses as well.

I get tools to fit my needs. I don't buy a tool and try to fit my needs around that tool.

I've been a Macrumors member for awhile... I was attracted to this place because it was a great forum to enjoy my Apple Devices along side other Apple Device lovers. Now days it's more of a Facebook complaint meme where (to what it seems to me) trolls come to rant on Apple over and over. I imagine this drives far more clicks to Macrumors than 2011... so I guess I can't blame the owner but ... definitely means I don't spend as much time here as I used to. I've noticed a lot of good posters are either suspended or have left.


Anyway, I've tried to get rid of my iPad but I find reading on it for long periods of time is far more enjoyable than my other devices but doesn't mean I want to use my iPad for everything. My MBP with a 4k monitor is amazing. My iPhone's mobility is unrivaled and it's almost there for reading - I rely on it more than I ever have.

Multi-screened iPad OS doesn't really interest me. My iPad Pro 11's screen is very readable and I love the 1 app focus. If I need to do things with multiple windows I'll use my MBP. For those who use an iPad as their only device - I can see how this would be hugely beneficial to them.

Your second sentence is hysterical. Yeah there is a lot of negativity, but there usually is on online forums. I, personally, try to be balanced as I can, but sometimes it's hard...

I use the new Mini (that people loved to hate) for most things, and got the IPP to possibly use as a notebook replacement while traveling. We all know how that went. 'Traveled' twice in almost 3 years. Great. But such is life I guess...

A lot of the wild innovations people think should come in the future don't appeal to me either. Multiple screens? Why? Just because a hammer can 'drive' screws, doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job. It's a tablet. It *should* do 'tablet things', and not be pushed into being something it's not. Sure, *most* things can be done on an IPP, but that doesn't mean ALL things should be forced on it and users. I've used it for manuals, for media content, for reading on a plane, for reminding me how damn heavy it was hauling around my succession of MBP's.

But, yes it's true: YMMV. *Maybe* Apple can make the IPP a notebook replacement. I will still own a MBP (as long as I can afford one).

Cheers...

 

[cloudphrenia]

Yeah, I’m thinking the iPad Pro is back

 

[rui no onna]

Pleasantly surprised with the addition of virtual memory swap to iPadOS. Alas, storage-wise, this might be occasionally problematic for 64GB Air 5 users.

Here’s hoping reloads become a thing of the past. This actually makes me a bit happier with my choice of 2021 iPad Pro versus trying to save $300-400 by getting the 2020 iPad Pro.

 

[GhostOS]

Updated title incoming - “iPad has become quite useful and I regret selling it”

 

[Digitalguy]

Pleasantly surprised with the addition of virtual memory swap to iPadOS. Alas, storage-wise, this might be occasionally problematic for 64GB Air 5 users.

Here’s hoping reloads become a thing of the past. This actually makes me a bit happier with my choice of 2021 iPad Pro versus trying to save $300-400 by getting the 2020 iPad Pro.

what a shame they they don't make this available to iPads with 4-6GB RAM that need it most....

 

[Mat.Rynio]

Updated title incoming - “iPad has become quite useful and I regret selling it”

You think? I doubt it. People will now realize that "hey, having multiple windows on 11 inch screen is not as good as I thought". iPad Pro 12.9" owners will be happy I guess.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Pleasantly surprised with the addition of virtual memory swap to iPadOS.

Seriously disappointed to see some features only available on the 'M1' chip. I mean, come on Apple, the chip in mine is based on the same base guts. If anything, I want to dump it more now while it's still got some appeal, before Apple says 'Yeah, that thing needs to be buried in the desert!'.

*sigh*

 

[Isengardtom]

Seriously disappointed to see some features only available on the 'M1' chip. I mean, come on Apple, the chip in mine is based on the same base guts. If anything, I want to dump it more now while it's still got some appeal, before Apple says 'Yeah, that thing needs to be buried in the desert!'.

*sigh*

The memory is the limitation