All iPads iPad vs Mac. What's a computer?

[Digitalguy]

Could you not run Dropbox on macOS and access those files from the VM using Parallels? I think it supports folder sharing between the host and guest VM.

I understand what you mean — there are too many workarounds at this stage and you need your work apps to run with stability.

Yeah I think it might work, it works on my Macbook air with Virtualbox... But as you say quite a bit of workarounds.
Hopefully Apple will manage to push Windows on Arm with developers more than Microsoft has managed to do on their own... (once all Macs are Apple Silicon, Windows on Arm will be the only option (contrary to PCs) so maybe companies like Dropbox will finally decide to make a native app for WoA...)

 

[mystery hill]

Hopefully Apple will manage to push Windows on Arm with developers more than Microsoft has managed to do on their own

Yes, Apple Silicon should help speed up development.

Which Windows-only apps do you require for work?

 

[mystery hill]

I'd go with the iPad. My MacBook is 99% unnecessary.

Do you have a Magic Keyboard and/or Apple Pencil?

 

[secretk]

An iPad because I own Windows laptop and I have had few reasons for now to not buy Mac:

• The closed off system, I am used to be able to install whatever app I want to test out.
• The outrageous prices for SSD and storage capabilities
  • Add to this the fact that SSD is soldered and cannot be changed/upgraded
• No option to upgrade RAM either
• For the price the Mac costs, I have to be really motivated to learn this new system and so far there was nothing that interesting that was offered to me as an end user
• You have to be too much of a dongle fan to use them properly

Now with M1 Macs they might have a chance but it still depends on few things like apps support, variety when it comes to ports, external monitors support, good price for decent mix of SSD and RAM.

 

[mystery hill]

if I could have only one it would be a Mac

Yes, I can’t use an iPad only.

I would like to see Apple Pencil support come to the Mac.

 

[Digitalguy]

Well that's pretty technical, they are called CAT tools (computer assisted translation and localization, not to be confused with machine translation, which is a completely different thing). Apparently developers of any brand in this field don't bother with Macs, so it's either Windows or Parallels. But this is only part of my work. I also teach at University and do quite a bit of annotation of Word and PDFs there. In theory it could be done on iPad, but iPad can't keep 4-5 Word documents open at the same time...which rules it out...and Macs don't support Pen...
I also use powerpont quite a lot and while it's techically possible to give my presentations from an iPad, the iPad apps is more limited since I can't resize my notes and it's too small to read while presenting...

 

[jeyf]

most all Apple hardware is not suited for the corporate work environment.
-a job candidate said they were a die hard Apple user and the team did not hire them. Their bad but...
-if the company gets a temp they dont like they give them a MBP to type on
-the macOS Finder and the iOS Files are just dangerous

iOS applications
it is frustrating to edit text command lines. Frustrating to operate iOS in a network based environment. You can do it but its super frustrating and prone to error.

If I had to stare at an iPad screen for 3 days working on a project ... NOT.

 

[Jay-Jacob]

Tough question. My favourite apple device is Mac but if I have to choose iPad vs Mac then I have to choose iPad even though I prefer Mac. Reason that I use iPad LOT, I use it every single day and watch lots of streaming programmes around house, in car as passenger, etc. I can't do that with my Mac since it is iMac.

My iPad defo don't replace my Mac. I have both and use both.

 

[DrJM]

I’d gladly take an iPad for ease of use. However, the iPad simply doesn’t have print drivers that are as robust as the Mac—choosing paper type, resolution, etc. (unless I’m missing something on the iPad). Plus it seems that a Mac is still necessary in order to do certain things on some websites—such as filling out forms and such. On more than one occasion I had problems filling out a form on my iPad mini 5, requiring me to pull out my MBP. I haven’t tried Illustrator on my iPad yet, but I think that might be another reason to want access to a laptop.

 

[mystery hill]

The closed off system, I am used to be able to install whatever app I want to test out.

I don’t think macOS is closed off. You should be able to tinker and install any app you want to.

Your other points are fair. Though the intention of this thread is to discuss if an iPad can replace a laptop or desktop (running either macOS or Windows) for you, or other commenters. I didn’t mention Windows because I think there are are more Mac users here, and ‘iPad vs Laptop/Desktop’ isn’t a catchy title.

 

[secretk]

I don’t think macOS is closed off. You should be able to tinker and install any app you want to.

To my knowledge there are still enough apps (albeit not super popular) that exist only for Windows. It is just cheaper to develop apps for Windows than for MacOS. So this is what I meant .

Your other points are fair. Though the intention of this thread is discuss if an iPad can replace a laptop or desktop (running either macOS or Windows) for you, or other commenters. I didn’t mention Windows because I think there are are more Mac users here, and iPad vs Laptop/Desktop isn’t a catchy title.

Got it. Well then as much as I love my iPad I will have to choose my Windows laptop because there are things that I can't do on my iPad (like comfortably typing in bed with physical keyboard which is what I do currently or running multiple processes in the background).

I enjoy my iPad a lot and I use it mostly with the pencil but my Windows laptop is still my most used device at home.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Do you have a Magic Keyboard and/or Apple Pencil?

I have both.

 

[mystery hill]

To my knowledge there are still enough apps (albeit not super popular) that exist only for Windows.

Absolutely, I thought you had meant that there were apps that were developed for macOS, that weren’t allowed to run due to Apple app policy restrictions.

like comfortably typing in bed with physical keyboard

Have you tried using the Magic Keyboard in bed?

running multiple processes in the background

I also enjoy using an iPad, especially because of Apple Pencil, but can’t use it as my primary device as there are too many iPadOS limitations.

 

[mystery hill]

I have both.

You’re lucky that you can use an iPad exclusively.

 

[secretk]

Absolutely, I thought you had meant that there were apps that were developed for macOS, that weren’t allowed to run due to Apple app policy restrictions.



Have you tried using the Magic Keyboard in bed?



I also enjoy using an iPad, especially because of Apple Pencil, but can’t use it as my primary device as there are too many iPadOS limitations.

I do not own Magic Keyboard . First of all it is rather expensive in my opinion. Second of all, it hinders the Pencil usage and I bought the iPad mostly for the pencil. Now yes I can have a second case to use the iPad as a tablet with the pencil but this is too cumbersome for me. So in a nutshell - do not own it so I cannot tell if you I will be able to use it for nice typing experience in bed. I do expect it to be a bit worse compared to my laptop as my laptop is 15.6. The ergonomics and the space is more so I would assume I would still like more the experience with the laptop.

 

[Shanghaichica]

You’re lucky that you can use an iPad exclusively.

I could but I don't because I can have an iPad and a Mac. But hypothetically I'd pick the iPad if I could only have one.

 

[nrvna76]

The iPad is more versatile. I realize there are limitations for many use cases, but having an iPad with pencil and magic keyboard ticks a lot of boxes. I thought I would leave the MK on a desk most of the time and use the iPad without it to increase portability, but I honestly keep it together as a package most times. If I want to watch movies or use the pencil I just pop it off the keyboard wherever I am and use it that way. For me, I don’t even need an actual computer (macOS), but my wife certainly does for her photography work, so we have both but I would definitely choose iPad if I only had to pick one. For my wife, she is able to do whatever she wants with an iPhone and MacBook Pro, I think an iPad would not get a lot of use for her as an in-between device.

 

[Momof9]

I started with iPad pros (when I got serious) - I was sick of windows 10.... So I did iPP only for awhile... The issue I had in 2018 was external HDD and when we got a new printer and having to set it up. I used a cheap Lenovo laptop that hubby had, but it was terribly slow. When the 2018 Mac mini came out - I got one of those.

SO I use my Mac mini for searching the web, looking at files etc. I use my iPP's for that plus reading emails, graphic design etc.... I do have a 28" 4K monitor. I was using in on my iPP when I first got it....

 

[mystery hill]

The iPad is more versatile. I realize there are limitations for many use cases, but having an iPad with pencil and magic keyboard ticks a lot of boxes.

The iPad form factor and Apple Pencil make it more versatile than a Mac in some ways. There are still too many restrictions on iPadOS for me to consider using it as my only device.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Which would you pick? Cast your vote above 😀

Didn't you already make a thread similar to this one?

 

[mystery hill]

First of all it is rather expensive in my opinion. Second of all, it hinders the Pencil usage and I bought the iPad mostly for the pencil.

Those are my reasons as well. I also bought it mostly for the pencil.

 

[mystery hill]

Didn't you already make a thread similar to this one?

No, I haven't made any other threads about this.

I think there is another similar one, created by someone else, but that doesn't have a poll.

 

[Slartibart]

An iPad because I own Windows laptop and I have had few reasons for now to not buy Mac:

• The closed off system, I am used to be able to install whatever app I want to test out.

well, at least on this point your perception is simply wrong. On a Mac you can install or compile basically whatever you fancy. For the moment there are some hiccups there for Apple Silicone machines - mainly related to run Windows - but for the last two decades Macs running MacOS(X), Unix and Linux, as well as Windows programs. If you want seamlessly on one desktop.

 

[tranceking26]

While I enjoyed owning two iPads, (Air 1, then after that a 6th Gen) I am more suited to laptops, so once I got my MBP I sold them to family members.

It's hard to explain but there's reasons like having OpenEmu and other game emulators that I use. I do a small amount of audio editing and video editing which is easy on Mac. iMovie on iOS wouldn't work properly for me. Don't know of anything like Audacity for iPadOS. I still use an iPod so iTunes is almost essential for me.

That said, the iPad has certainly come a long way and it will be interesting to find out how it evolves with iPadOS 15.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

This is not and either/or proposition.

I have both. iPad is my portable solution, Mac on my desktop. It's been that way for nearly 11 years.

If I could have only one or the other I'd choose Mac, but only because I'd still have my iPhone for mobile use.

It's the same reason I have more than one screwdriver in my tool box. One tool does not fit all.

I am not a laptop fan (whether the laptop has a fan, or not). I just don't like the form factor or ergonomics. So I would not trade my 27" iMac for a laptop, even if I had a 27" or larger display to supplement it.

For the limited amount of traveling I do these days I would not own both a desktop Mac and a laptop - a waste of money.

I was traveling very regularly when I retired my old G4 PowerBook in favor of my first-gen iPad. When I was away from the office I was carrying either a shoulder bag or day pack for 8+ hours daily. The iPad weight advantage was a no-brainer. I'll grant that today's 13" MBA is around half the weight and thickness of that 12" PB G4, but iPad still is the hands-down winner for weight.

So in the end it comes down to, "What do I want for portable use that's bigger than an iPhone?" iPad, iPad, iPad.

And as to, "What's a computer?" They all are.