iPad Pro Is it just me that prefers macOS? I cannot justify owning an iPad Pro

[Momof9]

I started with the iPad Pro 12.9 with a windows computer.... got so frustrated with Windows I gave it to my son (it was a gaming computer - great specs). So for several months, I ONLY used my iPad. I did get frustrated because I needed a computer for a few minor things, ie accessing my hard drive with ALL my files. My husband has a cheap laptop and it was extremely slow. So I did end up getting a Mac mini i5.

I use both everyday.... Email on my iPad (occasionally open Gmail on mini - if there is an issue). On the iPads I use the Chrome browser. On the Mini I use the Safari browser, Chrome for inspecting websites. I do have a nice 4k monitor and an older monitor on my mini. I can hook the iPad up to the monitors with my Dad's old Apple TV - but I rarely do that.

I am a graphic designer. I LOVE Affinity Photo on my iPad, but there is occasions that I need to use PS on my mini. I am using the mini more than I wanted - but that is because I DO have it. I do use my iPads like a laptop, but I don't usually use a keyboard because I LOVE the pencils.

I do have 2 12.9 iPad Pro's - 2015 & 2018. I am considering getting a 10.5 or 11 iPP to replace my Asus tablet with data. Just trying to decide on which one. If I want to "work" in my bedroom, I am bringing ALL 3 upstairs. My bag is quite heavy with all of them. It would be nice to only have 2. I also want the smaller iPP for taking out and about. I could actually stick it in my purse if needed.

 

[petvas]

One of the biggest disappointments for me is the Smart Folio Keyboard. It just doesn't offer the right angle for my iPad when using it. I know that there are other options out there (Brydge), but I will not pursue using an iPad as laptop any further, until all of the issues I mentioned in my first post are resolved. In the meantime I want to sell my iPad 12.9, but might also keep it in the family and give it to my wife, or even keep it for me and use it as a tablet when I feel like it, most probably when on vacation on the beach somewhere. It is just too much money for such a usage..
Even for mails, which are a big part of my job, I cannot really use the iPad. There are many things I use, which require the use of a better mail.app, with more features.
I also receive many invoices via email and want to save them as PDFs. This is almost impossible with the iPad Mail.app. I will have to get an App like PDF Expert and hope that it offers an add-on that allows this functionality. The list goes on and on and unfortunately I just cannot use the iPad professionally, unless I set the bar very low in regards to features, and use the iPad for very basic things. This I could do, but then what would be the purpose for doing that? Just for fun?
I understand people that use the iPad for note taking (handwritten), and PDF annotations, and for graphic related tasks, like sketching, but for anything that has to do with my profession (I am an IT Consultant), things get messy..
For me, trying to find workarounds for problems that Desktop OSes solved years ago is not something I can consider, especially when we still have Desktop OSes that do the job much much much better.
Even my wife which has no idea how computers really work, told me that she prefers her Surface Pro from the iPad. When I told her about some of the limitations, she said, she would rather use her Surface instead. She needs quite often to convert audio CDs to MP3, or just directly listen to Audio CDs (containing language lessons) by using her computer. This is just impossible on the iPad, unless someone makes the mp3 files available somewhere, so that the iPad can access them. No way to connect a DVD drive to the iPad and convert the files..Just another example of a limitation that the iPad has.

 

[rowspaxe]

I would love to keep my iPad, but it is really a luxury I cannot afford

Its a luxury item unless you have a use for it. I use it to draw and make notes. Its certainly worth the money for those tasks. Can't do much else imo. Cant even really cut and paste--what a joke!

 

[newellj]

I love MacOS and there are a lot of things I do that are faster and easier with a desktop OS, but there are also things I can't do at all on a MBP. Most important is use a pen to mark up or sign documents. Getting a 12.9" iPP this year has actually revolutionized a good bit of my professional workflow. Until Apple merges or at least harmonizes the feature sets of MacOS and iOS I will have an active use for both.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I have a MacBook Air and an iPad Pro. My computing needs are so light that iOS suits my needs very well. I still keep a computer at home ‘just in case’ however months go by before I use my MBA and when I do use it I end up using it for something I could have used my iPad for or even my iPhone.

 

[petvas]

Its a luxury item unless you have a use for it. I use it to draw and make notes. Its certainly worth the money for those tasks. Can't do much else imo. Cant even really cut and paste--what a joke!

Exactly. I am still struggling to find a real use for it.

 

[Beachguy]

I purposely haven't read any of the preceding comments because I wanted to express thoughts without being influenced by them.

I have 3 iPads (okay, 2 are pretty old and basically unused now.) My "daily driver" is a 2017 iPad (not Pro.) I also have 4 Macs, none of them very new but they all more than meet my needs. I use my iPad a LOT. And I use my Macs a LOT also. But... they are different kinds of computers used for different things completely. I use my Macs for professional use- I have Office on them all, and I have programming tools and virtual machines as well. My iPad is used to entertainment and note taking. I absolutely LOVE my iPads. And I absolutely LOVE my Macs.

I wouldn't carry a new refrigerator in my Jeep. And I wouldn't take my wife out for a night on the town in a beat up pickup truck. The right tool for the right job. Pretty simple.

And ignore Tim Cook trying to sell iPads as desktop replacements/laptop replacements. Find how the iPad first in YOUR world. Honestly, I could do much of my work with only an iPad, but I wouldn't want to. But... yeah, I love them all and know how they fit in my world.

 

[LiveM]

I just remembered another hoop through which I have to jump in Gmail: copying and pasting a source/destination email address. It’s even harder than it was in the previous version. So ridiculous...
[doublepost=1559165810][/doublepost]

One of the biggest disappointments for me is the Smart Folio Keyboard. It just doesn't offer the right angle for my iPad when using it.

The current version has two angles - I almost always use the one that puts the screen facing further up, but I’m not sure what the angle was on the original.

In bed I use the software keyboard (tap the down arrow key on your Smart Keyboard Folio or Smart Keyboard, then touch and hold

until the software keyboard appears. To hide the keyboard again, tap

).

A backlight, a la Surface keyboard cover but with dimming control or phosphorescent characters would be nice but admittedly quite pointless for the main keys when sitting up and touch typing.

 

[petvas]

I just remembered another hoop through which I have to jump in Gmail: copying and pasting a source/destination email address. So ridiculous...
[doublepost=1559165810][/doublepost]

The current version has two angles - I almost always use the one that puts the screen facing further up, but I’m not sure what the angle was on the original.

In bed I use the software keyboard (tap the down arrow key on your Smart Keyboard Folio or Smart Keyboard, then touch and hold

until the software keyboard appears. To hide the keyboard again, tap

).

A backlight, a la Surface keyboard cover but with dimming control or phosphorescent characters would be nice but admittedly quite pointless for the main keys when sitting up and touch typing.

Try copying events in calendar. It is also not possible, unless you buy a 3rd party app that offers this functionality, which should be universally available among all apps in the same OS..
Apple has done a great job with the hardware, but on the software side the iPad Pro is not Pro (to me) at all. It is a great tablet though. The question for me is if it is worth the money just for tablet functionality.

 

[LiveM]

Oh yes - I was trying just that yesterday. Considering that a calendar is going to be one of the most-used apps of all, this basic functionality is essential for a busy professional.

What else? How about re-ordering albums in Photos (since they stupidly don’t sort themselves) - if you re-order them, say, in alphabetical order on your iPad, it’s still a random mess on your iPhone.

And how about blocking or warning about adding duplicate songs to Music playlists? Considering that another function missing from iOS is the ability to specifically remove duplicates or alpha-sort the list to check, this is insanely lazy development work.

 

[Soccerrick10]

It’s not just you based on the responses. But, for me, the iPad Pro 2018 is the best iPad I’ve had. I sold my MacBook Pro 15” a couple of years ago. I did buy a 2018 Mac Mini “just in case”. But, even then, I only use it with the iPad Pro as the display using Luna Display maybe once a month.

The only thing I need that isn’t on the iPad is a full browser. Once I have that, I won’t need a Mac at all and will even quit carrying my work Dell laptop. I’m amazed that I can do (almost) everything I need with a 1.5# device the size of the pad of paper I used to carry years ago...

 

[loybond]

I've had iPads from day one and love the form factor and hardware. But I use them more or less the way Jobs first intended... as something between a phone and a computer.

I think the confusion comes from when the iPad became "Pro" and they started trying to sell it as a computer replacement. For some people, it works as a replacement e.g. my mom now uses a 12.9 and loves it because it's a lot easier for her to use than her Macbook Air was. There's so much with MacOS she doesn't know or use, but she's able to utilize a lot of what the iPad can do.

But I think you've correctly recognized that it's held back by lack of file system access and pro/desktop-grade apps. Can you imagine running "full" Photoshop, but you can't download a new font, tiff file or action?

They sell it as a Pro machine and a computer replacement, and they've priced it as such, but for a lot of people, its still just an iPad and doesn't really do anything more than the basic iPad that is 1/3 of the cost. I wish they would take a leap and make pro apps for the Pro model, along with file system access.

After using the iPad Pro 12.9 for almost a month, I just couldn't find any way to justify its purchase. I just prefer macOS in just about every regard. Maybe I am just too old fashioned and used to doing things the way desktop OSes work. I am not really sure to be honest..
The iPad has amazing hardware, it really does. As a tablet is amazing, but it just doesn't seem to fit into my lifestyle. For almost all tasks I prefer my MacBook Pro and every time I use the iPad I feel that I am missing something. Common tasks are more difficult to achieve using an iPad, but I think if wanted to summarise what I really miss I would say the following:

• Office apps are not as powerful as their desktop counterparts
• Email apps are not as powerful as on the desktop
• Mobile Safari not as powerful as on the desktop
• No direct access to a file system from all apps (every app has its own separated space, lives in total isolation)
• No precision based interface support. I would love to have a mouse on my iPad..

For me the iPad is still a toy, an expensive one. I know that there are people that are doing actual work with an iPad and I understand that it can work. The iPad has become much more powerful than before, but it is still being held by its OS. I too could do real work on an iPad but I choose not too, because it is just too cumbersome to use and I would need to find ways to go past the iPad limitations all the time. Technology should be there to help people, and not to make them feel limited. This is how the iPad makes me feel. As an entertainment device it is absolutely amazing, but I can use my Macs for that too and I wouldn't miss anything.
I will send it back and use the money to partly finance my new iMac which I just ordered. For me, the combination iMac as a desktop computer and MacBook Pro 13" as my mobile device, together with my iPhone is more than sufficient. I don't believe that there is space for a device that sits somewhere in the middle and does nothing better than my Macs. I know that there are a lot of people that disagree, and I respect that, but unless many things change on the OS and apps level, I do not see myself going back to an iPad for a long long time. With the setup I described I will be getting the maximum usage possible from each device. Each device has its purpose and doesn't leave me wonder why I have it.
When the iPad gets a much more powerful OS and better apps than the current ones, or when I will be so rich that I can justify having a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet and a smartphone, I will buy an iPad again. In the meantime I will enjoy macOS for as long as possible.

[doublepost=1559174215][/doublepost]Why not just use the Magic Keyboard 2 with the smart cover/folio? The bluetooth keyboard that Apple sells is small, light, feels good and lasts for months on a charge. I have one of those that I'll use occasionally with an iPad and can't understand why people want to have the keyboard folio, which amazingly enough, costs more.

One of the biggest disappointments for me is the Smart Folio Keyboard. It just doesn't offer the right angle for my iPad when using it.

You know there's no reason that they couldn't add that functionality within an app if they wanted to, especially now with USB-C. Apple is just not dedicated to the computer replacement idea.

She needs quite often to convert audio CDs to MP3, or just directly listen to Audio CDs (containing language lessons) by using her computer. This is just impossible on the iPad, unless someone makes the mp3 files available somewhere, so that the iPad can access them. No way to connect a DVD drive to the iPad and convert the files..Just another example of a limitation that the iPad has.

 

[OldCorpse]

As people have observed - it’s all about how you use it, or how you’d like to use it.

I bought the latest Air and the ASK. What would I like to use it for? I’d like to use it for my filmmaking projects. What I like about it compared to a laptop - extreme portability. It is lighter and smaller than the lightest smallest laptop but still has a decent screen size. I like the fact that I can take off the ASK, and use it in scenarios where I don’t need a physical keyboard - I can’t take off the keyboard from a laptop. I like the long battery life without it being heavy.

Holding it to show others (photos, graphic, text etc.) or just being able to handle it without the keyboard getting in the way. It’s so much more convenient. Not having to open and close as you have to do with a laptop makes the iPad so much faster, jot down a note, look up something, show something, scan something - even dog forbid photograph something. In that sense the iPhone is also faster and more convenient, but the iPad has more power - bigger screen, higher resolution, easier multi-tasking etc. which can be a decisive factor in filmmaking, as for example in storyboarding (compared to an iPhone).

So FORM-FACTOR - advantage iPad (over laptop, and under limited circumstances over iPhone) in those select use scenarios.

I want to be able to take it with me everywhere, so flat, light and not power hungry is important, as I like to write wherever I happen to find myself. So for writing whether long or short, I find the iPad+ASK perfect - now, someone may say that for long typing a keyboard in a laptop is superior, but I don’t do sustained typing like I’d do if I were to transcribe some very long document. I write creative text in screenplays and novels, so that means I type a sentence of a paragraph and I stop to think. In that situation, I don’t need anything more than the ASK, and having a laptop keyboard would literally not be any kind of advantage (at least as far as typing ergonomics).

So writing screenplays - filmmaking. Storyboards - perfect form factor, I can use the pencil and the screen is ideal to show to a DP or a crew member - it’s more handy than a laptop and more visible graphically than an iPhone. If I want to look up shot lists, or whatnot - waking up the iPad is super fast. I can even use the iPad as a slate or clapperboard.

So I think an iPad is really a good tool for filmmakers.

However.

As has been wisely remarked - hardware is one thing, the software is another and the quality of apps is key. This is where the iPad - at least today, early 2019, falls somewhat short for me.

Let’s start with screenwriting apps. So far I’ve tried a few, including the supposedly best - Final Draft Mobile. I’m decidedly underwhelmed. It’s just a vastly inferior experience compared to the MacOS version. I like to keep my various scripts in folders, each dedicated to a particular screenplay and all its drafts. Completely impossible in FDMobile. Instead, you have a mass of “saved” versions all sitting in the Files app, and you pretty much can’t find anything amongst them. Even if you’re just working on one screenplay, there is no way to organize various drafts - it’s all an undifferentiated mass, and all you have to go on is the time stamp to find which file is which... and who remembers that? It’s insane. So the lack of a file structure is really felt here. And just the sheer poor quality of the app - formatting mistakes which it insists on in the iOS version, which are not present in the MacOS (example: in iOS FDMobile stupidly capitalizes the first word in partentheticals in dialogue). Atrocious.

FDMobile is vastly inferior to the desktop version, and is barely usable on the iPad. You have to do a lot of extra work to get anything done. You can’t just open the app and start working - the way I have it set up on my desktop, I can do just that.

Storyboarding. It should be fantastic on the iPad, that’s what the form factor practically exists for in this application. Yet, the apps are lacking. The best storyboarding app - Storyboarder by Wonder Unit - isn’t available on the iPad, although supposedly it’s being ported... I can only hope it won’t be a pale shadow of itself on iOS.

And so on for many apps, as has been observed.

So really there are two problems. Problem #1 is if you are using or want to use the iPad for an application where the form factor is suboptimal - there really is no solution to that. For example video editing, or high end photo editing - if your needs are modest, yes, you can get by on the iPad, but it will never be the go to for high end work in that space. It’s a hard limit - the screen is what it is, and can never compete with a 30 inch screen.

But the problem #2 is that even for use scenarios for which the form factor is superior - as I outlined above in many filmmaking applications, the apps are just subpar. This is something that is hopefully solvable - either the current app developers have to step up their game, or better competitors need to come in.

In the end, I guess I’m optimistic that the iPad has unique advantages which will become more apparent once the solvable problem of better quality apps is tackled with time.

So for now, I’m using it, grumbling and complaining a bit, but also hoping that one day it’ll be smooth as butter... when that magical time comes, I don’t know, unfortunately.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Yeah, if I had to choose one between my MBP and iPad Pro it would easily be the MacBook because productivity-wise they’re not even close to on par for me. But god damn I do my love my iPad, a lot. I don’t use it enough, but when I do it’s such a joy to use. Easily my favorite Apple device, and the most fun to play with.

 

[Kostas3000]

This is a great sum-up. Through the years I really have tried working with iPads but it simply doesn't stick. After coming from a proper OS, it feels like a toy or more like an inflated iPhone. In terms of productivity I think that an iPad is far closer to an iPhone than a Mac. When you think about it, for software available on all platforms you actually can do everthing on an iPhone, that you would on an iPad. But there are many (mainly non-content-consumption, creative, professional stuff) things you simply cannot do (or cannot reasonably do) on an iPad.

You can do NICHE pro stuff.

Can you do video editing? Like for real. No!
Can you do complex presentations? Like animations and timings and stuff? No!
Can you write scientific articles with references etc.? No.
Can you use complex keyboard shortcuts in software? No.
Can you create software for iOS? LOL, no. This one alone makes it not really "pro".

I mean for crying out loud if somebody sends me a ZIP file, I need to jump through hoops to open it.



I would love to work with an iPad. It's so portable, elegant... If it would run macOS, I would simply get an external keyboard and trackpad and that could be my only device besides the phone. I really wish Apple brings their own silicone to the Macbook line.

Even scrolling through Macrumors is a far nicer experience on a laptop. You can open threads in new tabs, have separate windows, switch between them.

Can you do video editing? Like for real. No!

Yes you can with LumaFusion

Can you do complex presentations? Like animations and timings and stuff? No!

You can but I agree it is slower that on Mac


Can you write scientific articles with references etc.? No.

Yes, you can with endnote

Can you use complex keyboard shortcuts in software? No.

As dictation improves, keyboards would become a thing of the past


Can you create software for iOS? LOL, no. This one alone makes it not really "pro".

I couldn’t care less about this function

 

[mollyc]

I prefer macOS so much that I replaced my aging iPad Mini 2 with a new MacBook Air earlier this month. I had no desire to get another iPad, of any size or shape or price. My main computer is an iMac, but I love my new MBA as a companion. I have an iPhone 8+ for anything I absolutely need to do on iOS.

 

[Isamilis]

Reading all the response here, if I can summarize the points:
- basic version iPad is sufficient for most people for light use (reading, browsing, email)
- specifically, iPad pencil is unique features, which not exist in macbook

 

[rowspaxe]

Can you do video editing? Like for real. No!
sort of. Luma Fusion is cool, but file transfer issues, lack of file system for
staging versions, and lack of mouse support makes the ipad a no go for me

Can you do complex presentations? Like animations and timings and stuff? No!
sort of. again lack of file system for staging elements with versions is a no go
for pro work.

Can you write scientific articles with references etc.? No.
Good luck. I can't even really cut and paste text efficiently with ios.
I you using math or symbol fonts you are better off in full Word.

Can you use complex keyboard shortcuts in software?
keyboards becoming a 'thing of the past' is some that wil never happen.
Can assume a mouse is also a legacy item? Delusional.

Can you create software for iOS? LOL, no. This one alone makes it not really "pro".
I would not anticipate effective coding coming to the ipad anytime soon

 

[537635]

Exactly. You have some software, which you can use for content creation on iOS, but the sheer problem of getting content on and off of device makes it a flawed tool. iPad has all the characteristics and potential to be a great "Pro" device. Great hardware, giant user base, enormous pool of developers, who are eager to offer better apps.

The biggest problem is Apple's stubbornness and how they designed themselves into a corner with iOS. It is simply not possible anymore to have the same OS for a phone and a tablet. It used to be OK, because hardware was lacking and user experience was far better and more fluid on a handicapped tablet OS. Now they have iPad hardware which trumps that of an Intel laptop. Yet we still have to deal with this nonsense that is iPad (Pro) iOS.

 

[richpjr]

Exactly. You have some software, which you can use for content creation on iOS, but the sheer problem of getting content on and off of device makes it a flawed tool. iPad has all the characteristics and potential to be a great "Pro" device. Great hardware, giant user base, enormous pool of developers, who are eager to offer better apps.

The biggest problem is Apple's stubbornness and how they designed themselves into a corner with iOS. It is simply not possible anymore to have the same OS for a phone and a tablet. It used to be OK, because hardware was lacking and user experience was far better and more fluid on a handicapped tablet OS. Now they have iPad hardware which trumps that of an Intel laptop. Yet we still have to deal with this nonsense that is iPad (Pro) iOS.

100% agree. iOS severely handicaps the powerful hardware in the iPad.

 

[tarsins]

I bought an iPad Pro to take notes on while convincing myself I'd use it for other things, but I'd always end up using my MacBook. I've now sold the iPad Pro and bought the iPad mini which is a much better solution for note-taking and a lot cheaper.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I dumped my MacBook Pro 15 and went back to a Thinkpad but my iPad was always my favorite go to machine for everything it was capable of doing. I would not even own a laptop except for PhotoShop and Quickbooks Pro.

As far as the OP not seeing a point to having an iPad, most other do not agree as iPads are a great success for Apple!

 

[petvas]

I dumped my MacBook Pro 15 and went back to a Thinkpad but my iPad was always my favorite go to machine for everything it was capable of doing. I would not even own a laptop except for PhotoShop and Quickbooks Pro.

As far as the OP not seeing a point to having an iPad, most other do not agree as iPads are a great success for Apple!

I don't agree with this statement. I too have bought an iPad. Many people have, but that doesn't mean that they are all happy with it. As I wrote before, if you have a usage for it, great! If you can afford having such a type of device, then also great. I believe that many people agree with me. It's not a matter though of agreeing or disagreeing with someone. It's about real issues that the iPad has. Some people don't see or care about these issues. Others do. If I gave my mother an iPad, she would be extremely happy. If someone has modest expectations or needs, then the iPad is really a great computer. For almost everybody else, it's a luxury.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I don't agree with this statement. I too have bought an iPad. Many people have, but that doesn't mean that they are all happy with it. As I wrote before, if you have a usage for it, great! If you can afford having such a type of device, then also great. I believe that many people agree with me. It's not a matter though of agreeing or disagreeing with someone. It's about real issues that the iPad has. Some people don't see or care about these issues. Others do. If I gave my mother an iPad, she would be extremely happy. If someone has modest expectations or needs, then the iPad is really a great computer. For almost everybody else, it's a luxury.

Well you may believe what you want but the fact that Apple has sold so many iPads is an indicator of the customers approval. Surely people have bought and decided they did not like and returned but iPads sales have been and are very good.

 

[ericwn]

Well you may believe what you want but the fact that Apple has sold so many iPads is an indicator of the customers approval. Surely people have bought and decided they did not like and returned but iPads sales have been and are very good.

I think you’re spot on. While the iPad is lacking in some respects the ongoing success as the dominant tablet device cannot be denied either.
The fact that people are demanding it to become better in many areas indicates how many of us actually enjoy the platform and want it to succeed.