iPad Pro MacBook or iPad?

[xxFoxtail]

I made a YouTube video on this. I did strictly iPad for a couple years. It got the job done for me but after grabbing a MacBook again recently I can never go back to iPad only.

I agree. I used an iPad as my main and only device for about 5 years, playing around with different devices in between, always going back to the iPad. The new design on the M2 MBA sold me on going back to the Mac full time again and I sold my M1 iPP. I miss the iPad, and I yearn to go back to one as a main device some day. The iPad did everything I needed both professionally and personal.

But, looking at it with some kind of perspective, it makes more sense to just keep the MacBook for as long as possible. Other than not having a native Fitness+ app, it works fine for me, and cost me less than the iPad Pros I was using in the past.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I ditched my macbook for an 11” iPad Pro in 2018 and haven’t looked back. It has become my main computer. I use it for all my content creation(video & photo editing) as well as media consumption. It does everything better than my laptop used to do and more. Plus with the apple pencil, it’s the best digital sketchbook there is. I know it’s not for everyone, but over the last few years, i have completely adapted to the iOS only workflow.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

I ditched my macbook for an 11” iPad Pro in 2018 and haven’t looked back. It has become my main computer. I use it for all my content creation(video & photo editing) as well as media consumption. It does everything better than my laptop used to do and more. Plus with the apple pencil, it’s the best digital sketchbook there is. I know it’s not for everyone, but over the last few years, i have completely adapted to the iOS only workflow.

You sound like you're the perfect person to use an iPad TBH. If I were an artist, my iPad would be surgically attached to me. Alas, I am not and so I find them quite useless.

 

[Amplelink]

iPad. Hands down. I need a network connection at all times and cannot/will not use my phone hotspot for that work. iPads have optional cell - Macs do not.

Coincidentally, I happen to really like using the iPad. So it works out alright.

Why can't use your phone as a hotspot? I do it all the time and it's completely fine. Speeds are good and with the way Apple makes it so seamless, I don't even have to touch my phone.

 

[rui no onna]

Why can't use your phone as a hotspot? I do it all the time and it's completely fine. Speeds are good and with the way Apple makes it so seamless, I don't even have to touch my phone.

Speeds depend on the carrier and network congestion. Many carriers in the US deprioritize hotspot traffic. If you're in a very congested area, native connection can still be okay while hotspot is so slow that it's unusable.

As for being seamless, I usually need to wait like 10-15 seconds before the iPad can get internet via automatic hotspot. Not something I want to deal with 20 or more times a day.

Also, hotspot can fail/error out. It's awful to have the hotspot fail requiring a phone reboot to fix when in a meeting or doing a presentation.

 

[ctjack]

Are you talking about the Youtube app on the iPad? Adguard can block those ads?

If you are too curious, there is a plug in play raspberri pi vpn adblockers.

That is the best solution if one is dedicated.

You buy raspberry pi (50ish bucks), install vpn layout and enter correct ip address, then connect your home modem and router after it.

What happens is that raspberry pi filters internet before it gets to your home users - you basically lose ads everywhere possible.

 

[ctjack]

Answering main question:

It really depends how you grew up with tech. I see better ipad adoption for arts people (obvious reason), people like inspectors needing to haul ipad for signing on the go, but mostly people who only used iphones and no tablets or laptops.

Ipad is a logical upgrade of an iphone in terms of the logic of OS. You just like using a bigger iPhone. People who managed their lives happily from a phone will accept ipad as a better replacement.

I also understood that i am a person of habbit and only have 1 body and set of eyes. When i have top end ipad, iphone, mac - i am glued 99% of the time to the device that i used last. There were years when i only used iPhone then ipad then laptops. Unfortunately i was not able to mix and match. So i don’t reach my iphone or ipad when i have a mac. I could relearn to do everything on an ipad, but then my mac would be abandoned(outside of running wfh job).

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Why can't use your phone as a hotspot? I do it all the time and it's completely fine. Speeds are good and with the way Apple makes it so seamless, I don't even have to touch my phone.

Battery. Hotspot kills my phone faster. I get that you might have easy access to an electrical outlet but that isn't always the case.

 

[Amplelink]

Battery. Hotspot kills my phone faster. I get that you might have easy access to an electrical outlet but that isn't always the case.

Just carry a power bank or two with you? That's what I do.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Just carry a power bank or two with you? That's what I do.

Now I'm carrying and remembering to charge something else. See what I mean? I would rather spend the $200+service so that I do not have to do that.

Convenience has a price, and some of us are willing and able to pay for it.

 

[Amplelink]

Now I'm carrying and remembering to charge something else. See what I mean? I would rather spend the $200+service so that I do not have to do that.

Convenience has a price, and some of us are willing and able to pay for it.

Whatever floats your boat! I'm just sharing what I do which works well. Saves me from the hassle of buying another device and tacking on another mobile plan. When iPads with cellular first came out, I did what you do now. Once Apple made the hotspot functionality seamless, I saw no need. My phone's battery is also really strong so it's never been an issue. In the off chance that I do need juice, I've always got the power bank.

I'm someone who travels almost 3/4 of the year for work so it's not like I always have access to outlets either.

 

[sonicrobby]

Would you guys prefer to have a MacBoo or iPad? I'm considering getting a new iPad but one thing that I don't like is that it's not a macbook replacement yet. I watch videos a lot on YouTube on my MacBook and enjoy it because I am able to use an adblocker to block all those annoying commercials and ads appearing everywhere for a cleaner experience. This is one big issue I have with the iPad. Although I can probably get away with it using the safari app and installing adguard on there to get the same experience as on my MacBook, but on the iPad I'm so use to using the YouTube app. I also find that multitasking and having virtual desktop spaces is easier on macOS than on ipadOS.

I currently use my mac mainly plex, surfing with safari, playing games using emulators like openemu, retroarch, dolphin, ryujinx, discord, chatting, messaging, facetime. Not sure if the iPad would give me a better experience for those things. If so I will just stick with my trusty mac

Personally, I would love the iPad! But like you say its not a macbook replacement yet. To get the same experience you are having to do workarounds instead of using the simplicity the iPad is designed for. Multitasking is also a problem for me. Stage Manager is pretty cool to use, but to me its still not as efficient as the macbook especially now that the windows can pop into the corners. Its frustrating the the iPad hardware is state of the art, but the software still seems limiting for some user's workflows. I was hoping iPadOS18 would have brought some revolutionary changes, but Im shifting my hopes to iOS20 to hopefully have some hybrid system on an iPad that can be more functional when connected to the magic keyboard.

 

[Misheemee]

Both.

They’re different devices that serve different purposes and compliment eachother. Neither device can fully do what the other does but both are great to have and they work well in tandem