iPad Poll: iPad can be the main computer for __% of the population.

[dingclancy23]

I would just like to post a poll as to what you think the number is for this statement to be true in 2019.

We all know that Macrumors is skewed to the more tech-savvy audience, but I want to ask to look to your friends and family, understand their use case, and approximate the percentage.

For me as a dev and analyst, cannot live without the Mac but 3 of 4 of my family can use the iPad as their main computer.

 

[*~Kim~*]

I only use my laptop when I need to use card making software or add content to my iPad.

Family wise, the iPad would do the job and another would be making the switch right now were it not for one business related task that cannot be done with the iPad. They don’t need much storage and yet all the available desktop PC’s with a half decent processor seem to come with 1TB.

 

[Shirasaki]

Because Mac can do so many things an iPad will never do, I tend to not carry my Mac around. Instead, because iPad is a such device with limited functionality (even with iOS 13), carrying it around feels better for me, especially when I can do something light on the go or so. iPad cannot replace my computer, but it can fill in a role that my computer would have a very hard time to do, even with portability.

 

[hyp.spec]

I’m a software engineer, so I’m almost always on a laptop, but honestly since I picked up an Air3 and a smart keyboard I find myself using it as my go-to device for personal computing.

I could probably very easily get away with doing work on it too as most of my development work is on a linux VM anyway.

 

[sracer]

Since we're going by personal anecdotes (rather than scientifically driven sample size polling)....
I said 0%. Everyone I know has a laptop. A subset of those have an iPad or other tablet. None of them have just an iPad or tablet.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Because Mac can do so many things an iPad will never do

That’s so true!

 

[RayB4]

Since I retired my computing needs are fairly basic and after I added a subscription to Office365 I have hardly touched my laptop. In fact I become very frustrated when I open the laptop as it stretches and yawns and makes itself a cup of coffee before it thinks it is necessary to allow me to access my files.
I think it’s inevitable that not very far into the future the iPad will do everything that a laptop can do, the march of technology being such that the impossible today is tomorrow’s norm.

 

[boolCan]

Everyone I know has a laptop. A subset of those have an iPad or other tablet. None of them have just an iPad or tablet.

Ah, but the poll is for "primary computer", not "only" computer !
As a primary, I think the iPad can do quite well. Unless your work is really keyboard centric (coding, writing, etc)

 

[Thomas Davie]

Can't speak about the general population; but of the people I know (family and neighbors) it's zero. My door next door neighbor has 2 16 year old computers that he calls bessie and old nellie. I gave him a 2009 17 Macbook Pro about 4 years ago (doesn't use it) and a 2012 iPad last year (did something to it and it's barely useable any more). He bought new computers but is afraid to take them out of the box because 1 runs Chrome OS and the other Windows 10.

I keep hearing 'there's no USB port' or 'I will have to learn Windows 10' or 'Snow Leopard'. Etc. People are afraid of change.

 

[sracer]

Ah, but the poll is for "primary computer", not "only" computer !
As a primary, I think the iPad can do quite well. Unless your work is really keyboard centric (coding, writing, etc)

Even as a primary computer, the answer is: 0.

 

[Seanm87]

Is this for now or when iOS 13 comes out? Because the answer would change it significantly.

 

[aevan]

Even as a primary computer, the answer is: 0.

Cognitive Bias. And I don’t think this in a “you’re shortsighted, iPads are awesome” way. But, your circles are probably similar to you in terms of age, status, etc. So are mine.

How many people you know who got to choose their FIRST computer ever in the age of modern iPads? Like, they never used a computer before and now they need something for school or internet or to communicate.

Also, the question is about “how many people COULD replace a computer with an iPad”. It’s not how many prefer it.

The answer is not zero, it’s anything from 30 to 60% when you take all computer users living. But when you take a look at people who’ve been using a laptop/desktop for work for more than 5 years and who depend on their established workflows - the answer is, most likely, a lot smaller.

 

[dingclancy23]

Anything that is upwards of 50% is a good sign. I do not think Apple thinks or believes that the iPad can be the computer for 100% of the population because they have other products to sell. 50% to 74% is the sweet spot.

 

[iPadified]

Even as a primary computer, the answer is: 0.

Zero is very absolute. My three daughters proofs you wrong as they use a iPad 99% of their time for schoolwork and leisure. Their Mac usage is limited to some softwares that we do not see the point in buying again for iPad. They are all teenagers so not toddlers. Using a mouse is strange for them.

I cannot do my work without a Mac and an iPad (and various win PC and some mainframes...). For private use, iPad is all I use and need. So 4 exceptions to the zero claim. I say we are not the only ones.

 

[Shirasaki]

Using a mouse is strange for them.

I immediately feel I am way too old to be considered as “teen”.

But yeah, iPad certainly has the potential to replace quite a few people’s computer need. I even find iPad being portable in a unique way that my MacBook Air just could not beat.

 

[RayB4]

Anything that is upwards of 50% is a good sign. I do not think Apple thinks or believes that the iPad can be the computer for 100% of the population because they have other products to sell. 50% to 74% is the sweet spot.

I said in an earlier post that change is inevitable. At some stage a tablet will be available with a full OS and the ability to seamlessly link to external devices. In another thread someone posits the view that in time your phone could become a computer hub providing both CPU and router and all you will have to do is wirelessly attach a big screen, keyboard etc and away you go. I would think that Apple are already looking at this sort of thing because they know that they will only retain the loyalty of Appleheads as long as they stay ahead of the game.

 

[TheRealAlex]

I would just like to post a poll as to what you think the number is for this statement to be true in 2019.

We all know that Macrumors is skewed to the more tech-savvy audience, but I want to ask to look to your friends and family, understand their use case, and approximate the percentage.

For me as a dev and analyst, cannot live without the Mac but 3 of 4 of my family can use the iPad as their main computer.

This is the wrong question. While the iPad Pro may not be a Main computer persay. It is “a” computer and that’s good enough.

 

[Shirasaki]

I said in an earlier post that change is inevitable.

The question is how they make changes. At this point, I’d say they are making the right change.

At some stage a tablet will be available with a full OS and the ability to seamlessly link to external devices.

Look no further than Microsoft Surface, even though it is terrible as a tablet. I think I can consider Surface as an exploration of how a computer in tablet form can go, so does the iPad. As of now, I love how iPad is as a tablet, but no so much about a full fledged mac or PC.

 

[rrayborn38]

My wife uses her 2018 12.9” as her main computer. She prefers her 27” iMac to copy image files easily from one Dropbox folder to another - a process that is still tedious on iOS but might become acceptable when iPadOS comes out. She is the kind of user iPad is designed for - a creative designer with high media consumption requirements.

I, on the other hand, still need to do a lot of Excel and MySQL programming, so I find myself using my MacBook Pro more often than not. I use iPad every day, but only minimally for work.

 

[MrRabuf]

It's certainly not 0. Heck, my wife's primary computer is her iPhone 8.

 

[maflynn]

what you think the number is for this statement to be true in 2019.

Who knows, I'm not about to guess what works better for people that I don't know. There are some things the iPad does very well, and some things that it doesn't. its up to the individual to make the determination on what works best

 

[StralyanPithecus]

A smartphone can be the only "computer" for a big chunk of the population...

 

[RevTEG]

I can only answer for me.. My iPad IS my main computer. I do have a MBP that I could dust off should I run into something I cant do on my iPad.
[doublepost=1560882417][/doublepost]

Zero is very absolute. My three daughters proofs you wrong as they use a iPad 99% of their time for schoolwork and leisure. Their Mac usage is limited to some softwares that we do not see the point in buying again for iPad. They are all teenagers so not toddlers. Using a mouse is strange for them.

I cannot do my work without a Mac and an iPad (and various win PC and some mainframes...). For private use, iPad is all I use and need. So 4 exceptions to the zero claim. I say we are not the only ones.

Ha! I’m 41 and using a mouse is strange for me! My two oldest kids (16 and 9) are all iPad for school and neither of them use a mouse.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Since we're going by personal anecdotes (rather than scientifically driven sample size polling)....
I said 0%. Everyone I know has a laptop. A subset of those have an iPad or other tablet. None of them have just an iPad or tablet.

Even as a primary computer, the answer is: 0.

Sheesh.

First of all there's a difference between "Can be" and "is". Many people have a laptop for legacy related reasons, either they bought it a long time ago or they have legacy mindset and mistakenly think they need one even if they don't. So even if we presume that 0% of the population which has an iPad also has a laptop/desktop (which isn't true), that would not at all imply that an iPad COULD not be the only, let alone primary, computer.

I have a 2013 MBA as my only "PC computer", but honesly I use my iPP 9.7" over 90% of the time (clearly indicating primary). While I still use my MBA on occasion, it's mostly just because it's closer, more convenient, ipad is low/charging, or maybe I'm just in the mood for it. It is extremely rare that I actually use it because I can't do that task on my iPad. The only thing I can think of in the past year that I've done is adjust some photos metadata once or twice. Oh and maybe a couple times website wasn't working/was being really quirky on my iPad so had to use my Mac. But in all reality if my MBA died tomorrow, I don't think I would replace it... especially with the current state of the macbook line...

Sidenote: at work we have Windows PCs, so technically I'm required to use that daily (am typing on one now), so my aboce antecdote only relates to computing devices that I own, not devices I use at work. I understand this might be seen as nullifying my above statement because there are others who need to work on their personal computer and thus might need a PC/Mac, but I think my point stands that a) I would not need to own a PC/Mac and b) I think a much of the reason for people (myself included) for having PC's at work is again more for legacy reasons, and perhaps even legacy software, which can always work itself out with time.

 

[nouveau_redneck]

Why would someone want to inconvenience themselves by only using an iPad? Life is too short to compromise.