iPad Pro Questions for those who've owned both an iPad and macBook

[The.Glorious.Son]

Hoping some can help me with firsthand experience to supplement what I've managed to read thus far. I haven't owned an iPad since 2015 and currently have an M1 MacBook Air. I've been thinking about a high storage iPad Pro to hold all of my photos and videos. Ever since the higher res for video, my storage needs are ridiculous. Anyway, I think the 12.9" would be great for viewing/editing photos and videos. Might be decent for viewing media as well. I also think I would like using the pencil and the fact there are many apps optimized for the iPad as opposed to the MacBook. All that said, I am looking at a decent chunk for what I would want and wonder if in your experience, are there other things I am overlooking? Other advantages to either that are worth noting? Maybe in this situation, I should be content with my phone and MacBook and save the money for something else? Just welcoming your experiences/thoughts and I understand in the end, only I can decide.

fwiw I am looking at the 12.9" iPad Pro 6th Gen M2 Wi-Fi/Cellular 2TB on sale at BB for $1499 (from $2399 retail). I don't need the cellular but for some reason this version has a much larger discount. I can't find this price anywhere else but it's still an investment. I am one of the few who suffer from PWM so I don't really want to mess with this year's generation. Thanks!!

 

[ShadowJamie]

Do you use iCloud for storage? It seems like the best way to store photos and videos since it’s end-to-end encrypted with Advanced Data Protection. I would recommend investing in that and choosing the storage option that fits you best. As for devices, I’ve owned two iPad Pros before but rarely used them, as MacBook and iPhone handle most tasks.

 

[NastyMatt]

Hoping some can help me with firsthand experience to supplement what I've managed to read thus far. I haven't owned an iPad since 2015 and currently have an M1 MacBook Air. I've been thinking about a high storage iPad Pro to hold all of my photos and videos. Ever since the higher res for video, my storage needs are ridiculous. Anyway, I think the 12.9" would be great for viewing/editing photos and videos. Might be decent for viewing media as well. I also think I would like using the pencil and the fact there are many apps optimized for the iPad as opposed to the MacBook. All that said, I am looking at a decent chunk for what I would want and wonder if in your experience, are there other things I am overlooking? Other advantages to either that are worth noting? Maybe in this situation, I should be content with my phone and MacBook and save the money for something else? Just welcoming your experiences/thoughts and I understand in the end, only I can decide.

fwiw I am looking at the 12.9" iPad Pro 6th Gen M2 Wi-Fi/Cellular 2TB on sale at BB for $1499 (from $2399 retail). I don't need the cellular but for some reason this version has a much larger discount. I can't find this price anywhere else but it's still an investment. I am one of the few who suffer from PWM so I don't really want to mess with this year's generation. Thanks!!

I have a MBA M1 and a 2020 IPP (and M4 IPP).

I never use my MBA for anything personal, only ever for work. The reason I don’t use the IPP exclusively for work is that we have some weird security policies that cause issues with copying data on the IPP otherwise I would. The reason being I just much prefer the form factor of the IPP over the MBA, so much so I am happy to admit some things are easier on the MBA but not enough to make me want to use it.

Examples of how I use the IPP that I enjoy over the MBA - had to whiteboard over a Teams meeting yesterday - I literally could not read what the other person was trying to write with a mouse 😁 (they had to explain it so nearly pointless having a whiteboard). Apple pencil I used to write - perfect. Then needed to scan a cheque into an account - whipped the IPP off the MK scanned straight in (only available in the iPad app - M4 great in low light too no shadows). Then scanned an invoice directly into Dropbox. I watched something on Netflix with spatial audio. Played some CODM with a PS4 controller.

This was only yesterday! All of those things would have been poor or impossible on a MBA.

And I haven’t even touched on using the pen for creating art, touching up photos or writing notes in meetings.

 

[throAU]

Hoping some can help me with firsthand experience to supplement what I've managed to read thus far. I haven't owned an iPad since 2015 and currently have an M1 MacBook Air. I've been thinking about a high storage iPad Pro to hold all of my photos and videos. Ever since the higher res for video, my storage needs are ridiculous. Anyway, I think the 12.9" would be great for viewing/editing photos and videos. Might be decent for viewing media as well. I also think I would like using the pencil and the fact there are many apps optimized for the iPad as opposed to the MacBook. All that said, I am looking at a decent chunk for what I would want and wonder if in your experience, are there other things I am overlooking? Other advantages to either that are worth noting? Maybe in this situation, I should be content with my phone and MacBook and save the money for something else? Just welcoming your experiences/thoughts and I understand in the end, only I can decide.

fwiw I am looking at the 12.9" iPad Pro 6th Gen M2 Wi-Fi/Cellular 2TB on sale at BB for $1499 (from $2399 retail). I don't need the cellular but for some reason this version has a much larger discount. I can't find this price anywhere else but it's still an investment. I am one of the few who suffer from PWM so I don't really want to mess with this year's generation. Thanks!!

I have an M1 air and an M1 MacBook Pro.

What apps do you need to run? The pencil is great, but if you need to run apps that need macOS, you'll need a Mac.

That's a shrinking niche though. You may be able to get by with an iPad only depending what you run.

I've occasionally transparently switched to my iPad Air (I have the pencil and a Logitech keyboard/trackpad case for it) for work stuff as most of my stuff is email and terminal/web apps these days which can run on both platforms. Syncing desktop/docs/etc. with both via iCloud makes this pretty seamless - if I need to update the MacBook for example I can carry on with most stuff on the iPad. Or if I know I don't need to do anything that specifically needs the MacBook, I can just carry the iPad instead.

I use my iPad a LOT these days. For diagrams, note taking, sketches, emails, photos, etc. I'm not a media person but as a network tech, using it for draft documentation (e.g., sketches on site prior to tidying up in Visio or whatever) is great. Also as above, you can fill out PDFs with the pencil and send them via email, none of the print, sign, scan, send crap any more.


Also, if you have an M1 MacBook (maybe earlier too), the iPad Pro/Air can also function as a portable second display which is nice for multi-monitor support on the go.

 

[Shirasaki]

I advise you against the idea of using your iPad to store all of your photos and videos. You should always have a copy of all of your data that’s not tethered to any cloud storage solution.
With that being said, I’ve been using my iPad Pro to more or less replace my iPhone for my iOS needs for about 6 years. It is an amazing experience as I have a big screen to work with, rather than the tiny screen iPhone has. I used to think large Screen iPhone was enough, but not anymore. With a keyboard case, I could do lots of light tasks without using my Mac. And great iOS device to play iOS games too, with a few exceptions. I use my iPad so much that sometimes I forget to bring my iPhone with me when I am outside.
Apple Pencil is cool. And uhh magic keyboard case is a highly recommended purchase.
Still, it can’t and won’t 100% replace a Mac.

 

[stanza.richi]

I think that an ssd external disk or an cloud space could be a better solution to store data, than a single device.

 

[throAU]

Even better is a NAS running something like NextCloud or Owncloud.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

I’m very appreciative of the responses! Currently, every file in my possession (photo/video) is stored in OneDrive. Personally, I truly prefer working with files that are stored natively on the device as I don’t always have a great internet connection and I just find it more enjoyable. That said, I keep all that I sync to my phone, on my MacBook. I keep all that doesn’t make the cut due to my phone’s space limitations, on an external hard drive along with a backup of the MacBook content. I’m covered so this is truly just a preference thing.

I don’t use my MacBook for anything business. I just use it as an alternative to browsing and such on my phone. I ‘feel’ like I’d be more apt to pick up the iPad but then I think, if I find I really need to use an external keyboard, that almost puts me back to just using the MacBook.

 

[muzzy996]

File handling on the two platforms can be different depending upon the applications used and this could lead to different workflows. Particularly true for photos where some applications will want to use the iPad's gallery. That might be ok with some people and undesirable for others - all depends on the person and their preference.

If you already have preferred workflows on your MacBook it might be good to describe them in detail so that your expectations can be discussed by those familiar with iPadOS.

You mention OneDrive. I've had mixed results with using offline folders on OneDrive on my iPads to the point where I don't trust files to be there when I anticipate not having access to the internet. If I really need a file when I know i won't have internet I make a copy of it onto my iOS device manually. On my SP9 I don't have to think about it, I have access to all OneDrive files on it no matter what.

 

[Kahnforever]

I have a 15" MB Air and M4 IPP. The Air is the productivity King; the IPP is good for some work and more consumption. I use my Air less and less but when I need to power through work, it’s the better device. That includes multi-tasking and writing.