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The "Laptop Replacement" Debate
- Thread starter riverer
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I agree, great device, fun to use and powerful. Agree too that iOS 11 will move it up a notch.
Apps like Numbers, Pages, OmniGraffle, OmniFocus and iThoughts do virtually all of what I need - for my needs they do as good a job as the MacOS versions do. Note also that I specifically exclude Word and Excel for iOS since, although I have them installed, I just find them over-complicated...and to MS for my taste (although Outlook for iOS is really good).
Editing with the SK is a pleasure as it's possible to select and navigate with the traditional macOS key combinations (except when posting on MacForums!), plus some app-specific ones.
Next step will be the Pencil which arrives next week, almost a year after purchasing the 12.9 with SK. I'm anticipating that it'll result in a new workflow, hopefully more natural and therefore allowing the thought processes to just flow.
So overall, I think it's very close to a replacement. So much so, I've started to recommend it to friends and family members asking for help/advice on PC upgrades.
Edit: factor in OS stability, battery life, screen, no need for anti-virus (or "mandatory" fatware), fans, platter disks, etc...it's actually a dream come true in a lot of respects.
Apps like Numbers, Pages, OmniGraffle, OmniFocus and iThoughts do virtually all of what I need - for my needs they do as good a job as the MacOS versions do. Note also that I specifically exclude Word and Excel for iOS since, although I have them installed, I just find them over-complicated...and to MS for my taste (although Outlook for iOS is really good).
Editing with the SK is a pleasure as it's possible to select and navigate with the traditional macOS key combinations (except when posting on MacForums!), plus some app-specific ones.
Next step will be the Pencil which arrives next week, almost a year after purchasing the 12.9 with SK. I'm anticipating that it'll result in a new workflow, hopefully more natural and therefore allowing the thought processes to just flow.
So overall, I think it's very close to a replacement. So much so, I've started to recommend it to friends and family members asking for help/advice on PC upgrades.
Edit: factor in OS stability, battery life, screen, no need for anti-virus (or "mandatory" fatware), fans, platter disks, etc...it's actually a dream come true in a lot of respects.
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If the iPad is a laptop replacement, then an iPhone can also do it for those people.
iPads cant replace a laptop for me, its just not efficient for anything other than light email and maybe some youtube.
Anything else has me reaching for a device i can truly use on my lap with a real keyboard.
Anything else has me reaching for a device i can truly use on my lap with a real keyboard.
The IPad Pro can never be a laptop replacement for me. Some things I need to do for work involve proprietary software and will never be an app, so the fact that the iPad doesn't run full OSX rules that possibility out. Other things are just too inefficient to do on an iPad when I can do them so much faster and easier on a laptop.
For my own use, I would call it a "laptop reducer," but not a replacement. But I can fully appreciate that it can be a laptop replacement for many.
For my own use, I would call it a "laptop reducer," but not a replacement. But I can fully appreciate that it can be a laptop replacement for many.
Not really. I have an iPad Air 2 myself (quite similar in size as the 10.5) and I can easily do the same things on the 5"5 screen of my iPhone 6S plus that I can do on my iPad Air 2.
You as hell wouldn't want to. Screen is far too small to do anything productive nor can you do what you can do on an ipad with IOS 11
I have made a few personal spreadsheets for my fitness goals when I went to work and it was quite easy to do actually.
Do you even own a 5"5 inch iPhone by any chance?
Yes I do and it's great for quick browsing, twitter, facebook, emails but proper browsing and main spreadsheets tasks are needed on a big device.
Nope. Most websites are mobile friendly nowadays and I have made spreedsheets on my iPhone 6S plus quite easily. (I am even on my iPhone 6s plus at the moment)
And for serious spreadsheets with VBA coding and dll plugins, I get a PC computer rather than an iPad.
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I am in the "no" camp myself. Still use the Mac for most of my creative work, but I knew that buying the iPad Pro this time around. I appreciate the iPP is fostering my desire to draw, but ultimately, I am still a Mac first, iDevice second gal.
That said, I think it is great that folks can use any iPad as their main driver.
Whatever works best for your personal use case is fine by me.
That said, I think it is great that folks can use any iPad as their main driver.
Whatever works best for your personal use case is fine by me.
I feel this whole "iPad will replace your laptop" argument is a false dichotomy. Cars don't replace trucks. Trucks are still around for when people to move around a ton of stuff, but nobody owns them because they are overkill for the type of lifestyle we live today, plus we can always hire a mover for the rare occasion when we need one.
I still need a Mac to get some of my work done that I can't do (or do as well) on an iPad, and it's an arrangement I am fine with. 80% iPad, 20% Mac.
I still need a Mac to get some of my work done that I can't do (or do as well) on an iPad, and it's an arrangement I am fine with. 80% iPad, 20% Mac.
To me, the iPad Pros can fully replaced a Laptop in some areas. But their isn't any real Professional apps like the ones that we can use on the MacBook.
If their was real Professional apps (that has the same exact things as the MacOS) then I would buy an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil.
But iOS 11 on the iPad is off to a great start. Professional apps is definitely needed to make the iPad Pros to be laptop replacements.
If their was real Professional apps (that has the same exact things as the MacOS) then I would buy an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil.
But iOS 11 on the iPad is off to a great start. Professional apps is definitely needed to make the iPad Pros to be laptop replacements.
Basically this. I started using my 2013 rMBP again for school, but there's almost no reason to upgrade. I do almost everything on my iPads and phones.
Reverse: Can MacBook replace iPad?
http://www.speirs.org/blog/2015/11/30/can-the-macbook-pro-replace-your-ipad
What shocks me, is approximately a year or so ago, no one really seemed to be talking about how the iPad could even compare to replacing a MacBook. Now, it's entirely Evident in almost every thread, how the majority are able to complete most of their tasks on an iPad Pro. Some are even selling their MacBooks just to convert over to the iPad. Talk about a metamorphosis in a short period of time. But That's also a huge applause to iOS 11.
Or you have the other situation where the iPad is drawn away some users from there MacBook primarily, but they still keep their MacBook for whatever They might be able to accomplish on their desk top.
Or you have the other situation where the iPad is drawn away some users from there MacBook primarily, but they still keep their MacBook for whatever They might be able to accomplish on their desk top.
Using the Smart Keyboard makes a big difference. Size-wise, I can't comment as although I've owned many 9.7 iPads, I've never used a keyboard for any length of time on a 9.7. The SK is compact and always there taking the iPP to a whole different level. I did however find the 9.7 a little small to do anything productive for extended periods of time - that's my feeling on it.
Taking it to the extreme, the 12.9 with SK is really great and I can easily see how lots of people needing tasks such as email, word processing, some gaming can quite easily use it as a laptop/PC replacement. If my parents, for example, were in the market, I'd get them one for sure. The huge caveat is price of course - the iPP is quite a lot more expensive that your popular, entry level notebooks (read "junk" in my book
). The question is however whether it can do the job and I reckon it can. On the phone thing: I've owned a 6+ and now 7+ (RED
) and while many tasks can be done on the +, if my 12.9 is in reach, I'll go for that every time.Really, go out and give a 10" or 12" iPad a good test drive, you'll see them quite differently.
I'd substitute majority for a small minority.
The respondents are always going to be more "in" the iPad camp than "out" of the iPad camp on the iPad forum..!
Few years ago when I bought my iPad Air 1, I also got a bluetooth keyboard and a stylus and wish to turn my iPad into a mini laptop, it turned out be a fail experiment because everything is wrong: the OS/app is not optimized for an acceptable productivity, connection between iPad and BT keyboard is crappy, the stylus just make me feel uncomfortable when taking notes, the entire machine with accessories is very heavy and bulky, not enough storage for my media and files.......
Starting from Pro 9.7, I think most of the issues I mentioned is resolved, especially for the storage in a relatively reasonable price. And the iOS 11 updates even temped me to upgrade from 9.7 to 10.5, I believe the “iPad as a laptop replacement” mission is on the right way.
Exactly. That's my main point. It's not that I'll never use a laptop/desktop again, it's that I won't be upgrading them - hence the "replacement" argument.
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No. That's like saying a 32 inch TV is the same as a 65 inch TV.
If that's your argument, why would Apple sell 21 inch iMacs AND 27 inch iMacs? Why would they sell 10.5 iPad Pros AND 12.9 iPad Pros (which are sold out everywhere). Why would they have iPhone 7 AND iPhone 7 Plus.
Sure, do the same apps exist on iPad and iPhone? Yes. Is it the same experiece? Not at all.
The reason the iPad can't replace a laptop for many people isn't the screen size but because of iOS limitations. The same limitations on the iPhone exist on the iPad as well.
One limitation is no file manager for the end user. Last week I tried to import some bookmarks into mobile safari for my mother. The bookmarks were exported from Firefox on a Linux desktop in HTML format. I tried emailing the HTML file and trying to open it on the iPad, no go.
Every suggestion on the web said you need iTunes or desktop version of Safari.
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Fixed that for you.
Another thing that makes me go to a lap or desk top is no support for Adobe flash.
It is unfortunate that there are still sites you can't use without Flash (some booking services / movie theaters come to mind), but luckily they are steadily switching away from it. For the time being we just have to grin and bear.