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Trixs

macrumors regular
Mar 26, 2008
164
101
Sounds to me like bad charging habits with your devices, as in either charging to full multiple times a day or just leaving them plugged in 24/7.
Nope, pretty standard, a bit on battery, a bit plugged in. Same charging habits as with my macbooks before and their battery lasted just fine. Even if my charging habits were "bad", you'd think it should still last more than 300 out of the 1000 advertised cycles no?
 
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Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
Nope, pretty standard, a bit on battery, a bit plugged in. Same charging habits as with my macbooks before and their battery lasted just fine. Even if my charging habits were "bad", you'd think it should still last more than 300 out of the 1000 advertised cycles no?
The number of cycles barely matters.... 20 bad cycles can be much worse for the battery than 1000 good cycles
 
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Joe Dohn

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2020
840
748
You can absolutely use it as a primary screen in headless mode, and Luna is not even the best at that. Spacedesk and Duet Pro allow you to do just that. And with Spacedesk you don't even need Wifi, you can connect wirelessly via ethernet (which gives you a better connection).

I haven't tested Spacedesk, but Duet only allows the iPad as a secondary screen. You still need to log into Windows and then set your monitor.
 

Joe Dohn

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2020
840
748
iPad Pro has awesome hardware, but Software is not up to the task. If only Apple could come up with a way to unlock full MacOS when you plug a Magic Keyboard or similar, that would be a game changer. Imagine, having a device that excels both as a tablet (with iPadOS) and a laptop (with MacOS), with hot swapping between the two and having access to the same files and media libraries. And don't think that the technology is what's preventing this from happening (after all both devices share the same CPU) but rather it is Apple's greed. Why sell you 1 device when they can sell you two?

And while they get greedy, they also get behind. The newest handheld PCs are everything the iPad should have been (except battery life). And I'm sure the Surface is progressing very well too, especially considering they're now more repairable with Surface 9 Pro -- Microsoft even sells parts now!
 
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Joe Dohn

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2020
840
748
I think it’s a bit weird that you keep pushing for things “only” iPad can do to justify its purchase. I can’t think of any examples of anything “only” a MacBook can do either. IMO they are overpriced, a pain in the ass to work on, and macOS is overly locked down compared to Linux, and poor at gaming compared to windows. Why would I want a MacBook? Sell me on it, only listing things only a MacBook can do and not…

You just spelled out the problem. Apple demands a premium for their devices. No problemo, we pay the premio. BUT if they demand a premium, it means their devices have to be better somehow -- otherwise, why bother with them when you can have the same at the competition, but cheaper?

Someone mentioned using the iPad for DJ'ing, which is an interesting usage. That's still very niche, however.
 

Sami13496

macrumors 6502a
Jul 25, 2022
692
1,528
You just spelled out the problem. Apple demands a premium for their devices. No problemo, we pay the premio. BUT if they demand a premium, it means their devices have to be better somehow -- otherwise, why bother with them when you can have the same at the competition, but cheaper?

Someone mentioned using the iPad for DJ'ing, which is an interesting usage. That's still very niche, however.
iPad has superior build quality and user experience compred to cheap plastic toys that run Windows or Android. Ofcourse if that stuff doesn’t matter then those cheap devives are the way to go.
 
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Joe Dohn

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2020
840
748
iPad has superior build quality and user experience compred to cheap plastic toys that run Windows or Android. Ofcourse if that stuff doesn’t matter then those cheap devives are the way to go.

Have you seen the Surface Pro 9? It has an aluminum frame. Definitely not "cheap plastic".
I do like Apple Products, but there's life outside Apple!
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
I haven't tested Spacedesk, but Duet only allows the iPad as a secondary screen. You still need to log into Windows and then set your monitor.
You only need to set up Duet once, then you can connect to you desktop remotely via Wifi from the iPad (you just need to turn on your PC). I don't know if this works with the basic wired $10 Duet, but with Duet pro (and I guess duet air too) it works fine. I prefer Spacedesk because of ethernet however (I keep wifi off on my desktop)
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
As for Surface pro 9 vs iPad pro 12.9 the main issue I have with using the Surface as a tablet is that I don't like the fact that it is warm or sometimes even almost hot depending on what it's doing, while the iPad is generally much cooler to the touch. Fan noise can also be annoying at times (only the ARM version is fanless, but that version has other issues).
Also the iPad is lighter, but that's not what bothers me the most as the kickstand allows me to hold the Surface better than the iPad pro.
Another thing that bothers me is lack of palm rejection when holding it from the sides (nothing to do with the stylus). iPad have thin bezels too, but iPadOS is smart to understand when you touch the screen on purpose or when you are just holding it by the screen. Windows is not, nor is Android, but with Android at least I found an app that allows to create additional (virtual, transparent) bezels, so the issue is solved.
Then of course the is the OS. What bothers me the most of Windows is the file explorer, which is not very touch friendly, but other that that browsing etc are fine and the browser can replace most iPad apps.
Of course once you add keyboard and touchpad you can a lot more with a Surface (although battery life is shorter) because of better multitasking, desktop apps and background tasks like real time cloud syncing in the background.
 

Joe Dohn

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2020
840
748
As for Surface pro 9 vs iPad pro 12.9 the main issue I have with using the Surface as a tablet is that I don't like the fact that it is warm or sometimes even almost hot depending on what it's doing, [...]

The iPad Pro (2021) can get very hot too on Discord calls for some reason, especially if there are many people talking at the same time. I have no idea why it does that, but it does. And it gets worse as the battery degrades. Instagram sometimes also gives the same behavior (Apple even notified them on it after the iPhone 15 fiasco).
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
The iPad Pro (2021) can get very hot too on Discord calls for some reason, especially if there are many people talking at the same time. I have no idea why it does that, but it does. And it gets worse as the battery degrades. Instagram sometimes also gives the same behavior (Apple even notified them on it after the iPhone 15 fiasco).
I have noticed it sometime on my M1, but it's less frequent than on Surface devices (probably because it does not do background stuff like the Surface). It happens less with my 2018 iPad pro
 
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sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,989
34,241
Seattle WA
As for Surface pro 9 vs iPad pro 12.9 the main issue I have with using the Surface as a tablet is that I don't like the fact that it is warm or sometimes even almost hot depending on what it's doing, while the iPad is generally much cooler to the touch. Fan noise can also be annoying at times (only the ARM version is fanless, but that version has other issues).
Also the iPad is lighter, but that's not what bothers me the most as the kickstand allows me to hold the Surface better than the iPad pro.
Another thing that bothers me is lack of palm rejection when holding it from the sides (nothing to do with the stylus). iPad have thin bezels too, but iPadOS is smart to understand when you touch the screen on purpose or when you are just holding it by the screen. Windows is not, nor is Android, but with Android at least I found an app that allows to create additional (virtual, transparent) bezels, so the issue is solved.
Then of course the is the OS. What bothers me the most of Windows is the file explorer, which is not very touch friendly, but other that that browsing etc are fine and the browser can replace most iPad apps.
Of course once you add keyboard and touchpad you can a lot more with a Surface (although battery life is shorter) because of better multitasking, desktop apps and background tasks like real time cloud syncing in the background.

Along with my M1 12.9, I also have a 16GB i7 Surface Pro 7. For me, the iPad is by far the superior tablet experience and the SP7 the superior laptop experience. Neither replaces the other - I don't need that - but rather acts as a complement.
 
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Joe Dohn

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2020
840
748
Along with my M1 12.9, I also have a 16GB i7 Surface Pro 7. For me, the iPad is by far the superior tablet experience and the SP7 the superior laptop experience. Neither replaces the other - I don't need that - but rather acts as a complement.

Just to be clear, there ARE Surface laptops and tablets. In the Pro 9 tablet line, you can attach the keyboard to make it work like a laptop, or detach it to make it work like a tablet.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
Along with my M1 12.9, I also have a 16GB i7 Surface Pro 7. For me, the iPad is by far the superior tablet experience and the SP7 the superior laptop experience. Neither replaces the other - I don't need that - but rather acts as a complement.
I tend to agree, but I have to say that I replaced my cellular 10.5 iPad pro with a cellular surface go 2...(which in turn had replaced pen and paper on the go) for my dance school. One of the main reasons was having whatsapp (which I use a lot to manage the school and I need a physical keyboard, with the iPad I had to remote into a PC) and having several Word files open at the same time (plus better file management overall). There still some advantages with the iPad in terms of quickly waking from sleep, but overall the surface go 2 M3 is doing a better job.
Surface pro would not be suitable, as it's too bulky
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
Lol, sure 20 cycles the same as 1000, that's why Apple guarantees 1000 cycles I guess.
Because 1000 is an average... And not the same, it can be much worse, actually. Most people, including you apparently, don't know how cycling works.
If you use your iPad, say, once every 2 month for 3 years leaving it on it will die after a few days and stay dead, until you charge it again after 2 months. Over those 3 years you'll have less than 20 cycles, wonderful right? Your battery should be like new, right? Wrong. You'll have destroyed the battery health of your device, which will probably be cut in half at best...
Same 3 years, someone using their iPad daily cycling them normally, avoiding going from 0 to 100% but charging before it goes too low and unplugging once it's charged, they'll have done around 1000 cycles and have a battery which is much healthier than the first scenario...
But, again, most people have no idea about this things and just assume that all cycles are equal...
 

Trixs

macrumors regular
Mar 26, 2008
164
101
Because 1000 is an average... And not the same, it can be much worse, actually. Most people, including you apparently, don't know how cycling works.
If you use your iPad, say, once every 2 month for 3 years leaving it on it will die after a few days and stay dead, until you charge it again after 2 months. Over those 3 years you'll have less than 20 cycles, wonderful right? Your battery should be like new, right? Wrong. You'll have destroyed the battery health of your device, which will probably be cut in half at best...
Same 3 years, someone using their iPad daily cycling them normally, avoiding going from 0 to 100% but charging before it goes too low and unplugging once it's charged, they'll have done around 1000 cycles and have a battery which is much healthier than the first scenario...
But, again, most people have no idea about this things and just assume that all cycles are equal...
You're talking an extreme case which has nothing to do with how I use my macbook. I didn't discharge my macbook to 0 and leave it for months or years or whatever + Apple has "optimised" charging built into the OS.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
You're talking an extreme case which has nothing to do with how I use my macbook. I didn't discharge my macbook to 0 and leave it for months or years or whatever + Apple has "optimised" charging built into the OS.
I don't know your charging habits. You said "Even if my charging habits were "bad", you'd think it should still last more than 300 out of the 1000 advertised cycles no?" and I told you that these numbers mean very little and that 20 bad cycles CAN be worse than 1000. It's an extreme case, indeed, but it's just to illustrate that 300 mean very little when we don't how how "bad" charging habits are...
 

AbieloAltair

Suspended
Oct 4, 2023
16
30
I've never paid for a battery replacement or even checked the battery health on a single Apple device that I own...and I own a lot of them. There is no reason to.
 

LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,342
9,446
Over here
I always doubted the iPad as a useful device beyond browsing and media but since I got the Apple keyboard and really started making the effort with my 12.9 it's actually now my most useful and most used portable device.

It took me a while to really get it all setup like a laptop but now it is I am loving just how much I get out of it.
 
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xantufrog

macrumors regular
Jul 7, 2023
130
135
You just spelled out the problem. Apple demands a premium for their devices. No problemo, we pay the premio. BUT if they demand a premium, it means their devices have to be better somehow -- otherwise, why bother with them when you can have the same at the competition, but cheaper?

Someone mentioned using the iPad for DJ'ing, which is an interesting usage. That's still very niche, however.
Could you direct me to a better Android tablet? I’ve had a few nice ones over the years - my favorite was the old nexus line back before that was discontinued. Very customizable and affordable. But i find the iPad has exceeded them all in its build quality and sense of “this isn’t just a big phone”

I’m genuinely interested if there’s a better tablet option
 
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