Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What do you realistically use your iPad for?
- Thread starter linkgx1
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I am still rather new on the iPad train so most probably I still don't use it up its full potential. Nevertheless those are few examples:
1. Notes taking during meetings at work (usually handwritten using the pencil, though sometimes I also record the meetings)
2. Brainstorming
3. Basic creativity - nothing major, just light photos processing or doing some preliminary processing for postcards that I then print and color
4. Music player while travelling (if my second phone is dead)
5. Doing light work while outside (like reading and answering emails, work chat etc)
6. Annotate work documents. I used to print a lot of stuff so that I can add my own notes, now I could do it directly using the iPad
1. Notes taking during meetings at work (usually handwritten using the pencil, though sometimes I also record the meetings)
2. Brainstorming
3. Basic creativity - nothing major, just light photos processing or doing some preliminary processing for postcards that I then print and color
4. Music player while travelling (if my second phone is dead)
5. Doing light work while outside (like reading and answering emails, work chat etc)
6. Annotate work documents. I used to print a lot of stuff so that I can add my own notes, now I could do it directly using the iPad
I totally depend on my iPad Pro; I do freelance illustration and independent comic books, and I do it all in Procreate on a 9.7" iPad Pro. I did digital art prior to the iPad on a Mac Mini with a Monoprice tablet, but to be honest I never did like sitting at a desk for hours at a time, or the disconnect of drawing on one thing and looking at a separate monitor; the iPad Pro solved all those problems in one go (I did briefly have a Surface Pro, one of the first ones, but it was fairly thick, didn't have great battery, and had far too wide an aspect ratio for my tastes). I'm keen to upgrade to the new 12.9", and very excited to see what changes have been made to the Pencil.
I’ve been an iPad convert for awhile. I got the very first iPad in 2010 and am still grandfathered in on the AT&T unlimited data plan on my iPad mini.
As an artist & travel blogger, I used to use a MacBook for all my blogging, emailing and video/photo editing while on the road...and an iMac when I was at home. Like a lot of people, I originally got the iPad as a media consumption device. You know, for surfing the web while on the couch. Watching movies in bed or on the train. Stuff like that. But after getting it, and as more photo editing apps came out, I quickly saw it’s potential as a content creation device as well. Pretty soon I was grabbing it instead of my laptop when heading out on a trip.
Eventually I sold my laptop. I became so immmersed in the iOS ecosystem that it was hard to go back to a laptop. I kept trying to touch the screen! As a travel photographer, I even sold my dslr & lenses. I now just pack my iPhone, a GoPro & a small drone. It’s very liberating.
Recently my 2010 iMac died. And my iPad mini is definitely dying a slow painful death. It’s time to upgrade to an iPad Pro since it will be my only computer now. I mean, I will use it for literally EVERYTHING. Emailing, blogging, web-surfing, movie watching, gaming, photo & video editing...and drawing. Can’t wait to get the 2nd gen Apple Pencil.
The fact that there are rumors indicating usb-c and the ability to hook up a 4K HDR display to the next iPad pros means I won’t be buying a new iMac either. I got Everything covered with the iPad Pro.
I’m psyched.
As an artist & travel blogger, I used to use a MacBook for all my blogging, emailing and video/photo editing while on the road...and an iMac when I was at home. Like a lot of people, I originally got the iPad as a media consumption device. You know, for surfing the web while on the couch. Watching movies in bed or on the train. Stuff like that. But after getting it, and as more photo editing apps came out, I quickly saw it’s potential as a content creation device as well. Pretty soon I was grabbing it instead of my laptop when heading out on a trip.
Eventually I sold my laptop. I became so immmersed in the iOS ecosystem that it was hard to go back to a laptop. I kept trying to touch the screen! As a travel photographer, I even sold my dslr & lenses. I now just pack my iPhone, a GoPro & a small drone. It’s very liberating.
Recently my 2010 iMac died. And my iPad mini is definitely dying a slow painful death. It’s time to upgrade to an iPad Pro since it will be my only computer now. I mean, I will use it for literally EVERYTHING. Emailing, blogging, web-surfing, movie watching, gaming, photo & video editing...and drawing. Can’t wait to get the 2nd gen Apple Pencil.
The fact that there are rumors indicating usb-c and the ability to hook up a 4K HDR display to the next iPad pros means I won’t be buying a new iMac either. I got Everything covered with the iPad Pro.
I’m psyched.
Last edited:
Well my old ipad air 2 i only use it when i go to the toilet, read the news while taking a cr"#$"#p.
My ipad pro 10.5 i only use it to watch PRON from time to time at high resolutions.
BTW both devices draining battery fast with ios 12.0.1.
My ipad pro 10.5 i only use it to watch PRON from time to time at high resolutions.
BTW both devices draining battery fast with ios 12.0.1.
Realistically speaking you can never ever completely replace a laptop with an ipad tbh unless all you do is simple tasks like web browsing and answering emails. I always buy ipads when they come out but always end up selling them a few months later because my laptop and my desktop do everything I need (and do it better). It's nothing more than a device that's somewhere between your phone and your laptop. I am a university student so I am talking from a typical student's perspective. Old people who are not tech savvy will have no problem replacing their laptop with it ofc. That being said, I'm going to buy the new iPad when it comes out because it's just nice.
As a student my typical usages are reading my notes on Onenote, surfing the web, facebook, netflix, youtube videos. I still use my laptop to take notes in class because it is just so much faster and convenient to type (I do take intense notes in class). I guess you could download textbooks on your ipad but realistically speaking, how many of us actually read the textbook haha. If you're a teacher I think you can use that to write notes in class with your apple pencil instead of the old fashioned overhead projectors (not sure if they even have this in high school anymore).
As a student my typical usages are reading my notes on Onenote, surfing the web, facebook, netflix, youtube videos. I still use my laptop to take notes in class because it is just so much faster and convenient to type (I do take intense notes in class). I guess you could download textbooks on your ipad but realistically speaking, how many of us actually read the textbook haha. If you're a teacher I think you can use that to write notes in class with your apple pencil instead of the old fashioned overhead projectors (not sure if they even have this in high school anymore).
Wasn’t gonna respond...um...lol...but I gotta. Okaaay. Your statement “Realistically speaking you can never completely replace a laptop with an iPad unless all you do is simple tasks like web browsing & answering emails”... is completely false. It’s written as a declarative fact, when in reality, it is only your OPINION. That’s fine. That’s how you feel the iPad is for you, but to say it’s not for anyone else is rather naive. And wrong. Sorry to burst your bubble...but it’s true. There are many professionals(myself included) who use the iPad as their only content creation device. For writing. For drawing. For photo editing. For blogging. For designing. On and on. You may not be able to comprehend that, but trust me, i speak from experience. I ditched my laptop nearly 7 yrs ago now and haven’t looked back. I am completely immersed in the iOS ecosystem.
Even Adobe agrees. Next year they are releasing a FULL version of Photoshop(the king of photography & design software) for the iPad. Say no more.
It’s my primary information consumption device. Read all my news, forums on it every day. However, email, messaging, and financial apps are iPhone only for me. Even though I could use my 2018 9.7” when home on wi-fi I find it awkward for this use. 
Yeah that's why I included 'speaking from a typical student's perspective'. Damn though, you've never ever opened your laptop even once since you got your ipad? If so, that's pretty impressive... I'm saying it can't realistically replace your laptop because for me there are tons of laptop-specific tasks. Like for example when I need to print something, it's so much faster and easier to print from my laptop. Also, I'm a student in the medical field so I read lots of papers and write reports. I can never ever imagine doing this on an ipad alone. I can't imagine professionals only relying their iPad to do all their tasks though but obviously that's just my personal opinion again (I have 0 experience in that field so you know better about it ofc). I have seen many non-tech savvy old people who completely replaced their laptop with their ipads though.
Hey, that’s cool. I totally get why the iPad won’t work for many people as a laptop replacement. As an artist, I always come from the perspective of whatever tool gets the job done. I have nothing against laptops at all, and I wouldn’t rule out getting a computer again down the road. Right now however, the iPad is all I need. And with the new iPad pros coming, it maybe all I need for a long time to come. Cheers! And good luck in Med school
I create documents for work on my ipad all the time without needing a mouse etc. i do use a Smart Keyboard but that’s it.
Everyone is different. I use mine as my only work and personal computer (aside from my iPhone). I use mine for email, drafting proposals, reviewing reports, analytics dashboards, collaborating with my team on documents, creating presentations, FaceTime meetings, desk to desk meetings in the office to review performance, things like that for work. At home, I use it for server management, downloading torrents, Safari, Netflix, Playstation Vue, Plex, Twitter, etc.
I agree. This thread is pretty old, and since posting last year, I have had an opportunity to use the productivity improvements in iOS 11 and now 12. I find that I can effectively create drafts and simple documents on the iPad. Of course, it is hard to beat a full desktop for content creation, but we don’t always have access to our workstations, and the iPad can be an effective alternative in these circumstances. You just need to plan for some of its limitations in your workflow.....that’s not necessarily a showstopper.
Safari and Microsoft Office apps get my attention. Anyone think the Office apps are slow though?
I've had my iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard for over a year now. I bought it to replace my personal MacBook Pro and it's worked out great for that with the big caveat being that I have a PC for when I need a real computer. By far the most common things I use it for are email, reading news, browsing the web, watching videos, watching movies on a plane (I travel a lot), etc. Less common things I use it for are logging into my home and work servers to do various things (hence the Smart Keyboard). I use it every day. The Smart Keyboard is what really turns it into a productivity device for me and allows me to use it as a laptop replacement.
I especially wanted it because I wanted a laptop replacement for when I travel but I wanted it to be as light as possible. I'm a software engineer and I wanted the ability to log into my work servers during an emergency while I'm away. I've even used it to work on web apps while visiting family. While it's most certainly not the right tool for that job, I can make it work if I absolutely have to when I'm away and that's all I really needed out of it work wise. Most of the time when I'm traveling, I use it for all the typical things one uses a tablet for and it's of course perfect for that. When I'm traveling for work, I'll of course bring a real laptop instead.
I especially wanted it because I wanted a laptop replacement for when I travel but I wanted it to be as light as possible. I'm a software engineer and I wanted the ability to log into my work servers during an emergency while I'm away. I've even used it to work on web apps while visiting family. While it's most certainly not the right tool for that job, I can make it work if I absolutely have to when I'm away and that's all I really needed out of it work wise. Most of the time when I'm traveling, I use it for all the typical things one uses a tablet for and it's of course perfect for that. When I'm traveling for work, I'll of course bring a real laptop instead.
Last edited:
Statements like this are just as ignorant as the whole “you can’t do real work on a tablet” nonsense. It’s very easy to beat a full desktop for content creation, it all depends on the content.
That's cool and I guess it is also a sort of habit. I am now doing evaluations for all of my team members and as part of the program there is peer evaluation. So basically everyone is evaluating everyone else. I had to create Excel file with 18 sheets and each sheet had to have about 19 columns. I could not visualize the whole thing on my 23 inch monitor, let alone on something smaller. I of course will utilize some formulas as well to calculate average scores and stuff like that. I can do it on the iPad of course, but it definitely would take me longer than it did on my desktop machine at work. Same for my laptop at home.
I do plan to access the file from the iPad though. I don't see myself creating the skeleton on the iPad, but I might be able to edit small parts of it from time to time you know.
I am a LONG time Windows and Android user. Nothing can really compete with the 12.9” iPP. On my asus tablet, I cannot do what I can do on the iPP. The ASUS is NOT a replacement for a computer. I have used Samsung and other tablets over the years. I am talking tablets - yes you can do a lot of heavy tasks on computers. On the iPP maybe you cannot do heavy multi-tasking. But in the last few months, I have really done a lot of that on my iPP. I have actually slowed it down quite a bit a few times.... SO I just closed a bunch of the apps I was not using (I am talking over 20 or more apps open). That is working with Affinity Photo with files over 100 mb each.
So I KNOW you can do a lot with an iPP - it is just figuring out the apps you need to use. You DO have a lot of choices - just have to find the one that does what you want it to do.
Now on your huge Excel file - yes it would probably work better if you connected your iPad to a big monitor. But you DO have that option to do it. I also find having an external keyboard is what makes it possible. I just took my iPP to my son’s wedding this weekend. For the things I needed to do - it was easy and nice to have my “computer” with me. I did not bring the keyboard, but I was not on it very much - too busy with the wedding.
The thing about using the iPad is having the peripherals.... Just the iPad can be limiting or not very easy to write long emails, posts, etc. But with the write externals it can be something wonderful..... You also DON”T have to buy the most expensive keyboards etc....
So I KNOW you can do a lot with an iPP - it is just figuring out the apps you need to use. You DO have a lot of choices - just have to find the one that does what you want it to do.
Now on your huge Excel file - yes it would probably work better if you connected your iPad to a big monitor. But you DO have that option to do it. I also find having an external keyboard is what makes it possible. I just took my iPP to my son’s wedding this weekend. For the things I needed to do - it was easy and nice to have my “computer” with me. I did not bring the keyboard, but I was not on it very much - too busy with the wedding.
The thing about using the iPad is having the peripherals.... Just the iPad can be limiting or not very easy to write long emails, posts, etc. But with the write externals it can be something wonderful..... You also DON”T have to buy the most expensive keyboards etc....
You bring another good point or at least a point that makes sense to me. You have used tablets in the past so you are kind of used to the idea. I have not used tablets until I purchased my iPad just in the beginning of this month. I never found a place for regular tablet in my routine you know. The pencil was what brought me in.
That's true. I spent quite a lot of my free time looking for apps and testing them out so that I can perfect my workflow.
I draw the line with the keyboard and the pencil. If I will have to buy bunch of peripherals too, it's not longer mobile device for me. Also those dongles cost a lot and it's not a price I am willing to pay. I have the laptop and the desktop available anyway so I prefer to use them.
Keyboard was definitely something I knew from the start that I would need. Same for pencil because I use the iPad for taking handwritten notes and doing brainstorming.
Now about laptops, keyboards and mouse I had an interesting insight last week. I had issues with my right wrist. I could not lift a thing with my right hand, I had issues with basic wrist movements like typing, writing, locking/unlocking keys, using the Touch ID/fingerprint (it is my right thumb and this is where I had the most pain). My right hand is my dominant hand so I was not very capable person
. Anyway back to the point. I realized that typing on a physical keyboard sucked big time. Using mouse sucked too. Doing any sort of multiple fingers gestures (like pinching etc) sucked too. The trackpad was actually the thing that had the least strain for my hand. What I am trying to say is that we all have different needs and preferences for both software and hardware. For some the iPad is the only device they need, for others it's a complimentary device. For some it's just a consumption device, for others it's a device for work.And like you said every person should also explore and find the apps that best suite them. I find those threads interesting not because I will convince someone that they need more than iPad or because someone would convince me that I can do everything I want on an iPad. I like them because I can learn about new apps worth checking out or new workflows that might fit in my style.
I agree. I find those overly simplistic statements to be a distraction from having meaningful discussion on how to push the boundaries on what a platform can do.
Excellent points.
Having pushed the limits myself with what an iPad Pro+ASK+Pencil can do, I too had great success. However I have found that it has fallen short of what I need from a mobile device. It was only after a lot of time understanding the strengths of the platform, and experimenting to find different paths to accomplish the same end goal. It was a fun and productive journey. The device that replaced my iPad Pro will carry me forward in this next season... hopefully Apple will enhance the platform to provide solutions that I need.
I try to encourage everyone to experiment and see just how far that combination can take them. In this age of the "do it" button (eg. Photoshop has a unitasking button for most things), fewer people understand the underlying concept of things to be able to accomplish a task that isn't presented to them.
Last edited:
I actually already had the keyboard. I have a keyboard drawer under my desk - on it I had my big Wacom tablet and a keyboard - which needed to be smaller. I had a white one that I bought on Amazon years ago (corded) that looks similar to the Apple keyboard. But I bought this Logitech one to replace it. Some because I could hook up to 3 devices to it. I have not really used it much for different devices at a time.
My trying out the iPP as my computer was not intentional. I spent several months this summer remodeling our old home for our son and his new bride. When I came home, my Asus desktop (with all the specs from 2 years ago) was crashing multiple times a day. I finally did a fresh install of Windows and it was working better. But around May or so, I started thinking about how a Mac would work. I have had iPads for awhile, but last fall I got an Apple Watch, and in December the iPhone X. I now had more Apple devices.
So I started researching Apple computers. I knew that since I have a 2015 iPP that I really want to upgrade that first. The prices of the MacBook pros are terrifying LOL. Plus for the past few years I was using a desktop instead of a laptop - especially since my portable devices were tablets. Since the rumors were out there that there was going to be an iMac refresh, I have been sort of waiting.... So since I already gave my desktop to my son - I had to use something. In the process, I started doing a lot of research on people using their iPP as their only computer. I am like wow.....
I still am not sure what I want or need to do. But I have been solving a few of the issues I had with only using the iPPs. Monitor, hard drive, printer etc. Affinity Photo is a fantastic PS replacement as well. But my thought is, if Photoshop is going to have a full version on the new iPPs - this is going to be a beast of a tablet!!!
On the peripherals, like I said, I already have the keyboard. I have spent money on other stylus as well. I even have a Bamboo Fineline to use with my iPhone Max. (I am a former Samsung Note user - I need my stylus). The pencil is SO worth the money. I have had several different Wacom tablets over the years and several different stylus as well - I think the Pencil is the BEST I have ever used!!! So yes $100 is an ouch but so worth it....
In fact, I homeschool my children. My youngest, 11y, is very artistic. So we just bought her a 2018 iPad with a pencil. I did tell her that the pencil was very expensive - so she needed to take real good care of it.
[doublepost=1540231116][/doublepost]
I really like your last statement. Maybe its because I come from Android phone / tablets where you have so many choices on how you use your divice. I actually kind of like some of the limitations with iOS - because then I don’t have to make a decision about “everything”.... I also am the “queen of substitutions” as my husband says. We were living in Germany (US Army) and one year they did not have any copy paper in the store - the crate fell over on the boat. All they had was the old perforated paper that you had to tear apart. Well we used that for our schooling, even if it was not the best. I do like that there are a lot of options on apps.... One thing I wish Apple did for the App Store. In Android, you had 15 minutes (or something like that) to try out the app to see if it would do what you wanted. Then you had to buy it if you wanted to keep it....
My trying out the iPP as my computer was not intentional. I spent several months this summer remodeling our old home for our son and his new bride. When I came home, my Asus desktop (with all the specs from 2 years ago) was crashing multiple times a day. I finally did a fresh install of Windows and it was working better. But around May or so, I started thinking about how a Mac would work. I have had iPads for awhile, but last fall I got an Apple Watch, and in December the iPhone X. I now had more Apple devices.
So I started researching Apple computers. I knew that since I have a 2015 iPP that I really want to upgrade that first. The prices of the MacBook pros are terrifying LOL. Plus for the past few years I was using a desktop instead of a laptop - especially since my portable devices were tablets. Since the rumors were out there that there was going to be an iMac refresh, I have been sort of waiting.... So since I already gave my desktop to my son - I had to use something. In the process, I started doing a lot of research on people using their iPP as their only computer. I am like wow.....
I still am not sure what I want or need to do. But I have been solving a few of the issues I had with only using the iPPs. Monitor, hard drive, printer etc. Affinity Photo is a fantastic PS replacement as well. But my thought is, if Photoshop is going to have a full version on the new iPPs - this is going to be a beast of a tablet!!!
On the peripherals, like I said, I already have the keyboard. I have spent money on other stylus as well. I even have a Bamboo Fineline to use with my iPhone Max. (I am a former Samsung Note user - I need my stylus). The pencil is SO worth the money. I have had several different Wacom tablets over the years and several different stylus as well - I think the Pencil is the BEST I have ever used!!! So yes $100 is an ouch but so worth it....
In fact, I homeschool my children. My youngest, 11y, is very artistic. So we just bought her a 2018 iPad with a pencil. I did tell her that the pencil was very expensive - so she needed to take real good care of it.
[doublepost=1540231116][/doublepost]
I really like your last statement. Maybe its because I come from Android phone / tablets where you have so many choices on how you use your divice. I actually kind of like some of the limitations with iOS - because then I don’t have to make a decision about “everything”.... I also am the “queen of substitutions” as my husband says. We were living in Germany (US Army) and one year they did not have any copy paper in the store - the crate fell over on the boat. All they had was the old perforated paper that you had to tear apart. Well we used that for our schooling, even if it was not the best. I do like that there are a lot of options on apps.... One thing I wish Apple did for the App Store. In Android, you had 15 minutes (or something like that) to try out the app to see if it would do what you wanted. Then you had to buy it if you wanted to keep it....
Fair enough. I was refer to typical productivity apps such as word, excel and PowerPoint or even iWorks. Granted, if you are drawing, the iPad is better. I am a big fan of the iPad, and use it all of the time for productivity (not drawing). I recognize there are some compromises, but that’s fine....it works great for the type of mobile content creation I need to do. If I really have heavy lifting, I use the desktop back at my office.
Yeah it took a while for me to call it quits on my Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, I wanted so much for Google to do something more with Android on the tablet side but they made it clear that they were moving towards Chrome OS and supporting Android apps within that. The PixelBook and the initial support of Android apps on Chrome OS were what helped me make my decision. It was pretty clear to me that I was in for a wait of a year or so to get solid Android app support and closer to a desktop experience on the Chrome OS within one large tablet device for a decent price so I jumped onto the iPad Pro 12.9. I figured I'd give the iPad a shot for a year or two and then jump into Chrome OS.
Now that I'm several months in and I've settled upon my preferred workflows I have no regrets with my decision. I think I can live with what I've got for the next 18 months and see where iOS takes me and where Chrome OS goes.
As you've pointed out it's all about finding workflows that fit. For me what I like about mobile OS's is the light weight of applications. I believe in having the right tool for the job and sometimes if all I want is something quick and light then a mobile app might be just the ticket. As we start to see companies like Adobe trying to push things to another level with a coherence type approach (speaking in regards to Photoshop here) where one can leverage the benefits of two totally different platforms to achieve results more efficiently using cloud services I am very excited for the future.