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What do you still need your laptop for?
- Thread starter randy98mtu
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Nah the iPad will never replace traditional laptops. The iPad is great at running arm apps from a dedicated App Store that were compiled to run on that processor but it is rubbish at running all of the x86 and arm64 software such as full versions of photo editors, games, programming software and everything else. All of this is not be compiled for iPad (arm) because much of it would not be usable without traditional keyboard and mouse as well as a much wider range of libraries for arm. Basically I love my iPad for the simple apps, simplicity, portability and speed within the software it runs. A laptop is essential for proper gaming, programming and running all of that great software that just doesn't and wouldn't exist on an arm device like the iPad. Maybe if we see more laptops and home computers using arm in the future we will see more full programs and support for arm.
I still have my 12" MacBook (have the 10.5" iPad Pro) but it sits unused for most of the time now.
I will still need it around for another year at least while I finish my course (although I've just bought an ASK and I'm going to see how that goes). The trouble for me is sometimes it's nice to have two screens with different things open. At the moment though it's mostly being able to connect the MacBook to a monitor and have more screen space. I also still find text editing much easier on the MacBook with the Trackpad than using a touchscreen. Also I'm keeping it for piece of mind at the moment as I can't seem to shake off the "what if" scenarios but who knows, this may change with a bit more use and thought.
I will still need it around for another year at least while I finish my course (although I've just bought an ASK and I'm going to see how that goes). The trouble for me is sometimes it's nice to have two screens with different things open. At the moment though it's mostly being able to connect the MacBook to a monitor and have more screen space. I also still find text editing much easier on the MacBook with the Trackpad than using a touchscreen. Also I'm keeping it for piece of mind at the moment as I can't seem to shake off the "what if" scenarios but who knows, this may change with a bit more use and thought.
So since starting this thread I got a 10.5”, 512 cellular pro. I’m trying to use my MBP as little as possible. Really I’m finding that I only use it to load my RAW images to Lightroom and then to do the final exports from Lightroom when I’m finished with pictures. Aside from those, I am running fully on my iPad. I do still wish I could manage smart playlists on the iPad but I am starting to explore radio in Apple Music and Spotify.
I'm able to get a deal on a 10.5 256 lte, but just not sure if this is a desktop replacement. I guess I just need to get out of the "comfort zone".
For me:
- Blender for 3D modeling
- Topaz filters
- Lightroom filters
- Any document that needs Office macro support
- Calibre ebook management
- Games.
I only use our MacBook Air to transfer video files to external hard drives. I do a lot of action cam/iPhone shooting and editing in lumafusion. Being able to connect directly to an external drive to manage and transfer files is the last hurdle for me to be able to go completely iOS for regular use.
My wife however is anti tablet, doesn’t much care for the iPad experience beyond watching Netflix while cooking and dailies the MBA.
My wife however is anti tablet, doesn’t much care for the iPad experience beyond watching Netflix while cooking and dailies the MBA.
In my world the iPad will never be able to replace my laptop. I'm a developer and security researcher. The power required to do my work will probably never be available on a mobile device, nor is the OS advanced enough. I know what you are thinking. "In the future the CPU will be more powerful". Yes that is true, but software development doesn't stand still, for each bump in performance there is a bump in required specs from software, this has always been the case and will to continue to be this way for many many years.
Also workflows are way to slow on an iPad compared to an actual computer with keyboard and mouse.
Also workflows are way to slow on an iPad compared to an actual computer with keyboard and mouse.
Have you tried using GoodReader? I've never encountered a file I couldn't upload elsewhere in it. You could use the in app browser to download it, or just open the downloaded file in it.
I haven't, but I will certainly try. I have had to resort to using my girlfriends MacBook Pro for this one task.
So, I disagree on the power. The A11 chip in the new iPhones paces the i5 in the 13" MacBook Pros. Now, good development apps not covered my Coda are a problem.
For security research, a lot of my tools would run fine on an iPad. Kali linux, Wireshark, et all can run on pretty basic hardware. However, we will not get the hardware-level access we need.
managing files mostly. all my files wont fit onto the ipad so I have to use an external drive. Ipad cant access the external drive. also too many video files to upload to the cloud its not practical. an external drive is the only way and ipad cant access it directly.
Pick up a Western Digital My Passport Wireless 4 TB drive. It uses its own WiFi network (if there is no WiFi available) or can connect to your home WiFi network. As a bonus, while you are out, it can serve as a battery backup for your ipad or iphone! It also has a USB slot and an SD card reader slot to import files from them. Comes with its own app My Cloud, but works great on the app called File Browser.
File Browser allows you to have all your clouds in one place, even icloud, NAS drives, FTP, even remote computers on the network (windows or Mac). You can copy / move files to or from between ANY of them. It’s an awesome app and blows iOS 11 files app out of the water! With that combo, your video files are just fine.
Just use an app like nPlayer which streams all video file types without downloading them. It can also access your NAS drive (SMB) like My Passport. ** File Browser will play them in the app, but has to download first. nPlayer works flawlessly for media playback but its not a file manager, it more focuses on media playback.
Building all those games and applications you use still are best written on a computer. I have taught a few classes in coding on an iPad, but it is painful at best.
Here's what I've got and what I use them for:
13" MBP: My work laptop. I VPN into our network and we utilize OKTA for security. Can't get that setup on an iPad. Well, maybe I could, but they won't let me. Regardless, I work with all sorts of different files and have to manipulate data all the time, so it's much easier to have a laptop.
iPad Air 2: I'm a musician and I use this for gigging. Also use it for Netflix on the treadmill.
iPhone SE: Aside from normal phone usage during the day, this bad boy also gets a ton of nightly couch usage. Surfing the web, checking Facebook/Twitter, etc.
iPad Mini 4: Just bought this. Plan to give it all of my nightly browsing time so that my SE can have some down time. It'll live in my living room/kitchen. Nice not to have to jockey my Air 2 in and out of my gig bag or up and down the stairs to my home gym.
12" MacBook: My personal laptop. Doesn't get a ton of use. I use it for creating the music files for my gigging app, browsing forums, buying/ordering things when they're not on Amazon. Stuff like that is better done on a laptop. It's not much and I could probably get rid of it and be fine...but I won't. For some reason, I feel like I HAVE to have a computer...despite clearly laying out that, aside from work, I spend most of my time on my tablets and phone. I guess I kind of consider this my backup laptop. Whenever I end my run at my current job, they'll get that MBP back and this one will step into play.
I could maybe envision myself going all iPad a couple of years down the road, especially with the iOS updates they've released. For now I find it comfortable to have a laptop on hand, even if it doesn't get a ton of use...especially when I'm typing novel-length responses on MacRumors.com.
13" MBP: My work laptop. I VPN into our network and we utilize OKTA for security. Can't get that setup on an iPad. Well, maybe I could, but they won't let me. Regardless, I work with all sorts of different files and have to manipulate data all the time, so it's much easier to have a laptop.
iPad Air 2: I'm a musician and I use this for gigging. Also use it for Netflix on the treadmill.
iPhone SE: Aside from normal phone usage during the day, this bad boy also gets a ton of nightly couch usage. Surfing the web, checking Facebook/Twitter, etc.
iPad Mini 4: Just bought this. Plan to give it all of my nightly browsing time so that my SE can have some down time. It'll live in my living room/kitchen. Nice not to have to jockey my Air 2 in and out of my gig bag or up and down the stairs to my home gym.
12" MacBook: My personal laptop. Doesn't get a ton of use. I use it for creating the music files for my gigging app, browsing forums, buying/ordering things when they're not on Amazon. Stuff like that is better done on a laptop. It's not much and I could probably get rid of it and be fine...but I won't. For some reason, I feel like I HAVE to have a computer...despite clearly laying out that, aside from work, I spend most of my time on my tablets and phone. I guess I kind of consider this my backup laptop. Whenever I end my run at my current job, they'll get that MBP back and this one will step into play.
I could maybe envision myself going all iPad a couple of years down the road, especially with the iOS updates they've released. For now I find it comfortable to have a laptop on hand, even if it doesn't get a ton of use...especially when I'm typing novel-length responses on MacRumors.com.
I'll turn your question around: what exactly do you do with an iPad that you'd usually do with a computer, except web browsing and email?
I am an engineer; I basically live in Emacs and occasionally Matlab on my 24" display.
I wouldn't know what to do with an iPad except using it as a nice reader for papers and as an organizer.
Which is fantastic, and I will in fact get one soon, but... that would replace my organizer, rather than my workstation.
MSOffice content creation. Long Word docs with complex formatting, Excel models w/multiple tabs, complex PowerPoint creation, etc. I find editing any of these docs to be pretty easy on iOS w/Office365 apps for same, but actually creating them to be a chore. All the movements required between keyboard and screen are just awkward and distracting.
As you’ve indicated in your own experiences....the iPad does “almost” a lot of things pretty well. But “almost there” is a waste of my time in most use cases. It just leaves me wanting more and reaching for my laptop.
I’m an engineer as well. My work PC is a completely different story. I can’t do most of my work on just an iPad. I have found it is an outstanding tool to have in the field though. I can open AutoCAD drawings on my iPad, make sketches and drawings and take all my notes without having to carry pencil and paper. I can even take a picture and start marking things up on the picture right there on the spot. I have found that to be very beneficial in the field.
For home use, pretty much all I do is browse, email, listen to music and the aforementioned photography. So to answer your question what exactly I do with it at home aside from basics; I like to do all of my editing of my pictures in Lightroom Mobile on my iPad. All those changes are transferred back to the desktop application and I can export my jpegs from there. So as I was saying, the main thing I use my Mac for now is file management and exporting my images. I can even take the iPad when I travel instead of the Mac and import the RAW images to the iPad for backup and to start my editing while I am on my trip.
As far as things that I absolutely cannot do on an iPad, I’m a teacher, and the web based platform that I have to use for doing report cards and accessing student records is java based.
But there’s also many things that can be done on an iPad, but are still a lot easier to do with an actual PC/Mac. Including, ironically, managing the contents of my iPad via iTunes.
But there’s also many things that can be done on an iPad, but are still a lot easier to do with an actual PC/Mac. Including, ironically, managing the contents of my iPad via iTunes.
I have similar needs and a similar setup. Except that my main machine is a Surface Pro 4, which is connected via its dock to one or two external monitors as per my requirement. The IPP 10.5 is critical for me because it is functions as a digital notebook and reading device. I also use it extensively for handwriting notes and marking up/ annotating various kinds of documents. Btw, the IPP 10.5 replaced a Surface 3 (non pro) which I used for the same functions. This allows me to pull my SP4 from its dock and paired with the IPP and my phone and take my full work setup anywhere I want and I need only a small footprint to set up shop and work away (like in a cafe, for example).
For those who say they require a mouse in Word, Excel, etc. Even emails, or anytime you are in a text entry... did you know there is a mouse like pointer on ipad?? When in text entry, as long as you can see the word suggestions bar (yes even when using an external keyboard) just touch the screen in the text entry ares, with two fingers and move around... your pointer will move exactly like a mouse, allowing you to position the curser anywhere easily and precisely!! Same way the iPhone already did it with force touch. But it works in ANY text entry area (websites, etc) and in any app that allows text entry. And you need two fingers to do it instead of one like on iPhone.
I don’t understand why a mouse is required??
You dont need a mouse to navigate the icons page... you can either touch with finger or use an external keyboard.
I don’t understand why a mouse is required??
You dont need a mouse to navigate the icons page... you can either touch with finger or use an external keyboard.
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