iPad Why can’t people use iPad as iPad and Computer as computer

[Greenmeenie]

I got rid of my laptop after I bought the 2018 11” iPad Pro. I am an artist who travels a lot And the iPad Pro really does everything I need in a much smaller form factor. I not only draw on it, i edit photos & 4k video on it as well. I also use it for surfing the web, sending emails & updating my blog. I love it. I am hoping Apple will announce Final Cut for the iPad Pro at WWDC. I currently use Luma Fusion which is great, but Final Cut really would complete the transition.

 

[spiderman0616]

I got rid of my laptop after I bought the 2018 11” iPad Pro. I am an artist who travels a lot And the iPad Pro really does everything I need in a much smaller form factor. I not only draw on it, i edit photos & 4k video on it as well. I also use it for surfing the web, sending emails & updating my blog. I love it. I am hoping Apple will announce Final Cut for the iPad Pro at WWDC. I currently use Luma Fusion which is great, but Final Cut really would complete the transition.

"Artist who travels a lot" is the PERFECT use case for iPad Pro.

 

[Scarboose]

These threads are funny to me. It seems like someone calls their iPad a computer or someone says it isn’t a computer and the other side gets upset.
My opinion: If it has a functional web browser, then I think it’s fair to call it a computer. An iPad is a touch screen laptop without a permanent keyboard. How can you say it’s not a computer?

 

[Lategamer]

First of all, I am entitled to make a thread. If you don’t like it , please not read or reply. If you think it is inappropriate, report it.

Ah, but what you're saying (provocatively), is that...

"Why can't people just use iPad the way I see iPad and use Computers the way I see Computers"

Simplified that for you.

 

[spiderman0616]

These threads are funny to me. It seems like someone calls their iPad a computer or someone says it isn’t a computer and the other side gets upset.
My opinion: If it has a functional web browser, then I think it’s fair to call it a computer. An iPad is a touch screen laptop without a permanent keyboard. How can you say it’s not a computer?

I even consider AirPods to be a computer. They have a computer chip in them, and they're actually doing about a zillion things a second, especially if you have noise cancelling on. Same for my Apple Watch. Not many "gadgets" these days are not computers.

I believe Jason Snell put it best when he said things like iOS, watchOS, tvOS, etc. are the subset, and the Mac is the superset. I interpret that as "If it's not a Mac, which is kind of the do-everything machine, it's a gadget that takes a chunk of what the Mac can do, and focuses ONLY on that chunk."

So in that context, the iPad/iPad Pro is very much a computer, and again, I'm able to use it for everything I do with my Mac. So the choice for me always comes down to which one is easier in general as my all purpose machine. For years that has been the iPad Pro. Post-M1, it's the Mac. I just go with the tool most suited for the task(s) at hand, and when you take all things into account and don't care about your laptop having a touch screen (I don't), the M1 Mac is the clear winner. It almost seems too good to be true that these things run so much better than their Intel counterparts.

 

[Hicksmat1976]

lol this thread!

Steve Jobs always envisioned a computer which required no technological skill to use (google it).

my argument is that the iPad has largely achieved that remit, and with advances in the M1 chip, and hopefully one day a better version of iPadOS/apps which are interchangeable with MacOS - I think the iPad will become the computer for everyone that he imagined back in the early 80's. The fact my elderly parents can pick up an iPad and use it says a lot, and in addition, my daughter was less than 18 months old when she started using the iPad to play YouTube kids etc.....

you can't achieve that with a regular computer. no chance.

 

[Phone Junky]

Ah, but what you're saying (provocatively), is that...

"Why can't people just use iPad the way I see iPad and use Computers the way I see Computers"

Simplified that for you.

Nice job replying to a post that's over 3 years old from a member that is suspended and hasn't posted in over a year. ??

I guess you really are late to the game. ?

 

[spiderman0616]

lol this thread!

Steve Jobs always envisioned a computer which required no technological skill to use (google it).

my argument is that the iPad has largely achieved that remit, and with advances in the M1 chip, and hopefully one day a better version of iPadOS/apps which are interchangeable with MacOS - I think the iPad will become the computer for everyone that he imagined back in the early 80's. The fact my elderly parents can pick up an iPad and use it says a lot, and in addition, my daughter was less than 18 months old when she started using the iPad to play YouTube kids etc.....

you can't achieve that with a regular computer. no chance.

I actually believe iPad 1.0 achieved that. Most people in the 90s bought a beige box PC, found an AOL disc, and used the computer to chat, play games, browse the web, and maybe write a paper in Word here and there. Those tasks did NOT require a full desktop PC that took up your entire desk. That's just the only tech we had available back then, so that's what we learned on. The notion that the iPad can't compete with that for the casual computer user is just silly.

There is a major dissonance between what the casual home computer user needs/wants and what tech writers, click baiters, forum posters, and loud mouth YouTubers THINK people need/want. They'll ding this year's iPad for not being different enough from last year's, even though the average iPad user most likely isn't upgrading from last year's iPad. They'll ding iPadOS for not being macOS-like enough, when desktop OSes are far too complicated for someone who only wants to play Candy Crush and browse Facebook.

It's the year 2021, and I feel like now more than ever, if you're not a software developer, graphic designer/illustrator, or don't just generally consider yourself a power user of computers, there is absolutely no reason for you to own a full blown desktop or laptop Mac or PC. This is the single biggest competitor for the iPad Pro--most iPad users don't even close to need even THAT much capability out of an iPad.

I personally am tired of the whole argument--I'm using a Mac because at this moment in my life, it's the best tool. I have a feeling I'm probably going to be back on an iPad Pro in the next 2 or 3 years, but I certainly don't need to own both.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

lol this thread!

Steve Jobs always envisioned a computer which required no technological skill to use (google it).

my argument is that the iPad has largely achieved that remit, and with advances in the M1 chip, and hopefully one day a better version of iPadOS/apps which are interchangeable with MacOS - I think the iPad will become the computer for everyone that he imagined back in the early 80's. The fact my elderly parents can pick up an iPad and use it says a lot, and in addition, my daughter was less than 18 months old when she started using the iPad to play YouTube kids etc.....

you can't achieve that with a regular computer. no chance.

I think this is exactly right. I think the “why don’t you just get a Mac“ group really really overestimates the computing needs of the majority of the population.

My 70 year old mother has never had a desktop or laptop, but she loves her iPad and can do everything she wants and needs.

I have two graduate degrees and good proficiency in Windows and MacOS, but I happily made a good, professional salary on iPads-only for a couple years when I discovered that a 2017 iPP could actually handle the tasks I needed better than my 2015 MBP. Now I’m back to using a Mac mini in tandem with 2018 IPP simply because I want more documents open on a screen, but if they simply fixed the ability of iPP to interact with an external monitor, I’d happily go back to iPad only. I don’t need any of the other “vital” functions people on her list as deficiencies in iPads.

My 10 year old daughter got her first iPad at age 4, and now she has a personal iPad and a public school-issued iPad. The iPad was already a big part of their learning before the pandemic, and now it is absolutely everything. Children are getting their first introduction to computing via iOS, and that is going to have a big impact on the future of consumer electronics.

 

[secretk]

There is a major dissonance between what the casual home computer user needs/wants and what tech writers, click baiters, forum posters, and loud mouth YouTubers THINK people need/want. They'll ding this year's iPad for not being different enough from last year's, even though the average iPad user most likely isn't upgrading from last year's iPad. They'll ding iPadOS for not being macOS-like enough, when desktop OSes are far too complicated for someone who only wants to play Candy Crush and browse Facebook.

I agree with you that the casual person does not need desktop machine. And most of the casual users do not need laptops either.

It's the year 2021, and I feel like now more than ever, if you're not a software developer, graphic designer/illustrator, or don't just generally consider yourself a power user of computers, there is absolutely no reason for you to own a full blown desktop or laptop Mac or PC. This is the single biggest competitor for the iPad Pro--most iPad users don't even close to need even THAT much capability out of an iPad.

I personally am tired of the whole argument--I'm using a Mac because at this moment in my life, it's the best tool. I have a feeling I'm probably going to be back on an iPad Pro in the next 2 or 3 years, but I certainly don't need to own both.

I am former Software Developer (no time to code as I am managing people) but this is not the reason I use laptop and cannot get by without a laptop temporarily. It is because I am of the rare type that does use my computing device for more than a computer. I do not own TV and quite frankly I am not super motivated to buy a TV. It takes space and I need to pay additionally for services that I won't use. I do use my laptop as a TV though. Youtube is like TV for me.

The thing is since young age I am the type of person to get bored really easily. I needed to have the TV on while I am studying or working or doing chores around the house. And for that tablets just don't cut it. It is not about the power. It is about battery performance actually. I use my laptop way too much (as it is basically a TV sometimes) and I need it plugged into power constantly and that is something tablets do not offer me. You can buy longer cord, but tablets are not designed to be pugged in all the time on power.

Another thing is research. I do research with opening a lot of tabs, writings lots of notes and of course music or movie in the background.

So for me it is not about the computing power at all. It is in the way I use technologies for my day to day business. And to be honest my parents would need more than a tablet if they did not have TV and used their computing device for that or if they used a tablet with pencil instead of notebook with a pen.

So for me it is not so much about users wanting power, it is more about users having multiple needs that need to be addressed by multiple computing devices in the same time which for me is usually the case. This is I believe the reason for me why tablet does not cut it. Not unless I own TV or a laptop.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I agree with you that the casual person does not need desktop machine. And most of the casual users do not need laptops either.

I am former Software Developer (no time to code as I am managing people) but this is not the reason I use laptop and cannot get by without a laptop temporarily. It is because I am of the rare type that does use my computing device for more than a computer. I do not own TV and quite frankly I am not super motivated to buy a TV. It takes space and I need to pay additionally for services that I won't use. I do use my laptop as a TV though. Youtube is like TV for me.

The thing is since young age I am the type of person to get bored really easily. I needed to have the TV on while I am studying or working or doing chores around the house. And for that tablets just don't cut it. It is not about the power. It is about battery performance actually. I use my laptop way too much (as it is basically a TV sometimes) and I need it plugged into power constantly and that is something tablets do not offer me. You can buy longer cord, but tablets are not designed to be pugged in all the time on power.

Another thing is research. I do research with opening a lot of tabs, writings lots of notes and of course music or movie in the background.

So for me it is not about the computing power at all. It is in the way I use technologies for my day to day business. And to be honest my parents would need more than a tablet if they did not have TV and used their computing device for that or if they used a tablet with pencil instead of notebook with a pen.

So for me it is not so much about users wanting power, it is more about users having multiple needs that need to be addressed by multiple computing devices in the same time which for me is usually the case. This is I believe the reason for me why tablet does not cut it. Not unless I own TV or a laptop.

Two simultaneous tablets. No, I know that’s not a solution for everyone. But when I got my first 12.9 iPP I expected to keep my MBP for things I couldn’t do on an iPad and to sell my Air 2. But it turned out I never used the MBP and liked using the two iPads together while I worked. I teach online and would use the big iPad for writing on an online white board and the small one to display documents. It was amazing to me because I was in long distance relationship and had been routinely traveling across the Atlantic with a MBP, Air 2, Wacom tablet, and several very heavy books. I got it down to just the 12.9 and Air 2 (yay PDFs and eBooks) and was in disbelief about how lightly I was traveling. these days I travel a lot less and primarily use my Mac mini plus 12.9. But when I travel the 12.9 and 11 work very well together.

 

[secretk]

Two simultaneous tablets. No, I know that’s not a solution for everyone.

It is for some though so it is worth mentioning .

But when I got my first 12.9 iPP I expected to keep my MBP for things I couldn’t do on an iPad and to sell my Air 2. But it turned out I never used the MBP and liked using the two iPads together while I worked. I teach online and would use the big iPad for writing on an online white board and the small one to display documents. It was amazing to me because I was in long distance relationship and had been routinely traveling across the Atlantic with a MBP, Air 2, Wacom tablet, and several very heavy books. I got it down to just the 12.9 and Air 2 (yay PDFs and eBooks) and was in disbelief about how lightly I was traveling. these days I travel a lot less and primarily use my Mac mini plus 12.9. But when I travel the 12.9 and 11 work very well together.

In your case I do believe that two tablets can work too. That being said if I need two devices (which I currently do) I would prefer to have different type of devices so that they can complement each other. Laptop plus tablet works better for me because I can do stuff with laptop that I cannot do with the iPad and vice versa.

I wanted mostly to provide an use case that is rather not so much about computing power than just maybe advanced multitasking that requires multiple devices to be used simultaneously. Or lots of external monitors.

Also you mentioning the heavy books reminds me that indeed I use my iPad to serve few purposes too (like my laptop) - digital notebook, digital books and media consumption device(when I travel I do not want to bring both the laptop and the iPad). For me it is quite natural to pick up the iPad to read a book while a movie is playing on my laptop (another iPad can work that scenario too btw).

 

[bniu]

Because even though I may have both an ipad and a mac, sometimes I want to do that one quick thing that can only be done on one of the devices, but I have the other device on hand currently. It's a pain to put down my current device, pick up the other device to do that one small thing, and then go back to my current device.

Yes, some processes aren't as ideal on one device versus another, but interrupting my flow of thought is also not ideal. I also would prefer not to have to carry all my devices with me when I travel.

 

[Yoms]

Why can’t people use iPad as iPad and Computer as computer?

Oh that's an easy one to answer: money.

 

[James Godfrey]

One word…. Microsoft!

People see that Microsoft made a **** attempt at merging a tablet and laptop and expect Apple to do it but do it far better.

But MacOS will never come to the iPad, simple… Apple have always made it clear they are two separate devices for two separate use cases, that’s why no matter what, iPadOS will always be tied down in the opinion of those who want an iPad as their laptop replacement.

Yes it will likely get Pro apps come WWDC which will make it viable to become a laptop replacement for many people, but there will always be times when a laptop is needed for certain things.

 

[macsound1]

Because even though I may have both an ipad and a mac, sometimes I want to do that one quick thing that can only be done on one of the devices, but I have the other device on hand currently. It's a pain to put down my current device, pick up the other device to do that one small thing, and then go back to my current device.

Yes, some processes aren't as ideal on one device versus another, but interrupting my flow of thought is also not ideal. I also would prefer not to have to carry all my devices with me when I travel.

I think this best explains the argument of them being distinctly different.
Many of us use iPads for the express purpose that they're not macs and each device has it's intended purposes with their ancillary purposes being possible, but slightly more clunky or less straight forward. Think socket wrench vs crescent wrench.

I love that apps are full screen only because the apps I use on the iPad work perfectly on a full screen, touch screen devise and I never for a moment wish that they were on my Mac.

The opposite is also exactly possible. When I have a dozen tabs open in 3 browsers while planning a winter vacation, trying to compare and contrast flights, hotels and, rental cars, in no way would I ever trust an iPad to do that.

 

[rui no onna]

The opposite is also exactly possible. When I have a dozen tabs open in 3 browsers while planning a winter vacation, trying to compare and contrast flights, hotels and, rental cars, in no way would I ever trust an iPad to do that.

With the 16GB, it actually seems possible now. I haven't had reloads yet during online shopping+product research.

Meanwhile, the 4GB and 6GB RAM iPads would reload every single tab when I get to that many Best Buy/Amazon/B&H/Apple/manufacturer tabs open.

 

[loybond]

Simple answer to the OP is that Tim Apple & Friends decided to try and increase revenue by introducing a line that they hadn't fully thought out - the iPad Pro. Before that, we had one line of iPads that had cutting edge chips every year, one size and a clear enough purpose - a leisure device that sits in between the computer and the phone. All for $500 usd, which almost sounds too good to be true today.

In order to justify the increase the price, they put in whatever they could come up with - faster chips, the pencil, four speakers, true tone etc. Then the big one came out. And the keyboard accessories. And then, the new design came out, and with it, more "pro" features to justify a yet higher price tag. Notably, USB-C and a files app made it seem like it can do some of the things a normal computer can.

The latest one now has 1:1 hardware with current Macs. Even thunderbolt! They've kinda "pro'd" it into a corner by saying the Mac and iPadOS will not merge, but adding hardware and setting a price that would make people think that it can or should be a computer replacement. But they have no idea where this ship is going, they're just going with a wait-and-see approach.

I just think a real desktop browser and decent files app would alleviate 80% of the complaints people have.

 

[rui no onna]

Simple answer to the OP is that Tim Apple & Friends decided to try and increase revenue by introducing a line that they hadn't fully thought out - the iPad Pro. Before that, we had one line of iPads that had cutting edge chips every year, one size and a clear enough purpose - a leisure device that sits in between the computer and the phone. All for $500 usd, which almost sounds too good to be true today.

In order to justify the increase the price, they put in whatever they could come up with - faster chips, the pencil, four speakers, true tone etc. Then the big one came out. And the keyboard accessories. And then, the new design came out, and with it, more "pro" features to justify a yet higher price tag. Notably, USB-C and a files app made it seem like it can do some of the things a normal computer can.

The latest one now has 1:1 hardware with current Macs. Even thunderbolt! They've kinda "pro'd" it into a corner by saying the Mac and iPadOS will not merge, but adding hardware and setting a price that would make people think that it can or should be a computer replacement. But they have no idea where this ship is going, they're just going with a wait-and-see approach.

I just think a real desktop browser and decent files app would alleviate 80% of the complaints people have.

The big one was actually the first iPad Pro (Nov 2015) and really, A9X was kinda just natural progression from the Air 2's A8X. We've had A#X chips since the much maligned iPad 3.

TrueTone came later with the release of the iPad Pro 9.7 (March 2016).

I agree though, allow full alternative desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge or Firefox at the very least) and fix the buggy Files app. I've had issues with some sites with Safari on MacOS Big Sur so would like an option with a completely different engine.

 

[AutomaticApple]

One word…. Microsoft!

People see that Microsoft made a **** attempt at merging a tablet and laptop and expect Apple to do it but do it far better.

But MacOS will never come to the iPad, simple… Apple have always made it clear they are two separate devices for two separate use cases, that’s why no matter what, iPadOS will always be tied down in the opinion of those who want an iPad as their laptop replacement.

Yes it will likely get Pro apps come WWDC which will make it viable to become a laptop replacement for many people, but there will always be times when a laptop is needed for certain things.

Two words: Windows RT

Microsoft was seven or so years early to the game. They had a perfect product back then, but it just wasn't recognized at the time. This was at a time when Chromebooks had just been released and netbooks were on the decline.

Microsoft was also many years early to this amazing idea. People didn't recognize how great Windows 10 Mobile was.

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Microsoft built a great ecosystem almost immediately, but it crumbled due to a lack of interest at the time.

 

[Jamacfer]

I do love iPad but prefer MacOS for my job because IPad lacks a real finder (files focused OS instead of app focused OS) and lacks real multitasking. So, yes, the most of the times it is possible to do everything on iOS but it takes more time and more efforts so it is not worth it. At the same time I prefer my iPad to enjoy internet, movies etc.

 

[Lategamer]

Nice job replying to a post that's over 3 years old from a member that is suspended and hasn't posted in over a year. ??

I guess you really are late to the game. ?

Ah someone else necro'd the thread - what are ya gonna do.

We should go round and egg his windows just to be sure.

 

[Lategamer]

Simple answer to the OP is that Tim Apple & Friends decided to try and increase revenue by introducing a line that they hadn't fully thought out - the iPad Pro. Before that, we had one line of iPads that had cutting edge chips every year, one size and a clear enough purpose - a leisure device that sits in between the computer and the phone. All for $500 usd, which almost sounds too good to be true today.

Wait, are we hating on capitalism or trying to figure out who's using their iPad for tasks that could only be done by a computer in 1990.

 

[one more]

Why can’t we just use iPad as iPad and use PC as PC. Why should we have to choose between one but not use both?

Well, I guess some of us might be minimalists, liking doing as much as we can with a minimal number of tools or devices involved. This is the reason for the whole debate of an iPad as a PC/laptop replacement and more recent hopes that with M1 iPads Apple might allow us to use MacOS in some form. By tweaking and optimising my workflows over the years I can do almost everything with an iPad/iPhone combo, but every now and again there are some awkward oddities that require me to boot up my old MBP. I guess my current device use is distributed as this: 70% - iPhone (it goes everywhere with me), 25% - iPad and 5% - MacBook. Considering that minuscule amount of time spent with a MacBook, it kind of makes sense to me to try to out-phase it altogether. It’s similar to keeping a car which you would use once a year to go for a road trip, while using the public transport every day. ??‍♂️

 

[loybond]

Wait, are we hating on capitalism or trying to figure out who's using their iPad for tasks that could only be done by a computer in 1990.

It's about designing products just for additional revenue vs designing great products for a purpose that also make tons of cash. The end goal is the same, but Tim Cook wouldn't have a business to grow if Apple didn't make amazing products to begin with.

Under Jobs, Apple would create products that were hyper-focused on usage and benefit to the customer. Tim Apple and friends, lacking vision but having business growth knowledge in spades decided to go beyond Jobs vision for the iPad without much thought as to the purpose or function of the pro iPad. It was created solely to increase revenue, not born of purpose.

That's why today we have $2000 iPads that barely do more than a $300 basic iPad, despite having the hardware that is ahead by leaps and bounds. They had no idea they where they were going with the iPad pro and are trying to figure it out as they go.