iPad Pro Citrix X1 Mouse & gotomypc w/ iPad Pro

[mebpenguin]

Hi,

I'm one of those who is trying to figure out whether an iPad pro can be a reasonable laptop replacement. I think that for the vast majority of my work I'd be fine with it, but I do know there are a couple of web apps that just don't work well with the iPad and that I need to access regularly, for example Salesforce.

As such I've been looking around to see what my options might be and I came across the combination of the X1 mouse and Gotomypc from Citrix. My question is: will the mouse will work if I use Gotomypc to access my Mac? All the examples I've seen of the mouse are accessing Windows computers or virtual desktops, but not OS X. If it does work, then I feel like that basically addresses the last few edge cases that would keep me from getting an iPad Pro.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

 

[mebpenguin]

Bumping this to give a few more people a chance to see the question.

 

[whtrbt7]

I guess I'll try to field this one... I haven't used GoToMyPC is a long long time but from what I know of Citrix and how everything works generally, the VNC client is pretty decent and it should work with the X1 mouse. For me, it kind of doesn't make sense with an iPad mini all the way to pro because you can use your screen as a huge trackpad. I would always forget my mouse and it was a hassle to bring even more accessories. If I was only working on an iPhone 4 or a screen that size, the mouse actually made more sense. If you're running a MS Windows server, most companies are better served by creating virtual desktops for users rather than outfitting them with a separate laptop.

Web apps I have to say kind of suck. I understand that they exist and they are usable but if native apps are available for the OS, in this case iOS, you're much better off using those apps. Salesforce has several iOS apps which replicate functions quite well and integrate with multiple workflows. There are also several other native apps that business users can use that are excellent. Not every company will support those applications however and if you're running pretty ancient software from companies that do enterprise stuff, you HAVE to have a Windows laptop to access things at a minimum. I do some pretty crazy stuff like VNC into a virtual machine to VPN into a server behind a firewall to get things working and IMO, all of this outdated junk prevents productivity. An iPad Pro might not be a laptop replacement but it can do other things to make you more productive. If there are only a few things that you have to run from a Windows PC or whatnot and you have he ability to VNC into that computer, the iPad line can get things done.

 

[mebpenguin]

Thank you, I really appreciate the thoughtful response. I have yet to find a Salesforce app that lets you do things like edit reports, but maybe I haven't looked closely enough. More than anything I want to make sure I have a backup to access a full laptop in the rare cases where it might be necessary.

I guess I'll try to field this one... I haven't used GoToMyPC is a long long time but from what I know of Citrix and how everything works generally, the VNC client is pretty decent and it should work with the X1 mouse. For me, it kind of doesn't make sense with an iPad mini all the way to pro because you can use your screen as a huge trackpad. I would always forget my mouse and it was a hassle to bring even more accessories. If I was only working on an iPhone 4 or a screen that size, the mouse actually made more sense. If you're running a MS Windows server, most companies are better served by creating virtual desktops for users rather than outfitting them with a separate laptop.

Web apps I have to say kind of suck. I understand that they exist and they are usable but if native apps are available for the OS, in this case iOS, you're much better off using those apps. Salesforce has several iOS apps which replicate functions quite well and integrate with multiple workflows. There are also several other native apps that business users can use that are excellent. Not every company will support those applications however and if you're running pretty ancient software from companies that do enterprise stuff, you HAVE to have a Windows laptop to access things at a minimum. I do some pretty crazy stuff like VNC into a virtual machine to VPN into a server behind a firewall to get things working and IMO, all of this outdated junk prevents productivity. An iPad Pro might not be a laptop replacement but it can do other things to make you more productive. If there are only a few things that you have to run from a Windows PC or whatnot and you have he ability to VNC into that computer, the iPad line can get things done.