iPad as a laptop replacement

[alecgold]

My plan is to pick up the 12.9 at launch, see how I get on with it for 10 days and if it's too big then return it for the 11".

That is a possibility and apple is really generous in that respect. But my trouble is that the iPad will become refurbished at best and possibly scrapped/recycled. That would be such a waste.
But perhaps I’ll go with the 11” and if I really can’t settle with the screen size, I’ll change.

I have several iPPs and very happy to have them

Yes, having several would be really something. But an 1Tb 5G/LTE AND a new pencil AND a new keyboard AND AC+ is so expensive (at this moment €2800+) that I’ve got trouble not making them my 90% device. And the new iPP’s are probably even a bit more expensive.
So either I’ll be “forced” to hand down my current iPad to my wife, or sell it for the extra funding But perhaps I might be able to just keep both…

 

[alecgold]

I love my 11" M1 iPad Pro and am also someone who really tried to make my iPad work as my '80% computer' (leaving games and my music DAW as requiring a PC & Mac) ... but I feel like the M1 was really the breaking point: the chasm between what the hardware could do and the extreme limitations of iPadOS was just too much to pretend anymore. The M1 iPad was basically almost same $ as M1 Air - and the Air was so much more useful.

I might grab a new iPad - but at this point the Mini is of more interest.

Funny, I have hope that the M3 will be so good in the graphics that it will be able to drive my 4K 27”/32” displays and charge and have lots of apps open/active and not overheat. both the M1 and M2 stop charging at 80% (and sometimes even below that) because they are too hot.
So IMHO/ with my use the iPP M1 and M2 are not powerful enough yet…

 

[bondr006]

Funny, I have hope that the M3 will be so good in the graphics that it will be able to drive my 4K 27”/32” displays and charge and have lots of apps open/active and not overheat. both the M1 and M2 stop charging at 80% (and sometimes even below that) because they are too hot.
So IMHO/ with my use the iPP M1 and M2 are not powerful enough yet…

My M1 iPad Pro 11 charges to 100% every time since I got it in Nov. 2021. I use it every day for my real estate and property management businesses, and never once has it overheated. I use an Anker USB C, 735 Fast Charger (Nano II 65W). I find it fascinating that yours overheats and won't charge to full capacity.

Now I'm wondering if the M1 and M2 MBA's and MBP's overheat, charge all the way, and are powerful enough.

 

[alecgold]

My M1 iPad Pro 11 charges to 100% every time since I got it in Nov. 2021. I use it every day for my real estate and property management businesses, and never once has it overheated. I use an Anker USB C, 735 Fast Charger (Nano II 65W). I find it fascinating that yours overheats and won't charge to full capacity. View attachment 2359262

Now I'm wondering if the M1 and M2 MBA's and MBP's overheat, charge all the way, and are powerful enough. View attachment 2359269

It’s also what I do with it:
drive a 4K screen via USB-C and that screen has 4 apps open. With word, outlook and some other things.
But also on my iPad I have Nebo as a note-taking app. You write with the pencil and it converts to ASCII text. Wonderful, but it’s a rather processor intensive app (if I look at the battery usage). Then I also often have a PiP Netflix or something (This is another reason I want a 1Tb iPad, the memory is 16Gb and that helps keeping apps active when switching.)

And to top it off: I’m often working in a warm (24c / 75F ) room.

So all in all I use the iPP rather heavily and not under perfect circumstances.

 

[Ludatyk]

Funny, I have hope that the M3 will be so good in the graphics that it will be able to drive my 4K 27”/32” displays and charge and have lots of apps open/active and not overheat. both the M1 and M2 stop charging at 80% (and sometimes even below that) because they are too hot.
So IMHO/ with my use the iPP M1 and M2 are not powerful enough yet…

As @bondr006 mention… I haven’t gotten to the point where my iPP has overheated. Maybe, if I was outside in direct sunlight... But never indoors.

This is another reason I want a 1Tb iPad, the memory is 16Gb and that helps keeping apps active when switching

I have the 1TB model… but I’m thinking of downgrading to the 512GB model when the new one gets released. Because I can offload storage to a SSD, however… I do want that 16GB RAM .

Hoping with the upcoming iPad lineup changes… we get a change in storage/RAM configuration. And I’d like to add… the M3 supports 24GB RAM, imagine that on the iPad.

 

[txa1265]

Funny, I have hope that the M3 will be so good in the graphics that it will be able to drive my 4K 27”/32” displays and charge and have lots of apps open/active and not overheat. both the M1 and M2 stop charging at 80% (and sometimes even below that) because they are too hot.
So IMHO/ with my use the iPP M1 and M2 are not powerful enough yet…

But why not use a REAL $2000 Mac that can already do this instead of a $2000 tablet with an upscaled phone OS running underpowered versions of real apps?

I stand by what I say - iPad OS and the apps are holding back the iPad.

 

[sparksd]

But why not use a REAL $2000 Mac that can already do this instead of a $2000 tablet with an upscaled phone OS running underpowered versions of real apps?

I stand by what I say - iPad OS and the apps are holding back the iPad.

Because he wants a tablet and not a laptop?

 

[txa1265]

Because he wants a tablet and not a laptop?

Sure - I get that ... it was my reasoning as well for many years: accept the inferior OS and apps for the convenience of the more portable format. But an iPad Pro with keyboard is heavier than a 13" Air and not significantly smaller. And if you want to do that, fine. It is like buying a top end MBP when your needs are easily met by a Chromebook. It is a choice, and everyone gets there own - but let's not pretend there is technical merit.

 

[sparksd]

Sure - I get that ... it was my reasoning as well for many years: accept the inferior OS and apps for the convenience of the more portable format. But an iPad Pro with keyboard is heavier than a 13" Air and not significantly smaller. And if you want to do that, fine. It is like buying a top end MBP when your needs are easily met by a Chromebook. It is a choice, and everyone gets there own - but let's not pretend there is technical merit.

If it answers a user's needs and he wants a tablet form factor, then it has technical merit for that user.

 

[boultonn]

I wouldn't say it's 'logical' to get an iPad Pro in certain circumstances, I've got a 14" M1 Pro MBP which is still amazing, and can do everything, so why get a 12.9" IPP? I like the iPad experience and being slightly smaller works for me.
Granted spending £1800 when my MBP was 2k does seem kinda crazy but it is what it is.

 

[prospervic]

Sure - I get that ... it was my reasoning as well for many years: accept the inferior OS and apps for the convenience of the more portable format. But an iPad Pro with keyboard is heavier than a 13" Air and not significantly smaller. And if you want to do that, fine. It is like buying a top end MBP when your needs are easily met by a Chromebook. It is a choice, and everyone gets there own - but let's not pretend there is technical merit.

Clearly you don’t “get that.” He wants a TABLET COMPUTER and NOT a ”more portable“ laptop. These are two different devices that are used differently for different tasks.

For example: I tried turning my MacBook Pro sideways so I could read my sheet music in full-screen portrait orientation. But — SHOCKER — it didn’t work. I then tried to draw on my MBP screen using my Apple Pencil, but — SHOCKER, AGAIN — it didn’t work!!
But why? Hmmm….maybe for those tasks I should’ve pulled out my iPad Pro? (Who’d have thunk it?)

 

[prospervic]

….I like the iPad experience…..

This is all the justification needed.

 

[okkibs]

But an 1Tb 5G/LTE AND a new pencil AND a new keyboard AND AC+ is so expensive (at this moment €2800+) that I’ve got trouble not making them my 90% device. And the new iPP’s are probably even a bit more expensive.

You can get a third party pencil with magnetic charging for 15 bucks off Amazon and a cheaper keyboard from Logitech if you don't need Apple's trackpad. But pricing is still steep and for me it makes not much sense to get a high-end iPad over a more versatile Macbook Air for the same price unless the form factor is absolutely required. I really want an 11" OLED but in day-to-day use I'd probably get more value out of something like a foldable smartphone that I carry with me all of the time. Even with being able to do 90% on the iPad I still need the Macbook for the other 10% that just don't work without MacOS. So for the time being I'll keep the M1 version and make do with the display.

 

[Mainsail]

You can get a third party pencil with magnetic charging for 15 bucks off Amazon and a cheaper keyboard from Logitech if you don't need Apple's trackpad. But pricing is still steep and for me it makes not much sense to get a high-end iPad over a more versatile Macbook Air for the same price unless the form factor is absolutely required. I really want an 11" OLED but in day-to-day use I'd probably get more value out of something like a foldable smartphone that I carry with me all of the time. Even with being able to do 90% on the iPad I still need the Macbook for the other 10% that just don't work without MacOS. So for the time being I'll keep the M1 version and make do with the display.

I think this is a pretty common issue for iPad users.....at least for me. They can do a fair amount with it, but there are those annoying things that crop up where iPadOS or an iPad App just doesn't cut it or is too awkward. So, you end up with a MBA, which starts to make the iPad feel a little redundant. I am sure there are some people that have the opposite experience and their MBA feels redundant.

For me, the two sticking points are productivity apps (especially Excel) and multitasking. For these purposes, I just can't get the iPad to work as well for me as the MBA.

 

[Digitalguy]

Yes, having several would be really something. But an 1Tb 5G/LTE AND a new pencil AND a new keyboard AND AC+ is so expensive (at this moment €2800+) that I’ve got trouble not making them my 90% device. And the new iPP’s are probably even a bit more expensive.
So either I’ll be “forced” to hand down my current iPad to my wife, or sell it for the extra funding But perhaps I might be able to just keep both…

I have spent a lot on iPads but I have never and would never spend than much money on one single device, unless it's bigger ultra iPad... I prefer having multiple devices of different sizes.
I think I have spent less on my 2 main iPad pros bought on sale or slightly used ($1000 for a M1 5G 128GB with Magic Keyboard + $1000 for a 2018 1TB 4G 11" bought on a big sale for 900 + 100 for the Magic keyboar slightly used) and $60 each for the pencils 2. Oh I also got AC+ for the 11" but never used it.
Most of my iPads have been bought used in mint condition or on sale at like half the original price.
This of course takes years but allows me to have multiple iPads of different sizes (although of different generations).
I do the same with android, I have a S7 12.4", a S8 14.6" and a S9 11". All sizes but not bought at the same time, and only the big one was bought at full price ($1400 for the maxed out version)

 

[Populus]

I was going to open an iPadOS 18 wishlist thread, but I was really only going to talk about the following feature so… I prefer to put it here:

Widgets on the external monitor. This would require making the external monitor a bit more independent from the main iPad screen, but I think it is feasible. I really miss having icons, apps, and especially widgets on the big screen I attach my M2 iPad Pro.

 

[bondr006]

I was going to open an iPadOS 18 wishlist thread, but I was really only going to talk about the following feature so… I prefer to put it here:

Widgets on the external monitor. This would require making the external monitor a bit more independent from the main iPad screen, but I think it is feasible. I really miss having icons, apps, and especially widgets on the big screen I attach my M2 iPad Pro.

I would really, really love this. Same as Mac or PC and having a fully functional iPad OS desktop (Widgets, Icons, Folders, and App Dock) on the external monitor. This is the thing that has bothered me most since Stage Manager was introduced.

 

[Populus]

I would really, really love this. Same as Mac or PC and having a fully functional iPad OS desktop on the external monitor. This is the thing that has bothered me most since Stage Manager was introduced.

I think we’re not seeing macOS-style Finder windows on iPadOS, at least in the short-middle term, but honestly the Widgets thing I see it feasible.

In the meantime, we can always have our iPad below (or at the side) with the widgets we need on the Home screen at a glance, and meanwhile work on our external monitor.

 

[alecgold]

Sure - I get that ... it was my reasoning as well for many years: accept the inferior OS and apps for the convenience of the more portable format. But an iPad Pro with keyboard is heavier than a 13" Air and not significantly smaller. And if you want to do that, fine. It is like buying a top end MBP when your needs are easily met by a Chromebook. It is a choice, and everyone gets there own - but let's not pretend there is technical merit.

It’s not just the portability. I write a lot with the pencil. Daily, hours, meetings and when I’m thinking/evolving theories. But I also read 80 minutes during my commute in the train. Reading magazines, papers and reports in PDF isn’t ideal on a landscape screen. It’s much better on a protrait iPad screen. Certainly on a 12.9”. And on the train the WiFi is horrible and I don’t trust public WiFi. So that’s where the 5G is brilliant.
All these things can’t be done on a macbook.

The folio keyboard isn’t as heavy. It’s not as good for writing long stories, but it’s good enough for my limited purpose when at work on when travelling. And when I’m at home I connect a good Logitech mx master mouse and a mechanical keyboard.

The iPad isn’t a laptop replacement, it can be so much more than a laptop.
And it other areas it’s so more limited.

 

[SteveJUAE]

It’s not just the portability. I write a lot with the pencil. Daily, hours, meetings and when I’m thinking/evolving theories. But I also read 80 minutes during my commute in the train. Reading magazines, papers and reports in PDF isn’t ideal on a landscape screen. It’s much better on a protrait iPad screen. Certainly on a 12.9”. And on the train the WiFi is horrible and I don’t trust public WiFi. So that’s where the 5G is brilliant.
All these things can’t be done on a macbook.

The folio keyboard isn’t as heavy. It’s not as good for writing long stories, but it’s good enough for my limited purpose when at work on when travelling. And when I’m at home I connect a good Logitech mx master mouse and a mechanical keyboard.

The iPad isn’t a laptop replacement, it can be so much more than a laptop.
And it other areas it’s so more limited.

True of Apple hardware limitations , not so much for others.

 

[txa1265]

The iPad isn’t a laptop replacement, it can be so much more than a laptop.
And it other areas it’s so more limited.

I love this description - I feel it perfectly fits my usage as well (even as I have noted my use has declined) ... better AND worse. And putting on the PaperLike screen protector has made me use the Pencil SO much more!

 

[nj-morris]

I can't see myself buying a laptop again. I have an M1 iMac as my main work device and planning on getting the new 13-inch Pro for consumption and on-the-go work needs. There are some (albeit not too many) things that I need Mac OS for, but those needs are far better fulfilled with the big 24-inch screen, and now that I've gotten used to that the laptop size just feels like a big step down.

I also prefer the tablet form factor wayyy more. It's never let me down, even while my iPad Air 2 enters the tenth year of its life. My 2017 12-inch MacBook on the other hand...well, let's not get started.

 

[Ultracyclist]

I can't see myself buying a laptop again. I have an M1 iMac as my main work device and planning on getting the new 13-inch Pro for consumption and on-the-go work needs. There are some (albeit not too many) things that I need Mac OS for, but those needs are far better fulfilled with the big 24-inch screen, and now that I've gotten used to that the laptop size just feels like a big step down.

I also prefer the tablet form factor wayyy more. It's never let me down, even while my iPad Air 2 enters the tenth year of its life. My 2017 12-inch MacBook on the other hand...well, let's not get started.

I agree with most of what you say. I only need MacOS for Rapidweaver and for the PowerPoint export to video options.
Other than that. I really love my iPad. The fact I can hook it up to my monitors, at the office, at home, and in my cabin is life-changing.
I've Apple keyboards and trackpads on all locations and when I'm on the go my iPad lives in the Brydge Max+.

I even got my employees iPads and they love them now. Soon my entire office will be iPad only.
I can't see myself upgrade my 2015 MacBook Pro anytime soon.

 

[outlawarth]

I agree with most of what you say. I only need MacOS for Rapidweaver and for the PowerPoint export to video options.
Other than that. I really love my iPad. The fact I can hook it up to my monitors, at the office, at home, and in my cabin is life-changing.
I've Apple keyboards and trackpads on all locations and when I'm on the go my iPad lives in the Brydge Max+.

I even got my employees iPads and they love them now. Soon my entire office will be iPad only.
I can't see myself upgrade my 2015 MacBook Pro anytime soon.

If you don't me asking what kind of work do you do? Interested in hearing from others how an iPad only works. Thanks.

 

[bondr006]

If you don't me asking what kind of work do you do? Interested in hearing how an iPad only works. Thanks.

I've been using my M1 iPad Pro 11 "only" for my Real Estate and Property Management business since Nov. 2021. Sold my 2019 i9 16" MBP, and have never looked back. The only thing my M2 Mac Mini gets used for business wise is a storage hub. You can see photos of my iPad mobile and desktop setups in the links in my signature, as well as my story of replacing my MBP with an iPad.