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AlastorKatriona

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Nov 3, 2023
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No, I actually tried to use the iPad Pro as my primary device for over a year before I finally gave in and bought a Macbook. It was just too limiting and time consuming. If I didn’t do much multitasking or file management, it could be different.
This is something I don't understand. I've been working on a Mac professionally for 25 years. I also have had many different iPads. I've never once considered the possibility of "trying" to use iPad instead of a Mac as primary device. It isn't designed as primary device for anyone other than the people who used to use netbooks and low cost laptops as a means of getting a larger screen device with access to email and social media. I don't understand why people whose needs clearly fall into Mac instead of iPad insist on doing this trial, and then coming to internet to blast the iPad for not working out for them.

If I buy a circular saw from Home Depot, and then find out that it can't cut through concrete, I don't blast DeWalt for their circular saw's failure. I don't talk about why the circular saw needs to be improved. I just bought the wrong tool.
 

bondr006

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2010
2,496
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Cary, NC - My Name is Rob Bond
The amount of people who come here and use Apple's marketing and/or their own lofty ideas of what a tablet should be as their "excuse" for buying a tablet to do laptop work is quite literally insane.
You are not required nor do you need to judge other people's use of their devices. Just sounds arrogant, immature, and narcissistic. Let people be either happy or not with their purchases, and either help them or let them be. I was told I could never run my real estate and property management business with just an iPad, but low and behold, I have been successfully doing just that with my M1 iPad Pro 11 for over two years now. I love iPad OS, I love the ease of use of my iPad. I love that using my iPad cut my workflow, and made work fun.

I too have been using PC's and Macs since 1985 and can make either of them jump through hoops and spit jelly beans. I am very tech savvy and have been the IT guy for my family and friends for many, many years. I decided a long time ago, it's just easier to fix things yourself, than sit on the phone and pay someone to look at a database for a fix, when I could just do it for free myself, and get an education at the same time.

Quit judging people. It's fine that you have your own opinions, but that's all they are is opinions, not a standard to judge others by. Any facts about your own personal use of tech, are just that...facts that pertain to you.

I am glad that I wasn't talked out of using my iPad for my business. I would have missed out on the last two plus years of having fun doing my work, stepping out of my comfort zone, and really taking time to learn a different OS.;)
 
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SnowCrocodile

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2022
220
248
SouthEast of Northern MidWest
This is something I don't understand. I've been working on a Mac professionally for 25 years. I also have had many different iPads. I've never once considered the possibility of "trying" to use iPad instead of a Mac as primary device. It isn't designed as primary device for anyone other than the people who used to use netbooks and low cost laptops as a means of getting a larger screen device with access to email and social media. I don't understand why people whose needs clearly fall into Mac instead of iPad insist on doing this trial, and then coming to internet to blast the iPad for not working out for them.

If I buy a circular saw from Home Depot, and then find out that it can't cut through concrete, I don't blast DeWalt for their circular saw's failure. I don't talk about why the circular saw needs to be improved. I just bought the wrong tool.

The problem with iPad is not that it lacks power, it's the limitations of iOS. Your example isn't really a good one. Rather, you are buying a saw that has a powerful enough motor and a strong enough blade to cut concrete, but it is software-limited to where it can only cut some materials but not others. Take an old laptop with worse specs than an M1 iPad Pro, load it up with something like Linux Mint, and it would easily perform multitasking and file management tasks that that iPad would choke on, not because it lacks power, but because of the limitations of its operating system.

For someone who used to spend a lot of time on the road, hauling around two laptops is not a good setup. That's why I went with an iPad.

All Apple taught me is to never, ever buy an iPad Pro again. It's hard to justify spending money on anything but a base iPad as long as iOS remains so limited. Why pay extra for the specs which the OS won't let me use to their full capacity ?
 

AlastorKatriona

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Nov 3, 2023
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The problem with iPad is not that it lacks power, it's the limitations of iOS.
Wrong. That is NOT a problem at all. iOS is designed for the type of device and primary input method. It is ideal for the iPad. The iPad is not a Mac and it does not need to be, nor is it going to be. The ONLY problem are the people who don't get this.
 
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AlastorKatriona

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Nov 3, 2023
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You are not required nor do you need to judge other people's use of their devices. Just sounds arrogant, immature, and narcissistic.
I know how desperately some people wish that was the way the world worked, especially on the anonymous internet, but that's not how it works. When you do stupid things, and post about it, you will be judged for it, and should be. Coddling people's stupidity contributes nothing productive to the world.
 

bondr006

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2010
2,496
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Cary, NC - My Name is Rob Bond
I know how desperately some people wish that was the way the world worked, especially on the anonymous internet, but that's not how it works. When you do stupid things, and post about it, you will be judged for it, and should be. Coddling people's stupidity contributes nothing productive to the world.
I agree...Judging other's with your opinion of what insane or stupid is, well....just stupid. My use of the iPad Pro in my real estate and property management business made me more productive, cut my work flow, and made my work fun again. Guess in your opinion, that makes me insane or stupid.

BTW: I don't care about your wrinkled up, angry, red face. Kinda adds your character to my post.
Thppppt-1.png
 
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Alameda

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 22, 2012
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I know how desperately some people wish that was the way the world worked, especially on the anonymous internet, but that's not how it works. When you do stupid things, and post about it, you will be judged for it, and should be. Coddling people's stupidity contributes nothing productive to the world.
He’s right, and now you’re doubling-down on arrogant, immature and narcissistic, and it’s pretty gross.

Apple markets iPad Pro as a high performance device which can professionally edit music, photos and video…. And you come along with your snooty attitude and say that people who don’t understand that the device isn’t designed to do that are the problem.

Let’s be clear: High powered music/video/photo editing is the number one feature Apple promotes for the iPad Pro. See for yourself: https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/

When most consumers are told that the device has the same CPU, memory and storage as a MacBook Pro, AND that it can perform the same functions as a music/video/photo editor why wouldn’t they expect that?
 

SnowCrocodile

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2022
220
248
SouthEast of Northern MidWest
I know how desperately some people wish that was the way the world worked, especially on the anonymous internet, but that's not how it works. When you do stupid things, and post about it, you will be judged for it, and should be. Coddling people's stupidity contributes nothing productive to the world.

Sounds like it's based on a wealth of personal experience...
 
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rb2112

macrumors member
Feb 10, 2021
50
26
You did not need to buy all this gear first to find this out. The iPad has been around for 14 years.
This is a good point. You don't have to buy first. Come late to the party and you can save $ buying years old models with very similar capabilities. If you have not used a tablet before (or really, any particular device), buy an old model and test drive it. If no worky for you, resell and recoup.(or maybe even return if allowed). for example similar spec'd 2018 IPP 11" 512GB cell new/or open box is $500-$550 on eBay at this time.

Or, like others have said (if you have the large $,$$$ upfront) do the same with a new item then grind it out during the return period. If it doesn't seem worth it then return. I still can't imagine paying that much for a tablet, but market says they will sell at that price...OP specs(11"512GB,cell)+pencil+taxes ( no keyboard, no folio, no Applecare) is...$1,506 USD !!
 
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iPadified

macrumors 68000
Apr 25, 2017
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When you do stupid things, and post about it, you will be judged for it, and should be.
Making errors is to be human. Really tired of the fault seeking. The OP tested a setup for one reason or another and had expectations, that I think an iPad never should fulfill as long there are good Macs around and told him (I guess) so. The test did not work out. So what? Learn and move on.

We who like the iPad are however tired of these threads because they seldom bring any new insights but often ends in pointing fingers and in the end the definition of what is professional. Same tiresome discussions happens in Mac Pro forum where a pro machine must have a X number of 4090 inside.
 

iPadified

macrumors 68000
Apr 25, 2017
1,932
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why wouldn’t they expect that?
Because it is an extrapolation from marketing. Happens all the time. I am looking at new cars and Tesla claims ‘built for long travels’’ Relative to what? My old Golf that made 800 km per tank which beat the effective range of the model 3 (553 km) or a Fiat500e (330 km)? Same goes for iPad. Some can suffice with a iPad Pro, some cannot.
 
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Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
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He’s right, and now you’re doubling-down on arrogant, immature and narcissistic, and it’s pretty gross.

Apple markets iPad Pro as a high performance device which can professionally edit music, photos and video…. And you come along with your snooty attitude and say that people who don’t understand that the device isn’t designed to do that are the problem.

Let’s be clear: High powered music/video/photo editing is the number one feature Apple promotes for the iPad Pro. See for yourself: https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/

When most consumers are told that the device has the same CPU, memory and storage as a MacBook Pro, AND that it can perform the same functions as a music/video/photo editor why wouldn’t they expect that?
Do you always believe in everything you read? Even ads? „A complete movie studio in your hands“ come on you really believed that?
 
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Frazzles

macrumors newbie
May 30, 2023
15
17
If the price of the iPad Pro wasn’t completely ridiculous then there would be nothing to complain about. If it can’t do what a Mac can it shouldn’t cost what Mac does. Having to buy both an iPad and a Mac to do things they could individually do is if iPad added full Mac features/functionality or Mac adding touchscreen is what is bs.
Just lower the iPad to an acceptable price then it can be alongside the Mac and appreciated there.
 

Jim Lahey

macrumors 68030
Apr 8, 2014
2,643
5,422
12.9" mini-LED iPad Pro has a bit of a personality disorder. It's too unwieldily as a tablet, and when you start using it primarily with a Magic Keyboard then it quickly starts to feel like half a laptop with a minuscule trackpad and crippled operating system. For media consumption, a vanilla iPad makes more sense, but paradoxically it has a screen less suited to media consumption. And this divide will be even greater once the Pro gets OLED. Once again I would be left with choice paralysis at checkout. Pretty much par for the course with any Apple purchase these days - too many choices, all of which are too compromised.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,747
22,332
Singapore
If the price of the iPad Pro wasn’t completely ridiculous then there would be nothing to complain about. If it can’t do what a Mac can it shouldn’t cost what Mac does. Having to buy both an iPad and a Mac to do things they could individually do is if iPad added full Mac features/functionality or Mac adding touchscreen is what is bs.
Just lower the iPad to an acceptable price then it can be alongside the Mac and appreciated there.
The Mac can't do some of the stuff I do on my iPad either (it lacks a touchscreen and cellular capabilities).
 
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Supermallet

macrumors 68000
Sep 19, 2014
1,929
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This is something I don't understand. I've been working on a Mac professionally for 25 years. I also have had many different iPads. I've never once considered the possibility of "trying" to use iPad instead of a Mac as primary device. It isn't designed as primary device for anyone other than the people who used to use netbooks and low cost laptops as a means of getting a larger screen device with access to email and social media. I don't understand why people whose needs clearly fall into Mac instead of iPad insist on doing this trial, and then coming to internet to blast the iPad for not working out for them.

If I buy a circular saw from Home Depot, and then find out that it can't cut through concrete, I don't blast DeWalt for their circular saw's failure. I don't talk about why the circular saw needs to be improved. I just bought the wrong tool.
Flawed analogy. A circular saw has a well defined purpose, and cutting concrete is outside of this purpose. The iPad has some laptop-like features (add a trackpad and keyboard and use stage manager, plug into external monitor), along with its established tablet features, and Apple sells an accessory designed to make the iPad much more laptop-like. Apple markets the iPad as a device that can run desktop level apps, and prices the Pro models in line with the cost of MacBooks, especially when you factor in the cost of accessories. The internals on the Pro iPads also compare against MacBooks. I don’t think it’s unrealistic at all for someone to expect an iPad to function similarly to a MacBook. There are plenty of people in this thread who have said that they use the iPad as their primary computing device. It’s not an unreasonable expectation given the hardware, pricing, and marketing of the iPad.

It feels like Apple is placing arbitrary software restrictions on iPadOS given what we know the hardware is capable of. I’ve been using my M2 11” iPad Pro as my sole computer for a few days while I was in the process of exchanging a MacBook and it can function in that capacity, it just takes longer and requires jumping through more hoops to do things that are easier and more streamlined on macOS. Someone up thread mentioned the slowness of the cursor in text entry and the difficulty in simple things like selecting a word or passage of text for copy/paste. Others have mentioned the extra steps needed to manage files stored on third party services like OneDrive. I experienced those exact issues too.

Those of us voicing frustration are doing so because we can see how the iPad is already 85% of the way there, and that last 15% is a big enough gap that we can’t fully make the leap. I personally don’t want or need macOS on my iPad, but I do think the iPad experience needs to be brought up to par with the MacBook experience if Apple is going to market it as a pro device. Yes, the iPad can do things that a MacBook can’t and probably never will and for those use cases, it’s fantastic. It’s when you need to use the iPad as more of a traditional computer that it pales in comparison. I don’t think this needs to be the case.
 
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bondr006

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2010
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Cary, NC - My Name is Rob Bond
The Mac can't do some of the stuff I do on my iPad either (it lacks a touchscreen and cellular capabilities).
Oh, there's more than that, but turning the screen to portrait mode, drawing, taking notes, ProRes video capture, and scanning direct to .pdf are just a few more examples.

Edit:
Can be used as a laptop replacement (temporary or light work for some, fully replace for others), laptops cannot be used as tablet replacement.
 
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Torty

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Oct 16, 2013
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Oh, there's more than that, but turning the screen to portrait mode, drawing, taking notes, and scanning direct to .pdf are just a few more examples.
Runs iOS/ipadOS apps, 100% pinch-to-zoom accuracy.
Pencil support. FaceID. Back cam…
 
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Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
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Some professionals do...








„You can make videos with the iPad“ ok agree. an iPad is „a movie studio in your hands“. Nope. Alle YouTubers and influencers in the world can’t make me believe this. At least not today and not tomorrow.
 

bondr006

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2010
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Cary, NC - My Name is Rob Bond
„You can make videos with the iPad“ ok agree. an iPad is „a movie studio in your hands“. Nope. Alle YouTubers and influencers in the world can’t make me believe this. At least not today and not tomorrow.
I expected as much but that's ok. I'm guessing those pros that are doing it, will continue to do so.....without your belief.;)
 

Torty

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Oct 16, 2013
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I expected as much but that's ok. I'm guessing those pros that are doing it, will continue to do so.....without your belief.;)
And there will be no next Hollywood blockbuster made by them made with an ipad alone . Cause a movie studio is more than a device to make and edit videos.
At least to my understanding.
 
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bondr006

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2010
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Cary, NC - My Name is Rob Bond
And there will be no next Hollywood blockbuster made by them made with an iPad. Cause a movie studio is more than a device to make and edit videos.
At least to my understanding.
Not every pro movie or video has to be a "Hollywood blockbuster". Commercials have been made with iPad Pro, and iPhone also. Same for professional documentary's. There are many pro video projects that the iPad Pro and iPhones can handle easily besides "Hollywood blockbusters".
 

Torty

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2013
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Not every pro movie or video has to be a "Hollywood blockbuster". Commercials have been made with iPad Pro, and iPhone also. Same for professional documentary's. There are many pro video projects that the iPad Pro and iPhones can handle easily besides "Hollywood blockbusters".
Than here is the point where we have a different understanding. Its fine for a „home studio“. Commercials are kind of art. You can do commercials with pen and paper but this doesn’t make it to a „movie studio“.
 
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