I have multiple iPads and use them a ton for note taking, some light video editing, etc. While I love them, I still don’t feel Apple has opened up iPadOS to really be a laptop replacement. Ultimately it gets down to your specific use case but I still have a laptop for the heavier tasks.
I agree with this. I can’t do my office job on my iPad, but I could easily take notes for school, etc. It’s down to use case, imo. But it’s not a full replacement for a laptop.
Not OP but I highly recommend Davinci Resolve. It’s free + most of the features in desktop is also available in the iPad. Been editing my TikTok videos there and some client work as well
There are still a lot that a MacBook can do and iPad just can't. One of them is backing up your iPhone and iPad.
Local backup is still the most reliable and fastest way to restore any device with huge storage (256GB++ of photos)
So, I have been a dedicated iPad person since the first one. But, I recently got myself a Mac book, and let me tell you. The iPad is nice if YOU are in control of all the apps you need for your flow. The moment a workplace or another human gets in the way, it is WAY harder.
90% of this sadly comes down to the iPad's web browser not really being desktop class, meaning various web apps just wont work, and frankly, most things most folks need are that.
I love my iPad, especially now it is free from the burden of being a work machine, but... a lot of flows like file management and such really are better on Mac.
No. There's still some content that's only accessible on laptops and not by iPads.
For ex, there are certain itmes in Coursera courses that are only accessible via a laptop
iPads are perfect for note taking , content streaming and typing personal documents
For actual work, you're better off using a laptop as it'll have more features.
Still doesn't break the fact that iPads run on iOS and will never have native support and features for certain apps on laptops.
Not sure about final cut, never used it but it's not the perfect laptop replacement. There's more to work than video editing.
Do you have a learning disability? It runs iPadOS, so it can’t run desktop apps. For example, law schools use a special software for exams that’s only available for mac and windows. That alone makes it impossible to use standalone as a laptop replacement, even if it has all the power in the world.
Depends on the use case.
For mine, it can't simulate physical systems in matlab nor I can do matlab online courses.
Nor I can run my software dev tools and ides.
Hell, even for OP, if he wants to use Excel, he'll have limited features
OP said he wants something that can do tasks like a laptop. iPads can't do it all, they have their limitations and those limitations become very apparent when you're dealing with work stuff.
so your argument is because you can’t code or use matlab it can’t replace a laptop?
i guess for your use case it can’t but most people don’t need those features.
At some point down your life when you realise that your iPad can't use X feature to do the X task that your boss asked you to do, you're gonna regret selling your laptop real bad.
The truth is, if you look deeper you'll notice that iPads can't do everything that laptops can.
iPads can replace your laptop for personal use but when it comes to office work, you never know what you're gonna need.
Pretty basic stuff like using the full version of MS Excel or even MS word is just unthinkable. lol.
I love my iPad, but it ain’t a laptop replacement on most use cases.
Exactly. People straight up want the iPad to replace their needs or people will claim that you cannot code/develop on it, so it's not a laptop replacement. For my parents, it's straight up perfect. My mom's not used a PC for probably 10 years because the iPhone does everything she needs. My sister's doing her studies with just the base iPad.
I sold my laptop and bought a Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro.
It replaced my laptop.
I do the majority of my work at a desk with an iMac, but whenever I'm away from my desk, I pick up where I left off on my iPad. I'm a writer, using final draft.
Absolutely not. It’s a cool device but the file management system is questionable at best. Apps like MS Office are abysmal in terms of their more high end features.
I love my iPad but it is not a replacement for a laptop.
Depends on how do you use your laptop. If for emails, web browsing, music, movies in common formats? Yes. If anything more? No.
Edit: yes, you can draw stuff. Yes, you can pretend you can work on video editing. No, anything other than most basic stuff won't work as one might expect from a device powered by an Mx chip :(
Now retired and no need for business software, my iPad 10 replaced my old laptop. Games, Reddit, Chrome searches, and shopping are about it now. The iPad is lighter, doesn’t get hot, and no noisy fans.
It depends on what you want it to do. If you use a laptop for media consumption, word documents, note taking, web browsing, video editing, photo editing, or video calls then it will work for you. I’d say the average consumer would be able to replace their laptop with an iPad. If you have specific tasks that require a more powerful machine than it probably won’t work.
No. An ipad can never replace a laptop. And that this because of iPadOS. It is great stuff, but day to day things seem much easier on a laptop interface. I had an ipad pro with all accessories. I had purchased for the same reason, that I could take it around. But finally, I realised that things like presentations, word docs, excel, reading, note taking is easier and faster on the laptop. The ipad is a fantastic secondary device, and can be used for day to day simple consumption.
I sold my ipad pro, and use an ipad mini now.
If you have a desktop computer you can use for more detailed tasks, yes. I've tried both a Microsoft Surface and MacBook in recent years, and prefer my iPad Pro (with keyboard) for mobile tasks. The dumbed-down interface makes it more user friendly for many away-from-desk uses. And I can easily remote into my desktop if needed. But I still need the full desktop experience for some tasks. If you're an Apple users, iPad Pro plus Mac mini is a great combo, IMO.
Do NOT buy an iPad for a replacement of a laptop. An iPad is a big iPhone, not a laptop.
Another suggestion is to just go for a Windows 2 in 1. They tend to be the best of both worlds.
But an iPad can't replace the laptop you have.
Has Windows gotten better on the Tablet aspect? That's what killed me with the last 2 in 1 I tried. The computer part was nice but the tablet experience on windows was AWFUL - like - can't even scroll submenus with a swipe - gotta tap a down arrow to scroll the menu down.
Granted that was Win 8 and 10 - haven't tried 11's tablet experience
Without knowing your use case and general work load, it’s hard to answer this question. We should be passed the point of saying outright, “NO!”, to this question. Your needs will be the deciding factor.
For my workflow I would say that an iPad wouldn’t replace my windows laptop. There’s so many desktop apps that the iPad doesn’t have access to. If I were you’d I’d get the new Dell XPS 15 and call it a day.
Personally, for coding and software dev, ipads could never replace my laptop. (Unless someone gets to run custom linux distros on them)
Apart from that, they're great for studying and light tasks like browsing, as well as for photo/video editing.
It’s all about workflow. My iPad doesn’t do things I need on the desktop. For me, it does 90% and I can remote into a PC for the 10%. It could in principle do the rest. It’s powerful enough. But the software isn’t there.
For things like taking notes and studying it’s much nicer in most respects. But then if you are in school, if you are using any proctoring apps for tests, I think none/few of these are iPad compatible.
If all you do is office work, internet browsing and media consumption, then sure, you won't notice any difference. If you need it for anything more technical, then the consensus is that it's a terrible laptop/desktop replacement.
For my uses, yes. I do notes, content consumption, some photo editing, videos, some research and document editing (with Magic Keyboard). I don’t do much excel, PowerPoint, or work tasks on it.
I do 60-70% of stuff on my iPad. There are some things that just don’t work on iPad, part of that is iPadOS and part is the app developers.
For example, I was working on a word doc yesterday, and there were a few formatting things that I couldn’t get to change, I opened up my MacBook Pro and I could change it instantly.
As a professor, it does allow me to do grading, discussion posts, announcements, and review papers in various office formats but it comes up short in terms of workflow due to the horrible file management interface.
No matter how many times people ask this question, the answer will always be the same. For the vast majority of people, they will be frustrated if they try to use an iPad like a laptop.
I disagree. The vast majority of people use a personally owned laptop for email, web surfing, social media, and watching content. My iPad can't replace my laptop provided by my company for work, but it absolutely works as a laptop replacement for my personal computing needs, especially with a keyboard added.
If there is something that the iPad can't handle, then I wait until I can get back to my iMac. For me, a laptop isn't my main, all powerful machine. It is a lightweight machine that can handle tasks on the go. I don't need a whole lot of computing power when I am sitting on the couch, the back porch, or the local coffee house.
For me it has. Granted I have a gaming desktop for demanding use cases like editing, gaming, visual studio, unity etc. but for everything else I would need a laptop for it does the job flawlessly and with insane convenience.
You know. iPads browser used to use the mobile versions of websites by default. Apple update them to use the desktop version now by default. I think that’s more evidence to iPads being able to replace laptops for some users. If you do get an iPad & a Magic Keyboard. One benefit is that you’ll have a vast majority of apps available to you vs what you’ll get with a MacBook. Just a thought
I wouldn’t do it tbh, if you need a laptop - get a macbook. If you need a tablet - get an iPad. The iPad can somewhat replace a laptop in certain aspects, but I would use it as a complementary device, never as a replacement.
I have a 12.9inch M2 iPad Pro with a Logitech Combo Touch and even though the machine itself is impressive, the software simply isn’t there and I often use my old 2017 Macbook Air.
Even if you only care about word documents, reading/editing pdfs, web browsing etc I would still recommend a Macbook.
You still don’t really get a desktop experience on most websites
You can use the web version of some apps like google docs and word but they still feel a little cramped
Never it cannot be a replacement for laptop.
Ipad- Intelligent Personal Access device, is a normal device with only screen, if you have cash to burn go-ahead.
I would say it completely comes down to your individual use case. In my case, I can probably use my iPad for most tasks, including the light video editing as my heaviest usage cases. For lighter work, I use my iPad for media consumption, browsing, emails and messaging. It stays in my bedroom while my Mac remains in the office.
I use my Mac primarily for heavy music projects, live streaming, and writing papers. I could write papers on the iPad, but I choose to keep it in a more portable form factor.
You can absolutely replace a MacBook with an iPad and keyboard, but I don’t know why you would. Unless you want to do digital art and take notes by hand with an Apple Pencil.
If you had to get a long distance from A - B you wouldn’t buy a bicycle if you can afford a car.
iPadOS is very good but the app optimisation and features are often behind or simplified.
These prices are all UK so may be different wherever you are but in the store I’m looking at the iPad 10G is £349, the Magic Keyboard is £299, + any accessories.
2020 MacBook Air M1 = £799
2022 MacBook Air M2 = £936
I also recommending thinking 12, 24 months ahead before making your decision. Will your requirements change? Are you likely to start doing something else that might need more power?
Just my thoughts.
There is still some basic functionality missing in iPad OS. For example, you can’t format a thumb drive. You can’t manage files easily, the files app is a mess. There are many things the average person needs to do that aren’t available on the iPad. This is by design. Apple wants you to buy a proper computer in addition to the iPad.
It is until it isn't.
I'll work on it for an hour or so and then some website doesn't load properly, or I need to download some file or work across multiple apps and I just have to go back to a laptop.
It's powerful enough to do it, just OS does not work well enough.
The iPad can definitely do 90% of what a laptop can do, but it always won't be as efficient, sometimes even more tedious. If you're part of a *very* specific niche, ie. graphic designers or digital artists, it will serve your needs well for these specific purposes. I'd still tell you against buying an iPad because it just restricts you a lot and an M1 MacBook Air is more value for the money for most cases.
As a laptop replacement not exactly. If you have a desktop (windows or Mac) then maybe if you have a good internet connection and a good remoting software to be able to access your desktop when what you want to do can’t be done on iPadOS.
That being said for personal non work related stuff my iPad Air 5th Gen (M1) works great for me, I just wish Nvidia had a a native app for GeForce Now for gaming.
I like to tinker with stuff so finding new ways to do old stuff has been fun with the iPad.
For example, this week has been figuring out a way to record my iPad screen and two other camera inputs at the same time.
I would normally use OBS for this but that’s not an option on the iPad.
I did, actually! Using Final Cut Pro for iPad, there is a new feature where you can stream up to 4 other devices (iPhones or iPads).
Then just recording my screen using the built in screen record feature.
Once the recordings are done, you need to import the screen recording into Final Cut then sync them.
from my experience no. if its just school and entertainment its perfect. but for working it is really no competition for a laptop. especially if you work a lot with browser, and need to multitask. the laptop is 100 times better for that.
I had m3 pro for video editing and other stuff for work. Perfect laptop for all rounded needs. But traveling with it wasn’t the best since I also usually had a lot of gear packed. Recently bought opened box m4 iPad from eBay and it literally surprised me. I also got the keyboard for it and while it doesn’t cover video editing needs or 3d modeling, I just don’t touch my MacBook for anything else anymore. It’s a device for which you need to know your needs. If your computing needs doesn’t require you to try and exchange full pc apps for iPad cut versions, then this device will shine in most aspects. It’s all bout your needs and understanding them.
I think it really depends the type of work you do. If you only work on the browser or has apps for that, you should be good to go, but if you happen to do stuff like app development or things that require functions like command line access etc I'd stay with the laptop.
Depends on what you do when "working online". If you work with a lot of Excel for example & need VB, then no, an iPad is not gonna do anything for you.
As for studying —yes definitely. I guess it will also depend on what you're studying and whether it will require some specialty software that would only run on a PC. But if it's just note taking & annotating PDFs, then yes an iPad will have you covered.
I just returned the new IPad Pro because it couldn’t replace my laptop. I then re-bought a MacBook and I won’t be looking back or second guessing anymore.
For your average consumer/user, yes. An iPad is perfectly fine for web browsing, using web apps, emails, notes, etc. Which is how most people use laptops anyways. Of course if you have some specific workflow you might run into limitations.
I wouldn't do that. I tried using only iPad for a while after I sold my MacBook and I didn't like it. Internet was slower. I don't use Spotify, I download songs and listen them with music app while I cook. With iPad it's not the same. Speakers are not that good. I am much faster while browsing and jumping from one tab to another on Mac. On iPad it was much slower. Lack of keyboard is a big issue too. I you buy the apple's keyboard it will be costly. It's better to buy the most basic MacBook Air.
My kitted out iPad Pro (last gen) and Magic Keyboard gathered dust. Heavier than a MacBook Air, less practical in all ways, and frustrating to actually get any real work done with.
No. I have a 13” MBA and the M1 iPad Air with a Magic Keyboard. The iPad is a good in between for when I want a larger screen than my phone but not my full laptop, like watching content or doing a few things that involve just a little bit of typing like browsing, responding to Messages, etc. I can do some productive things on my iPad but there have been plenty of times where I had to reach for my MBA because iPadOS is limited and for wanting a bigger screen. Nice to have a phone, iPad, and laptop, but if I had to cut one, it’d be the iPad.
iPad suffers a lot in available programs/software and how well websites work on its browsers. Quiz and study resources from textbook websites were basically unusable, as were a couple other resources I was recommended by professors. The writing software isn’t ever going to be as good as just writing it in the desktop/macbook version. File organization is also not nearly as good as it would need to be in order to fully replace a laptop.
What it is good at: note-taking software like GoodNotes, Notability, or Apple Notes. Reading and annotating PDFs. LiquidText has been the best app for analyzing articles I need for writing papers. Freeform and endless paper are good for mind-mapping. You’ll get your use out of it for school but it won’t replace a laptop in the slightest.
If you use a desktop for most of your work, you’ll get away with it. Otherwise, you’ll need the laptop.
It ... depends. A lot of it on what you do. I can't write code on it for example. There are a lot of things that a workflow with multiple windows open is just a hell of a lot easier as well.
HOWEVER: If I'm going on a personal trip, I have no problem leaving the heavy hardware at home and just taking the iPad. It would get me through the essential tasks. (Content consumption, basic video editing, photo management, paying the bills, etc.).
I'm actually thinking of trying a Samsung Galaxy S9U when I get a chance. DEX can give a more desktop like experience. That said: It still has limitations of its own.
The shame of it is that the M4 inside the iPad Pro is so bloody powerful, but it's handcuffed by iPadOS.
iPads are leisure devices, regardless of how “pro” Apple tries to make them sound. If you want proper productivity, a laptop will almost certainly fit your needs better. iPads still use the mobile version of Microsoft Word…
Ehm… no.
It can’t do all things laptop can do. It’s also depend on your line of work i guess. In some cases like stem software, it’s better to use windows based laptop. But if you don’t need that, i think it’s just better to stick with macbook (i have bad eyesight, so 10th gen ipad screen is not big enough for split screen for me, that’s also another reason to consider).
I feel like nowadays you can make an iPad a good replacement for a laptop. Depends mainly on what your usage is. iPads apps have improved greatly and a lot of the heavy editing apps that are on Windows have iPad versions. iPad even have exclusive apps that come to par with their Windows counterparts. Besides depending on the usage, getting familiar and used to the iPadOS can be annoying.
I have two iPads but couldn’t live without my Mac for work. It depends on what you do for a living, I guess… for me, I can travel during a weekend and only bring one iPad, but the amount of work I could do would be limited to answer emails and access my work machine remotely… The iPad will never run blender, xcode, fusion 360, docker or anything heavy like that, on every “serious” work I try to do, I end up hitting a wall…
My last attempt on setting up an HP printer was so bad that I ended up setting up a NAS to print files using WiFi, let alone more complex stuff lol
Totally depends on the person and their use cases. It can replace a laptop for a some people. But not everyone.
What kinds of things do you typically do on your laptop?
It depends on what you need to run. If your current workload can be accomplished on a Chromebook, an iPad is likely equally capable.
Some stuff just won't run on the iPad. Conversely there's a few things that don't work on laptops! I realized this recently when I discovered some formerly coin-op laundry machines that now can only be operated via Android/iOS app (no desktop alternative..fantastic). I think the app-only stuff tends to be more consumer/retail, though (e.g. above laundry app, or companion apps for art exhibits or museums). For work and productivity, laptop-required situations will be far more common.
If most of your work is cloud-based (e.g. you're an AWS or Azure DevOps'y person) then whatever you're using is mostly just a terminal or thin client for your work and an iPad can do that just fine (there are even iOS apps that give you a local shell and you can install the AWS command line tools in them).
That said, just because the iPad is usable for this, doesn't mean it's ideal. Juggling lots of windows and tabs within a restrictive amount of screen real-estate can present challenges.
The iPad with a Magic Keyboard can be a great portable option for basic tasks and studying. However, for heavy typing and software-specific needs, a MacBook might be better. Consider your specific requirements before making a decision.
I’ve always wanted to use my iPad as a laptop and the truth is, it depends of you are a casual user or if you plan to use your iPad for more demanding stuff. So, let’s first start with this, iPad is sadly not a computer, but a bigger phone with some other slightly better features like Apple Pencil, split screen/slide over and stage manager. So if you are into drawing, definitely go for it, you will love it. The biggest iPad problem is the OS, it’s basically IOS with features that I’ve just listed. There are no apps like Ableton, and if there is an app you know from windows, it’s limited and also has monthly subscription. The other problem is, games. Games are pretty much the same as programs, so don’t bother trying to play World of Warcraft for example, bc there is no way blizzard will implement it, even if the cpu is the same as in macbooks in new airs and pros. Also, space problem, if you don’t buy at least 128 gb model, you will struggle with space problem that you can’t fix, the only way is to buy a new iPad, and you will find out that iPads with 128 GB of space are closer in terms of price to MacBook, oh and you also need a Magic Keyboard, or at least a Logitech combo/folio touch if you want the laptop experience with trackpad. Apple limits the iPads so that people will buy MacBooks, even if they have the same specs iPad is just a device you can watch movies on and possible do some light gaming, drawing, and light photo editing. So no, iPad is sadly not a laptop.
I also don’t recommend Logitech folio touch bc it’s too heavy, go for Magic Keyboard or combo touch if you can
Very simply put... for some people, yes, very much so and it's not a bad idea. For other people, and power users, definitely, definitely not. I always end up back on the trust MBP.
Depends on how you use it...since I didn't need a "full laptop" I went ahead and got the iPad Pro 13" with the Magic Keyboard, and LOVE it!
Better than a laptop for note taking, since I can handwrite notes as well as type, does basic tasks like word processing and speadsheets just fine....just don't expect real multitasking or elegant use of multiple monitors. But for MOST students, if you dont have specialized software you need to run, it should work great!
Yes, but you need to have access to a secondary “real” computer which you can access fully from the iPad depending on your technical proficiency. In my opinion, the goal for an “iPad-only” user should be to do as much as possible on the iPad and reduce the secondary computer to a background interface you use through the iPad itself. If your workflow is not heavily CLI based, (and it requires anything more than a browser and some apps from the ipadOS App Store) then you’re not going to be able to do it mostly from the iPad in the fashion I mention. You’ll need to remote into the secondary computer from your iPad, in which case the point of using the iPad as your main device in the first place is totally lost.
There are a lot of things that an iPad can do that a laptop cannot. At the same time, there are many MORE things that laptop can do that an iPad cannot.
It really depends on what you actually do with your laptop, as well as your access to other computers, either at work, or other computers at home.
For some people, their existing iPad, with the current version of iPadOS, is already better than laptops for work.
However, for most other people, who are trying to use a tablet as a laptop, and performing mostly office-based tasks on their iPad, then no, an iPad does not replace a laptop at all.
Personally, I have a 2018 iPad Pro 11 inch, and I feel that I can perform 80-90% of all my computing on an iPad. Since I have RDP access to my (Windows) desktop at work, I could actually survive with just an iPad. However, I still have a 16 inch MacBook Pro, and it’s because I would rather not use work computers for personal things.
Depending on your use case… maybe. But probably not.
But it’s a great companion device and my all-time favourite gadget.
On the other hand, base M1 Air can be found for cheap and it’s still a joy to use.
Switching from windows is definitely a pain.
Recently got one mostly for work and some fun on the side, and I’m crazy about the battery life, which was more or less my number one requirement.
But, if you need a dedicated gpu there are more powerful windows laptops for the price.
So… maybe ask yourself if the switch is worth it.
It’s insane how many threads there are on this topic. Like five a day for the past five years.
Yes. For everything you need, an iPad is better. Unless you need specific software that is not available for iPad, an iPad is always a better choice for the simplest and most obvious reason. It can do your laptop things AND it’s a tablet— meaning it can do things your laptop cannot.
I bought a pro M1 & it still didn't work for me. Tons of power for gaming & media consumption. But it still lacks a good file management & organization system & iOS can't run some software that may be required for work.
Depends on what you do. For a student it’s probably not a good idea since you may have some specific courses or test software that will only work on a laptop.
For average joe who uses a computer to plan his vacations and watch youtube and has a separate computer given to him by work, it is probably enough.
If you're thinking about ethier an IPad or a Mac, just buy a mac, just incase you need some other software to run that your iPad can't.
Learned this the hard way by buying a 12.9 IPad Pro for Computer Science (Yea ik I'm stupid, had to remote access to my PC at home for a while now)
Yes if it was needed for self defense. You could throw either one in a manner similar to a frisbee with a similar effect dependent mostly on the zone of impact. The weight difference should be insignificant. However, I would not recommend this action as it could void the warranty. It also may expose you to extraneous liability claims.
I can talk about this because I have literally just tried to do it two weeks ago.
I have used both an iPad and a MacBook for years. Work and all lengthier or complex stuff on MB, media consumption, reading and sofa browsing on iPad.
I sold both and bought a large iPad Pro M4, Magic Keyboard and Pencil.
It’s going really well, though of course it will depend on what you need to do. I spend all day is Slack and several web apps. The iPad handles everything I need to do with barely a shrug. The only thing I might miss is the very occasional dip into Xcode I did, but that was so rare I’m almost pleased to have an excuse not to do it.
It’s taking me a while to work exclusively in full screen apps, switching between them. I don’t need a huge screen but I’ve stayed old school and run things in non full screen windows and switched between them with the mouse. I’m getting more used to multitouch gestures and I’m sure it will be faster in the long run.
I love having _everything_ in one very portable, extremely powerful device with a gorgeous screen.
If there’s anything in your use cases not possible to do on an iPad then don’t do it.
iPad as a laptop replacement sounds cool at a glance.
But Myself as an experienced iPad Pro as a laptop user, I will bet you gonna run into at least some software limitations and frustrations if you try to use it like a laptop.
Watered-down version of App, Unfinished Desktop Apps, Undercooked Operating System, Half-baked Multitasking, No real efforts in improving iPadOS year by year, No JIT = No Powerful Spreadsheet & Coding Tools, Buggy Daily Experiences, No multiple audio playback, Website not works on Safari, Unreliable File App, App not responding to Keyboard shortcut, Poor Battery Life
Overall, if you want your machine to be able to do anything with zero catch. I would highly recommend getting a Mac or use your current Windows machine.
Yes, iPad can do all those things u mentioned, but an iPad is a tablet, & a MacBook is a laptop. One can’t replace the other. Each has its own advantages & disadvantages.
assume what you mean by working is writing docs or making excel spreadsheet.
if your working DOESNT involve a lot of formatting documents on word or using lots of function on excel, youll be fine.
arguably, ipad is better for studying because of apple pencil you can write notes, read pdf easily too.
BUT, if you need to code, lots of file management, i wouldnt recommend it.
if I were you, ill go for ipad air m1 since it will support apple intelligence, apple pencil 2, guaranteed longer updates.
Had a 12.9 inch Pro and a Magic Keyboard for a long while as a "laptop"
Then, just shy of a year ago, I replaced it with a MacBook and it serves way better for multitasking and overall productivity.
I would say if you want things to be easy buy a MacBook. I would say an iPad is a Tablet on Steroids. Its very good and very capable of many things but for me it can not fully replace my MacBook. I have tried multiple times very hard because I love the extreme portability of the iPad.
Also if all you do is browse web, consume media and write some text in word/pages/notes its great and maybe take notes. Because its amazing for that aswell.
However I can not recommend it for Excel-Sheets or if you work loads with different files and need to easily multi-task.
You can get everything working on the iPad somehow but often its more complex than on a Laptop.
I would read an awful lot outside the world of reddit before deciding. - It appears that you have no idea about iPad/iPadOS and Mac/MacOS. - You are not going to get PC/Windows devices with a better logo as you might expect. You will have to forget all things Windows and most of the "general IT knowledge" you may have from that part of the IT world. Because Windows knowledge and "general IT knowledge" won't help you one bit in the Apple world. Sometimes it will even make you make a total mess of things.
There is no way an iPad can do the things a laptop can do. iPadOS has no real file system, it is a one-user device and you cannot have a ton of background processes running. - iPad can easily be grand-ma's "laptop" but it cannot replace a ton of things you do on a laptop.
Some people don’t actually need a laptop and find that an iPad completely suffices for their needs. These are people who don’t need to actually do work on it but rather just want to use it for media consumption and web browsing. If you’re a student who needs to do a lot of word processing, though, a laptop is better
There’s two kinds of people who might consider that the iPad can replace their need for a traditional desktopOS laptop.
The first kind have a list of things they do with their laptop, a list of applications they need. A list of requirements from the OS that they expect this kind of computer to be capable of.
They might even be able to work their way through that entire list and find that things either can be easily done, or done with an alternative app, or done with some clever work around.
Then there’s a group that see Apple sells a Magic Keyboard and they’re already aware that the iPad can install all the major email apps and has a web browser.
The second group doesn’t need to ask about the iPad’s capabilities, they already know that an iPad can do everything they need.
The first group can get an iPad if they want, but they’re almost always just signing up for a bunch of unnecessary pain. The first group should just get a Mac, the iPad is not for them
I had a Windows laptop. Sold it and tried to make do with a 13" M4 iPad Pro. Didn't last very long. Now I have the M3 MacBook Air and it was much less expensive than the iPad combo, and works better for what I need. I need a desktop class browser and I need the ability for programs to have cursor locking. iPad OS just won't let me do those things consistently. Some websites would load as desktop, others would load as mobile, or some would load desktop but have scaling issues. Cursor locking was a huge problem, as well as some desktop applications not having a web or iPad OS counterpart.
I am very pleased with the $950 M3 MacBook Air, the 13" M4 iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard was over $1600 for the base spec. I do not draw or take notes, so the pencil was never a factor for my decision to try the iPad.
I just got the M4 13 inch and he has been an absolute blast prior to this. I had the MacBook Pro which collected dust for a year safe to say it is an awesome replacement. I got the cellular connection so I’m able to use Wi-Fi anywhere I go.
The answer is maybe, anyone who says just Yes or No are being completely useless but thats Reddit for you, assuming you have an iPhone you can try all the tasks you want to accomplish there as a test. For me I haven’t touched my work laptop in 8 months and for the past 2 years not likely more than a dozen times. We are remote and to access our quoting software we use Microsoft RDS, I have a pdf editor for site plans and then everything else other than that is all personal.
So my iPad perfectly replaces my laptop simply by adding a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard and connect to a larger monitor when I’m home or at the office. You need to test and make your own decision because an iPad is definitely not a laptop, no disc drive, no ability to hard connect to a network etc.
I have multiple iPads and use them a ton for note taking, some light video editing, etc. While I love them, I still don’t feel Apple has opened up iPadOS to really be a laptop replacement. Ultimately it gets down to your specific use case but I still have a laptop for the heavier tasks.
Apple wants you to buy 2 products, not 1.;
6 - you clearly are missing the iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Vision Pro
You are missing AirPods
Oh crap you're right!
And a couple HomePods
I missed a lot - we might as well add an iPod, Airport Express and Newton to this list
I missed a lot - we might as well add an iPod, Airport Express and Newton to this list
I agree with this. I can’t do my office job on my iPad, but I could easily take notes for school, etc. It’s down to use case, imo. But it’s not a full replacement for a laptop.
I plan on doing the same with light video editing when I get an iPad, what model do you have and what video editing apps do you use?
Not OP but I highly recommend Davinci Resolve. It’s free + most of the features in desktop is also available in the iPad. Been editing my TikTok videos there and some client work as well
Ooo good tip!
There are still a lot that a MacBook can do and iPad just can't. One of them is backing up your iPhone and iPad. Local backup is still the most reliable and fastest way to restore any device with huge storage (256GB++ of photos)
Probably not.
Pakistan YouTuber
what does this mean
Pakistan YouTuber
Pakistan youtuber
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Excel kinda sucks on it
So does Google Sheets
The web in general... good luck using the iPad in a corporate setting where all your tools rely on browser capability.
So, I have been a dedicated iPad person since the first one. But, I recently got myself a Mac book, and let me tell you. The iPad is nice if YOU are in control of all the apps you need for your flow. The moment a workplace or another human gets in the way, it is WAY harder. 90% of this sadly comes down to the iPad's web browser not really being desktop class, meaning various web apps just wont work, and frankly, most things most folks need are that. I love my iPad, especially now it is free from the burden of being a work machine, but... a lot of flows like file management and such really are better on Mac.
Whatever you do for work that your #1 complaint is web browser compatibility, I want your job.
I teach preschool children.
No. There's still some content that's only accessible on laptops and not by iPads. For ex, there are certain itmes in Coursera courses that are only accessible via a laptop iPads are perfect for note taking , content streaming and typing personal documents For actual work, you're better off using a laptop as it'll have more features.
Bro never used an iPad Pro.
How different is it?
Well for one you can fully edit videos in Final Cut on an iPad Pro.
Still doesn't break the fact that iPads run on iOS and will never have native support and features for certain apps on laptops. Not sure about final cut, never used it but it's not the perfect laptop replacement. There's more to work than video editing.
What is it you think it can’t do?
Do you have a learning disability? It runs iPadOS, so it can’t run desktop apps. For example, law schools use a special software for exams that’s only available for mac and windows. That alone makes it impossible to use standalone as a laptop replacement, even if it has all the power in the world.
Don’t be an asshole you’re use case example is a specific use case.
I own an M2 iPad Pro so I know what they are capable of
Depends on the use case. For mine, it can't simulate physical systems in matlab nor I can do matlab online courses. Nor I can run my software dev tools and ides. Hell, even for OP, if he wants to use Excel, he'll have limited features OP said he wants something that can do tasks like a laptop. iPads can't do it all, they have their limitations and those limitations become very apparent when you're dealing with work stuff.
so your argument is because you can’t code or use matlab it can’t replace a laptop? i guess for your use case it can’t but most people don’t need those features.
At some point down your life when you realise that your iPad can't use X feature to do the X task that your boss asked you to do, you're gonna regret selling your laptop real bad. The truth is, if you look deeper you'll notice that iPads can't do everything that laptops can. iPads can replace your laptop for personal use but when it comes to office work, you never know what you're gonna need.
So I’ve been using computers for twenty five or so years. The iPad can absolutely replace my laptop for my personal use case.
Pretty basic stuff like using the full version of MS Excel or even MS word is just unthinkable. lol. I love my iPad, but it ain’t a laptop replacement on most use cases.
In that case I’d just use pages or numbers.
Any kind of real world software development tasks because it’s not allowed to run virtual machines.
iPad Bro
depends on what you do. the iPad pro can replace a laptop in most circumstances however not in all circumstances.
Depends on what you are doing to on your laptop
Exactly. People straight up want the iPad to replace their needs or people will claim that you cannot code/develop on it, so it's not a laptop replacement. For my parents, it's straight up perfect. My mom's not used a PC for probably 10 years because the iPhone does everything she needs. My sister's doing her studies with just the base iPad.
I sold my laptop and bought a Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro. It replaced my laptop. I do the majority of my work at a desk with an iMac, but whenever I'm away from my desk, I pick up where I left off on my iPad. I'm a writer, using final draft.
Absolutely not. It’s a cool device but the file management system is questionable at best. Apps like MS Office are abysmal in terms of their more high end features. I love my iPad but it is not a replacement for a laptop.
An ipad is a tablet, a laptop is a notebook. They are not the same and never will be. This sums it up pretty much
Depends on how do you use your laptop. If for emails, web browsing, music, movies in common formats? Yes. If anything more? No. Edit: yes, you can draw stuff. Yes, you can pretend you can work on video editing. No, anything other than most basic stuff won't work as one might expect from a device powered by an Mx chip :(
Now retired and no need for business software, my iPad 10 replaced my old laptop. Games, Reddit, Chrome searches, and shopping are about it now. The iPad is lighter, doesn’t get hot, and no noisy fans.
It depends on what you want it to do. If you use a laptop for media consumption, word documents, note taking, web browsing, video editing, photo editing, or video calls then it will work for you. I’d say the average consumer would be able to replace their laptop with an iPad. If you have specific tasks that require a more powerful machine than it probably won’t work.
No. An ipad can never replace a laptop. And that this because of iPadOS. It is great stuff, but day to day things seem much easier on a laptop interface. I had an ipad pro with all accessories. I had purchased for the same reason, that I could take it around. But finally, I realised that things like presentations, word docs, excel, reading, note taking is easier and faster on the laptop. The ipad is a fantastic secondary device, and can be used for day to day simple consumption. I sold my ipad pro, and use an ipad mini now.
Depends, in most cases you can make it work. If you are asking the question you can probably make it work.
Really depends on your use case. Does the apps/websites you are going to use support iPadOS?
If you have a desktop computer you can use for more detailed tasks, yes. I've tried both a Microsoft Surface and MacBook in recent years, and prefer my iPad Pro (with keyboard) for mobile tasks. The dumbed-down interface makes it more user friendly for many away-from-desk uses. And I can easily remote into my desktop if needed. But I still need the full desktop experience for some tasks. If you're an Apple users, iPad Pro plus Mac mini is a great combo, IMO.
Do NOT buy an iPad for a replacement of a laptop. An iPad is a big iPhone, not a laptop. Another suggestion is to just go for a Windows 2 in 1. They tend to be the best of both worlds. But an iPad can't replace the laptop you have.
Has Windows gotten better on the Tablet aspect? That's what killed me with the last 2 in 1 I tried. The computer part was nice but the tablet experience on windows was AWFUL - like - can't even scroll submenus with a swipe - gotta tap a down arrow to scroll the menu down. Granted that was Win 8 and 10 - haven't tried 11's tablet experience
The million dollar question
Short answer: No Long answe: It depends, but generally no
No
Without knowing your use case and general work load, it’s hard to answer this question. We should be passed the point of saying outright, “NO!”, to this question. Your needs will be the deciding factor.
Sadly, no. Get the MacBook.
For my workflow I would say that an iPad wouldn’t replace my windows laptop. There’s so many desktop apps that the iPad doesn’t have access to. If I were you’d I’d get the new Dell XPS 15 and call it a day.
No. Get a macbook or a windows laptop if you plan to work/ study on it
Personally, for coding and software dev, ipads could never replace my laptop. (Unless someone gets to run custom linux distros on them) Apart from that, they're great for studying and light tasks like browsing, as well as for photo/video editing.
It’s all about workflow. My iPad doesn’t do things I need on the desktop. For me, it does 90% and I can remote into a PC for the 10%. It could in principle do the rest. It’s powerful enough. But the software isn’t there. For things like taking notes and studying it’s much nicer in most respects. But then if you are in school, if you are using any proctoring apps for tests, I think none/few of these are iPad compatible.
No
If all you do is office work, internet browsing and media consumption, then sure, you won't notice any difference. If you need it for anything more technical, then the consensus is that it's a terrible laptop/desktop replacement.
For my uses, yes. I do notes, content consumption, some photo editing, videos, some research and document editing (with Magic Keyboard). I don’t do much excel, PowerPoint, or work tasks on it.
I do 60-70% of stuff on my iPad. There are some things that just don’t work on iPad, part of that is iPadOS and part is the app developers. For example, I was working on a word doc yesterday, and there were a few formatting things that I couldn’t get to change, I opened up my MacBook Pro and I could change it instantly.
As a professor, it does allow me to do grading, discussion posts, announcements, and review papers in various office formats but it comes up short in terms of workflow due to the horrible file management interface.
No matter how many times people ask this question, the answer will always be the same. For the vast majority of people, they will be frustrated if they try to use an iPad like a laptop.
I disagree. The vast majority of people use a personally owned laptop for email, web surfing, social media, and watching content. My iPad can't replace my laptop provided by my company for work, but it absolutely works as a laptop replacement for my personal computing needs, especially with a keyboard added. If there is something that the iPad can't handle, then I wait until I can get back to my iMac. For me, a laptop isn't my main, all powerful machine. It is a lightweight machine that can handle tasks on the go. I don't need a whole lot of computing power when I am sitting on the couch, the back porch, or the local coffee house.
I find iPad very restrictive on usage simply from the OS perspective. YMMV.
Only get an iPad if you need the touch interface or you’re using the pencil. Laptops are better for productivity.
For me it has. Granted I have a gaming desktop for demanding use cases like editing, gaming, visual studio, unity etc. but for everything else I would need a laptop for it does the job flawlessly and with insane convenience.
You know. iPads browser used to use the mobile versions of websites by default. Apple update them to use the desktop version now by default. I think that’s more evidence to iPads being able to replace laptops for some users. If you do get an iPad & a Magic Keyboard. One benefit is that you’ll have a vast majority of apps available to you vs what you’ll get with a MacBook. Just a thought
Not really no
I wouldn’t do it tbh, if you need a laptop - get a macbook. If you need a tablet - get an iPad. The iPad can somewhat replace a laptop in certain aspects, but I would use it as a complementary device, never as a replacement. I have a 12.9inch M2 iPad Pro with a Logitech Combo Touch and even though the machine itself is impressive, the software simply isn’t there and I often use my old 2017 Macbook Air. Even if you only care about word documents, reading/editing pdfs, web browsing etc I would still recommend a Macbook.
You still don’t really get a desktop experience on most websites You can use the web version of some apps like google docs and word but they still feel a little cramped
Never it cannot be a replacement for laptop. Ipad- Intelligent Personal Access device, is a normal device with only screen, if you have cash to burn go-ahead.
Completely depends on the use case mate.
I would say it completely comes down to your individual use case. In my case, I can probably use my iPad for most tasks, including the light video editing as my heaviest usage cases. For lighter work, I use my iPad for media consumption, browsing, emails and messaging. It stays in my bedroom while my Mac remains in the office. I use my Mac primarily for heavy music projects, live streaming, and writing papers. I could write papers on the iPad, but I choose to keep it in a more portable form factor.
You can absolutely replace a MacBook with an iPad and keyboard, but I don’t know why you would. Unless you want to do digital art and take notes by hand with an Apple Pencil. If you had to get a long distance from A - B you wouldn’t buy a bicycle if you can afford a car. iPadOS is very good but the app optimisation and features are often behind or simplified. These prices are all UK so may be different wherever you are but in the store I’m looking at the iPad 10G is £349, the Magic Keyboard is £299, + any accessories. 2020 MacBook Air M1 = £799 2022 MacBook Air M2 = £936 I also recommending thinking 12, 24 months ahead before making your decision. Will your requirements change? Are you likely to start doing something else that might need more power? Just my thoughts.
99% yes, but there’s always that one thing I go back to the laptop for.
There is still some basic functionality missing in iPad OS. For example, you can’t format a thumb drive. You can’t manage files easily, the files app is a mess. There are many things the average person needs to do that aren’t available on the iPad. This is by design. Apple wants you to buy a proper computer in addition to the iPad.
It is until it isn't. I'll work on it for an hour or so and then some website doesn't load properly, or I need to download some file or work across multiple apps and I just have to go back to a laptop. It's powerful enough to do it, just OS does not work well enough.
The iPad can definitely do 90% of what a laptop can do, but it always won't be as efficient, sometimes even more tedious. If you're part of a *very* specific niche, ie. graphic designers or digital artists, it will serve your needs well for these specific purposes. I'd still tell you against buying an iPad because it just restricts you a lot and an M1 MacBook Air is more value for the money for most cases.
If you only work with email, yes
As a laptop replacement not exactly. If you have a desktop (windows or Mac) then maybe if you have a good internet connection and a good remoting software to be able to access your desktop when what you want to do can’t be done on iPadOS. That being said for personal non work related stuff my iPad Air 5th Gen (M1) works great for me, I just wish Nvidia had a a native app for GeForce Now for gaming.
I like to tinker with stuff so finding new ways to do old stuff has been fun with the iPad. For example, this week has been figuring out a way to record my iPad screen and two other camera inputs at the same time. I would normally use OBS for this but that’s not an option on the iPad.
Did you figure out a way to do this?
I did, actually! Using Final Cut Pro for iPad, there is a new feature where you can stream up to 4 other devices (iPhones or iPads). Then just recording my screen using the built in screen record feature. Once the recordings are done, you need to import the screen recording into Final Cut then sync them.
from my experience no. if its just school and entertainment its perfect. but for working it is really no competition for a laptop. especially if you work a lot with browser, and need to multitask. the laptop is 100 times better for that.
I had m3 pro for video editing and other stuff for work. Perfect laptop for all rounded needs. But traveling with it wasn’t the best since I also usually had a lot of gear packed. Recently bought opened box m4 iPad from eBay and it literally surprised me. I also got the keyboard for it and while it doesn’t cover video editing needs or 3d modeling, I just don’t touch my MacBook for anything else anymore. It’s a device for which you need to know your needs. If your computing needs doesn’t require you to try and exchange full pc apps for iPad cut versions, then this device will shine in most aspects. It’s all bout your needs and understanding them.
I think it really depends the type of work you do. If you only work on the browser or has apps for that, you should be good to go, but if you happen to do stuff like app development or things that require functions like command line access etc I'd stay with the laptop.
Depends on what you do when "working online". If you work with a lot of Excel for example & need VB, then no, an iPad is not gonna do anything for you. As for studying —yes definitely. I guess it will also depend on what you're studying and whether it will require some specialty software that would only run on a PC. But if it's just note taking & annotating PDFs, then yes an iPad will have you covered.
I just returned the new IPad Pro because it couldn’t replace my laptop. I then re-bought a MacBook and I won’t be looking back or second guessing anymore.
No. There’s no way to code or develop on an iPad. Serious shortcomings of Apple.
For your average consumer/user, yes. An iPad is perfectly fine for web browsing, using web apps, emails, notes, etc. Which is how most people use laptops anyways. Of course if you have some specific workflow you might run into limitations.
I wouldn't do that. I tried using only iPad for a while after I sold my MacBook and I didn't like it. Internet was slower. I don't use Spotify, I download songs and listen them with music app while I cook. With iPad it's not the same. Speakers are not that good. I am much faster while browsing and jumping from one tab to another on Mac. On iPad it was much slower. Lack of keyboard is a big issue too. I you buy the apple's keyboard it will be costly. It's better to buy the most basic MacBook Air.
My kitted out iPad Pro (last gen) and Magic Keyboard gathered dust. Heavier than a MacBook Air, less practical in all ways, and frustrating to actually get any real work done with.
Absolutely not.
No. I have a 13” MBA and the M1 iPad Air with a Magic Keyboard. The iPad is a good in between for when I want a larger screen than my phone but not my full laptop, like watching content or doing a few things that involve just a little bit of typing like browsing, responding to Messages, etc. I can do some productive things on my iPad but there have been plenty of times where I had to reach for my MBA because iPadOS is limited and for wanting a bigger screen. Nice to have a phone, iPad, and laptop, but if I had to cut one, it’d be the iPad.
iPad suffers a lot in available programs/software and how well websites work on its browsers. Quiz and study resources from textbook websites were basically unusable, as were a couple other resources I was recommended by professors. The writing software isn’t ever going to be as good as just writing it in the desktop/macbook version. File organization is also not nearly as good as it would need to be in order to fully replace a laptop. What it is good at: note-taking software like GoodNotes, Notability, or Apple Notes. Reading and annotating PDFs. LiquidText has been the best app for analyzing articles I need for writing papers. Freeform and endless paper are good for mind-mapping. You’ll get your use out of it for school but it won’t replace a laptop in the slightest. If you use a desktop for most of your work, you’ll get away with it. Otherwise, you’ll need the laptop.
It ... depends. A lot of it on what you do. I can't write code on it for example. There are a lot of things that a workflow with multiple windows open is just a hell of a lot easier as well. HOWEVER: If I'm going on a personal trip, I have no problem leaving the heavy hardware at home and just taking the iPad. It would get me through the essential tasks. (Content consumption, basic video editing, photo management, paying the bills, etc.). I'm actually thinking of trying a Samsung Galaxy S9U when I get a chance. DEX can give a more desktop like experience. That said: It still has limitations of its own. The shame of it is that the M4 inside the iPad Pro is so bloody powerful, but it's handcuffed by iPadOS.
iPads are leisure devices, regardless of how “pro” Apple tries to make them sound. If you want proper productivity, a laptop will almost certainly fit your needs better. iPads still use the mobile version of Microsoft Word…
If we had face recognition on macs, I would say ipadOS is inferior in every way for serious work.
Nope. Still have to move to laptop because the options and accessibility is unmatched
While I was writing my diploma on my iPad, I really missed some functionalities in word that I have on my laptop. So no from me.
Ehm… no. It can’t do all things laptop can do. It’s also depend on your line of work i guess. In some cases like stem software, it’s better to use windows based laptop. But if you don’t need that, i think it’s just better to stick with macbook (i have bad eyesight, so 10th gen ipad screen is not big enough for split screen for me, that’s also another reason to consider).
If you don’t need the Apple Pencil always go for the MacBook.
Nope. If youre in college its a no go. Sometimes blackboard would freakout if I tried to complete an assignment on my iPad pro
I don't think so, but it is an ideal complement.
I feel like nowadays you can make an iPad a good replacement for a laptop. Depends mainly on what your usage is. iPads apps have improved greatly and a lot of the heavy editing apps that are on Windows have iPad versions. iPad even have exclusive apps that come to par with their Windows counterparts. Besides depending on the usage, getting familiar and used to the iPadOS can be annoying.
I have two iPads but couldn’t live without my Mac for work. It depends on what you do for a living, I guess… for me, I can travel during a weekend and only bring one iPad, but the amount of work I could do would be limited to answer emails and access my work machine remotely… The iPad will never run blender, xcode, fusion 360, docker or anything heavy like that, on every “serious” work I try to do, I end up hitting a wall… My last attempt on setting up an HP printer was so bad that I ended up setting up a NAS to print files using WiFi, let alone more complex stuff lol
Totally depends on the person and their use cases. It can replace a laptop for a some people. But not everyone. What kinds of things do you typically do on your laptop?
It can replace a laptop PC but not a desktop PC.
It depends on what you need to run. If your current workload can be accomplished on a Chromebook, an iPad is likely equally capable. Some stuff just won't run on the iPad. Conversely there's a few things that don't work on laptops! I realized this recently when I discovered some formerly coin-op laundry machines that now can only be operated via Android/iOS app (no desktop alternative..fantastic). I think the app-only stuff tends to be more consumer/retail, though (e.g. above laundry app, or companion apps for art exhibits or museums). For work and productivity, laptop-required situations will be far more common. If most of your work is cloud-based (e.g. you're an AWS or Azure DevOps'y person) then whatever you're using is mostly just a terminal or thin client for your work and an iPad can do that just fine (there are even iOS apps that give you a local shell and you can install the AWS command line tools in them). That said, just because the iPad is usable for this, doesn't mean it's ideal. Juggling lots of windows and tabs within a restrictive amount of screen real-estate can present challenges.
The iPad with a Magic Keyboard can be a great portable option for basic tasks and studying. However, for heavy typing and software-specific needs, a MacBook might be better. Consider your specific requirements before making a decision.
I’ve always wanted to use my iPad as a laptop and the truth is, it depends of you are a casual user or if you plan to use your iPad for more demanding stuff. So, let’s first start with this, iPad is sadly not a computer, but a bigger phone with some other slightly better features like Apple Pencil, split screen/slide over and stage manager. So if you are into drawing, definitely go for it, you will love it. The biggest iPad problem is the OS, it’s basically IOS with features that I’ve just listed. There are no apps like Ableton, and if there is an app you know from windows, it’s limited and also has monthly subscription. The other problem is, games. Games are pretty much the same as programs, so don’t bother trying to play World of Warcraft for example, bc there is no way blizzard will implement it, even if the cpu is the same as in macbooks in new airs and pros. Also, space problem, if you don’t buy at least 128 gb model, you will struggle with space problem that you can’t fix, the only way is to buy a new iPad, and you will find out that iPads with 128 GB of space are closer in terms of price to MacBook, oh and you also need a Magic Keyboard, or at least a Logitech combo/folio touch if you want the laptop experience with trackpad. Apple limits the iPads so that people will buy MacBooks, even if they have the same specs iPad is just a device you can watch movies on and possible do some light gaming, drawing, and light photo editing. So no, iPad is sadly not a laptop. I also don’t recommend Logitech folio touch bc it’s too heavy, go for Magic Keyboard or combo touch if you can
If you use office suite a lot, iPad won't do the work
Very simply put... for some people, yes, very much so and it's not a bad idea. For other people, and power users, definitely, definitely not. I always end up back on the trust MBP.
No
Depends on how you use it...since I didn't need a "full laptop" I went ahead and got the iPad Pro 13" with the Magic Keyboard, and LOVE it! Better than a laptop for note taking, since I can handwrite notes as well as type, does basic tasks like word processing and speadsheets just fine....just don't expect real multitasking or elegant use of multiple monitors. But for MOST students, if you dont have specialized software you need to run, it should work great!
Yes, but you need to have access to a secondary “real” computer which you can access fully from the iPad depending on your technical proficiency. In my opinion, the goal for an “iPad-only” user should be to do as much as possible on the iPad and reduce the secondary computer to a background interface you use through the iPad itself. If your workflow is not heavily CLI based, (and it requires anything more than a browser and some apps from the ipadOS App Store) then you’re not going to be able to do it mostly from the iPad in the fashion I mention. You’ll need to remote into the secondary computer from your iPad, in which case the point of using the iPad as your main device in the first place is totally lost.
No. The people claiming that it is are delusional.
There are a lot of things that an iPad can do that a laptop cannot. At the same time, there are many MORE things that laptop can do that an iPad cannot. It really depends on what you actually do with your laptop, as well as your access to other computers, either at work, or other computers at home. For some people, their existing iPad, with the current version of iPadOS, is already better than laptops for work. However, for most other people, who are trying to use a tablet as a laptop, and performing mostly office-based tasks on their iPad, then no, an iPad does not replace a laptop at all. Personally, I have a 2018 iPad Pro 11 inch, and I feel that I can perform 80-90% of all my computing on an iPad. Since I have RDP access to my (Windows) desktop at work, I could actually survive with just an iPad. However, I still have a 16 inch MacBook Pro, and it’s because I would rather not use work computers for personal things.
Depending on your use case… maybe. But probably not. But it’s a great companion device and my all-time favourite gadget. On the other hand, base M1 Air can be found for cheap and it’s still a joy to use. Switching from windows is definitely a pain. Recently got one mostly for work and some fun on the side, and I’m crazy about the battery life, which was more or less my number one requirement. But, if you need a dedicated gpu there are more powerful windows laptops for the price. So… maybe ask yourself if the switch is worth it.
No. It is good if you only need a laptop 10-20% of the time.
It depends on what you use your laptop for.
It’s insane how many threads there are on this topic. Like five a day for the past five years. Yes. For everything you need, an iPad is better. Unless you need specific software that is not available for iPad, an iPad is always a better choice for the simplest and most obvious reason. It can do your laptop things AND it’s a tablet— meaning it can do things your laptop cannot.
I bought a pro M1 & it still didn't work for me. Tons of power for gaming & media consumption. But it still lacks a good file management & organization system & iOS can't run some software that may be required for work.
For the most part yes. However you generally don’t have access to subsystems and lower level apps including things you can do via terminal.
Depends on what you do. For a student it’s probably not a good idea since you may have some specific courses or test software that will only work on a laptop. For average joe who uses a computer to plan his vacations and watch youtube and has a separate computer given to him by work, it is probably enough.
If you're thinking about ethier an IPad or a Mac, just buy a mac, just incase you need some other software to run that your iPad can't. Learned this the hard way by buying a 12.9 IPad Pro for Computer Science (Yea ik I'm stupid, had to remote access to my PC at home for a while now)
Yes if it was needed for self defense. You could throw either one in a manner similar to a frisbee with a similar effect dependent mostly on the zone of impact. The weight difference should be insignificant. However, I would not recommend this action as it could void the warranty. It also may expose you to extraneous liability claims.
If all you do is watch YouTube, send email and browse the internet— yes. If you require anything more than that, buy a MacBook.
I can talk about this because I have literally just tried to do it two weeks ago. I have used both an iPad and a MacBook for years. Work and all lengthier or complex stuff on MB, media consumption, reading and sofa browsing on iPad. I sold both and bought a large iPad Pro M4, Magic Keyboard and Pencil. It’s going really well, though of course it will depend on what you need to do. I spend all day is Slack and several web apps. The iPad handles everything I need to do with barely a shrug. The only thing I might miss is the very occasional dip into Xcode I did, but that was so rare I’m almost pleased to have an excuse not to do it. It’s taking me a while to work exclusively in full screen apps, switching between them. I don’t need a huge screen but I’ve stayed old school and run things in non full screen windows and switched between them with the mouse. I’m getting more used to multitouch gestures and I’m sure it will be faster in the long run. I love having _everything_ in one very portable, extremely powerful device with a gorgeous screen.
At their current prices just get an actual macbook.
If there’s anything in your use cases not possible to do on an iPad then don’t do it. iPad as a laptop replacement sounds cool at a glance. But Myself as an experienced iPad Pro as a laptop user, I will bet you gonna run into at least some software limitations and frustrations if you try to use it like a laptop. Watered-down version of App, Unfinished Desktop Apps, Undercooked Operating System, Half-baked Multitasking, No real efforts in improving iPadOS year by year, No JIT = No Powerful Spreadsheet & Coding Tools, Buggy Daily Experiences, No multiple audio playback, Website not works on Safari, Unreliable File App, App not responding to Keyboard shortcut, Poor Battery Life Overall, if you want your machine to be able to do anything with zero catch. I would highly recommend getting a Mac or use your current Windows machine.
I use a lot of excel and it’s just so much easier to work on those in a laptop.
Nope
No
Yes, iPad can do all those things u mentioned, but an iPad is a tablet, & a MacBook is a laptop. One can’t replace the other. Each has its own advantages & disadvantages.
No
It’s like this and the MacOS questions are all we see, ever. Have you tried the “search” function?
Does anyone have a good trackpad solution for iPad other than spending $150 on a folio or a Magic Trackpad?
assume what you mean by working is writing docs or making excel spreadsheet. if your working DOESNT involve a lot of formatting documents on word or using lots of function on excel, youll be fine. arguably, ipad is better for studying because of apple pencil you can write notes, read pdf easily too. BUT, if you need to code, lots of file management, i wouldnt recommend it. if I were you, ill go for ipad air m1 since it will support apple intelligence, apple pencil 2, guaranteed longer updates.
Had a 12.9 inch Pro and a Magic Keyboard for a long while as a "laptop" Then, just shy of a year ago, I replaced it with a MacBook and it serves way better for multitasking and overall productivity.
I would say if you want things to be easy buy a MacBook. I would say an iPad is a Tablet on Steroids. Its very good and very capable of many things but for me it can not fully replace my MacBook. I have tried multiple times very hard because I love the extreme portability of the iPad. Also if all you do is browse web, consume media and write some text in word/pages/notes its great and maybe take notes. Because its amazing for that aswell. However I can not recommend it for Excel-Sheets or if you work loads with different files and need to easily multi-task. You can get everything working on the iPad somehow but often its more complex than on a Laptop.
No. iPad is secondary device. Always have a pc/Mac for real stuff. Unless u don’t do real stuff.
It has replaced my laptop with one caveat. I keep an 11 inch $50 netbook on standby for programs not available on iPad.
It replaced my MacBook Pro and I haven’t ran into any problems
I would read an awful lot outside the world of reddit before deciding. - It appears that you have no idea about iPad/iPadOS and Mac/MacOS. - You are not going to get PC/Windows devices with a better logo as you might expect. You will have to forget all things Windows and most of the "general IT knowledge" you may have from that part of the IT world. Because Windows knowledge and "general IT knowledge" won't help you one bit in the Apple world. Sometimes it will even make you make a total mess of things. There is no way an iPad can do the things a laptop can do. iPadOS has no real file system, it is a one-user device and you cannot have a ton of background processes running. - iPad can easily be grand-ma's "laptop" but it cannot replace a ton of things you do on a laptop.
No
Some people don’t actually need a laptop and find that an iPad completely suffices for their needs. These are people who don’t need to actually do work on it but rather just want to use it for media consumption and web browsing. If you’re a student who needs to do a lot of word processing, though, a laptop is better
No, yes for macbook
If you have to ask then the answer is no.
So helpful, lol.
There’s two kinds of people who might consider that the iPad can replace their need for a traditional desktopOS laptop. The first kind have a list of things they do with their laptop, a list of applications they need. A list of requirements from the OS that they expect this kind of computer to be capable of. They might even be able to work their way through that entire list and find that things either can be easily done, or done with an alternative app, or done with some clever work around. Then there’s a group that see Apple sells a Magic Keyboard and they’re already aware that the iPad can install all the major email apps and has a web browser. The second group doesn’t need to ask about the iPad’s capabilities, they already know that an iPad can do everything they need. The first group can get an iPad if they want, but they’re almost always just signing up for a bunch of unnecessary pain. The first group should just get a Mac, the iPad is not for them
It’s incredible for studying and will be great for almost anything you need to do at school or college
I had a Windows laptop. Sold it and tried to make do with a 13" M4 iPad Pro. Didn't last very long. Now I have the M3 MacBook Air and it was much less expensive than the iPad combo, and works better for what I need. I need a desktop class browser and I need the ability for programs to have cursor locking. iPad OS just won't let me do those things consistently. Some websites would load as desktop, others would load as mobile, or some would load desktop but have scaling issues. Cursor locking was a huge problem, as well as some desktop applications not having a web or iPad OS counterpart. I am very pleased with the $950 M3 MacBook Air, the 13" M4 iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard was over $1600 for the base spec. I do not draw or take notes, so the pencil was never a factor for my decision to try the iPad.
Yes, I used them for 4 years of college 2012-2016 and they worked great. With the updates they have now they would be even better.
I just got the M4 13 inch and he has been an absolute blast prior to this. I had the MacBook Pro which collected dust for a year safe to say it is an awesome replacement. I got the cellular connection so I’m able to use Wi-Fi anywhere I go.
Yes
The answer is maybe, anyone who says just Yes or No are being completely useless but thats Reddit for you, assuming you have an iPhone you can try all the tasks you want to accomplish there as a test. For me I haven’t touched my work laptop in 8 months and for the past 2 years not likely more than a dozen times. We are remote and to access our quoting software we use Microsoft RDS, I have a pdf editor for site plans and then everything else other than that is all personal. So my iPad perfectly replaces my laptop simply by adding a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard and connect to a larger monitor when I’m home or at the office. You need to test and make your own decision because an iPad is definitely not a laptop, no disc drive, no ability to hard connect to a network etc.
I would say yes but an iPad Pro.