When will the iPad be our main computer?

HolyGrail said:

It doesn't need replacing. They both can coexists.

Click to expand...

Yeah, ultimately that's what's going to happen. We have mostly gone to using our ipads around the house and for many tasks but we also have a trusty laptop in the house just in case I want to play Age of Empires or the kids need Office to do their school work. Just the way it is.

Honestly, most households will always have some type of regular PC around.

JackieInCo said:

This is what the so called iPad Pro would have to be, a full computer that can run any app downloaded from the net and not just from the app store.

This is why I bought a Surface Pro 3 last night. Not only can it be portable, it can run anything I install and, I can use any hard drive attached, wired mouse, bluetooth mouse, bluetooth keyboard, usb hub and anything else a computer can do and even connect to a display with it's built in mini display port. It also has an amazing display. I haven't picked up my iPad since buying this.

If and when the iPad can do these things, I will gladly buy it!

Click to expand...

I don't think the ipad pro is going to be a replacement for a computer that could run the likes of matlab or mathematica. Matlab is a 6GB+ program for example.

I believe the ipad pro is just going to be a bigger ipad. But hey, we will see

s2mikey said:

Honestly, most households will always have some type of regular PC around.

Click to expand...

I agree, but I think it might also start swinging back to desktops instead of people having laptops as tablets become powerful enough to do anything that most people need to be mobile for, and then the more power for the same price is going to be a selling point for desktops over laptops.

Totally said:

I don't think the ipad pro is going to be a replacement for a computer that could run the likes of matlab or mathematica. Matlab is a 6GB+ program for example.

I believe the ipad pro is just going to be a bigger ipad. But hey, we will see

Click to expand...

For some reason, I think you are correct.

mrkramer said:

I agree, but I think it might also start swinging back to desktops instead of people having laptops as tablets become powerful enough to do anything that most people need to be mobile for, and then the more power for the same price is going to be a selling point for desktops over laptops.

Click to expand...

Yeah, good point. Why have a laptop which cost more and are less powerful than a good desktop system? Obviously we have tablets for portability so why bother with a laptop? I will say this though: even if you never plan on taking it out of the house, laptops have such a smaller footprint than a desktop system and take up less room. They can be moved around the house too which can help.

Each household will have to assess it.

The Surface Pro 3 with OS X would kill all my needs for any other computer.

Sometimes you just need the option of a good keyboard and mouse.
Right now the iPad only gives me keyboard..

So far only something like a surface pro 3 with a docking station could replace a desktop or laptop for me. IPads and to a slightly lesser extent android tablets are still too limited in what they can do. And I would still need a desktop for certain things although the need for that is getting smaller.

I brought an iPad with me on a short 4 day trip to Chicago and did just fine but that's because I used it for little more than email. With a keyboard dock word processing is doable so long as formatting stays to a minimum (short memo to co workers for example) but anything that requires very much manipulation of text and I need a mouse as using a touchscreen is still to cumbersome. That's just one example.

My iPad 3rd Gen, has been my main computer for 2 and a half years, and I am the General Manager for a family business with 14 people.

I switched from a windows based laptop to iPad and never looked back, no more paid for updates for the operating system, no more lagy anti-virus, no more long boot up delays etc.
The iPad is so simple but yet so complex if you learn the programs. I was forever finding I was loosing track of documents in the sea of folders and programs on my laptop. I was also never completely sure I didn't have viruses on the laptop even when the anti-virus seemed clean because often I would pick up strange malware or warnings in the scans.

Also the way iPad presents all your information and apps when you log in, in the morning, seems so much more manageable than with a laptop. With my lap top everything was presented to me all at once and the fact that you could change so much about the operating system, programs, files, locations, code etc, meant without realizing what you have done, in no time at all, you can have a real mess on your hands. iPad sorted out all that for me, giving me a clean, organized, safe and easy to use operating system and environment to work in.

In a nut shell I am more productive than I ever was before now that I am using an iPad as my main computer! Sure some enterprise programs or software simply hasn't been designed to run on ipad, and sure some software is easier to use with a curser, but I will tell you this, if you can avoid using those types of programs you will be a happy as can be.

When people talk of hitting a wall with some tasks or programs on iPad, I don't understand them, I know with iPad and the App Store there is always a way. Also people talk of not having a robust filing system?!? DropBox, Google Drive, Box, Sky Drive are fantastic and I ave found my information on these storage options are more organised and safer than ever before!

And now with the iPad Air 2 (which I am currently waiting for deliver on) the power out of the Air 2 is insane, Geekbench shows multi-core scores from the iPad Air 2 that beat or are equivalent to many mid 2014 Macbook Airs! http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?utf8=✓&q=2014+MacBook+Air

Just look at Apples Business Profiles videos on iPad to see how company's are really using iPads, and you will see how impressive and capable these computers really are! http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/

TacticalDesire said:

So far only something like a surface pro 3 with a docking station could replace a desktop or laptop for me. IPads and to a slightly lesser extent android tablets are still too limited in what they can do. And I would still need a desktop for certain things although the need for that is getting smaller.

I brought an iPad with me on a short 4 day trip to Chicago and did just fine but that's because I used it for little more than email. With a keyboard dock word processing is doable so long as formatting stays to a minimum (short memo to co workers for example) but anything that requires very much manipulation of text and I need a mouse as using a touchscreen is still to cumbersome. That's just one example.

Click to expand...

Blue tooth mouse?

AdonisSMU said:

Blue tooth mouse?

Click to expand...

Still doesn't work, Apple only let's you use Bluetooth keyboards. However there is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to use a Bluetooth mouse, haven't looked into it though.

AdonisSMU said:

Blue tooth mouse?

Click to expand...

Only an option if I jailbroke. And the limitations of iOS and sometimes Android still make being productive on a tablet a chore.

iPadDad said:

Just look at Apples Business Profiles videos on iPad to see how company's are really using iPads, and you will see how impressive and capable these computers really are! http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/

Click to expand...

Sure they do. IRL: "you got a new mail!" (On the screen on your desktop while outlook is open there...)

-where is my ipad, i got a new mail!?

In a bar with a friend: "Ipad is so productive tool, today i checked my emails!"

*beeing sarcastic here, but unfortunately this the irl scenario rather than commercial vids from apple*

mrex said:

Sure they do. IRL: "you got a new mail!" (On the screen on your desktop while outlook is open there...)

-where is my ipad, i got a new mail!?

In a bar with a friend: "Ipad is so productive tool, today i checked my emails!"

*beeing sarcastic here, but unfortunately this the irl scenario rather than commercial vids from apple*

Click to expand...

Well... One time, my boss sent me an urgent letter he wanted translated right away while I was at a restaurant having dinner. So while we were waiting for our food to arrive, I did the translation on my iPad and emailed it back. I couldn't have pulled out my laptop without attracting attention, but the iPad allowed me to do the quick job discreetly. Like I said in a previous post, I wouldn't want to work all the time on my iPad. But being able to deal with urgent jobs like that without having to leave the restaurant and go back to the office is definitely very convenient. Yes, many people use the iPad to check their emails, but for many people, checking and responding to emails is a large part of their job, and having an iPad means they can do their jobs while on the go.

Night Spring said:

Well... One time, my boss sent me an urgent letter he wanted translated right away while I was at a restaurant having dinner. So while we were waiting for our food to arrive, I did the translation on my iPad and emailed it back. I couldn't have pulled out my laptop without attracting attention, but the iPad allowed me to do the quick job discreetly. Like I said in a previous post, I wouldn't want to work all the time on my iPad. But being able to deal with urgent jobs like that without having to leave the restaurant and go back to the office is definitely very convenient. Yes, many people use the iPad to check their emails, but for many people, checking and responding to emails is a large part of their job, and having an iPad means they can do their jobs while on the go.

Click to expand...

One thing to add to your experience - you probably could have done the same thing from your phone. However, it would have likely been at best annoying to do so on the smaller screen.

An iOS device will never replace a desktop computer for me because of sandbox nature of the OS it would make it too frustrating to use.

SHirsch999 said:

One thing to add to your experience - you probably could have done the same thing from your phone. However, it would have likely been at best annoying to do so on the smaller screen.

Click to expand...

Indeed. I've tried editing documents on my iPhone, and found I couldn't do it when I can only see about a sentence at a time on my iPhone. To me, the 9.7 inch iPad is about the minimum feasible size for working with documents. I tried doing it on a mini, and found that awkward.

The file system or lack thereof is one of the big problems as others have eluded to. IMO, the cloud and services like it are making this less of a concert though. You really can move files around using dropbox and iCloud. It helps. Not the same as a true file system but it's a step in the right direction.

theapplefanboyj said:

Still doesn't work, Apple only let's you use Bluetooth keyboards. However there is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to use a Bluetooth mouse, haven't looked into it though.

Click to expand...

ahhh ok. I guess it kinda makes sense though since you have a touch screen. why would you need a mouse other than to drag and drop....which is useful but is weird on an ipad with your finger.

AdonisSMU said:

ahhh ok. I guess it kinda makes sense though since you have a touch screen. why would you need a mouse other than to drag and drop....which is useful but is weird on an ipad with your finger.

Click to expand...

You want a mouse if you attach a keyboard, especially a Bluetooth one, then you prop up the iPad at a comfortable viewing distance and start typing. Then you want to move the cursor, and the screen is too far away to touch.

This is why I'm skeptical about how useful touch screen is on laptops and desktops. I think most of the time, I'd end up going for the mouse/trackpad rather than tap the screen.

Night Spring said:

You want a mouse if you attach a keyboard, especially a Bluetooth one, then you prop up the iPad at a comfortable viewing distance and start typing. Then you want to move the cursor, and the screen is too far away to touch.

This is why I'm skeptical about how useful touch screen is on laptops and desktops. I think most of the time, I'd end up going for the mouse/trackpad rather than tap the screen.

Click to expand...

Agreed.

ShaneBunting said:

I think it's safe to say that the future of computing will be in tablets, and as we have seen since 2010

Click to expand...

No, it won't. It's been long enough now (over half a decade) and it hasn't even come close to happening.

Happybunny said:

It already is for the Facebook Generation

Click to expand...

They're not using a computer. They're just playing with a high-tech gadget, not unlike a high-tech Leapfrog for toddlers.

Real work, in the real world, requires a computer on a desk with a real keyboard and mouse (for those who use mice). Everything else is a fancy gimmick. No company can function with every employee using iPads alone.

PSB136 said:

No, it won't. It's been long enough now (over half a decade) and it hasn't even come close to happening.


They're not using a computer. They're just playing with a high-tech gadget, not unlike a high-tech Leapfrog for toddlers.

Real work, in the real world, requires a computer on a desk with a real keyboard and mouse (for those who use mice). Everything else is a fancy gimmick. No company can function with every employee using iPads alone.

Click to expand...

Agreed that real work requires a computer etc. For my personal use I use my iPad most of the time. I also have a mac mini for when I feel like playing a game that isn't on the iPad or if I feel like sitting at a desk and browsing the web traditionally.

If your someone that never brings your work home and have minimal computing needs I think an iPad will work.

Everyone has different computing needs. If all you're doing on a computer is checking email, web browsing, and streaming videos, then it can already function as such.

For me, it will never be. And it doesn't have to be.

My iPad Air is my main computer when commuting between home and University of Illinois - Chicago. But when I'm home, I tend to use my 15" MacBook Pro for music, surfing, etc. iPad is more of a lounging machine for me.

Never for me.