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Apple Depicts iPad as Laptop, Textbook, and Paperwork Replacement in Series of New Ads

The Notes and Paperwork ads pretty much sum up exactly how I use my iPad. I use OneNote to sync across all types of devices and it works great. I do carry around a small notepad and pen most time to jot down a quick bit of information where taking out an electronic device would be unwieldy but I will then just take a picture of the note later and stick it in OneNote.

I also have all my books and documents on Kindle or in OneDrive. Using the Kindle app and the Readdle Documents/PDF Expert apps makes it super convenient to access them at any needed time.

The iPad is truly a wonderful device for consuming content, taking quick notes, and doing minor revisions to documents. It won't ever replace a laptop for my productivity needs but it makes an excellent companion device that is convenient to carry around and pretty much is instantly available at any given time. These commercials are actually pretty good and demonstrate the real-world benefits of the iPad.
 
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Ds6778 said:
Lol why do some people seem to get irate that Apple is pushing the iPad as a laptop replacement? For a lot of people it is. Everything you “present” as “evidence” against the iPad being a replacement device is purely anecdotal. Hate to break it to some of you but the iPad/iPad Pro CAN be a computer replacement for some people. Not everyone is a “pro” user. I’d argue that half the people that refer to themselves as “pros” aren’t.
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It’s certainly kicking a hornets nest in this context. Many people are sore that Apple is evidently neglecting the Mac, and news that Apple is clearly prioritising the iPad over the Mac just opens old wounds and further stokes fears that Apple is serious about one day replacing the Mac altogether.
 
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iapplelove said:
What if I want to do both ? Which I do.
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Apple cannot work with what if, I mean, what if i want to backup to tapes??

Their vision, right or wrong is the cloud.

It was the same when they removed the floppy, and then the cd, and then the dvd....
 
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An iPad is a great replacement for average joe users that need to surf the web and use mail. An iPad is not a replacement for professionals.

I do not think these ads are geared towards professionals.
 
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This assertion (of an iPad sufficing as a computer for the masses) has been parroted many times, and it’s good to be reminded of it from time to time.

I do find it amusing that as the iPad gains more and more functionality, the goalposts of what constitutes a computer (or even real work) keep shifting.

Not too long ago, the phrase “you can’t do real work on an iPad” was thrown around a lot, but as more people have shown that they totally can do their work on iPads, the PC defenders have had to become more specific in their criticisms. Arguments for the continued dominance of the PC have been reduced to “you need it for sharing documents” or “you can’t do development on iOS or Android.” or some other niche use case.

The trend towards eliminating things iOS and Android devices can’t do is marching on and there’s no reason to think it will stop. With each passing day, people are changing their workflows in ways that make PCs less relevant, while iOS and Android are making changes to fill the gaps that are still there.

PCs will exist for a long time, and I have no doubt that they will remain relevant for many people, but it continues to become more and more clear that the future is not macOS or Windows, but iOS and Android. As such, I am neither surprised nor dismayed that Apple continues to favour development of iOS over the Mac.

We really should be beyond debating whether the iPad can be used for content creation. That discussion is over and those still arguing that it cannot are saying more about themselves than about the iPad with every passing day.
 
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Not sure why we’re debating this. The iPad and a MBP can do some of the same things, but each can do some things better, and can do some things that the other can’t.

We each have different needs and use cases and preferences, so it’s no shock that we don’t all fall in the same part of the Venn diagram.
 
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DNichter said:
It all depends on the user, not necessarily the device.
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It’s the OS. Until iOS supports all the same use cases as a laptop, it won’t ever fully replace a laptop. I can see how people were clamoring for a 13” laptop with touchscreen
 
Rogifan said:
Why does it need to replace a laptop. My guess is a lot of people were/are using laptops for things that don’t require a precision pointing device. For me personally if Apple allowed media to be synced to music and TV apps, allowed metadata editing and provided access to this media in the Files app I’d never have a reason to use my old windows PC. The only reason I use it now is for things that can only be done with desktop iTunes.
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It doesn’t, but it also shouldn’t be assumed that it does.
 
DNichter said:
Of course it can, it does for me today. It may not for you, but can for others.
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By that token my iPhone is my laptop replacement. It can for me, maybe not for you.

I don’t need or want a laptop. Serves no purpose for my usage.
 
While it was helpful for me for pdf markups and notes for school, and I loved drawing on it, the constant issues (of which Apple said were non-existent), pushed me to sell mine yesterday. Every iDevice I've owned since 2015 save for my 7+ (which is now starting to show its age), has imploded after a year. I can no longer throw money at Apple in hopes that I will get what they claim or boast about.

As far as university, I'll deal. Commuting with the 12.9" did not work for me.

These ads prove that Apple want to move away from the Mac (though we've known that for years now, due to the neglect of the desktop line and the shoddy software and hardware releases). Maybe if they were all under $1k fully equipped I wouldn't care as much about the amount of money I lost buying one.

For everyone that loves their iPad and uses them in so many ways, I hope you get the value and use you want from them.

I think it's great people can do a lot with their iPads, but I am actually looking forward to a Wacom tablet when I get my new system sorted. If this is where Apple wants to go computer-wise, okay. I finally got the message after fighting for almost five years.
 
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Let's be honest. The iPad IS a laptop replacement for MOST people MOST of the time.

We aren't talking about Enterprise where you're using Access, Excel, and SQL all day. Most people sit on their computers and use them for:

Facebook
Google
Internet
Mail
Twitter
Snapchat
YouTube
Instagram
Banking
Reading

iPad checks all of those and does some of them better because they were built on mobile.
 
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Some people claim the iPad cannot replace their computer so it is not a computer replacement, yet some of them are attached to an old workflow and don't want to adapt.

Some other really need something different and for them the iPad is an add on or "extra" to their computer.

Some other adapt to a new workflow and the iPad cover their needs, and guess what, all 3 groups are right.

It is annoying to hear "the iPad cannot replace a laoptop because it can'tt for me so it can't for everyone. "

We all have different needs, just because some of us can live without a computer and do everything with an iPad does not mean our work is of less value or complexity, it is just different.

Sometimes I wonder what all this "I need a workstation" guys really do with their machine...

Is the iPad a laoptop replacement? Yes for some scenario, no for other, if it is or not it is up to what you do with it ;)
 
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phillytim said:
I don't currently agree with that. A precision pen (with a very fine point) *could* recoup most all of the functions one would typically use a mouse for on a tablet (such as photo editing).

What functions do you find that necessitate a mouse?

Of those functions, which ones do you find that a pen could not do?
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If I were to edit my videos / do vfx work on an iPad (I wouldn’t), I would not be able to do my work efficiently with a pen. The pen was a great addition, but a mouse is still useful for lots of various work related tasks
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recoil80 said:
A pointing device would be useful in some scenario. I'd never carry a mouse with me to use with a table, but I love the trackpad of my MBP so much that I sometimes leave the mouse at home even when I need to use the laptop, so I'd say a cover embedding a keyboard with a trackpad would cover most of the use cases. If you really need a mouse for most of your work maybe the iPad is not the right device to use.
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Don’t need a mouse. Not really speaking on personal experience, rather than the overall depiction of an iPad Pro being a laptop replacement, when it isn’t.
 
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