Are you iPad only? Or going that way?

[gobikerider]

How many people here now solely use an iPad as their main device and iPhone alongside it .. or how many of you are now selling things to actually do this. I'm doing this now, and want to know how many of you are doing the same and why.

I use my iPad for 99% of my stuff rn, the issue it's too small and for heavier workflows it's not really equipped ideally, although iOS 11 would improve the workflow issues I won't be satisfied until I have a bigger display so I will be purchasing the new 12.9inch iPad Pro. By extension my MacBook Pro will also become a redundancy so I will probably be selling it as well.

 

[va1984]

I too am struggling with the choice, at the moment. I used to have a 12.9" Pro as an only computer and loved it. Then a few things changed in my set up, not fully voluntary.
My current set up is: iPad Pro 9.7 (+ Pencil). 12" MacBook, which on the desk connects to an Apple Cinema Display 27" via the CalDigit USB-C dock.

I have a 10.5 Pro on order. The thinking was, maybe it can condense my 12" MacBook and 9.7" iPad Pro while on the go. I could sell them both, and get an old Mini to drive my 27" ACD on the desk.

But there are two problems with this: 1) sometimes I need/it's nice to have 2 devices on the go. For example if I am annotating a pdf and writing (about that pdf) at the same time. 2) I quite liked the 12.9 Pro and seeing all that multitasking goodness (which is really intended for the largest iPad) makes me want one again.
Not only that, but maybe the 12.9" would be actually the only device to carry because annotating a pdf on 1/2 of the big screen and writing on the other half may be more realistic. But then I come back to the starting point: the 9.7"/10.5" form factor is much nicer as a reading/note pad. So maybe I should keep the 9.7" and get the 12.9" too?

I have been playing this reasoning on a loop in my head since the announcement.

If anybody out there wants to help me out, please do! Or else I'll just have to buy everything, and on the 13th day before the return window closes I'll have a shot of something and decide.

 

[ascender]

But then I come back to the starting point: the 9.7"/10.5" form factor is much nicer as a reading/note pad. So maybe I should keep the 9.7" and get the 12.9" too?

That's the biggest consideration for me at the moment.

I have an iMac at my desk so that takes care of running VMs and the heavy duty work I need to do as well as a nice big screen.

On the go I have a 13" MBP which I think I could replace with an iPad. the 12.9 is the obvious choice for this, but I do use my iPad an awful lot for reading and watching video in the house. The 10.5 would be perfect for that, but less so as a laptop replacement.

 

[B.A.T]

The biggest issue holding me back from selling my iMac is that I have wireless music streaming set up in three rooms via airport expresses. It works perfectly and I do not want to mess with the headaches of switching over only to find out it doesn't work.
I'm waiting for info on Airplay 2 and to see if the iPad can do what I want it to music wise. If it works in the fall then i will sell the trusty old desktop.

 

[Skika]

Nah, i love my iPad but cant live without the Mac.

 

[QCassidy352]

I find it interesting how many people are doing this / want to do this. I love my air 2 and use it all the time, but to me, it fills a very specific niche between my iPhone and laptop. It's great at what it does, but it's nowhere near capable of being a primary machine for me.

 

[Sparky2012]

I've been slowly going this way. I have a MBP Late 2013, as well as an iPhone 7 and traded my 9.7" Pro for the new 10.5" Pro. I use my iPad for almost everything whether that be taking down notes, consuming media, etc and I only have a few cases where I need a full blown computer now for things like virtualising software, etc.

I'm gonna keep this MBP until it dies and once it does and is unrepairable, I'm not going to buy another computer as they don't do much more than an iPad for my uses. The amount of scenarios that you need a computer for is definitely getting smaller.

 

[macduke]

I think after I get the iPad Pro 2 10.5" next week, and even more so after iOS 11 launches, I'll be partially iPad for work, and especially for personal projects. I'm to the point where I use my iPad more than my MacBook Pro at home, but I use my iMac at work a ton during the day and also use it to take care of some of the things I would use my MBP at home for as I'm an admin and my work has lax policies and no filters so I can do whatever I want with my machine.

Things I do now or anticipate doing with my iPad Pro 2:

• Edit photos in Lightroom
• Create sketches and illustrations
• Take notes in meetings
• Some light web development using Coda
• Some light vector design work
• Interface mockup creation
• Regular office stuff like responding to emails, making appointments, etc

In iOS 11 it looks like you can slide the hover window off the display with a gesture and then bring it back—unless I'm misunderstanding what I saw? Anyway, I wonder if these apps are suspended, or if they can keep running with chat? I mean, I guess they could just use notifications, but it would be nice if you slid it back over real quick and everything was instantly updated in the background so you could quickly reply and throw it back off the display. Having split view plus one hover window, I think, is the key many people have been waiting for when it comes to being productive on the iPad. You can be working between two apps and quickly hover a chat window to communicate with your team? That's big stuff. Add in the dock and ability to quickly move things around and access files, and it's going to be a big deal.

My biggest wish is for the Files app to show files in attached drives. The main problem with that is many smaller externals people would tote around couldn't be powered by the iPad. But it would be nice to be able to dump things off onto a larger, plugged-in external, or a USB flash drive or SD card, as well as read from those sources to get some files. But I think Apple is really gunning for iCloud Drive, which is why they increased the $10/mo storage capacity to 2TB. The main problem is the speed of the internet just isn't there yet.

 

[44267547]

I find it interesting how many people are doing this / want to do this. I love my air 2 and use it all the time, but to me, it fills a very specific niche between my iPhone and laptop. It's great at what it does, but it's nowhere near capable of being a primary machine for me.

I think I could allow my iPad to be my primary machine. But I actually don't want to. I like to use my laptop, my iPhone, my iPad and mix things up. I enjoy not having to use one product. Perhaps it keeps me from getting bored just with one device. They All have different purposes for me.

 

[MyopicPaideia]

I am going to go for it as a laptop replacement for professional use, and have the SG 10.5" 512GB LTE For me that means financial and accounting consulting, as well as running a motor racing team and its website. Lots of web-based accounting and finance software, lots of Keynote presentations and complicated Numbers and Excel files to manage, wage slips in PDF, scanning in and manipulating invoices and receipts also in PDF or image formats. Also creating literary, photo, and video content for blogging, Youtube, and Social Media purposes.

I have already long since completely replaced my personal laptop with an iPad, since the iPad 2 in 2011. Now seems like the first time it may be feasible to replace my professional laptop as well (what that means for me, anyways).

I do have a 27" iMac that I will be continuing to use with Final Cut Pro for video editing, and I don't intend to ever replace a desktop workstation with the iPad. That's not what this is about. This is about replacing a laptop.

If Files.app in conjunction with drag and drop works in iOS just like it does in macOS I think we might have a winner.

I will probably keep my mini 4 as my "personal" device, and use the 10.5" Pro as a directly professional replacement for my rMB.

 

[sonicrobby]

Ive been moving that way, even managed to move most of my workflows to iOS. Two things I cannot yet replace:
1. iTunes on my PC to sync music (apple could easily solve this with an "Open in Music" option for .mp3 files)
2. Solidworks. While there are more 3D CAD apps for iPad, they are still lacking in features and interface. Im not expecting something so complex to get simplified anytime too soon.

And like you, I much more use my ipad as my main device and the iphone as a supplementary that forwards my calls and SMS texts. The the only time my iPhone becomes primary is for picture or going on the town at night where I wouldnt have my iPad. If Apple ever made a cellular Apple Watch with a decent camera that didnt rely on the phone, I would be dropping my iPhone in an instant.

 

[Phonzoxd]

Sort of.

If you don't count my Windows Desktop. I don't use a laptop though.

 

[rdavis41]

Love this thread. I teach at the collegiate level and currently the iPad Pro suits my needs just fine. In fact IOS 11 will provide improvements that will help immensely. I find the Macbook Pro to be primarily for uses I don't intend to use such as photography, video editing, and software engineering. My only gripe is that I have yet to find a good SPSS research based app, that would be a killer edition for me.

 

[dk001]

How many people here now solely use an iPad as their main device and iPhone alongside it .. or how many of you are now selling things to actually do this. I'm doing this now, and want to know how many of you are doing the same and why.

Just the opposite. I tried to go iPad only and could not. Now I use a Mini 4 for consumption and a rMB for my basic computing.

 

[DNichter]

I am finally selling my 2016 MacBook in favor of the iPad 10.5 256GB. I have been waiting for some time to do this and I figured now is as good a time as ever. The improvements in iOS 11 look to be enough to handle all of my needs. I don't really need a computer for much at home, mostly for consumption, so I don't think I should have a problem. Eventually I will probably buy an iMac for my house, but can use my girlfriends Pro worst case for now. I am looking forward to it.

 

[mzsigler]

I'm hoping with the 10.5 I just ordered that it will be my only mobile computer. I have a 2015 macbook but elected to keep it without upgrading to see if I can get away with just iPad for mobile computing. My iMac isn't going anywhere though, something you just need a big ass screen and desktop class processor.

 

[dk001]

I am finally selling my 2016 MacBook in favor of the iPad 10.5 256GB. I have been waiting for some time to do this and I figured now is as good a time as ever. The improvements in iOS 11 look to be enough to handle all of my needs. I don't really need a computer for much at home, mostly for consumption, so I don't think I should have a problem. Eventually I will probably buy an iMac for my house, but can use my girlfriends Pro worst case for now. I am looking forward to it.

I'm hoping with the 10.5 I just ordered that it will be my only mobile computer. I have a 2015 macbook but elected to keep it without upgrading to see if I can get away with just iPad for mobile computing. My iMac isn't going anywhere though, something you just need a big ass screen and desktop class processor.

One suggestion: keep track of the work-arounds you have to design / perform to accomplish tasks that would be better done on a pc. When I did this a few years back (and occasionally retry) I found that I was creating extra work just to try to make it work. That drove my final decision.

 

[gameboy213]

Yep. Been a year. 12.9 and 7 plus.

Love it.

 

[Zaft]

I like the IOS11 updates but one big problem replacing a desktop or laptop in going to be using the iPad with a keyboard will ruin the multitouch experience. I can't see reaching over the keyboard to do those complex gestures.

It would be nice if Apple built in a trackpad, that would solve that issue.

 

[rwp]

I want to move to my 12.9" iPad Pro for 100% of my computing needs. iOS 11 will solve many usability issues that made this difficult, but there are still a few key things preventing me from switching completely over:

1. The iOS 11 "Files" app needs to show USB memory sticks and hard drives when attached.
2. Be able to manage iTunes content without iTunes/computer. This includes adding and sharing music that *I* create -- not just purchased content. Editing music file metadata is also important.
3. Burn CD's/DVD's from the iPad through USB drive. My band needs to be able to produce physical demo disks that can be given to prospective clients.
4. On rare occasions, need to be able to enter recovery mode without a computer.

I am very excited about the improvements that iOS 11 will bring. Hopefully these remaining issues will also be addressed over time.

RwP

 

[DNichter]

One suggestion: keep track of the work-arounds you have to design / perform to accomplish tasks that would be better done on a pc. When I did this a few years back (and occasionally retry) I found that I was creating extra work just to try to make it work. That drove my final decision.

Appreciate the advice. I have worked through the very few instances that are a little more challenging to accomplish on an iPad. Either way, for me, it's not very critical at all. I could get by with a phone if I really wanted to, but I enjoy new devices.

 

[Scarpad]

How many people here now solely use an iPad as their main device and iPhone alongside it .. or how many of you are now selling things to actually do this. I'm doing this now, and want to know how many of you are doing the same and why.

I've decided to do this have a 7 plus now , I do have a 2011 Imac, but I'm going to try to go all in on IOS , and because of this will be getting the smart keyboard and the 12.9 inch Ipad, the 10.5 is nice but don't think it will fit the bill for laptop replacement

 

[Fuzzball84]

Since buying my iPad mini and iPad Pro I have hardly used my MacBook. Everything I did on a mac, which doesn't involve anything computer intensive or complicated, can be done in iOS. That's what apple products are primarily used for, simple tasks, and iOS is super simple and fool proof. Apple have designed a super simple interface with clear buttons and bold fonts. It's ideal for school children and seniors. None of the customization nonsense of android and windows. Less fragmentation too as apple decides what runs and doesn't run and makes sure users upgrade by including certain features in each years update that improve the OS in significant ways.

 

[Kiimora]

My iphone 7 plus is more than capable when am out & about however i gravitate towards the iPad once i get home for reading, note taking, browsing , emails, movies via Plex facetime , flight & away companion etc. I simply cannot imagine not having one, that said i also have a Windows 10 desktop for work & other stuff

 

[killaz05]

I would love to ditch the laptop and use the iPad as my main device because I use it for 90% of the time. I love league of legends and that will never come to iPad so I need a computer for that as well as AutoCAD. Yeah there is AutoCAD WS but it is worse than AutoCAD LT as far as doing any actual CAD work. Of course for CAD work I would need an actual mouse and not just the apple pencil. So I am a bit stuck...