Did you miss this post?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/can-ipad-pro-replace-laptop.1965909/page-4#post-22774753
Basically, wifi hard drives come with an app that lets you transfer files to and from the iPad.
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Can iPad Pro replace laptop?
- Thread starter oldcelt
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Did you miss this post?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/can-ipad-pro-replace-laptop.1965909/page-4#post-22774753
Basically, wifi hard drives come with an app that lets you transfer files to and from the iPad.
What did my comment have to do with Apple? Any smart phone can use Waze.. =)
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There's an app for that, and their maps are more up to date I'm guessing..
Yes, but I just bought Star Wars: The Force Awakens. How do I get that file onto an external hard drive with just an iPad?
Hint: Apple does not make it easy to copy their media files on or off their devices without iTunes.
Downloading license-free films is not stealing. Many of these films are uploaded by studios or some government's cultural departments. This is how I was able to watch many foreign films that were never released here either in theater or on DVD
I knew someone would mention iCloud Drive, but it stores its contents on Apple's server not on the internal storage. Without data/wifi connection, I can't access my contents (although i mentioned LTE connection as advantages of tablets...). It seemed to take a bit more steps to organize/import/download contents in iCloud Drive than conventional file system we are used to. And i can't directly access iCloud Drive with USB.. Furthermore I only have 5Gb... Yeah I can pay to have more storage but if I pay money on these devices, I want to be done with it. No more payments. Also, I can do this on Google Drive, don't I..?
This also brings interesting question. Can phones only work on cloud storage? For example, apps are installed and stored on Apple's servers, etc. I guess phones have to have some form of storage to store icons, settings, etc. but it is a possibility
Sure it is. Want the movie off your iPad, delete it. Want it back, re-download it. Want to watch it without downloading it, stream it. Pretty painless if you ask me.
I have lifetime map updates that are made regularly. And I can't put my iPad on the windshield where I can see it at a glance. Plus it's not weatherproof like my GPS. So it is not nor will it be a replacement.
Well, my iPhone in it's Lifeproof case is waterproof and I can mount it on my windshield... =)
Or, or...
Get a 1TB iPad and have it always with me regardless of network connection.
Even MORE painless!!!
It may not be a power problem, but it is still combination of hardware problem (lack of ports that artists need for transferring files) and software problem (iOS jail system, which prevents user access to files). There are reasons to why developers choose not make particular apps for iOS. Its because there are better platforms for particular apps. Full fledged OSX with extensive hardware options are simply better platform for some apps in some cases.
Other times, intentionally stripped down, simplified iOS with simplified hardware makes better sense.
PCs (including Macs) and iPads are not competetive device, but are complementary.
In YOUR workflow. In MY workflow, after I really started digging around and experimenting with an iPad mini/iPhone 6s setup, I realized that my retina MBP was not only redundant, but it felt like........the past. Because I listen too much to forums like this one and techies who write blogs and make lots of money talking about how much the iPad sucks, I completely didn't realize that all the road blocks I used to have in my iOS workflow have since been remedied. I am now able to do everything I need to do despite the lack of a wide open file system or a trackpad. In fact, the more intensive tasks I need to do on a weekly basis have perfectly capable touch UI based applications in iOS that work wonderfully on iPad.
I used to be one of the people that thought an iPad could not replace my Mac, so I know where you're coming from. What bothers me though is that people say that in general the iPad can't replace a Mac. That's just simply not true.
Problem is you can't say "in general", because there is no such thing. If you have a media library and you haven't purchased it all from Apple, you NEED a laptop/PC. Period. If you don't, well you don't. If you own any gadget that needs it firmware updated from time to time, you NEED a laptop/PC. Period. If you don't, well you don't. But to make blanket statements that the iPad can or cannot replace a laptop is ludicrous.
The correct answer is "it depends on what you need to do". The size of the iPad is not relevant to this question.
For sure. I think that if iTunes Match hadn't come about, I would not have been able to ditch the computer. I uploaded my entire music collection to iCloud when Match came out. I do still have all those files on a backup hard drive that is connected to my AirPort Extreme and can be accessed via an app, but I don't need them, and never accessed them when I had my Macbook Pro either.
That would be a start - USB slot that allows you to write to a device.
Check out the Use Case I posted - you receive an 18gb video on a SD card, and need to return it after editing on the same SD card. It can't be done on the iPP, so in my opinion, if you cannot save to an SD card, you can't replace a laptop yet.
Just one use case I've already encountered.
I have like 35 movies on my iPad, and still have over 30GB of free space. I'll get what five or six on a battery charge, so I think I'm doing ok..
Honestly @temna and @ZBoater, you both have some good points. The ipad has certainly become more capable than it has in the past. I actually did replace my macbook with an ipad 3 when those first came out. I did it for about 5 months, but there was so much that was cumbersome that I couldn't deal with it any longer. Looking back, things have become a lot easier to make that transition, but there are some basic things that make it difficult.
File transfers and firmware upgrades are one example of something that makes it difficult. The good news is that a lot of these things can be done (well, not the firmware quite yet). The bad news is that these things are still cumbersome.
Here is an example. I have a local makerspace near me that I have gone to to 3d print. If I brought my laptop, I can simply put my 3d gcode files on an sd card and pop it into the machine or I can connect via usb directly and print. If I brought my ipad, i would have to export the files to a cloud drive, find a nearby computer, visit the cloud storage site, download and then export for print or connect via usb. In this case you're still dependant on a main computer! I don' t know if these external hard drives and app combos like filebrowser will provide this functionality, so pardon me. Printing photos at a friend's or family member's house who doesn't have and airprint capable printer provides the same dilemma.
The biggest problem comes down to native support. PCs have long had native support for various connection options, filebrowsing, etc... The ipad doesn't natively support some of these very basic and often used functions. As a result, various workarounds have had to be invented. This has increased the friction of getting things done in some regards, which is counter to what the advancement of PCs is all about.
I believe Apple could solve a good deal of these workarounds with additions to iOS. I am hopeful that they will as well as they seem to be placing decent bets on the ipad pro as a primary computing platform.
One more note: I love my ipad Pro and would love to ditch the PC for it. There are a lot of things that I enjoy doing far more on my ipad than my laptop.
File transfers and firmware upgrades are one example of something that makes it difficult. The good news is that a lot of these things can be done (well, not the firmware quite yet). The bad news is that these things are still cumbersome.
Here is an example. I have a local makerspace near me that I have gone to to 3d print. If I brought my laptop, I can simply put my 3d gcode files on an sd card and pop it into the machine or I can connect via usb directly and print. If I brought my ipad, i would have to export the files to a cloud drive, find a nearby computer, visit the cloud storage site, download and then export for print or connect via usb. In this case you're still dependant on a main computer! I don' t know if these external hard drives and app combos like filebrowser will provide this functionality, so pardon me. Printing photos at a friend's or family member's house who doesn't have and airprint capable printer provides the same dilemma.
The biggest problem comes down to native support. PCs have long had native support for various connection options, filebrowsing, etc... The ipad doesn't natively support some of these very basic and often used functions. As a result, various workarounds have had to be invented. This has increased the friction of getting things done in some regards, which is counter to what the advancement of PCs is all about.
I believe Apple could solve a good deal of these workarounds with additions to iOS. I am hopeful that they will as well as they seem to be placing decent bets on the ipad pro as a primary computing platform.
One more note: I love my ipad Pro and would love to ditch the PC for it. There are a lot of things that I enjoy doing far more on my ipad than my laptop.
I totally agree with you. I have certainly encountered this issue numerous times.
Filebrowser and printing issues aside, I believe this is the single biggest missing piece to being able to replace a laptop with an ipad pro. If sd export support were added to the ipad, the bottleneck that often forces you to find convoluted ways to transfer files via the cloud/email (assuming you have an internet connection too) completely disappears.
If support for sd export is added, I think it would change just about everything.
Great - you use your iPhone, I'll use my GPS and we're both happy with what we have.
It replaced my old 2009 Laptop. All it needs is Mouse support. What do I need.?
#1. Full Micosoft Office free on 9.7 Pro
#2. Web browsing
#3. Email and texting unlimited on Sprint LTE model.
#4. Apps
#5. Drawing and writing Notes it's better than a $1,000 Cintiq.
#6. Portable display much lighter than my 6lb Laptop
AND MORE
Basically this $529 tablet is doing much more and more productive than a $1,600 Dell Laptop from 2009
(Note $529 I got a great price from Sprint)
No trackpad (mouse support) is the reason why productivity is limited and the desktop versions of office are far superior.....it's not a laptop replacement yet
"It needs a trackpad" is the new "but it doesn't run flash"
People are using ChromeOS as their computer. A web browser. In that sense, an iPad Pro is a much more versatile device. If a Chromebook can replace a PC, then an iPad Pro can as well.