did iOS 11 draw any of you back to using iPad?

[nicho]

I've been on the fence about getting an iPad Pro or not. I do a lot of my work on a MBP with a 27" external monitor. I wanted to think iOS 11 would be the revolution that let me kick away from this setup and start sitting on the sofa more, or taking my ipad out to Starbucks or whatever.

The nature of my job, though, is I make a lot of PPTs and I'm really not sure whether it is worth it for me, or ever will be. I also plugged in my iPad Mini yesterday to be told it hasn't backed up (because it has been powered off) for 15 weeks. I'm leaning towards abandoning iPad altogether. Is there some killer feature of iOS 11 that might drag me back in, or are there a lot of people who feel there's not a lot that can be done on an iPad that can't be done better on an iPhone or a Mac?

 

[maflynn]

Sort of, my old Mini generation 2 was lilting under the OS it could run (I now forget what version), and I wanted something larger. With Apple rolling out the 10.5 iPad pro and the promise of iOS 11, I took the plunge.

 

[nicho]

Sort of, my old Mini generation 2 was lilting under the OS it could run (I now forget what version), and I wanted something larger. With Apple rolling out the 10.5 iPad pro and the promise of iOS 11, I took the plunge.

do you use it (the pro) more than you used the mini?

 

[maflynn]

do you use it (the pro) more than you used the mini?

Yes, the mini hasn't been turned on or used since I bought the pro.

 

[mk313]

I like my iPad a lot but if my primary use were making Powerpoints all day, I"d definitely stick with a mac for that.

 

[Diving Capers]

I was about to buy a surface pro, but decided to wait for the keynote and see what iOS 11 had to offer and the new iPads.

After watching it i decided to give the iPad a second chance and now i have a 2017 12.9. Great machine, i still wish iOS had a few more features to help with productivity (mouse support for office apps) but other than that I’m quite happy so far with iOS 11 and the new 12.9 pro.

 

[sracer]

I've been on the fence about getting an iPad Pro or not. I do a lot of my work on a MBP with a 27" external monitor. I wanted to think iOS 11 would be the revolution that let me kick away from this setup and start sitting on the sofa more, or taking my ipad out to Starbucks or whatever.

The nature of my job, though, is I make a lot of PPTs and I'm really not sure whether it is worth it for me, or ever will be. I also plugged in my iPad Mini yesterday to be told it hasn't backed up (because it has been powered off) for 15 weeks. I'm leaning towards abandoning iPad altogether. Is there some killer feature of iOS 11 that might drag me back in, or are there a lot of people who feel there's not a lot that can be done on an iPad that can't be done better on an iPhone or a Mac?

Rather than iOS 11 drawing me "back" to the iPad, it has started pushing me away. I never "left" the iPad. It has been an integral component for me since day-1 of gen-1. My hope was that iOS 11 would significantly close the gap between where it was and where I need it to be. It didn't do that. But it did show me that Apple is more reluctant (than I thought) in doing that.

So although I continue to use my iPad Mini 4 and iPad Pro 12.9, I'm finding that there are other options out there that are better suited to what I need. In a nutshell, I'm leaning toward 2-in-1 convertible chromebooks like the Samsung Chromebook Plus.

I currently use Jump Desktop on my 12.9 Pro to remotely access my iMac at my home office when I need to do macOS-type things. That works great because it allows me to use a mouse on my iPad. I've found that the Android version of Jump works just as well (on my Acer R11 chromebook) to access my iMac (with native mouse support provided by chromeOS and Android). Where things shift toward the chromebook is in the flexibility of what it allows as a notebook while still providing the benefits of a tablet... in a package that is more compatible with my workflows (workflows that were adjusted to fit in with the iPad).

 

[mk313]

Rather than iOS 11 drawing me "back" to the iPad, it has started pushing me away. I never "left" the iPad. It has been an integral component for me since day-1 of gen-1. My hope was that iOS 11 would significantly close the gap between where it was and where I need it to be. It didn't do that. But it did show me that Apple is more reluctant (than I thought) in doing that.

So although I continue to use my iPad Mini 4 and iPad Pro 12.9, I'm finding that there are other options out there that are better suited to what I need. In a nutshell, I'm leaning toward 2-in-1 convertible chromebooks like the Samsung Chromebook Plus.

I currently use Jump Desktop on my 12.9 Pro to remotely access my iMac at my home office when I need to do macOS-type things. That works great because it allows me to use a mouse on my iPad. I've found that the Android version of Jump works just as well (on my Acer R11 chromebook) to access my iMac (with native mouse support provided by chromeOS and Android). Where things shift toward the chromebook is in the flexibility of what it allows as a notebook while still providing the benefits of a tablet... in a package that is more compatible with my workflows (workflows that were adjusted to fit in with the iPad).

sracer, I've been using Parallels Access to remote into my mac from my iPad, and it works fine, but I could see how using a mouse would be beneficial. I went to Jump's website & in reading the reviews, it mentions that Jump needs a Citrix Mouse to work. Do you know what the means & what types of mice are compatible? Not sure if a normal bluetooth mouse would work, or if I need something special.

Thanks

 

[sracer]

sracer, I've been using Parallels Access to remote into my mac from my iPad, and it works fine, but I could see how using a mouse would be beneficial. I went to Jump's website & in reading the reviews, it mentions that Jump needs a Citrix Mouse to work. Do you know what the means & what types of mice are compatible? Not sure if a normal bluetooth mouse would work, or if I need something special.

Thanks

Jump Desktop for iOS will only work with 2 specific mice... the Citrix X1 (which I have) and the Swiftpoint. Using Jump Desktop with the Citrix X1 on my 12.9 iPad Pro feels just like working directly on my Macbook Air or iMac. It's a terrific experience.

Jump Desktop on an Android tablet (or chromebook that supports Android apps) can use ANY mouse that the tablet or chromebook supports. That would be regular bluetooth, wireless, or USB.

 

[mk313]

Jump Desktop for iOS will only work with 2 specific mice... the Citrix X1 (which I have) and the Swiftpoint. Using Jump Desktop with the Citrix X1 on my 12.9 iPad Pro feels just like working directly on my Macbook Air or iMac. It's a terrific experience.

Jump Desktop on an Android tablet (or chromebook that supports Android apps) can use ANY mouse that the tablet or chromebook supports. That would be regular bluetooth, wireless, or USB.

Thanks! That clears it up. I’ll have to order one

 

[profmjh]

iOS 11 led me to . . .

1. Sell my iPad Pro 9.7
2. Sell my MacBook Pro
3. Buy an iPad Pro 10.5
4. Buy the Smart Keyboard to go with it

I now use the iPad much more than I used my old one. And finally I’m using my Apple Pencil, which has been lying in a drawer unused for months.

I still have an iMac for when I need MacOS, but I’m loving my iPad set-up now.

 

[stevemiller]

iOS 11 is approaching the last straw of pushing me away from the iOS ecosystem altogether. It's made my iPad pro 9.7 in a year seem to age as poorly as my iPad 3 did in 4 years, which was disappointing in itself. Battery and performance has been abysmal since launch and I've tried the 11.1 public betas and it doesn't seem to be improving.

Beyond that, everything that's been touted as usability improvements for "real work" has been the opposite in my opinion, which I've gone into in other posts. Using the thing feels incredibly cumbersome.

Finally the one thing that had won me back after the iPad 3 made me swear off iPads, which was a great digital drawing experience in procreate, also appears to have fallen apart. I can't tell if it's the app update or iOS 11 but it now fails to register strokes or acts with massive delays to the point of being unusable. And it's being widely documented in the procreate community so it's not just one bad install.

I'm struggling to find any enjoyment in this device now, and I'm not letting iOS 11 touch my iPhone.

 

[subjonas]

Maybe for some people iOS added just the right feature(s) to tip the scale. But for me, the new features in iOS 11 are just minor enhancements. They haven’t fundamentally changed the usefulness of my iPad (which I do find useful). The iOS 11 features I use the most are the new split screening methods, which I find both better and worse than the previous method, and the new Control Center, which is good but minor. The other features aren’t too relevant to my workflows at the moment. Files app doesn’t seem to have any advantage over Documents by readdle and is missing some of its features.

Personally, I don’t think iOS updates will be dramatic until they add something like mouse support or system-wide handwriting recognition. In the meantime, I just need developers to make their apps more fully featured and utilize extensions.

 

[bensisko]

I’m with subjonas on this - iOS 11 is a nice update that doesn’t affect how I use my iPad (thankfully!). I’m also on board with Developers needing to really get going on enhancing apps. In the end, it’s not the OS that’s limiting the iPad, it’s (ironically) the apps.

 

[xxray]

Sorta, but it was more the 10.5” Pro. I had an iPad 4 before this and swore I’d never get an iPad again. This 10.5” Pro is now my favorite device to use.