Has your iPad killed your laptop use?

[AFEPPL]

Truly i use the iPhone more than the iPad. Out of all the devices it's the one I'm not going to replace going forward.
Even the kids (5, 8) have asked for laptops to replace the iPads. I'm reluctant to do that as the iPad has one advantages - games, and for their ages i think the iPad is the better device.

 

[saberahul]

No, but my laptop has killed my iPad usage.

 

[DaniJoy]

How many devices did your Cintiq "kill"?
As a tablet it does one thing best and sucks at everything else.
Not the greatest device IMO.

Thats just your opinion. For me, the CC2 does everything better than the ipad, at least for my workflow. It kills a macbook +cintiq (stupid solution that i used to own), it kills the need for a workstation (CC2 is a beast runs zbrush great), it kills the need for a tablet (it is a tablet). i can even use it as a phone (been using computers as a mobile phone for 6 years- for free- i have not had a phone since 2010). Yes my tablet killed all those devices. it draws and paints better. I can hook it up to a 27" cintiq for the best digital painting experience. I honestly regret buying a ipad pro, i hardly use it. Ipad is only better in battery life area, and ultra portable needs like sketching, but i could do that on a 10$ sketchbook. i never lack a outlet. i even use CC2 for writing papers for school with a little USB keyboard- i dont do this on the ipad. CC2 is perfectly portable and light. but hey we all have different needs- thats whats best for me, for you its probably something else. Im an artist so my needs are very specific.

 

[xAnthony]

For me, I've been mostly using my iPad Mini. I purchased an LTE version and I take it everywhere. I love absolutely love it. I have an old Windows laptop that I would use to type up lengthy emails. The iPad has never been comfortable for long periods of typing. Recently I purchased a Logitech keyboard for my iPad and I haven't touched my laptop since. It's probably been the best investment since I've purchased the iPad. It's super thin and takes up no space at all. I always bring it with me in case I need to do some sort of typing while on the go.

I've been wanting to purchase a new laptop but I just don't think I would actually use it.

 

[geta]

Its all about the use and the needs, for day to day use, many ppl can get with it without using computers.
The day iPads will run full OSX with full app versions, it will be the day that maybe, just maybe, they will take over… for now, the iPads are nice consumption machine.

The use of iPads can reduce computer usage for some, by splitting between consumption and pro apps…

Also always holding it in one hand for long period is uncomfortable for me, and i really don’t like writing on the screen (unless its a short message), for this i need a cover with build-in keyboard, that makes the all thing more expensive and bulkier, that losing its purpose. For this I’m having MBP with much more power, storage and real keyboard.

 

[Channan]

Are you sure you are talking about the iPad and not the iPhone? I can see someone feeling that way about email on the iphone, but on the iPad... Surely you exaggerate.

Ha! I was thinking the exact same thing. How he feels about the iPad is exactly how I feel about phones. I'll browse the web for a few minutes or watch short videos on my phone, but anything more and I'm reaching for my iPad. I can sit there for hours doing things on my iPad.

 

[temna]

The same was said about OS X not being able to run on Intel back when Apple was using PPC. This could go one of two ways. Apple could use this as a spring board to drop Intel and move to their own ARM processors or iOS can be flipped over to OS X. It's not that big of a stretch considering the phone can already be simulated using the APIs running on OS X when testing programs on X-Code.

In regards to the mouse and touch screen, both are pointing devices with X and Y coordinates. It's not a big deal to switch between them. There is nothing mystifying about it.

It's working pretty well for Microsoft right now. Windows 8 and 10 account for more machines then Apple has bar none. Regardless of your views on the company they are innovating in their own way right now. I for one liked their demo of their phone being a phone then turning into a full fledged PC when docked at the desk. I thought it was amazing.

It's not working well for Microsoft. Windows 8 and 10 are god awful tablet OSs, and the fact that they don't have decent tablet apps proves how bad it is. You really should re-read your posts before hitting the POST button.

 

[Daisy81]

It's not working well for Microsoft. Windows 8 and 10 are god awful tablet OSs, and the fact that they don't have decent tablet apps proves how bad it is. You really should re-read your posts before hitting the POST button.

You're comparing Windows 8 and Windows 10 tablets to iPads. There are applications where the Windows tablet is vastly better. For instance if you are using a Crestron system you don't have to pay $100 to be able to use your tablet as a touch panel. A Surface Pro can have a Core i7 which I believe is a much better processor for applications like video editing then the iPad. Not to mention you don't need a dev license to side load programs onto the tablet.

In this regard you are taking something that was only briefly mentioned in light of proposing hybrid iPad/OS X machine. Way to deflect.

 

[temna]

You're comparing Windows 8 and Windows 10 tablets to iPads. There are applications where the Windows tablet is vastly better. For instance if you are using a Crestron system you don't have to pay $100 to be able to use your tablet as a touch panel. A Surface Pro can have a Core i7 which I believe is a much better processor for applications like video editing then the iPad. Not to mention you don't need a dev license to side load programs onto the tablet.

In this regard you are taking something that was only briefly mentioned in light of proposing hybrid iPad/OS X machine. Way to deflect.

Proposing a hybrid iPad/OSX machine is like proposing a hybrid star/Earth. It won't happen. And the Surface line is a joke. Why? Because of Windows. Windows is awful on a tablet. Who cares if it can have a i7, it's a different platform. And the only places that a Windows tablet trumps an iPad are in Windows applications that are business related that the developer doesn't want to create an iOS version. And honestly, I'd rather remote into a Windows desktop with my iPad than use a Surface. Having to support Surface tablets causes me more headaches than any other Windows PC.

 

[Threejw]

I use my ipad pro all the time, but since i live in saudi arabia, i still use my laptop to download music and torrents.... We have apple music but it has no explicit music and netflix barely has any content so.... .... Other than that its all ipad... It just better needs apps

 

[CoMoMacUser]

Does anyone else feel like they no longer need a laptop?

Just the opposite for me. After two tablets (the iPad 1 and a Windows model), I'm going back to a laptop. One reason it that I don't enjoy typing on glass, even a brief email. Another is that many apps offer a limited or lame experience compared to their website. The whole tablet experience is like trying to jerk off with my foot.

 

[Krevnik]

The iPad cannot replace a primary PC for me. It matters less that it is a laptop or a desktop. I just need something of that class to do work and the like. However, it has replaced my laptop as my secondary device. So for me, iMac + iPad can do the job. My laptop has always kinda been about some lightweight tasks, and the occasional bit of work/hobby.

There are the apps available now that I can replace those tasks with an iPad, but just barely. But I haven't use my rMBP since about July of last year, and still don't miss it.

 

[DaniJoy]

It's not working well for Microsoft. Windows 8 and 10 are god awful tablet OSs, and the fact that they don't have decent tablet apps proves how bad it is. You really should re-read your posts before hitting the POST button.

Proposing a hybrid iPad/OSX machine is like proposing a hybrid star/Earth. It won't happen. And the Surface line is a joke. Why? Because of Windows. Windows is awful on a tablet. Who cares if it can have a i7, it's a different platform. And the only places that a Windows tablet trumps an iPad are in Windows applications that are business related that the developer doesn't want to create an iOS version. And honestly, I'd rather remote into a Windows desktop with my iPad than use a Surface. Having to support Surface tablets causes me more headaches than any other Windows PC.

I see where u are coming from, but I have to disagree. I'm an illustrator, part time college student, and a computer enthusiast. I really love the tablet with stylus form factor. I just buy the best hardware/software for my needs. That has been both windows and apple devices in the past, and currently. Windows 10 on my cintiq companion 2 tablet works great. It's Just as good as IOS. Plus, I can run professional software because they are designed and come with a stylus. Windows design philosophy is based on touch with stylus for menu navigation and programmable menu access. I can move around in Windows OS just as well as iOS. It works really well.

Tablet apps are not needed when u have pro software that runs well. Most pro apps have a tablet mode now. I don't use them, I prefer the traditional workspace. That's why no one bothers making Windows apps. Apps are great for entertainment, but fall far short for my workflow. I'm sure it works for some, but not for me yet. I keep hoping apple will release a tablet workstation with OS X. I would buy it in a second.

iOS is great for touch but falls far short for my work. Nothing wrong with that, but saying one is better than the other is myopic.

I love my iPad, I sold my surface pro 4 and kept the iPad pro. but I could live without it. It's just a toy sketchpad for me. I like it more for sketching and surfing the web. But for work, Astropad didn't cut it. Too many bugs and performance issues for my workflow. Ipad only has better battery life for my needs, well that and they are better at extracting more money for multiple redundant devices and 5 apps to do the job one piece of software could do. The cintiq does everything else I need without limits or compromise. The Windows tablet is my daily professional workstation, that I can take everywhere. I use my iPad only as a second screen. I tote them both everywhere I go. I have access to Mac pro's at work and I don't even bother hooking up to them anymore. My tablet is so powerful It does everything so well, I only need the one device now- thats amazing to me.

The bottom line is most don't need a powerful system, and professional software- yes iPad is fine for them. But popular does not mean it's better for all users- just better for the average user. It's totally subjective.

I think a more powerful OS X tablet would kill laptop sales for allot of users. Especially creative types. I think apple would do it better than Windows. It's time for a new apple product. Keep the iPad for the kids. Give us a real tablet workstation please!

 

[WickedPorter]

... I feel bad for a lot of the new PC hardware I keep seeing, including the Surface Pro / Surface Book. There are a lot of really cool designs, innovations, and just generally cool hardware that keeps coming out. Smaller packages with powerful CPUs, GPUs, great digitizers / stylus options, etc. I feel bad for automatically rejecting each and every one of them because they have such a deplorable, inconsistent, frustrating tablet experience with Windows 10. I just can't get over it. I think Microsoft has a decent desktop OS with Windows 10, especially as they continue to stabilize it and work out consistency issues. Windows 10 as strictly a tablet OS has been nothing but hair-pulling frustration for me.

 

[M. Gustave]

... I feel bad for a lot of the new PC hardware I keep seeing, including the Surface Pro / Surface Book. There are a lot of really cool designs, innovations, and just generally cool hardware that keeps coming out. Smaller packages with powerful CPUs, GPUs, great digitizers / stylus options, etc.

Cramming their desktop OS into a tablet is not 'innovative'. HPee, Lenogo, Microsucks, etc, have all been trying to do it for 15 years, it's just that the battery and processor technology finally caught up with them, and allowed a device with more than a couple hours of run time.

Truly innovative is an OS designed around touch input, with a full touch-based app ecosystem. And a device like the iPad, designed around wireless I/O, and cloud-based storage and services.

"Nobody wants a stylus." - Steve Jobs

 

[Wahlstrm]

The first few months I was quite good at looking past the drawbacks but after a while I went back to my MacBook again.. Just looking at stuff is great on the iPad, but as soon as I need to interact with the content it just sucks compared to a keyboard and trackpad.. Typing more than a few words is quite annoying and a lot of websites remove functions from their mobile sites.. But Apps get better and better. I think my bank offers a better experience via the App than on their website..

 

[M. Gustave]

The first few months I was quite good at looking past the drawbacks but after a while I went back to my MacBook again.. Just looking at stuff is great on the iPad, but as soon as I need to interact with the content it just sucks compared to a keyboard and trackpad.. Typing more than a few words is quite annoying and a lot of websites remove functions from their mobile sites.. But Apps get better and better. I think my bank offers a better experience via the App than on their website..

iOS presents a simple interface to the user, and that fools the casual user into thinking it's "dumbed down", but it's actually got pretty complex full-featured functionality available underneath. There are many gesture tricks like two finger gesture on the keyboard, custom menu setups with shortcuts, and keyboard shortcuts (hold down the Command key to see them all in each app). And you can load the desktop version of a website anytime you want (long press the reload page button).

You need to invest the time to learn it, like any other OS.

 

[s2mikey]

Just the opposite for me. After two tablets (the iPad 1 and a Windows model), I'm going back to a laptop. One reason it that I don't enjoy typing on glass, even a brief email. Another is that many apps offer a limited or lame experience compared to their website. The whole tablet experience is like trying to jerk off with my foot.

Dude - made me spit up my afternoon tea with this comment. Thanks for the laugh And yes....hands needed for said activity for best results LOL.

As for tablet / Laptop: Both are completely different devices and serve different needs for me. my iPad Air gets the job done on the road & when I need portability. The laptop handles major tasks and heavy lifting. Also the laptop handles more serious gaming although I must say that hearthstone(and some other games) does run great on my iPad.

 

[driftless]

As a raw only shooter, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I would love to see the iPad Pro as a solution for full raw photography workflow. I would buy one in a heartbeat and use it for my photography when I travel. I think the day may come when it is capable of this. At that point, I probably would leave my MacBook Pro at home when I travel.

Full RAW editing on the iPad Pro would be fantastic, it will come some day. Right now I only travel with an iPad and then I shoot RAW + JPEG. I really like using Photos to sync and backup and I can cull and do easy edits on the iPad and do serious editing back on the iMac. It is easy to export the files to LR.

 

[joy_ng]

Nope. My macbook 12 is an integral part of my day. I personally can type much more accurately and quickly on a real keyboard and appreciate the real estate and multitasking on my laptop. I love using my macbook to text, read tweets and journal.

I use my iPad as a true tablet- I write notes and solve math problems on it, load magazines to read, light browsing if needed, and color.

 

[glxyjones]

I see where u are coming from, but I have to disagree. I'm an illustrator, part time college student, and a computer enthusiast. I really love the tablet with stylus form factor. I just buy the best hardware/software for my needs. That has been both windows and apple devices in the past, and currently. Windows 10 on my cintiq companion 2 tablet works great. It's Just as good as IOS. Plus, I can run professional software because they are designed and come with a stylus. Windows design philosophy is based on touch with stylus for menu navigation and programmable menu access. I can move around in Windows OS just as well as iOS. It works really well.

Tablet apps are not needed when u have pro software that runs well. Most pro apps have a tablet mode now. I don't use them, I prefer the traditional workspace. That's why no one bothers making Windows apps. Apps are great for entertainment, but fall far short for my workflow. I'm sure it works for some, but not for me yet. I keep hoping apple will release a tablet workstation with OS X. I would buy it in a second.

iOS is great for touch but falls far short for my work. Nothing wrong with that, but saying one is better than the other is myopic.

I love my iPad, I sold my surface pro 4 and kept the iPad pro. but I could live without it. It's just a toy sketchpad for me. I like it more for sketching and surfing the web. But for work, Astropad didn't cut it. Too many bugs and performance issues for my workflow. Ipad only has better battery life for my needs, well that and they are better at extracting more money for multiple redundant devices and 5 apps to do the job one piece of software could do. The cintiq does everything else I need without limits or compromise. The Windows tablet is my daily professional workstation, that I can take everywhere. I use my iPad only as a second screen. I tote them both everywhere I go. I have access to Mac pro's at work and I don't even bother hooking up to them anymore. My tablet is so powerful It does everything so well, I only need the one device now- thats amazing to me.

The bottom line is most don't need a powerful system, and professional software- yes iPad is fine for them. But popular does not mean it's better for all users- just better for the average user. It's totally subjective.

I think a more powerful OS X tablet would kill laptop sales for allot of users. Especially creative types. I think apple would do it better than Windows. It's time for a new apple product. Keep the iPad for the kids. Give us a real tablet workstation please!

As a fellow enthusiast, it really is an exciting time for computers. I go back and forth on which company I think has a better vision of the future. On one hand you have Windows 10 and it's ability to run everywhere; desktop, tablet, phone, and xbox. In my opinion, if they can get x86 applications to run well on a phone (like the rumored "surface phone") it *could* be a game changer IF they can someone make up the app-gap between Windows Phone and iOS/Android (they really shouldn't have killed running android apps natively on windows phone initiative). The reason I think this is because of their continuum feature. Giving users a phone that they could plug in to any monitor/projector and it instantly because full-fledged PC and every x86 program could solve 90% of PC-users needs out there. Especially when you consider that most of enterprise and government still use Windows. Now, the previously mentioned app-gap would discourage most consumers from choosing it as their personal device, which is why x86 on a phone is only half the battle for MS.

On the other hand is Apple and, in my opinion, the continual march for iOS to replace OSX. For my use-cases, if developers added all of the functionality of the their desktop apps to the their iOS counterparts, I could seem myself being an iOS only pro-sumer in the future. The other huge advantage for Apple is the integration of hardware and software. In the past year I've edited 4k movies on Windows 10, OSX, and iOS and the Apple platforms just perform better with less hardware. Now, like I mentioned earlier, something like iMovie on iOS is a functional shell of what FCP offers on OSX, but for someone like me, give me 80% of the key features of FCP on iOS and I could see myself using my iPad Pro as my main video editing device. The two biggest obstacles I see with iOS "winning" are 1) replacing mouse input with touch and 2) the need for a bigger screen in certain situations. With both of these obstacles, I have a hard time determining if their really issues for the future or it's because I'm just stuck in my ways. Maybe if Apple release a full feature/touch friendly FCP it would be incredible and I would never miss a mouse again. Maybe if they allowed for seamless second-screen support to an Apple-TV while using this theoretical FCP, it would completely eliminate the need for a dedicated, desktop-PC-only monitor. I know true professionals will always need more than someone like me who only scratches the surface of what FCP and Photoshop can do, but it's not hard to envision a time when multi-touch interaction completely replaces the mouse (think Minority Report). I think the main thing holding such a revolution back are the software developers continuing to develop for mouse/keyboard input.

It's a great time to be a tech fan.

 

[ZombiePete]

As a fellow enthusiast, it really is an exciting time for computers. I go back and forth on which company I think has a better vision of the future.

Don't count Google and Chrome OS out yet either. Their vision for cloud computing thanks to their mature web services is, I personally believe, the most accurate of what's out there currently. Chrome OS' biggest hurdle is that the web is not 100% ubiquitous yet, but Google is "working on that", to borrow a phrase from Prof. Hawking. As the internet gets faster and browser standards become better at delivering advanced application experiences, I believe that local computing will become the outlier.

Of course, Apple and Microsoft are also working towards this future, they're just taking a different and more circuitous path than Chrome OS. iOS to me right now is the best mix of local computing and cloud integration until the web is better capable or supporting "always on" cloud computing and centralized data processing. I don't personally use Google or their products anymore because I don't like their business model (ad targeting/selling), but I look forward to Apple's true cloud-centric solution in the future.

 

[DaniJoy]

Really thoughtful intelligent posts!
@ZombiePete and @glxyjones

I agree, x86 would be really tough without a mouse/stylus. And I totally understand the appeal of iOS, it is such a pleasurable experience. I really think we might be ripe for a interface revolution though. There has got to be a better way than the Apple, Microsoft systems. Both have their individual limits and nuances. Maybe, like you mentioned, VR or AR will bring better capability to our mobile devices.

I agree cloud is great, but I live in a big area in Northern California, where the only internet is cellular 4g that costs around 10$ a gb. The internet here has actually gotten worse, as att has pulled out of the Dsl business and there is no competition. It's been really hard on my business with the added Internet cellular costs. Without proper regulation, I'm afraid cloud computing will be limited only to big cities or people who can afford huge cellular Internet bills. I wish the government would regulate it like power and water. It's hard to do business without the internet these days. The free market has failed my area.

Good times indeed!

 

[sparksd]

Really thoughtful intelligent posts!
@ZombiePete and @glxyjones

I agree, x86 would be really tough without a mouse/stylus. And I totally understand the appeal of iOS, it is such a pleasurable experience. I really think we might be ripe for a interface revolution though. There has got to be a better way than the Apple, Microsoft systems. Both have their individual limits and nuances. Maybe, like you mentioned, VR or AR will bring better capability to our mobile devices.

I agree cloud is great, but I live in a big area in Northern California, where the only internet is cellular 4g that costs around 10$ a gb. The internet here has actually gotten worse, as att has pulled out of the Dsl business and there is no competition. It's been really hard on my business with the added Internet cellular costs. Without proper regulation, I'm afraid cloud computing will be limited only to big cities or people who can afford huge cellular Internet bills. I wish the government would regulate it like power and water. It's hard to do business without the internet these days. The free market has failed my area.

Good times indeed!

What you said regarding Internet access - that's why I don't count on cloud storage. I travel quite a bit and there are an awful lot of places where Internet coverage is spotty or not available or horrendously expensive and even cellular is not available. I carry my storage with me.

 

[AlexJoda]

The iPad cannot replace a primary PC for me. It matters less that it is a laptop or a desktop. I just need something of that class to do work and the like. However, it has replaced my laptop as my secondary device. So for me, iMac + iPad can do the job. My laptop has always kinda been about some lightweight tasks, and the occasional bit of work/hobby.

There are the apps available now that I can replace those tasks with an iPad, but just barely. But I haven't use my rMBP since about July of last year, and still don't miss it.

Same with me. Maybe you add the iPhone to it as the real mobile device. Heavy computing and things that need a really big screen is done on my 5K iMac. Communication and mobile computing is done on the iPhone. The best device in between is the iPP. A MacBook is a small iMac with lesser performance than the iMac (and only useful if you need to do heavy computing on the road). The iPad mini (and after someone days of comparison the Air too) is not different enough to the iPhone. The iPP is the best device for tablet computing and therefore don't need to be a replacement for anything else...