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For those of you like me who are trying your damnest to replace your Mac with an iPad, the time has finally come.

We are not yet there, IMO. On the surface it all sounds good, but in my experience you should still keep a traditional computer for “Just that one thing I cannot still do on an iPad”. That computer does not need to be new, however. My 2015 MBP, for example, does everything I still can’t do on an iPad. 🖐
 
What if the reason for the 0,1” discrepancy in screen size between the Air and the 11” Pro is because Apple plans to introduce certain « pro features » to iPadOS exclusively for devices with screen sizes 11” and up ? Guess we’ll see at WWDC !

Very unlikely, just imagine the customer reaction. Apple would be auto-sabotaging. Do they really want to do that?
 
Genuine question

For those who have both a MacBook and an iPad, what do you find yourself using the iPad for?

I have the 10.5” Pro and used it on my commute for films etc but now I’m barely going in, I find myself not using it at all.

I just grab my MacBook for anything I need to do, it’s always sitting there on the table and barely takes anymore time to open the lid and do something than it does on an ipad

Was just curious what others use the iPad for if they have a MacBook too? Struggling to find any reason to upgrade what I have

It depends on your MacBook and iPad. 😉 I have a 2015 MBP and a 2020 iPad Air 4. It takes me 2 minutes to cold-boot the MBP and 20 seconds for Air.

I use iPad for almost everything, except for these things:
1) editing complex pre-filled PDF files;
2) downloading torrent files;
3) ironically, setting up new iOS/iPadOS devices, as backing up an old device via macOS Files and then restoring a new device from that backup has proven to be the fastest for me.

I also need it to be light and mobile, as I move quite a bit for my work. I also work with 3 different languages, so the virtual keyboard works best for me.

I was using iPad Air 2 before and was waiting for Apple’s recent announcement to see if I get Air 4, new iPad Pro 11” or MBA M1.

All things considered, I opted for Air 4 as the best mid-way option for me at the moment. If Apple ever makes a 12” MacBook again with a virtual keyboard, this would be my dream machine. If not, I will observe how iPadOS moves along over the next few years. I am quite confident that my current Air 4 will be doing fine for at least 3 years from now. And this is a long time in our current world. 🖐
 
Yeah as a 2018 12.9 iPad Pro user, I’m struggling to make a case for the new 12.9.
The deeper blacks on the Mini LED screen will make TV/film look a lot better especially in a dark room (like watching TV in bed). That and the extra RAM and the only things making me even slightly inclined to upgrade (the extra RAM isn't a great deal on its own, though it'd be nice to have apps close less often in the background, but it could imply some great software coming in the near future, eg Xcode).
 
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IMHO Apple will roll out their pro apps at WWDC in a few weeks and Adobe and others will announce and release theirs as well. The big developers have know this was coming for awhile. Using the M1 let’s them make this much easier on them and the developers to bring over the pro apps. A couple of the top apple guys have made it pretty obvious in recent interviews what’s coming without saying it outright. Just my two cents on it.
Fingers crossed. Got any links to the interviews you're thinking of?
 
The thing is ... developers will never release an app that is choppy on an iPad or iPad Air, only to take advantage of the M1 in the iPad Pro unless they release a "iPad Pro 2021 only" App, which I doubt they would do and thus, the Apps will remain to be limited by iPadOS itself. I am sure most developers use the lowest specs as a baseline when it comes to optimisations, which would be the "iPad". Also most likely the most used device for schools or universities. Therefore I don't see any value in this additional speed (unless you want a future proof device) and unless you take photos or videos on your iPad, the camera won't influence the purchase decision either. It needs a full OS. What are you gonna do with 16 GB of RAM on iOS?
Lots of apps in the AppStore have a list of supported devices.
 
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The IPP pro line would probably have started above $1000 if they gave mini LED to the 11in. I agree that the iPad Air is in an odd spot, but what is the point of that device anyway?
Its More the other way around. The iPad Air 4 is their mainstream iPad, that they are selling in larger volumes like the IPhone 12 6.1. Look at the Xmas Apple marketing ad, it focussed on those 2 devices. The iPad Pro 11 is the niche product at the moment, with its sales being cannibalised by the Air 4 as it looks identical to the Pro 11, but is £200 cheaper.
 
Its quite funny when you see these turist grandpa taking pics with the huge iPad xD
The best camera is the one you have on you when you want to take a picture. I’ve definitely used my iPad for pictures and video recording in the past. Can understand how people would find it foolish, but it has the best viewfinder of any camera. There’s no confusion over what is in frame.
 
Different needs for different people. I keep most of my stuff in the cloud, so only use about 20 GB of iPad’s own storage. For me it really does not matter if I have around 40 GB free on my iPad (if 64 GB) or 105 GB (if 128 GB), as both would be equally unused. 🤷🏻‍♂️
That doesn’t help when you want to watch movies or shows on long flights without WiFi
 
Genuine question

For those who have both a MacBook and an iPad, what do you find yourself using the iPad for?

I have the 10.5” Pro and used it on my commute for films etc but now I’m barely going in, I find myself not using it at all.

I just grab my MacBook for anything I need to do, it’s always sitting there on the table and barely takes anymore time to open the lid and do something than it does on an ipad

Was just curious what others use the iPad for if they have a MacBook too? Struggling to find any reason to upgrade what I have
iPad is smaller, more advanced OS, and more fun to use. Using a curser to interact with an OS is old outdated technology. The biggest downside to the iPad is not having a built in stand.
 
The best camera is the one you have on you when you want to take a picture. I’ve definitely used my iPad for pictures and video recording in the past. Can understand how people would find it foolish, but it has the best viewfinder of any camera. There’s no confusion over what is in frame.
I am continually amazed at the photos the iPad and iPhone can take even when compared to a dedicated mirrorless camera.
 
The best camera is the one you have on you when you want to take a picture. I’ve definitely used my iPad for pictures and video recording in the past. Can understand how people would find it foolish, but it has the best viewfinder of any camera. There’s no confusion over what is in frame.
that's totally true!!!
I used it also! around home with my kid… as you say, best camera is the one you have, just think in a camera within your eye…
I respect the use, but anyway, it is funny to watch people travelling "light" with the iPad to take pics (probably because is the only camera they have) ;)
 
Reviews for the new M1 iPads are going to be anticlimactic as there is really no software available yet for reviewers to test what the new iPad Pros can do with the M1.
the usual tasks actual iPads takes long times to complete would be a perfect test, as render 4K or editings Raw

My iPad Air 2 (2014) is faster enough to handle Safari with dozens of tabs, drawing apps, mail, casual games, etc without any noticeable gap… But I can tell the difference with the Pro version when editing serious stuff and you really want more power (well, I actually not as I prefer the Mac for those stuff… but people who uses iPad would want)
 
This upgrade should allow for more layers in Pixelmator, Procreate and the Affinity apps.

Wonder if Apple will increase GarageBand’s 8 simultaneous track recording limit? GarageBand on the iPad is great for recording band practice. Just plug into the mixer, hit record, and go.
 
And that’s also why I am struggling to make the case to replace my 2018 12.9. iPadOS hardly takes advantage of the A12X in any way.
Absolutely. And if you don’t need to upgrade, don’t. It will be a few months until developers are able to deliver the apps to take advantage of the M1 capabilities and RAM.
 
ever seen an app for one particular iPad only though?
Dunno, probably not, but then to be honest I don't install apps very often on iPad and I generally always have one of the most powerful iPads so I'd be unlikely to run into that restriction.

I certainly have seen apps that run somewhat poorly on their weakest supported device.

I could see people releasing an app that only supports devices with, say, 4GB RAM, but runs somewhat slowly (or will close often when you switch apps), and runs best on devices with 8 or more. That'd be what, the last three iPad Pros and at least the latest iPad Air. Wouldn't be surprised if they just supported the iPad Pros for simplicity to be honest.

As for literally just supporting the 8GB iPads? <shrugs>. It'd be a start - other devices would catch up in the next couple of years wouldn't they. And of course if it's made a universal app that also runs on Macs, well then...
 
It depends on your MacBook and iPad. 😉 I have a 2015 MBP and a 2020 iPad Air 4. It takes me 2 minutes to cold-boot the MBP and 20 seconds for Air.

I use iPad for almost everything, except for these things:
1) editing complex pre-filled PDF files;
2) downloading torrent files;
3) ironically, setting up new iOS/iPadOS devices, as backing up an old device via macOS Files and then restoring a new device from that backup has proven to be the fastest for me.

I also need it to be light and mobile, as I move quite a bit for my work. I also work with 3 different languages, so the virtual keyboard works best for me.

I was using iPad Air 2 before and was waiting for Apple’s recent announcement to see if I get Air 4, new iPad Pro 11” or MBA M1.

All things considered, I opted for Air 4 as the best mid-way option for me at the moment. If Apple ever makes a 12” MacBook again with a virtual keyboard, this would be my dream machine. If not, I will observe how iPadOS moves along over the next few years. I am quite confident that my current Air 4 will be doing fine for at least 3 years from now. And this is a long time in our current world. 🖐

Interesting. I would argue the cold boot times are not really relevant as nobody cold boots either device regularly before using them.

Sure, unlocking the iPad takes a few seconds and opening the MacBook screen and waiting for the watch to unlock probably does take a few seconds longer but ultimately it’s negligible.

Fair enough on the other points, I use photoshop and FCPX on the MacBook. Be interesting to see if they allow FCPX work on the latest iPads
 
That doesn’t help when you want to watch movies or shows on long flights without WiFi

Well, there are not so many long flights nowadays. Also, you could get a USB-C thumb drive, load it with stuff and watch it straight from there. Also, 10 hours of good quality video will probably take 10-15 GB tops. Plenty of options there. 🖐
 
Well, there are not so many long flights nowadays. Also, you could get a USB-C thumb drive, load it with stuff and watch it straight from there. Also, 10 hours of good quality video will probably take 10-15 GB tops. Plenty of options there. 🖐
I regularly fly to the Middle East from the United States those flights are over 14 hours long. And I prefer to store my movies and shows on the iPad.
 
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