All iPads iPad apps for iPad-as-everyday-computer

[woolypants]

(I know there's a wiki thread about desktop-replacement-iPad but it was started almost a decade ago.)

What apps do you find invaluable if using the iPad as your everyday computer?

I'll start by mentioning Jump Desktop, which lets me remote-desktop into my Mac.

There's obviously Microsoft and Adobe apps, but I'm thinking mostly of the small indie apps that just do something amazingly useful.

 

[Slartibart]

on iPadOS:

Obsidian
a-Shell
Gladys, SendAnywhere
Super Agent, Hush, Web Inspector, Adblock Fast/AdGuard
FileBrowser Pro/File Explorer
VLC
Collabora Office
Vectornator, Sketchbook, Fontcase, Affinity apps, Snapseed
Carnets, Fast Chart
Calcvier

 

[cupcakes2000]

I’m a photographer so all the normal photo apps are standard. C1, LR, PS, Affinity suite, Vectornator, PhotoPills, etc. But utilities wise, I use (off the top of my head)

Drafts
Stongbox
Quickscan
Busycal
Goodnotes
Reeder
Yoink
Pcalc
XSearch (this one is amazing. It allows any search engine to be used in safari, and even works for spotlight searches)
Hush
File Browser Pro
Jump desktop
Mela
Overcast
Scaniverse
Vinegar

Probs way more.

 

[sparksd]

Lightroom
FileBrowser Pro
Jump Desktop
PCalc
Portal Immersive Escapes

 

[Traverse]

For me, my most common apps for everyday use:

• Obsidian
• 1Password
• Reeder
• Plex
• Streaming apps (YouTub, Twitch, etc.)
• Numbers
• Reddit
• Tweetbot
• Overcast
• Comixology
• Notability

 

[Digitalguy]

Apps on my dock:
Safari, Jump Desktop, VNC viewer, Messenger, Files, Documents, Filebrowser pro, Word, Gmail, Dropbox, Onedrive, Sugarsync, Apple notes, Sendanywhere

A couple of the apps on my home page: Calcbot, Photos, Voice Dream, Lumafusion, Books, Plex, Google Calendar Google Maps

Some folders in the home page with other remote desktop apps, other browsers, streaming apps, local TV, radio and newspaper apps, and second screen apps (including Duet, Luna, Spacedesk, EasyCanvas)

 

[Jessica Lares]

Haha,

The other day, I used the new ability in a-shell to run a script that lets me select the Runestone folder and run a webserver with it. Now iconfactory just came out with WorldWideWeb that lets you do the same thing with a GUI and even the demo video is pointing to the Runestone folder.

Something to look into if you want to do some web stuff on the iPad.

 

[woolypants]

Haha,

The other day, I used the new ability in a-shell to run a script that lets me select the Runestone folder and run a webserver with it. Now iconfactory just came out with WorldWideWeb that lets you do the same thing with a GUI and even the demo video is pointing to the Runestone folder.

Something to look into if you want to do some web stuff on the iPad.

That’s quite cool. But I think this indicates how far behind the iPad is when it comes to the desktop experience. If you’d mentioned that it was possible to run a web server on a Mac, for example, then everybody would’ve said “so what?” But such a basic thing is still novel on the iPad.

I do think it’s a bit like running Linux on the desktop right now. I did a lot of that around a decade or two ago. It was difficult and frustrating, and left me wondering why I bothered. Then I switched to the Mac (with an iBook and OS X 10.4). The guy who created Slashdot said that the Mac won the Linux desktop war, and he was right.

But I digress. It’s shocking how far behind the iPad is when it comes to a “computer” experience. For example, I just learned that Word on the iPad/iOS doesn’t let you create or adjust styles. Holy ****ing ****. Really? And you can’t even use the web version of Office 365 to try and circumvent this, because that bounces you out to the app.

Even if WWDC next week delivers a quantum leap in usability for iPadOS, there’s still a looooong way to go because we reach desktop-like levels of maturity. As somebody pointed out, it isn’t just Apple that’s the blocker here. It’s all app creators. Microsoft is clearly deliberately hobbling the iPad/iOS version of the Office 365 apps. That’s likely to be a political decision on their behalf.

And let’s not forget we’re at this stage when the iPad is 12 years old. Over a decade! And we’re still on the starting blocks.

 

[JD2015]

Ulysses
Ithoughts
One drive
Google Drive
Pixelmator
Authy
Lastpass
Screens connect
PDF Expert
Office. If no subscription google docs, etc. or Pages, keynote, numbers.
Notion
Printer Pro
Zoom
Teams
Super Agent, Hush for safari
Chrome/Safari/Edge

 

[sracer]

e-Sword
UpNote
SimpleMind Pro
Google: Keep, News, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Voice
iWork: Pages, KeyNote
Microsoft Edge
VLC
Plex
JetAudio HD
Pocketbook
PDF Expert
GoodNotes 4