iPad as a laptop replacement

[Apple_Robert]

I also think I am done trying to use my iPad as a laptop replacement. I’ve been using a keyboard case with my iPad since iPad 7…? Something like that. Had the last gen Magic Keyboard, have the current gen Magic Keyboard. I had already gotten rid of the MKB once because it really forced you into using it as a bad laptop but with iOS 26 , I thought I’d give it another try since I was going to get an M5 iPad Pro anyways.

Still think windowed mode isn’t a great experience, at least on my 11” iPad. The window chrome is just way too big on everything and you lose so much content space. You can get around this by using “more space” but when you try to use it in tablet mode again, everything is insanely tiny (touch targets, fonts) and some apps just look completely messed up (like Reddit). It’s a huge annoyance to switch the display zoom every time I go from keyboard to tablet mode so I just end up leaving it in default display zoom.

I also wanted to try just using external keyboard and mice so that I can keep my iPad in a smart folio instead of being locked into the bulky magic keyboard all the time but I see that mouse support is still god awful… nothing feels right when using a mouse. The pointer movement feels wrong. The scrolling is so bad that you pretty much have to use an (Apple) trackpad.

It bears repeating here…The iPad isn’t advertised as a Mac replacement device. While it is true that some people can do anything that they need solely on the iPad, that, in and of itself doesn’t mean that they are using the iPad as a Mac replacement.

In my opinion, the problem you and many others on the forum have is trying to make the iPad into a Mac. And then you complain how the iPad wasn’t good and you had all these Mac wannabe feature problems due to friction.

While the iPad does have some features akin to the Mac, the iPad is meant to primarily be used as a touch device.

While i can do all I really need on my iPad Pro, I acknowledge there is still some minor friction involved at times. I do like using my Mac and I do lean to it at times for smoother app action.

Using the iPad Pro as one’s primary device should come naturally. If it doesn’t, don’t try and force the round peg into a square hole.

The revenue hacks on YouTube foster the same kind of round peg mentality and people fall into the failed mindset and then get mad at Apple because their expensive iPad Pro isn’t really a Mac. And when they get mad enough at themselves, they come to MR to engage in confirmation bias and get support for illogical thinking behavior.

There is a reason why Apple offers products in different sizes and different OS. Ideally, the devices are meant to fill in use gaps so that there isn’t a disconnect or a bottleneck due to only having one device for any given task at any moment in time.

 

[Meedoss]

Pretty sure Apple keeps the iPad just frustrating enough that most people have to have a Mac too.

 

[alecgold]

Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me. The kickstand setup works okay for some people on the lap, but I’ve seen many who don’t like it for “lapability”. 👍🏻. Also, for me, the extra charging port is well worth it, as I have used it to charge my iPad while I use a USB-C thumb drive or microSD card adapter in the iPad’s native port. 👍🏻. And with the new Magic Keyboard Case, you get the laptop-class aluminum palm rest and glass trackpad. 👍🏻

That aluminium palm rest is killing my hands when I’m working in a cold room. I really like the MKB, but that is a disadvantage.

 

[alecgold]

Pretty sure Apple keeps the iPad just frustrating enough that most people have to have a Mac too.

YMMV, for me the iPP 13” M4 nano with MKB and pencil is so much more then a MacBook… Oke, the MacBook might be cheaper, but the iPP is so versatile.
It’s just Microsoft that is keeping it’s apps so annoyingly dumb. Why doesn’t have OneDrive normal functions and a logic layout?

 

[ScanTheNavian]

In the past an iPad would have been all that I needed. It wasn't until I wanted to learn programming that I got a laptop. Unless you want the freedom and flexibility of a computer and need specific apps, then watching movies and browsing on an iPad is perfectly fine. It provides a more intimate experience and is easier to bring with you.

But you should never view it as a laptop, just as you wouldn't see a motorcycle as a car. A motorcycle can be enough as a vehicle, but once you start expecting a car you start to get problems. In my perfect world iPad Pros would be able to run MacOS when used with k/m and otherwise standard iPadOS. It would basically provide the best of both of worlds and unless I needed power I wouldn't need a laptop anymore.

 

[Kal Madda]

That aluminium palm rest is killing my hands when I’m working in a cold room. I really like the MKB, but that is a disadvantage.

There are vinyl palm rest decals you may find more comfortable for that. 👍🏻.

 

[Kal Madda]

YMMV, for me the iPP 13” M4 nano with MKB and pencil is so much more then a MacBook… Oke, the MacBook might be cheaper, but the iPP is so versatile.
It’s just Microsoft that is keeping its apps so annoyingly dumb. Why doesn’t have OneDrive normal functions and a logic layout?

Yeah, Microsoft really should get their act together and improve their apps on the iPad. People have to pay just as much as Windows users to access it, they should get the same features. Either give people a discount, or better, just even try a little to make them more feature equivalent. There’s zero reason for the MS Office apps to lack so many features, except that Microsoft wants platform lock-in on Windows, which is why they also artificially kneecap the Office apps on macOS as well. I suspect the only thing keeping the Surface Pro “competitive” is that it supports full Office functionality. If they were to improve the iPad and Android versions of Office (which they absolutely could very easily) then it would probably kill the Surface Pro, so instead, they’re trying to artificially kneecap other tablets to keep a niche for their “tablet” to “solve”. So, in other words, create the problem, and then market their product as the “solution” to the problem they created…

There’s just zero excuse here, we pay the same as everyone else for it, we should be getting the same features, or at least most of the same features. Even if they just improved the web version, that would be better than what they’re doing now. Microsoft really needs to improve there.

 

[Kal Madda]

But you should never view it as a laptop, just as you wouldn't see a motorcycle as a car. A motorcycle can be enough as a vehicle, but once you start expecting a car you start to get problems. In my perfect world iPad Pros would be able to run MacOS when used with k/m and otherwise standard iPadOS. It would basically provide the best of both of worlds and unless I needed power I wouldn't need a laptop anymore.

Yeah, I think too many try to project the Mac way of doing everything onto the iPad, and get upset when the iPad does things the iPad way and doesn’t do everything identically to the way the Mac does it. Your analogy reminds me of Steve Job’s car vs truck analogy.

People seem to always approach it from the direction of “can an iPad replace a Mac?”, but I think it’s also valid to ask “can a Mac replace an iPad?”. And the answer for me is no, not at least without major compromises to my workflow. The Apple Pencil is essential to my digital art workflow. There are so many apps I use that are either better on the iPad than the Mac in my opinion (like Affinity), or that don’t even exist on the Mac. I find iPadOS more pleasant and efficient to work with. For example, I can set Quick Look as default for previewing images in the Files app, so to go through my folders of images, I can simply click or tap on an image, and scroll through them. On the Mac, I have to right click an image, select “Quick Look” from the context menu, and then scroll through. Also moving photos out of the Photos app and into Files has so much less friction on iPadOS. Just Share Sheet and “Save to Files” option. For the Photos app on macOS, that isn’t an option, you have to go through a whole long export process with popups and stuff just to move a photo from Photos to Finder. There’s several things like that I just find to be faster, simpler, and more efficient on iPadOS than macOS. So for me, the iPad is the best tool available for my workflow. 👍🏻

I don’t know that the iPad should run macOS as a “mode”, it seems to me like it would be confusing to have the whole system change just because you plugged in a mouse or keyboard. Plus I actually prefer docking my iPad at my desk and using it like a desktop running iPadOS pretty often, I wouldn’t want that to be stuck with macOS. But I do think it could make sense for it to be able to run Mac apps, just like the Mac can run some iPad apps. And some pretty reliable leakers are saying that the iPad will be able to run Mac apps in a couple years, so that seems pretty likely to me. 👍🏻

 

[ScanTheNavian]

People seem to always approach it from the direction of “can an iPad replace a Mac?”, but I think it’s also valid to ask “can a Mac replace an iPad?”.

That's a good question. From a hardware POV there's no Macbook which comes close to the weight of a 13" iPP(even less the others). Slipping my 11" into my slim bag when I'm out and about is very nice. From a document/magazine POV there's no comparison, unless you sit with the MB like an 18th century atlas.

There’s several things like that I just find to be faster, simpler, and more efficient on iPadOS than macOS. So for me, the iPad is the best tool available for my workflow. 👍🏻

I hadn't really considered that aspect. But it's true that it's a very streamlined OS. I guess I've been too focused on what I cannot do with it. I've recently been dabbling with some Yt-dlp and A-shell and seen how easily it works to use files with apps like InFuse and Files.

I don’t know that the iPad should run macOS as a “mode”, it seems to me like it would be confusing to have the whole system change just because you plugged in a mouse or keyboard. Plus I actually prefer docking my iPad at my desk and using it like a desktop running iPadOS pretty often, I wouldn’t want that to be stuck with macOS. But I do think it could make sense for it to be able to run Mac apps, just like the Mac can run some iPad apps.

Yeah, there'd need to be some sort of toggle whether you wanted it or not. Perhaps as you say at least Mac apps running on them would be a golden middle road. It would also justify the M-chip iPads a lot more.

 

[SpaceJello]

Not knowingly, I have been rocking with an iPad only set up for over 5 years. I used Macs before but found my Mac has been sitting home collecting dust for a while.

I think it’s at a point many people can just have an iPad. Think about it, many people survive with an iPhone alone.

Granted, yes there are specific advanced things one can’t do on the iPad yet, like after effects or running a mathematical simulation for days. But when it comes to Mac OS vs iPad OS, it’s not a matter of a need to have MacOS on an iPad, but a matter of age advantage.

We keep forgetting how young iPads are in comparison to the personal PC or MacOS/desktop applications. I am certain, in time, iPad and tablets can do more and more as their underlying systems mature. PCs may be relegated to those who have to use specific heavy tasks vs using most of everything else.

 

[Luftkopf]

In the past an iPad would have been all that I needed. It wasn't until I wanted to learn programming that I got a laptop. Unless you want the freedom and flexibility of a computer and need specific apps, then watching movies and browsing on an iPad is perfectly fine. It provides a more intimate experience and is easier to bring with you.

But you should never view it as a laptop, just as you wouldn't see a motorcycle as a car. A motorcycle can be enough as a vehicle, but once you start expecting a car you start to get problems. In my perfect world iPad Pros would be able to run MacOS when used with k/m and otherwise standard iPadOS. It would basically provide the best of both of worlds and unless I needed power I wouldn't need a laptop anymore.

That’s a really good analogy. I used to have a motorbike as my only vehicle. Commuting on it came with some compromises, but it was worth it. A car wouldn’t have given me what that bike did. Now I have a family and a car I love. I need different things now so I needed a car.

It always comes down to the right tool got the job. Sometimes the right tool is an iPad, sometimes it isn’t.

 

[Meedoss]

I think it’s at a point many people can just have an iPad. Think about it, many people survive with an iPhone alone.

Depends on what you do, my daughter is a teacher and has a iPhone and m3 macbook air, iPad would be no good to her, her husband just uses a 15 pro for everything he is a nurse, both in mid 20's.
I have a home office and need a big screen, iPad is just a bigger iPhone for me for using around the house and on holidays.

In all my family only 1 under 40 has a iPad, and she is a good drawer so uses the pencil, but also has a MacBook pro.

Only ones with a iPad only are old and retired.

 

[Beanoir]

Yeah, Microsoft really should get their act together and improve their apps on the iPad. People have to pay just as much as Windows users to access it, they should get the same features. Either give people a discount, or better, just even try a little to make them more feature equivalent. There’s zero reason for the MS Office apps to lack so many features, except that Microsoft wants platform lock-in on Windows, which is why they also artificially kneecap the Office apps on macOS as well. I suspect the only thing keeping the Surface Pro “competitive” is that it supports full Office functionality. If they were to improve the iPad and Android versions of Office (which they absolutely could very easily) then it would probably kill the Surface Pro, so instead, they’re trying to artificially kneecap other tablets to keep a niche for their “tablet” to “solve”. So, in other words, create the problem, and then market their product as the “solution” to the problem they created…

There’s just zero excuse here, we pay the same as everyone else for it, we should be getting the same features, or at least most of the same features. Even if they just improved the web version, that would be better than what they’re doing now. Microsoft really needs to improve there.

We’ve discussed this before, and your opinion on Microsoft is clouding the the truth I think you need to stop with that tripe. The actual reasons for MS not developing full apps for iPad, particularly Excel, is because it simply is not possible.

 

[Luftkopf]

We’ve discussed this before, and your opinion on Microsoft is clouding the the truth I think you need to stop with that tripe. The actual reasons for MS not developing full apps for iPad, particularly Excel, is because it simply is not possible.

That’s a bit disingenuous. Because they can’t make Office 100% feature compatible doesn’t justify the current state of play. They could easily get a heck of a lot closer than they are now if they wanted to, with basic features missing that other iPad apps have.

 

[Beanoir]

That’s a bit disingenuous. Because they can’t make Office 100% feature compatible doesn’t justify the current state of play. They could easily get a heck of a lot closer than they are now if they wanted to, with basic features missing that other iPad apps have.

Not really.

Why should MS be forced by a competitor (Apple) to build a watered down version of their top tier, market leading, industry standard app, and disable its most powerful functions to work on a iPad because the Apple platform constrains it.

 

[Luftkopf]

Not really.

Why should MS be forced by a competitor (Apple) to build a watered down version of their top tier, market leading, industry standard app, and disable its most powerful functions to work on a iPad because the Apple platform constrains it.

If Microsoft want to charge full price for their iPad app, they should actually make a good faith effort to provide at least a solid subset of features instead of whatever half-hearted lazy attempt they've currently made.

Again, why should MS build a watered down version of their app, and disable many standard functions they themselves have implemented in other apps because Apple Bad?

 

[Kal Madda]

We’ve discussed this before, and your opinion on Microsoft is clouding the the truth I think you need to stop with that tripe. The actual reasons for MS not developing full apps for iPad, particularly Excel, is because it simply is not possible.

It isn’t “tripe”, it’s truth. There’s nothing preventing Microsoft from making their office software on the iPad and Android far better by providing access to basic features that other office software on the platform support… Furthermore, they could vastly improve the web versions, yet they refuse to do that either. This is clearly more about Microsoft not wanting to fully support other platforms more than them supposedly “not being able to”…

The truth is, they could deliver far better apps for the iPad if they wanted to…

And here’s the thing. If they supposedly are the poor whittle victims that would love to offer better but can’t, then they should give customers a discount. But they don’t, because they’re not the poor whittle victims here… They don’t actually care about paying customers on platforms other than Windows. Which is why they only provide the bare minimum on any platform other than Windows.

If they did care, they wouldn’t be charging customers the exact same price for software with significantly reduced features on other platforms. They would be making efforts to unify those features wherever possible and give those customers the absolute best experience they could. They would be aiming for at least 90% feature parity, which is very much possible with office apps. Perhaps not some niche stuff in Excel, but they could definitely support very basic features that are available in other apps on iPadOS, so clearly are very possible for Microsoft to include as well…

 

[Kal Madda]

That’s a bit disingenuous. Because they can’t make Office 100% feature compatible doesn’t justify the current state of play. They could easily get a heck of a lot closer than they are now if they wanted to, with basic features missing that other iPad apps have.

Exactly! They could do much much better than what they’re doing now. And if it were truly based on alleged “OS limits”, then one would expect the web versions to be far closer in functionality, but they aren’t…

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Well, to be fair, even if it can be done, I don't think it is easy for devs to get feature parity on the iPad when compared to full blown OSes. Look at, I don't know, like literally almost every app. Scrivener is way more limited, for instance. Same with Obsidian, etc., It's really common.

I think the OS is so much more locked down it is harder to develop for, period.

 

[Kal Madda]

Well, to be fair, even if it can be done, I don't think it is easy for devs to get feature parity on the iPad when compared to full blown OSes. Look at, I don't know, like literally almost every app. Scrivener is way more limited, for instance. Same with Obsidian, etc., It's really common.

I think the OS is so much more locked down it is harder to develop for, period.

Many apps on the iPad also provide full desktop-class experiences. For some things that require more system-level access it can be harder, but most of these things are in-app tools that can easily be incorporated in iPadOS. Many of the features MS Office apps on the iPad are missing could easily be incorporated, other apps with less resources for development provide these features, so clearly it is very possible…

And it would be one thing if this weren’t a pattern of behavior for Microsoft, but it is. The web apps are unnecessarily kneecapped. The Mac versions are kneecapped and artificially limited in many similar ways as well… And the Android version is also limited in the same ways. So clearly this isn’t just about iPad-specific “limitations”. It’s far more likely about Windows platform, lock-in… 🤷🏼‍♂️

And again, Microsoft could, and should cut users a discount if they’re going to give them drastically paired down versions of the software…

 

[Apple_Robert]

Well, to be fair, even if it can be done, I don't think it is easy for devs to get feature parity on the iPad when compared to full blown OSes. Look at, I don't know, like literally almost every app. Scrivener is way more limited, for instance. Same with Obsidian, etc., It's really common.

I think the OS is so much more locked down it is harder to develop for, period.

You are correct. The bottom line is that iPadOS is much more locked down (in many ways) than MacOS and that is the Achilles heel to cross-platform parity. The other part of the equation is the Mac line being more established and for a much larger target audience (at this point in time) than the iPad.

 

[Kal Madda]

You are correct. The bottom line is that iPadOS is much more locked down (in many ways) than MacOS and that is the Achilles heel to cross-platform parity. The other part of the equation is the Mac line being more established and for a much larger target audience (at this point in time) than the iPad.

While it’s true that some things, mostly related to system level access, are a bit more locked down than macOS, newer iPad apps tend to be at either near or full feature parity with their Mac counterparts these days. Apple has been making it far easier to make full-featured desktop-class apps for the iPad for several years now.

And it should also be noted, macOS has been moving closer to iPadOS’s system over the years as well, adopting more locked-down approach to system-level access with some exceptions and workarounds.

 

[sparksd]

Many apps on the iPad also provide full desktop-class experiences. For some things that require more system-level access it can be harder, but most of these things are in-app tools that can easily be incorporated in iPadOS. Many of the features MS Office apps on the iPad are missing could easily be incorporated, other apps with less resources for development provide these features, so clearly it is very possible…

And it would be one thing if this weren’t a pattern of behavior for Microsoft, but it is. The web apps are unnecessarily kneecapped. The Mac versions are kneecapped and artificially limited in many similar ways as well… And the Android version is also limited in the same ways. So clearly this isn’t just about iPad-specific “limitations”. It’s far more likely about Windows platform, lock-in… 🤷🏼‍♂️

And again, Microsoft could, and should cut users a discount if they’re going to give them drastically paired down versions of the software…

It's not just MS doing this - look at the Adobe photo tools Photoshop & Lightroom.

 

[Kal Madda]

It's not just MS doing this - look at the Adobe photo tools Photoshop & Lightroom.

Those are much closer to feature parity than MS Office on the iPad, and that’s with those apps being far more complex…

The way Microsoft has artificially kneecapped Office on iPad would be equivalent to if Photoshop lacked the crop tool, brush, text tool, etc. Microsoft refuses to incorporate basic features like custom document templates, precise positioning options for page layout, etc, while other alternative apps provide these features, so clearly it is completely possible.

And besides, Microsoft is doing this on every platform other than Windows. So clearly, this is not just about any iPad-specific “limitations”. They could easily vastly improve their web app if they really wished to. But they don’t, because that’s part of the platform lock-in scheme…

 

[sparksd]

Those are much closer to feature parity than MS Office on the iPad, and that’s with those apps being far more complex…

The way Microsoft has artificially kneecapped Office on iPad would be equivalent to if Photoshop lacked the crop tool, brush, text tool, etc. Microsoft refuses to incorporate basic features like custom document templates, precise positioning options for page layout, etc, while other alternative apps provide these features, so clearly it is completely possible.

And besides, Microsoft is doing this on every platform other than Windows. So clearly, this is not just about any iPad-specific “limitations”. They could easily vastly improve their web app if they really wished to. But they don’t, because that’s part of the platform lock-in scheme…

I use both Adobe products very heavily on the iPad and Windows desktop and would not characterize them as close in functionality. iPad Photoshop is missing smart filters, some layer effects, custom brush and plugin ecosystems, and certain panels like Clone Source). Lightroom on the iPad is missing tethered capture and has weaker batch operations, clunkier white‑balance syncing, and no support for some profiling and plugin‑based tasks like ColorChecker profile creation. Much like the MS tools, core functionality is there but useful extended functions are not. And like the MS tools, the Adobe products on the iPad nice for light work but not more serious work.