iPad as a laptop replacement

[Kal Madda]

View attachment 2613815

I was really hoping for an 11” or 12” MacBook, but we got the Neo.

I ordered a refurb M4 Air for pickup, but decided it doesn’t really bring me any more joy than my aging Intel MacBook Pro. Cancelled the order for someone else to snag.

Decided to order a Magic Keyboard for my 11” iPad Air M1 instead, and man am I glad I did this. It makes the iPad feel “whole” and on iPadOS 26, it mostly feels like a mini touchscreen Mac. I still have my MBP for anything the iPad can’t do, but it’s perfect for when I want to use Instagram and Reddit (Narwhal) on a larger display too.

Super happy!

Awesome! I’m glad to hear it’s working out well for you! 🙂👍🏻. I used an 11” M1 iPad Pro as my primary computer for about 4 or so years, just upgraded to the 13” M4 iPad Pro last year. 👍🏻 But yeah, the 11” models are quite capable as a lightweight MacBook-style setup with the keyboard.

That silver and white setup looks awesome too! 👍🏻.

And what wallpaper is that, if you don’t mind my asking?

 

[Brettka7]

Awesome! I’m glad to hear it’s working out well for you! 🙂👍🏻. I used an 11” M1 iPad Pro as my primary computer for about 4 or so years, just upgraded to the 13” M4 iPad Pro last year. 👍🏻 But yeah, the 11” models are quite capable as a lightweight MacBook-style setup with the keyboard.

That silver and white setup looks awesome too! 👍🏻.

And what wallpaper is that, if you don’t mind my asking?

It’s the stock “Hello” wallpaper in teal

I always do silver or starlight on my devices, it pairs well with all the accessories!

 

[Meedoss]

Looks like Neo is the new iPad replacement for those that don't need a pencil.

 

[Brettka7]

Looks like Neo is the new iPad replacement for those that don't need a pencil.

If I wanted a 13” device, maybe. Too bad there’s nothing 11” iPad-sized with MacOS.

 

[sparksd]

Looks like Neo is the new iPad replacement for those that don't need a pencil.

And who want a laptop, not a tablet.

 

[Kal Madda]

The MacBook Neo can’t replace an iPad unless you only want to use an iPad with an attached keyboard all the time with zero touch input. The MacBook Neo is a laptop that can only be used like a laptop and nothing else. The iPad is a tablet that can also be used like a laptop. Both have their pluses and minuses, but the Neo isn’t really going to replace a tablet in a satisfactory way, as it can’t be used like one…

And secondhand/refurbished prior-gen MacBook Air’s have been available for similar price points for a while now…

The MacBook Neo couldn’t replace the iPad for my workflow. It simply lacks far too many apps I use on a regular basis, I find macOS less efficient in many areas than iPadOS, and Apple Pencil input is an absolute must. YMMV.

 

[PandaPunch]

Took me forever to remember, but here's my pic using my case! I was reading Bitter Root, awesome comic!

Hospitals and other medical places really should have more desks in the waiting room. Sometimes I'm with a family member and have to wait and it would be nice be able to spot specifically for tablets/laptops. Where I went there was a cafeteria with plenty of nice seats and tables but that doesn't work if you'd rather see your friend/family member after they're done immediately. Some of those places are HUGE.

 

[Abazigal]

Another thing the iPad does better - reading in portrait mode. Too many websites are just not properly formatted for reading in landscape mode these days. 🙃

 

[Kal Madda]

I just added a couple of new additions to my desk setup which will improve the docking experience for my iPad! First, I got an inexpensive light bar for my monitor to illuminate my workspace. This will free up some desk space previously used to hold an articulated desk lamp (outside of picture). And it actually does a better job lighting the space. The light bar works much better than I expected, and it doesn’t cause glare on my desktop monitor. The light bar itself is well-built and aluminum, which also is very nice. The mount feels very sturdy. I also have the small retro lamp, which is mostly for looks, but also does provide some light down closer to my workspace if I wanted it. This setup is going to be a really nice improvement.

And the biggest upgrade: I got a new hub for my desk. I had an old Belkin hub (and it’s still working well), but it was never quite ideal for desk use for my purposes. I had to use a USB-C extension cable to lengthen the cable on it, and so I had thought about getting a more box style hub for the desk, where you can use your own USB-C cable to connect it to the device. I saw thunderbolt hubs like that, but I didn’t need thunderbolt speeds, and those hubs were very expensive. But I came across a cheaper alternative that is working really well so far. UGreen makes a Steam Deck hub, and the kickstand support folds down flat. And rather than using a built-in cable, it uses a patch cable, which means you can use whatever cable you want for it. So far it’s been working out well. I still need to set it up with the cable I want, I’m planning on using a longer cable for it, but haven’t set that up yet. When trying it out, I noticed the display response time seemed snappier, and I looked up the specs on my prior Belkin hub, and apparently it topped out at 40hz for 4K, where my monitor is 60hz. Where the new hub supports 4K at 120hz, so it will be a bit more future-proof. This hub also works great for my Asus Ally when I want to dock it at my desk, and I can connect my controller with a wired connection to the hub, which allows me to automatically pair the controller with whatever device is connected to the hub. And the built-in stand works for the iPad, I probably won’t use this aspect, since I usually end up docking my iPad with the Magic Keyboard Case. But that is a nice addition.

Here’s the light bar:

Colorpanda Monitor Light Bar, Fit for Curved/Flat Monitor, Eye-Care USB Reading LED Task Lamp with Touch Control, No Screen Glare Dimmable Desk Lamp Computer Monitor Light Bar for Screen Home Office

Experience optimal eye comfort with the Colorpanda Monitor Light Bar , USB-powered desk lamp designed to fit most monitors, including curved and irregular ones. Its upgraded weighted clip ensures stability, while the 45 adjustable rotation angle provides perfect light coverage. The lamp's 45 angl...

www.amazon.com

And here’s the hub (there are different configurations for it, some are 10 GBPS, others 5GBPS USB speeds):

UGREEN Steam Deck Dock 6-in-1 4K@120Hz HDMI 2.1, 100W PD, USB-A & USB C 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, Dock for Rog Xbox Ally 2025, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Region Go, MacBook

UGREEN Steam Deck Dock 6-in-1 USB C Hub, 4K 120Hz HDMI 2.1, 100W PD, USB-A & USB C 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, Dock for Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Rog Xbox Ally, Region Go, MacBook

www.amazon.com

Overall, I’m liking this setup. My desk setup is coming along! 👍🏻.

 

[Ludatyk]

Overall, I’m liking this setup. My desk setup is coming along! 👍🏻.

I notice your monitor is hooked up to Mac instead of the iPad... seems as if you are embracing Univeral Control as a suggested awhile back. It's such a useful tool... that way both operating system is being utilized.

I know this is a iPad centric thread... solely focused on using the iPad as a laptop replacement and that's ths way I tend to make use of mine. Especially when I'm away from my desk, but at my desk... the Mac is attached to my monitors given its suited for it.

 

[Kal Madda]

I notice your monitor is hooked up to Mac instead of the iPad... seems as if you are embracing Univeral Control as a suggested awhile back. It's such a useful tool... that way both operating system is being utilized.

I know this is a iPad centric thread... solely focused on using the iPad as a laptop replacement and that's ths way I tend to make use of mine. Especially when I'm away from my desk, but at my desk... the Mac is attached to my monitors given its suited for it.

My monitor has always been connected to my Mac Mini, my monitor has multiple inputs, so when I want to use the Mac, I can use it, and when I want to dock my iPad, I can switch inputs over to it. 👍🏻. Since I have several devices I like to use with the monitor (Mac, iPad, and Asus Ally), I’ve tried to set up my desk system to make it easier to dock devices. I’ve considered using a KVM switch, but currently it’s simple enough to switch inputs over, so I haven’t felt the need to. I have used my Mac Mini for a few things lately like testing Affinity V3 (no iPad version yet 🙁) and using Icon Composer (it would be awesome if Apple incorporated its functionality into Pixelmator Pro in the future, and I suspect they will). So for stuff like that, I tend to use my Mac Mini, but for other stuff, I tend to dock my iPad. I just didn’t have my iPad Pro with me when I took the photo, and the iPad 11th Gen doesn’t support extended display (and I’ve been using it as a smart display for my desk).

But yeah, Universal Control is very useful! 👍🏻. One major plus is, when I dock my iPad, I can still use my third-party mouse and keyboard with it if I want to by moving the cursor over to the iPad’s display before switching inputs. 👍🏻. And it is also very handy for the aforementioned iPad smart display setup when I am using the Mac, as I can control the iPad with my cursor instead of having to reach for it. 👍🏻.

 

[Ludatyk]

My monitor has always been connected to my Mac Mini, my monitor has multiple inputs, so when I want to use the Mac, I can use it, and when I want to dock my iPad, I can switch inputs over to it. 👍🏻.

I have my monitor connected to multiple device as well... it's just I'm more inclined to use it with the Mac, that's all.

 

[Kal Madda]

I have my monitor connected to multiple device as well... it's just I'm more inclined to use it with the Mac, that's all.

Oh, that makes sense. 👍🏻. Yeah, for me, it’s more about the apps I’m using, if that makes any sense. For creative work, I tend to use my iPad docked, though I have been tinkering with Affinity V3 and Icon Composer on the Mac Mini some. For basic productivity stuff, I just use whichever is set up at the time and available if that makes sense. But yeah, I really do like Universal Control, thanks for suggesting it, that’s made my desk setup much more flexible. 🙂👍🏻

 

[joloriquelme]

In 2021, I bought an 11" M1 iPad Pro based on the premise of its speed and the potential to be used as a mini-laptop for special road occasions. I never even considered it a true replacement for my main setups (several Windows PCs and a 14" MacBook Pro), but rather a companion device for situations requiring extreme portability.

Since then, I’ve given it every chance to shine. I tested every possible workflow and app: from Sidecar and Universal Control with my Mac, to Teams meetings, IT-specific tools for my field, Office, Outlook, and a fully synced iCloud photo library. I used it for work VPNs, RDP, console companion apps, LiDar apps, gaming, and video and audio streaming. I even used for filming a wedding. Seriously—I tried everything.

I even bought the Magic Keyboard the moment I heard iPadOS was supposed to improve multitasking. Went to travels with this, events, class, restaurants, used on a plane, used in cars and buses.

But it just didn't click. In no scenario did I find it truly useful. I always ended up going back to my other devices for the sake of comfort, speed, full featured apps, or ease of use—whether it was the Mac, my PCs, or even my iPhone or TVs when I wanted to play something. Even my consoles felt more natural to play something (yes, I connected an Xbox to the iPad to play).

I briefly thought about selling just the Magic Keyboard to justify keeping the tablet as a standalone device. But today, I gave it one last shot, and it just didn't convince me. It's officially up for sale today, and I’m not considering a replacement.

As Jobs said in 2010, the iPad was born as a device that could be better than a computer or a phone for many things. But now, in 2026, the phone and the computer are way better that was in that past. Both computers and phones (from Apple and for everyone else) are extremely portable, powerful, confortable to use, confortable to carry, good audio, good camera, excellent displays, and reasonable battery life. Even all of them actually uses the same USB-C charger, so you can carry one for all.

But most importantly, in the case of computers, good proper OS and apps.

I know there are people that uses it and really likes it and actually do very serious work. Actually my wife uses an iPad Air sometimes, but for very basic tasks. But most of the time is on her iPhone 17. My daughter's iPad is abandoned in a corner. She prefers to use her 16e. Probably the base iPad or even the Air could make sense. But it’s my experience and could be for many: for full-experience work, play, entertainment and communication, just simply buy a proper Mac, a Windows computer, or even use your 6.1" or 6.7" phone.

 

[PandaPunch]

In 2021, I bought an 11" M1 iPad Pro based on the premise of its speed and the potential to be used as a mini-laptop for special road occasions. I never even considered it a true replacement for my main setups (several Windows PCs and a 14" MacBook Pro), but rather a companion device for situations requiring extreme portability.

Since then, I’ve given it every chance to shine. I tested every possible workflow and app: from Sidecar and Universal Control with my Mac, to Teams meetings, IT-specific tools for my field, Office, Outlook, and a fully synced iCloud photo library. I used it for work VPNs, RDP, console companion apps, LiDar apps, gaming, and video and audio streaming. I even used for filming a wedding. Seriously—I tried everything.

I even bought the Magic Keyboard the moment I heard iPadOS was supposed to improve multitasking. Went to travels with this, events, class, restaurants, used on a plane, used in cars and buses.

But it just didn't click. In no scenario did I find it truly useful. I always ended up going back to my other devices for the sake of comfort, speed, full featured apps, or ease of use—whether it was the Mac, my PCs, or even my iPhone or TVs when I wanted to play something. Even my consoles felt more natural to play something (yes, I connected an Xbox to the iPad to play).

I briefly thought about selling just the Magic Keyboard to justify keeping the tablet as a standalone device. But today, I gave it one last shot, and it just didn't convince me. It's officially up for sale today, and I’m not considering a replacement.

As Jobs said in 2010, the iPad was born as a device that could be better than a computer or a phone for many things. But now, in 2026, the phone and the computer are way better that was in that past. Both computers and phones (from Apple and for everyone else) are extremely portable, powerful, confortable to use, confortable to carry, good audio, good camera, excellent displays, and reasonable battery life. Even all of them actually uses the same USB-C charger, so you can carry one for all.

But most importantly, in the case of computers, good proper OS and apps.

I know there are people that uses it and really likes it and actually do very serious work. Actually my wife uses an iPad Air sometimes, but for very basic tasks. But most of the time is on her iPhone 17. My daughter's iPad is abandoned in a corner. She prefers to use her 16e. Probably the base iPad or even the Air could make sense. But it’s my experience and could be for many: for full-experience work, play, entertainment and communication, just simply buy a proper Mac, a Windows computer, or even use your 6.1" or 6.7" phone.

If it makes you feel better, in my current living situation, out of the 6 people who live here, we all have iPads of various ages and I think I'm the only one who uses theirs with any level of regularity.

They all tend to gravitate more to desktops or laptops for various reasons. Some of it is just not being able to afford Pencils or even Crayons others is more because certain games aren't on it, etc.

Plus, you legit tried to use the iPad! What I think is truly hilarious, I remember being like 18-19 years old when tablets were getting popular after the iPad launch so really shortly after. I was scoffing at the idea of getting a tablet, you were getting something so expensive for so little storage space was my logic, but over time I found more uses for it when I finally looked into them. It's just funny how people can go from two different points and be almost opposites of each other.

Of course, I tend to use my Mac when I'm typing a lot or researching, anything that makes me look at a screen for extended periods of time, but that's more of an ergonomics sort of thing. I just like how an iPad has been useful from manga reading to helping me with documents to even being helpful in therapy.

 

[Fr. Guido Sarducci]

It took me a while, but I finally finished reading every post in this thread. As a result, and when I was about 2/3rds through it, I ditched my iMac and my M2 11” iPad in favor of a 13” M5 iPad Pro. I had ditched a MacBook for the iMac and the other iPad a couple years ago.

Being retired, it’s perfect. It does everything I want it to do and its portability can’t be beat. But I can see where it’s not for everyone especially if you are still working.

I’m sure most of you won’t care abut what I just wrote, but there are lots of people like me out there.

 

[Kal Madda]

It took me a while, but I finally finished reading every post in this thread. As a result, and when I was about 2/3rds through it, I ditched my iMac and my M2 11” iPad in favor of a 13” M5 iPad Pro. I had ditched a MacBook for the iMac and the other iPad a couple years ago.

Being retired, it’s perfect. It does everything I want it to do and its portability can’t be beat. But I can see where it’s not for everyone especially if you are still working.

I’m sure most of you won’t care abut what I just wrote, but there are lots of people like me out there.

Awesome! I’m glad to hear it’s working out well for you. 🙂👍🏻. I’ve been using an iPad as my primary computer for about the past 5 years or so. I totally agree with you on the portability aspect. 👍🏻. If you run into any issues or questions, feel free to ask. 🙂👍🏻

 

[clarencek]

I’m really looking forward to having a lifestyle (retirement) where the iPad can be my main computer. But while I’m an office worker that’s still elusive.

 

[DeepSix]

The 11" iPad Pro is a pretty capable and ultra portable 1lb computer that can be used handheld. I am surprised how noticeably lighter the M5 iPad Pro is over the M1. I now only bring the MacBook Pro if I need to because the 11" iPad is just so much lighter and more portable. Well worth the money, especially at $250CAD off during the Apple sale.

 

[rui no onna]

I’m really looking forward to having a lifestyle (retirement) where the iPad can be my main computer. But while I’m an office worker that’s still elusive.

I'm also an office worker. However, work already provides a Windows desktop and laptop. I'm happy to kick back and relax with the iPad when I get home.

I do have some hobbies that require a PC so I still have a few of those. On my personal time though, I'm on an iPad 90% of the time.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

In 2021, I bought an 11" M1 iPad Pro based on the premise of its speed and the potential to be used as a mini-laptop for special road occasions. I never even considered it a true replacement for my main setups (several Windows PCs and a 14" MacBook Pro), but rather a companion device for situations requiring extreme portability.

Since then, I’ve given it every chance to shine. I tested every possible workflow and app: from Sidecar and Universal Control with my Mac, to Teams meetings, IT-specific tools for my field, Office, Outlook, and a fully synced iCloud photo library. I used it for work VPNs, RDP, console companion apps, LiDar apps, gaming, and video and audio streaming. I even used for filming a wedding. Seriously—I tried everything.

I even bought the Magic Keyboard the moment I heard iPadOS was supposed to improve multitasking. Went to travels with this, events, class, restaurants, used on a plane, used in cars and buses.

But it just didn't click. In no scenario did I find it truly useful. I always ended up going back to my other devices for the sake of comfort, speed, full featured apps, or ease of use—whether it was the Mac, my PCs, or even my iPhone or TVs when I wanted to play something. Even my consoles felt more natural to play something (yes, I connected an Xbox to the iPad to play).

I briefly thought about selling just the Magic Keyboard to justify keeping the tablet as a standalone device. But today, I gave it one last shot, and it just didn't convince me. It's officially up for sale today, and I’m not considering a replacement.

As Jobs said in 2010, the iPad was born as a device that could be better than a computer or a phone for many things. But now, in 2026, the phone and the computer are way better that was in that past. Both computers and phones (from Apple and for everyone else) are extremely portable, powerful, confortable to use, confortable to carry, good audio, good camera, excellent displays, and reasonable battery life. Even all of them actually uses the same USB-C charger, so you can carry one for all.

But most importantly, in the case of computers, good proper OS and apps.

I know there are people that uses it and really likes it and actually do very serious work. Actually my wife uses an iPad Air sometimes, but for very basic tasks. But most of the time is on her iPhone 17. My daughter's iPad is abandoned in a corner. She prefers to use her 16e. Probably the base iPad or even the Air could make sense. But it’s my experience and could be for many: for full-experience work, play, entertainment and communication, just simply buy a proper Mac, a Windows computer, or even use your 6.1" or 6.7" phone.

I'm in the same boat.
I am very mobile and tried to use the iPad Pro (12.9 m2 16GB/1TB Cellular + MKB + Pen) on the go instead of a MacBook Air or Pro.
Although with the prodigios help from this community (@Kal Madda deserves special mention and gratitude for his efforts) at the end of the day I managed to do everything needed on the iPad, I am still much more productive on a laptop or desktop.
For this reason I decided to keep my iPad for media and internet browsing and travel with a MacBook Air or Neo (I'll go to a store to compare hands on this devices).

 

[richpjr]

I'm in the same boat.
I am very mobile and tried to use the iPad Pro (12.9 m2 16GB/1TB Cellular + MKB + Pen) on the go instead of a MacBook Air or Pro.
Although with the prodigios help from this community (@Kal Madda deserves special mention and gratitude for his efforts) at the end of the day I managed to do everything needed on the iPad, I am still much more productive on a laptop or desktop.
For this reason I decided to keep my iPad for media and internet browsing and travel with a MacBook Air or Neo (I'll go to a store to compare hands on this devices).

I go through this same battle. I can do most things on my iPad, but there are just some things for my use that just don"t work like audio limitations (no multiple audio streams), certain apps not available for the iPad and some gaming in Crossover all of which I use my Mac Studio for. If Microsoft would release full versions of office and Logitech would add support for the forward/back buttons on my mouse I'd be happy!

 

[Beefbowl]

I recently got a deal ($250) on a cellular A16 after only ever having wifi models, and it has been a real boost to getting stuff done from remote. It’s the super base storage model, so I’m not tempted to install any games on it, and it’s forcing me to actually commit to cloud storage and cloud applications. A lot of those are self hosted and I access them through tailscale.

Technically of course this means that I’m not doing the work ON the iPad. I connect to tailscale and then open an ssh session to my docker host or my NAS to get things done. Still it’s something I could not do nearly as well without the cellular connection.

I did have a weird thing where I could NOT get the escape key to pass properly to the remote computer, even though the BT keyboard I’m using has an escape key on it. Pressing escape would exit my ssh client and return to the iPad home screen. Using vi without escape is, uh, very near impossible. It turned out to be something in accessibility settings.

 

[Ludatyk]

If Microsoft would release full versions of office and Logitech would add support for the forward/back buttons on my mouse I'd be happy!

I agree having access to the shortcuts on the MX Master mouses would be nice, but it’s the scrolling for me on the iPad (too choppy). I refuse to use any 3rd party mouses because of it.

 

[richpjr]

I agree having access to the shortcuts on the MX Master mouses would be nice, but it’s the scrolling for me on the iPad (too choppy). I refuse to use any 3rd party mouses because of it.

Are you using an Apple mouse or a trackpad?