iPad Pro iPad as a programming student… Hear me out!

[Hooyah]

Final update to this… It’s been three weeks or so. The iPad Pro is stunning, beautiful, that screen in sunlight never struggles and looks like surreal e-ink with the right settings… It sort of breaks my heart in some sense, but I’ve decided to return it. And Apple being the sometimes legendary company it is with retail, has agreed to refund it (and a customised Pencil Pro - which I thought was outright against policy).

I was honest with them. I said I bought this to replace my Mac as a software dev student and that my workflows would benefit from a tablet and the freedom it brings, but ultimately I have found things like the apps refreshing and multitasking limitations are an issue. I also told them that I had high hopes for remote access and even emulation / AI stuff but that the apps were too limited and didn’t use the M4 as well as I hoped. I also mentioned how it’s on my mind that this iPad plus keyboard plus Pencil combo costs more than a 16GB / 512GB MacBook Air with zero of the limitations. On this basis they agreed a full refund so that I could buy a Mac.

I really, really didn’t think they’d make an exception or be able to help but they did. I will wipe the dev beta from the iPad and get it returned tonight or tomorrow. I thought I’d share that as it might give hope to others trying a risky path like this and maybe also finding that it has too many fences to jump.

The question now is… what next. I’m going to use that old HP crap-book for a while. I might even slip a 2TB drive into it. Along with the iCloud utilities and have a hybrid set up for once. The easy, safe option is to buy a Mac. I could put some more money in and get an Air with up to 2TB. Though no more stunning screen, certainly no more note taking, it’ll feel a bit like my MacBook Pro M1 which wasn’t bad.

The iPad in the keyboard case, with a load such as playing Minecraft with brightness 70%, I noticed would refuse to charge due to temperature. The thing was piping hot. I tried using it without the keyboard losing the amazing controls of the trackpad / keyboard… Eventually it would slowly die until I had to leave it for like 20 minutes which it took to cool down before charging to still under 20.

The same at work, using also genuine chargers / adapters from Apple and my external display for a textbook along with the iPad for notes and the iPad would slowly die until/ stay around the same % at best. Part of the issue might be the developer beta but it’s a big chance to take to think it’s that much better come release.

I mention that as the passive cooling on the M4 cuts it from performing well, or charging… MacBook Air is fanless - so can I expect the same? You guys helped me realise I don’t need a Pro or Max chip and that’s so true. But even at that, something like Minecraft, running on Windows via Parallels for this version too… will the Air with M4 fail to match my M1 with fan in reality? How about charging it, on the M1 Pro, this gave downloads and other processes as much juice to sip as the fans ramped up and it gave me a noticeable increase versus battery alone (even into its 4th/5th year of dev practice). Is the Air M4 limited in the same way? I know most people browse Facebook on their Air’s - but that most of you on here aren’t those users.

The iPad is amazing to sit back with, reading books (text books in my case). Even holding it in hand or on the table at Starbucks this last few weeks, iPad OS 26 split screen with Notability and I’ve been writing notes like I’m back at uni… I’m taking in the information more about networking / data / GitHub. Sure, I can’t really practice or follow first hand but in terms of questions and diagram answers, it’s better!

This all leads me to the final point… a tablet did sort of work. But Apple is iPad for Tablet, Mac for no limits. What about Windows, or Linux? Should I opt for a Windows/Linux tablet, get my ebooks or physical text books on there or in print, and keep it up? I really would like the 2TB of headroom more so than I need any powerful performance. If it can play Minecraft in my downtime, and is capable of building apps for practice and compiling etc, then it’s honestly fine.

Confused… stay on Apple or branch out. Apple did me a solid this time with the returns, that alone makes me feel like my loyalty IS well placed.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

Final update to this… It’s been three weeks or so. The iPad Pro is stunning, beautiful, that screen in sunlight never struggles and looks like surreal e-ink with the right settings… It sort of breaks my heart in some sense, but I’ve decided to return it. And Apple being the sometimes legendary company it is with retail, has agreed to refund it (and a customised Pencil Pro - which I thought was outright against policy).

I was honest with them. I said I bought this to replace my Mac as a software dev student and that my workflows would benefit from a tablet and the freedom it brings, but ultimately I have found things like the apps refreshing and multitasking limitations are an issue. I also told them that I had high hopes for remote access and even emulation / AI stuff but that the apps were too limited and didn’t use the M4 as well as I hoped. I also mentioned how it’s on my mind that this iPad plus keyboard plus Pencil combo costs more than a 16GB / 512GB MacBook Air with zero of the limitations. On this basis they agreed a full refund so that I could buy a Mac.

I really, really didn’t think they’d make an exception or be able to help but they did. I will wipe the dev beta from the iPad and get it returned tonight or tomorrow. I thought I’d share that as it might give hope to others trying a risky path like this and maybe also finding that it has too many fences to jump.

The question now is… what next. I’m going to use that old HP crap-book for a while. I might even slip a 2TB drive into it. Along with the iCloud utilities and have a hybrid set up for once. The easy, safe option is to buy a Mac. I could put some more money in and get an Air with up to 2TB. Though no more stunning screen, certainly no more note taking, it’ll feel a bit like my MacBook Pro M1 which wasn’t bad.

The iPad in the keyboard case, with a load such as playing Minecraft with brightness 70%, I noticed would refuse to charge due to temperature. The thing was piping hot. I tried using it without the keyboard losing the amazing controls of the trackpad / keyboard… Eventually it would slowly die until I had to leave it for like 20 minutes which it took to cool down before charging to still under 20.

The same at work, using also genuine chargers / adapters from Apple and my external display for a textbook along with the iPad for notes and the iPad would slowly die until/ stay around the same % at best. Part of the issue might be the developer beta but it’s a big chance to take to think it’s that much better come release.

I mention that as the passive cooling on the M4 cuts it from performing well, or charging… MacBook Air is fanless - so can I expect the same? You guys helped me realise I don’t need a Pro or Max chip and that’s so true. But even at that, something like Minecraft, running on Windows via Parallels for this version too… will the Air with M4 fail to match my M1 with fan in reality? How about charging it, on the M1 Pro, this gave downloads and other processes as much juice to sip as the fans ramped up and it gave me a noticeable increase versus battery alone (even into its 4th/5th year of dev practice). Is the Air M4 limited in the same way? I know most people browse Facebook on their Air’s - but that most of you on here aren’t those users.

The iPad is amazing to sit back with, reading books (text books in my case). Even holding it in hand or on the table at Starbucks this last few weeks, iPad OS 26 split screen with Notability and I’ve been writing notes like I’m back at uni… I’m taking in the information more about networking / data / GitHub. Sure, I can’t really practice or follow first hand but in terms of questions and diagram answers, it’s better!

This all leads me to the final point… a tablet did sort of work. But Apple is iPad for Tablet, Mac for no limits. What about Windows, or Linux? Should I opt for a Windows/Linux tablet, get my ebooks or physical text books on there or in print, and keep it up? I really would like the 2TB of headroom more so than I need any powerful performance. If it can play Minecraft in my downtime, and is capable of building apps for practice and compiling etc, then it’s honestly fine.

Confused… stay on Apple or branch out. Apple did me a solid this time with the returns, that alone makes me feel like my loyalty IS well placed.

I work as a iOS developer professionally (and before that a .NET Azure developer), I found that the biggest single bottleneck in any dev machine was RAM. You need enough for your IDE, your builds and a ton load of browser tabs, work apps (Teams, Outlook etc) and PDFs. I have a M2 Pro MBP (from work) and M2 Max MBP (my own), I rarely hear the fans ramp up. My work machine is 16GB RAM and while it was pretty good at first, I have felt the limitations of that this past 6 months with SSD swaps and hangs, where RAM is the issue. My personal machine is 32GB RAM and rarely have any issues there.

If you need a ton of storage, supplement with external drives as the Apple tax for storage isn’t worth it.

 

[Hooyah]

I work as a iOS developer professionally (and before that a .NET Azure developer), I found that the biggest single bottleneck in any dev machine was RAM. You need enough for your IDE, your builds and a ton load of browser tabs, work apps (Teams, Outlook etc) and PDFs. I have a M2 Pro MBP (from work) and M2 Max MBP (my own), I rarely hear the fans ramp up. My work machine is 16GB RAM and while it was pretty good at first, I have felt the limitations of that this past 6 months with SSD swaps and hangs, where RAM is the issue. My personal machine is 32GB RAM and rarely have any issues there.

If you need a ton of storage, supplement with external drives as the Apple tax for storage isn’t worth it.

Funny the timing…yesterday I bought back my old MacBook Pro M1 from my gf (she wasn’t using it and wants to buy a Switch 2..). And as I set up the MacBook, but as I wanted to do two more chapters of my textbooks, reading from the Mac screen feels like a drag. And I’d just be typing out text on to notes. There really was something about the writing out with the pencil. First chapter of the networking book quiz, I got most questions right. Screenshotting the quiz and putting it into notability and all too, was really intuitive.

In the three weeks I had the iPad I had over one hour study sessions at Starbucks, the park, the beach, and not having to carry the textbook or a notebook and a laptop was handy.

When I first planned this idea my solution was renting an OVH cloud to remote into for a full ‘PC’. I complained above because there was no background process, full terminal access, or you know, the deep deep tech stuff we get on the Mac and Windows. There also was no way to do Git from the terminal which let’s face it is the level of proficiency we’d aspire to learn as devs or learning devs.

What I can’t decide is… go for an A16 iPad, although it’s not as beautiful and pleasant to use. Screen is a little rough (relatively). But matte screen protector, using cloud services and the cheap pencil, might do the job. It can remote into the OVH cloud. Would it be the smarter solution. Only issue is this with 512GB, case and pencil And apple care tops £1k.

Either way, I have the money here right now. It will be split across the same term on credit card. I can afford it (spending less is always nice, but also buying what is best for long term is an equally good mentality).

I feel a little guilty that Apple probably haven’t so much as received my former order yet. And I’m actually contemplating buying the same again.

The 16GB / 1TB option and nano texture (instead of screen protector) is also on my mind. From a future proofing perspective. But we are talking money that I could buy a MacBook Pro with M4 Pro, but I should forget that as… no note taking!

It’s so tricky.

 

[Hooyah]

I’m conscious of NOT letting this thread be me talking to myself with every update… however wanted to add that after returning my iPad Pro and keyboard I instantly regretted it… I bought back my MacBook Pro M1 from my gf and got it set up… but it wasn’t doing the trick. Suddenly, no more reading anywhere and everywhere or pen / note taking. Sitting in bed with it as well, felt like working too much. I sold it on to another relative (and now it’s gone for good!).

I ordered another M4 iPad Pro but this time the 1TB model plus keyboard. I bought just a basic USB C Apple Pencil too this time, not quite as nice, but I’m not an artist so more than capable for me. In the interim I also setup a responsive, accessible anywhere Tailscale setup with the old HP laptop and did some testing from my phone in terms of responsiveness / reliability. Along with the iMac, I think this will cover me for all limitations the iPad has.

It’s been a few days since this one came. Went for white/silver this time. The 16GB RAM / space is my attempt at ‘future proofing’, although from what I could find there isn’t much difference today as most apps and uses are 8GB optimised, this is likely to change now in the next five plus years I aim to keep this.

I seriously weighed up a MacBook Pro, both the base M4 with 1TB / 24GB and then the M4 Pro model (all with student discounts). I also went to my nearest Apple Store and spoke to them about it. They couldn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know myself and the guy didn’t really know about the RAM on the iPad, though when I mentioned programming he said yes, Mac, and when I mentioned notes, of course, all he could recommend was the iPad. Side by side, the screen on the iPad Pro still kicks down the MacBook Pro - which is really saying something! I felt even a faster, nicer new MacBook Pro with eye candy screen still would feel too much like my M1, and limited by where I feel comfortable using it and how it feels to use (especially outside of work, when I give up leisure time to study). I also tried reading my textbooks on the M1 MacBook Pro while I was between devices, as well as my iPhone, but it’s not the same as sitting back, legs crossed, iPad in hand (especially one that weighs next to nothing). Especially out on the quay, the beach, on the go, even carrying a Mac around in a backpack you feel it more. My logic is, wherever the time and opportunity to take the device out and learn / relax - I want the device that fits into more of those scenes.

So college starts end of this month again, and I’ll be going Mac / PC-less. But with full remote access IN to one, x86 as well, I should even be in a better position than a year ago when SQL was giving me all sorts of issues via Parallels and W11.

I’m not sure if I previously mentioned either… but my M4 iPad Pro 512GB was overheating massively on Minecraft. So much charging went on hold… then the power drained fast and the battery basically ended up at zero, meaning needing to leave it for a while. This might have been an older iPad OS 26 Beta issue, or me having the ‘vibrant visuals’ set to full…but this iPad Pro, (default settings) on the latest beta, was able to play it for hours last night, and charge with positive progress UP the percentages. I don’t know how likely it is, but perhaps I did have a faulty 512GB model. This is maybe also why Apple agreed to return it for me outside the window, as I did mention that in my list of reasons for wanting a return (maybe they have numbers or stats we don’t know about). Maybe that extra non-binned core makes all the difference but I doubt that too.. But I am happy.

I feel a tad guilty returning and buying essentially the same setup… but ultimately Apple is up £400 for that overpriced upgrade to 1TB… The only thing left to do now is take full advantage of this thing, learn, make career gains, place blocks and hope that this huge investment pays off well within the next five years.

 

[teohyc]

iPad for programing

Macbook for programming

One can go very wrong. One's very difficult to go wrong.

At least for me the choice is clear as night and day

 

[Hooyah]

The iPad definitely isn’t the natural choice, but I had a think to myself about where id legitimately choose to sit and zone in for programming - actual coding. When I was doing a practice assignment in May / June which was a lot of time on visual studio, I rarely used my MBP out and about. Always at a desk or plugged into a bigger screen. Never Starbucks or even comfortable spots like sofas or outdoors.

Plugging this iPad in at the same desks gives me a huge screen and remoting into Windows (x86) so no real limitations of ARM or Mac (since a lot of the world is still based on windows legacy stuff, at least for old course modules).

Obviously there are things the iPad can’t do so iPad only and no iMac sitting in the other room, is a no go even for the most determined.

For me, yesterday reading the GitHub textbook I was able to go from making notes to giving it a try. Surprisingly decent interacting with windows with the Pencil, and the hover feature which I’m surprised the USB C Pencil supported!

I can post updates if anyone wants to hear them. Maybe if I get 6 months and work done using this setup!

 

[Hooyah]

Well guys... yet again, the setup didn't work out for me. Yes, the iPad did everything and was doing the job. Though first time I set out to write notes down in class... it was just too slow versus regular old typing. If I type rough notes it's fast, and it's fast to take that and refine it to something nice to read back numerous times. Written... not so much, it takes way longer to make pretty notes and as i'm not a full time solely student (I have work and family commitments) I can't justify the time. Only sitting on a stable flat table / surface also works for this which isn't ideal either. Bottom line, I didn't use the pen for anything in the end up. Making the touch requirement not a must have as it was when I first considered iPad over Mac and touch computers over non touch.

I found myself doing a LOT of work via the Windows RDP app on what was a little Pentium Gold HP laptop sitting around. From using it on our iMac also remotely for the bigger screen for freelance work. So much so, with one particular regular use case of preparing PowerPoint presentations with animations and precision use of company branding... that when I accidentally fired up PowerPoint for Mac, the interface was legitimately slowing me down versus the native Windows versions. I really, really have been finding Windows more useful than iPad OS and Mac OS.

It was at the point where in recent weeks the iPad just sat getting in the way on my desk as I used the iMac to do heavy lifting via the HP. I was forcing myself to use it when it realistically wasn't adding to my productivity. So I decided to just sell it on... this time Apple weren't so keen to take it back. I told them about my workflow issues and also the app refresh situation, 16GB of RAM makes zero difference meaning that extra £400 was for nothing... Excel on iPad during a site visit to a client kept refreshing a single page basic list spreadsheet alongside a KeePass app and Copilot app (a basic web interface, let's face it). They told me I shouldn't expect it to perform like a Mac or PC. Well, they're not a charity, to fine they didn't take it back. They were good to me to do it the first time.

I contemplated a Mac, but our iMac M4 has 256GB and all solutions of tricking it into thinking some high speed TB4 was internal storage work, but they specifically prohibit things like some apps or functions being able to be run off of an external drive which is so annoying... Apple won't let us find ways around their expensive upgrades. I nearly even hit the button on a fully loaded 32GB / 2TB MB Air but when I looked at the summary of the cost of the SSD upgrade I thought there's no way in hell I should hand over that sum of money just for that feature.

Ended up buying the opposite of an iPad, a budget but fairly capable Ryzen 5 / RTX 4050 gaming laptop which will see very little gaming, but at the budget price point, have a keyboard that guarantees a certain minimum level of decent feel / response / takes abuse... and screen with enough space, clarity and basic quality to do a decent job (165hz is nice too). Two M2 slots. Two RAM slots. It will be no MacBook or iPad in charming terms but it will also be able to lift workloads with ease that the iPad couldn't or the Mac (mostly due to Apple) is prohibited from doing at a price point I can afford anyway.

Sorry to all the iPad fans that were rooting for me. I gave it a good go (twice). The idea of remoting in and Tailscale might help others down the line get the most out of their iPad workflows. I think for me, even if they put OS X on it tomorrow, that 11" screen size does nothing for me, I don't use touch as much as I thought I would and for the 13", well, I'm beginning to need at least 15" for my new found professional workflows or multi-tasking in college between weird old apps like Cisco Packet Tracer and Word and a bunch of Word / PowerPoint files... so for me it's the wrong tool.