iPad Pro iPad Pro as a laptop?

[scouser75]

Folks, I'm on the look out for a simple laptop for my kid. Nothing too fancy, just something that can handle MS Office applications, surf the web, and do other simple tasks. I also need a new iPad as my 2014 iPad is barely functioning now.

So, my thought was maybe to simply buy an iPad Pro and fix a keyboard on for it to act like a laptop. Would this be a good idea? Or will the iPad not function properly as a laptop?

 

[SnowPenguin]

Since you need Office, even a relatively cheap laptop is better than any iPad for that, and much cheaper.

 

[VampyricGentleman]

If you are wanting to keep in the Apple ecosystem I’d recommend an M1 MacBook Air with 16gb of RAM, that will be better than an iPad as it will have access to the full version of Microsoft Office against mobile app versions.

 

[Ctrlos]

Folks, I'm on the look out for a simple laptop for my kid. Nothing too fancy, just something that can handle MS Office applications, surf the web, and do other simple tasks. I also need a new iPad as my 2014 iPad is barely functioning now.

So, my thought was maybe to simply buy an iPad Pro and fix a keyboard on for it to act like a laptop. Would this be a good idea? Or will the iPad not function properly as a laptop?

You don't need to spend as much as an iPad Pro. The Air model would do everything you need just fine for a few hundred notes less. Don't spend a fortune on Apple's accessories either. You can get something like this for £50 off Amazon. I use the same brand every day and its never done me wrong.

An iPad Air may not be the best option however. You can only have one user account which means either sharing all your data with your kid or (I assume) unlocking the parental controls whenever you want it. This could get annoying, fast.

If you're considering the iPad Pro I'll assume your budget is around £800. If you don't mind Windows you can pick up a nice Asus laptop from John Lewis for £450 which supports multiple users, ie your entire household. The OS is identical to the one they'll be using at school, you can lock down whatever you like with the Microsoft parental controls app and crucially allow them to stay logged in to the websites they need for maths and the like. I barely use my home laptop myself but its nice to have lurking if I have a job application, WFH assigmment or tax return to fill in that my iPad won't format properly.

You could then use the money saved to buy yourself a £310 2025 iPad so you don't have to share.

That's less than £800 all-in including delivery if you don't fancy going into the city (do you live in Liverpool?) with a longer warranty than you'll find in either Currys or the Apple Store.

If you need an Apple laptop at a lower price I always trust CEX. A 2nd hand M1 Macbook Air is about £450 (grade b) with a 5-year warranty. Don't order one online though. Its better to shop in-store so you can check the physical condition and if any of the keys stick.

 

[Devvy]

I agree with Ctrlos.
The iPad pros are extremely good iPads, but crippled when used as a laptop. I know because I use an iPad pro for everything - and the typical office work things are better done on a simple cheap laptop.
The base iPad + simple laptop combination would definitely work for me.

 

[User #07242024]

How old is your kid?
Agreed, lower spec iPad should be ok.

 

[bradman83]

I think the big question is what do they need Office for? The Office apps for iPad are fine for viewing and light editing, but are very limited in other areas (especially Excel). If they're just going to be typing out reports and maybe doing simple spreadsheets then yeah the iPad will be fine, but if they're making complex PowerPoint decks or building Excel docs with heavy duty formulas then a standard laptop running macOS or Windows would be a better choice.

(Side note: not sure if anyone's tried out the web app versions of Office on an iPad. Those are much more feature complete than the native iPad apps but still have shortcomings compared to the native desktop versions)

 

[floral]

The current iPad Pros are like $900 base. For that price you could get a laptop on sale with a core 7 and 32 gb ram if you know where to look. Not to mention an actual tangible keyboard and hinge mechanism...

 

[scouser75]

Thank you guys for the absolutely helpful replies ❤️

You don't need to spend as much as an iPad Pro. The Air model would do everything you need just fine for a few hundred notes less. Don't spend a fortune on Apple's accessories either. You can get something like this for £50 off Amazon. I use the same brand every day and its never done me wrong.

An iPad Air may not be the best option however. You can only have one user account which means either sharing all your data with your kid or (I assume) unlocking the parental controls whenever you want it. This could get annoying, fast.

If you're considering the iPad Pro I'll assume your budget is around £800. If you don't mind Windows you can pick up a nice Asus laptop from John Lewis for £450 which supports multiple users, ie your entire household. The OS is identical to the one they'll be using at school, you can lock down whatever you like with the Microsoft parental controls app and crucially allow them to stay logged in to the websites they need for maths and the like. I barely use my home laptop myself but its nice to have lurking if I have a job application, WFH assigmment or tax return to fill in that my iPad won't format properly.

You could then use the money saved to buy yourself a £310 2025 iPad so you don't have to share.

That's less than £800 all-in including delivery if you don't fancy going into the city (do you live in Liverpool?) with a longer warranty than you'll find in either Currys or the Apple Store.

If you need an Apple laptop at a lower price I always trust CEX. A 2nd hand M1 Macbook Air is about £450 (grade b) with a 5-year warranty. Don't order one online though. It’s better to shop in-store so you can check the physical condition and if any of the keys stick.

A very helpful reply ctrlos, thank you.

I was initially looking at cheap windows laptops and almost bought a very good used one until I realised it was a 16” 2kg beast. No way I’d want the kid to be carrying that in their rucksack.

I’ll check out John Lewis and CEX next week. Don’t know why but I’ve always been doubtful of cex but will definitely tuff myself of the doubts.

A bit gutted though as I let a m4 air slip at £550. It was refurbished but like new. Unfortunately I was working and by the tune I finished it had gone.

How old is your kid?
Agreed, lower spec iPad should be ok.

Kid is 16 so they need a laptop at school. They had their current dell for 7 years but t that has pretty much died now.

 

[sonicrobby]

I think the big question is what do they need Office for? The Office apps for iPad are fine for viewing and light editing, but are very limited in other areas (especially Excel). If they're just going to be typing out reports and maybe doing simple spreadsheets then yeah the iPad will be fine, but if they're making complex PowerPoint decks or building Excel docs with heavy duty formulas then a standard laptop running macOS or Windows would be a better choice.

(Side note: not sure if anyone's tried out the web app versions of Office on an iPad. Those are much more feature complete than the native iPad apps but still have shortcomings compared to the native desktop versions)

I second this. I tried using office on iPad to do reports for work, and it is lacking on a lot of features I use on my MacBook. I personally would love for my iPad to replace a laptop, but apps holding back features of laptop versions will always prevent that

 

[Ctrlos]

Thank you guys for the absolutely helpful replies ❤️


A very helpful reply ctrlos, thank you.

I was initially looking at cheap windows laptops and almost bought a very good used one until I realised it was a 16” 2kg beast. No way I’d want the kid to be carrying that in their rucksack.

I’ll check out John Lewis and CEX next week. Don’t know why but I’ve always been doubtful of cex but will definitely tuff myself of the doubts.

A bit gutted though as I let a m4 air slip at £550. It was refurbished but like new. Unfortunately I was working and by the tune I finished it had gone.

Kid is 16 so they need a laptop at school. They had their current dell for 7 years but t that has pretty much died now.

Are they finishing GCSEs or just started college? If Office is the extent of their software needs then you can pick up a Snapdragon-equipped Surface laptop from Curry’s for £599 with a 13” screen. Using an ARM processor makes them a little hit and miss with older PC apps but you’ll get weight and battery life approaching Apple standards.

£550 for an M4 Air is a bargain! My son is 17 and just bought himself (after a lot of saving!) a £650 M2 Air from Cex with 16gb ram in nearly mint condition. The only marks were a few scuffs on the shiny Apple logo.

 

[scouser75]

Are they finishing GCSEs or just started college? If Office is the extent of their software needs then you can pick up a Snapdragon-equipped Surface laptop from Curry’s for £599 with a 13” screen. Using an ARM processor makes them a little hit and miss with older PC apps but you’ll get weight and battery life approaching Apple standards.

£550 for an M4 Air is a bargain! My son is 17 and just bought himself (after a lot of saving!) a £650 M2 Air from Cex with 16gb ram in nearly mint condition. The only marks were a few scuffs on the shiny Apple logo.

Thanks for the tip Ctrlos. They're just starting A-Levels. I was hoping to pop into Currys today but got side-tracked with something urgent. Thankfully the Dell is still running, albeit spectacularly slow.

I get 8% off at Currys so that helps, along with TCB, that should help the price drop a fair bit. 😁

 

[Rnd-chars]

Agreed on not getting an iPad Pro for this. I have an 11” M4 and it’s great, especially when connected to my Studio Display, but I’d avoid using it for this scenario. Plus, the cost actually exceeds that of a recent Apple Silicon MacBook Air.

Apple’s refurb department often has MacBook Airs for 500-ish and considering their warranty and your kid’s use case, might be a good option to explore.

 

[Ctrlos]

Thanks for the tip Ctrlos. They're just starting A-Levels. I was hoping to pop into Currys today but got side-tracked with something urgent. Thankfully the Dell is still running, albeit spectacularly slow.

I get 8% off at Currys so that helps, along with TCB, that should help the price drop a fair bit. 😁

Just remember your kid can use their college/6th form email address to access Apple’s educational discount store and the back to school offer is a free pair of AirPods Pro (or other accessory) which is a nice bonus if you’re looking at that end of the price range.

 

[rickatk]

I don’t think MS Office for IOS is very good at all. If you want a Mac for your child and OfficeMac consider getting a Mac.

 

[joeblow7777]

I get that some people use an iPad as a laptop replacement, but it seems to me like a laptop will always be a better laptop. 🤷‍♂️

 

[yabeweb]

I agree with Ctrlos.
The iPad pros are extremely good iPads, but crippled when used as a laptop. I know because I use an iPad pro for everything - and the typical office work things are better done on a simple cheap laptop.
The base iPad + simple laptop combination would definitely work for me.

You just have to adapt to a new workflow, i do everything on an iPad Pro, takes time to get used to a new way of doing things, but it is very rewarding…..not for everyone though

 

[chrono1081]

Folks, I'm on the look out for a simple laptop for my kid. Nothing too fancy, just something that can handle MS Office applications, surf the web, and do other simple tasks. I also need a new iPad as my 2014 iPad is barely functioning now.

So, my thought was maybe to simply buy an iPad Pro and fix a keyboard on for it to act like a laptop. Would this be a good idea? Or will the iPad not function properly as a laptop?

This would work fine. Before we got banned from doing it I used to use an iPad Pro all the time for work using various office apps. That being said, if you can find a cheap Air around the same price I would personally go that route unless they're going to want to play games or something from the App Store on the iPad.

 

[BornAgainMac]

The iPad is like camping out. The laptop will be like a nice hotel room.

 

[scouser75]

Thank you lads. I am now looking for a refurb or good condition used MBA 😁