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iPad Pro PC Replacement

ILowry82

ILowry82

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 26, 2014
341
117
I am loving my iPad pro. It seems like it might be able to replace my PC. I use a PC for just a few things but I want to see other user's advice on how to replicate that task on my iPad Pro:

Word Processing: MS Word looks great on the pro so it appears this can be replicated

Home Videos: I have my wedding video on my PC. I would need it on my pro and would need to have it saved somewhere

Pictures: I have pictures that we have saved to the computer. Maybe upload those to google photo?

Small downloads: what I mean by small downloads is zip files and such. For example, someone emails me a PDF, or pictures in a zip file (that's how we got our wedding photos). Can I download those files to the pro?
 
The video, you can sync it with iTunes, or upload it to a cloud site like dropbox, box, iCloud Drive, Google Drive.

The Pictures as well, you can use Google Photos, any other cloud sync, or even just iTunes sync

From the mail, you can do "open in" and select an app that can open .zip files. Most document managers can do it. As Night Spring said, good reader is an option.
 
As others have mentioned, there are viable options for each of your needs. The one thing to remember, and I can't believe it's actually an issue, but you still cannot print directly from MS Word. So as long as your comfortable exporting to something like Pages to print, you'll be fine.
 
tbayrgs said:
As others have mentioned, there are viable options for each of your needs. The one thing to remember, and I can't believe it's actually an issue, but you still cannot print directly from MS Word. So as long as your comfortable exporting to something like Pages to print, you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

You can print from Word and generate PDFs as well. Unfortunately, iOS Word doesn't kern the letters (Pages does). Which makes e.g. "Yoga" look more like "Y oga".
Printing via Airprint is pointless anyway if you have even the tiniest demand for quality. Airprint rasters the text at what looks like 150 dpi and distorts the letter forms. OpenType CFF fonts become almost unreadable. Forget the glowing Airprint reviews you maybe read on Apple fan blogs on the net. The quality is ridiculously bad.
 
dfgddikf said:
You can print from Word and generate PDFs as well. Unfortunately, iOS Word doesn't kern the letters (Pages does). Which makes e.g. "Yoga" look more like "Y oga".
Printing via Airprint is pointless anyway if you have even the tiniest demand for quality. Airprint rasters the text at what looks like 150 dpi and distorts the letter forms. OpenType CFF fonts become almost unreadable. Forget the glowing Airprint reviews you maybe read on Apple fan blogs on the net. The quality is ridiculously bad.
Click to expand...

I've never had an issue with printing from the iPad with Word - the quality doesn't seem off to me. Of course, I don't print much (As little as possible - especially text), but it seems to work fine with my printer.

If you don't print often, you could send the document to Kinkos.
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ILowry82 said:
Pictures: I have pictures that we have saved to the computer. Maybe upload those to google photo?
/QUOTE]

Flickr is also another good option. Personally I use iCloud, but there are many fine options.
Click to expand...
 
I'm actually considering getting a 128Gb IPP to replace my current MBP and Thunderbolt Display setup.

I would sell my TBD & MBP and get myself another 27" HDMI monitor to connect the IPP to.

I'd also get myself a nice BT keyboard to use and I think I'd be away.

I have a Dropbox Pro account and use iCloud to backup my iDevices too, so I think I'll be ok for storage.

I don't have a lot of locally stored apps on my MBP and most stuff I do is web/Cloud based.

I'd probably get the 128 over the 32Gb, purely to allow me to add video files to it for when I travel, but if it wasn't for that I reckon I could get away with a 32Gb.
 
Dranix said:
No rumor - just a fact.
Click to expand...
One probably has to be an iOS or printer manufacturer engineer to say for certain, what's a fact in this regard. Let's say it's a rastered PDF, like the ones Word produces, when you generate a PDF from a document which has CFF flavored OT fonts in it.

The shoddy text quality, though, that's a fact.

@bensisko and sjleworthy
Have a look at the pictures I linked to above.
 
sjleworthy said:
I get my text documents printed from pages and numbers via airprint to my laser copier looking absolutely crisp and wonderfull
Click to expand...
Print them from a computer which has a driver for your printer installed and compare the results.
 
i do. i have my pc's sitting on my desk too and these are identical in print to the Pro.

yes, anything raster is pretty awful, agreed, but text from documents is perfect. i have no concerns sending printed correspondences to clients i assure you.
 
You didn't just read my comment, print out documents from your computer, compare the results and write your reply in the few minutes since I posted my comment.

Do it and compare the results.
 
Azzin said:
I'm actually considering getting a 128Gb IPP to replace my current MBP and Thunderbolt Display setup.

I would sell my TBD & MBP and get myself another 27" HDMI monitor to connect the IPP to.

I'd also get myself a nice BT keyboard to use and I think I'd be away.

I have a Dropbox Pro account and use iCloud to backup my iDevices too, so I think I'll be ok for storage.

I don't have a lot of locally stored apps on my MBP and most stuff I do is web/Cloud based.

I'd probably get the 128 over the 32Gb, purely to allow me to add video files to it for when I travel, but if it wasn't for that I reckon I could get away with a 32Gb.
Click to expand...
Umm the iPad Pro can't connect to external monitors.
 
eltoslightfoot said:
Umm the iPad Pro can't connect to external monitors.
Click to expand...

Umm, yes it can.

There's an Lightning to HDMI adapter:
http://store.apple.com/xc/product/MD826ZM/A

Apple said:
Use the Lightning Digital AV Adapter with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with Lightning connector. The Lightning Digital AV Adapter supports mirroring of what is displayed on your device screen — including apps, presentations, websites, slideshows, and more — to your HDMI-equipped TV, display, projector, or other compatible display in up to 1080p HD.

It also outputs video content — movies, TV shows, captured video — to your big screen in up to 1080p HD. Simply attach the Lightning Digital AV Adapter to the Lightning connector on your device and then to your TV or projector via an HDMI cable (sold separately).
Click to expand...
 
dfgddikf said:
You didn't just read my comment, print out documents from your computer, compare the results and write your reply in the few minutes since I posted my comment.

Do it and compare the results.
Click to expand...


i'd stop being arsey mate.

i have done what you suggested numerous times before now in the past, whilst setting up and comparing readying for sending to clients.

as i say, excellent and identical results. i have zero reservations in sending stuff to clients.
 
I can see the difference but to be fair there isn't a massive difference between the two, if someone denied a document I gave them because of it then.....just wow......
 
Blujelly said:
I can see the difference but to be fair there isn't a massive difference between the two, if someone denied a document I gave them because of it then.....just wow......
Click to expand...

agreed, for me (and my clients) the difference is not noticeable. not to the point of rejection or "Printing via Airprint is pointless anyway if you have even the tiniest demand for quality" in any case. perhaps my new printer gives better results, but whatever, alls very very good.
 
Azzin said:
Umm, yes it can.

There's an Lightning to HDMI adapter:
http://store.apple.com/xc/product/MD826ZM/A
Click to expand...

Yep! There are a couple solutions for an external monitor. I use the Lightning to VGA to connect the Pro to projectors and monitors at work (which is neat because it also has a Lightning port so I can output VGA and Power it at the same time - very handy for using it to teach class). At home, I use AirPlay and the Apple TV to display on my TV.
 
sjleworthy said:
i'd stop being arsey mate.

i have done what you suggested numerous times before now in the past, whilst setting up and comparing readying for sending to clients.

as i say, excellent and identical results. i have zero reservations in sending stuff to clients.
Click to expand...
I didn't mean to sound arsey. The quality is simply much worse and not what one expects from Apple. Of course nobody will reject an airprinted paper but it still looks bad. The above example with the Palatino font was from me. Oddly (because of the fine serifs), Palatino is one of the best fonts for Airprint. Many sans fonts like Helvetica are much more jagged.

And it's not just text but also QR-codes. Here in Germany you can print your train tickets and stamps. The QR-code on train tickets looks bad, but get's accepted. I'm not sure about the much finer QR-code on stamps. Those are a jagged, grey mess.

Truetype fonts are bad but Postscript Type 1 / Opentype fonts are almost unreadable. Many PDFs contain those fonts. Practically, these PDFs are unprintable over airprint.
 
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thats no probs mate, you just make it out to be worse than i think it is. maybe quality is subjective. as i say, it's not something i've yet to have concerns over, especially not enough to put the OP off ipad printing if needs. i'm a graphics designer and naturally expect quality. so far i have it without complaint.
 
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