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8 years on and it does nothing more than iPad 1 for work purposes the way I see it. I need mouse support for office work of course and especially remote desktop. And no, I should NOT have to buy a specific mouse, but want to use any mouse I want.

And the bezels seem huge on these new iPads. Looks old school.

But isn't that the same with any Apple device?... Functionality of each platform remains unchanged but improved and enhanced? Was there any mention that the ipad will replace the Mac, iMac, Mac Mini, or any other laptop-intended platforms?
 
Although I have a dedicated home server, use cloud services and wireless transfers. I still have to and I’m some cases want to use a flash drive or USB hard drive. Particularly when I receive files from other (generally windows) people.

Thankfully (I’ve said it before I’ll say it again :D) I use my MobileLite, wouldn’t be without it. Even though it’s WiFi, it gives me the flexibility to access any USB drive or SD card I receive from people.

Certainly it’s not as convenient as just plugging the drive into the, now USB-C, port on the iPad. But crucially it works and that’s the main thing. It gives me the file system flexibility I sometimes need.

That's fair, I know it can be useful in some situations, I just don't find it as critical (personally) as some make it out to be. Apparently there are some thumb drives and apps that will work today (lightning or usb c), but it takes the combination of both, which sounds like a pain.
 
It is a laptop replacement for me but for a lot it won’t be

Just hope it arrives soon

Certainly is a beast of a device performance wise
 
Yes, $499 for the entry level which is the equivalent of $560 in 2018. That was with 16gb and non Retina display, and very limited. Top tier “greatest version” price with 64gb and cellular was $829 plus either $10/ month for 250 megabytes or unlimited for $30 per month.

8 years later you can now get the NEW iPad entry level starting at $329 and have many options consumer and pro meeting most budgets.
I pay an extra $10 per month for unlimited.

I’d say that’s pretty impressive.
And don’t forget RAM was 512MB.
 
I think the unnecessary focus of an iPad being a laptop replacement is the fault of Apple. When Apple and Cook say that's what they are, people are going to compare them as such.

That cringe worthy "what's a computer" ad was a Clarion call to the tech press and the public to judge the iPad against computers not tablets.
When Apple has spoken about the iPad being able to replace a PC it’s never been as a replacement for all users. Jobs’s car/truck analogy made this quite clear. Why a commercial where an iPad was a computer replacement for a 10 year old kid was so triggering to non-iPad users is interesting.

The iPad obviously is a notebook/desktop replacement for some users—more and more as it and iOS gains additional functionality. My Mom facebooks, emails, texts, watches Netflix, monitors her stock portfolio, checks her bank balance, pays her bills, FaceTimes the grandchildren, reads kindle books, searches on google, shops on Amazon, and other things I don’t know about or don’t remember. She hasn’t used her Mac mini in a couple years.

But it’s not as if home/consumer is the only segment where an iPad has replaced a computer. Some business/pro users have switched in whole or part to an iPad-based workflow. Why this is so threatening to those who need a notebook or desktop is I suppose is probably based on the fear that their necessary tools will be neglected or discontinued in the future.
 
The real crux of the matter returns to the idea of a "Pro" device being sold at a premium comparable to Apple's full-fledged laptops (let alone the world of Windows devices). The idea of waiting for some magical changes in iOS 13 is a complete farce and a really disingenuous move on the part of Apple to their pro customers.

As a fan of the fantastic new iPad design and the stance Apple has on user privacy, I want the new iPad Pros to succeed as a professional device, but I can't justify spending the equivalent of a Macbook Air/low-specced MBP without retaining at least the same software experience. Between the iPad Pros, the Macbook/Macbook Airs, and the MBP's, there are mixed signals on what product exists for what purpose. I can see a justification for the $329 iPad being some new-age computing device, but professional (technical and creative power users) are not served well by the premium and lack of features pushed by the new iPad Pros. Disappointing, but a real and meaningful perspective.
 
I think the unnecessary focus of an iPad being a laptop replacement is the fault of Apple. When Apple and Cook say that's what they are, people are going to compare them as such.

That cringe worthy "what's a computer" ad was a Clarion call to the tech press and the public to judge the iPad against computers not tablets.

No, it is the fault of power users who simply can't comprehend that their Mac cannot be replaced by and iPad and never will.
Apple is right to maintain their marketing because the iPad does in fact replace laptops for millions and millions of people who never needed a laptop in the first place.

With each and every new feature added to iPad Pro, Apple chips away at another market segment that is just barely clinging to their laptop because of some small need.

This time around, they're going to chip away at anyone who has Photoshop as their excuse, and anyone who edits 4K video and needs to see it on a monitor. A small group of potential new users that previously could only use a laptop.
 
I don't see the Ipad as replacements of laptops but serving other functions with overlap of similarity. They both can go to internet sites and have functionality of that sort, take pictures, make calls, yada, but the ipad is a tough device with more hand functionality while laptops have a filing, document manipulation, and less portability.. Two different devices that "can" be used as the other but not as the replacement of the other. Perhaps Apple should rethink the use of the word, "replace."
 
Well right now you can import. External device support is rumored for iOS 13, which is what this device was built for, prior to refocusing iOS 12 on performance instead. Not ideal, but that's what we have right now.
If and when that time ever comes I will jump all over the future iPad Pro. I just can't justify spending $1800 on 1tb of storage, which is what I'd have to do if I went the iPad route right now.
 
The reviews confirm what I suspected that FaceID would be problematic on iPad.
Sounds like the notch does actually have a valid function - so you know where the camera & sensors are and don't cover them with your hands.
At some time in the future those face id components might end up under, and in the middle, of the display.
 
When Apple has spoken about the iPad being able to replace a PC it’s never been as a replacement for all users. Jobs’s car/truck analogy made this quite clear. Why a commercial where an iPad was a computer replacement for a 10 year old kid was so triggering to non-iPad users is interesting.

The iPad obviously is a notebook/desktop replacement for some users—more and more as it and iOS gains additional functionality. My Mom facebooks, emails, texts, watches Netflix, monitors her stock portfolio, checks her bank balance, pays her bills, FaceTimes the grandchildren, reads kindle books, searches on google, shops on Amazon, and other things I don’t know about or don’t remember. She hasn’t used her Mac mini in a couple years.

But it’s not as if home/consumer is the only segment where an iPad has replaced a computer. Some business/pro users have switched in whole or part to an iPad-based workflow. Why this is so threatening to those who need a notebook or desktop is I suppose is probably based on the fear that their necessary tools will be neglected or discontinued in the future.

Of all the things that you mentioned, iPad is better than laptop only for book reading. It might also work better in some cases for Netflix and web browsing (as in "on the couch"). For everything else on your list, laptop is better and desktop is even better. The fact that iPad is passable does not make it a replacement for anything. Most of the time when people start talking about iPad replacing a laptop, they have an iPad with a physical keyboard in mind. Well, that's just another version of a laptop. There are use cases where tablets excel. Those are mostly the cases when the user needs a computer on the go (especially when using a computer while standing) or in bed (or on a couch). For everything else I need a bigger screen (preferably 27+ inches). And with a bigger screen touch interface fails miserably.
 
The reviews confirm what I suspected that FaceID would be problematic on iPad.
Sounds like the notch does actually have a valid function - so you know where the camera & sensors are and don't cover them with your hands.
At some time in the future those face id components might end up under, and in the middle, of the display.
Those who use a keyboard I fail to see there be any issue
 
But one extremely important category of devices will definitely not work: iOS does not support external storage.
Oh, well there goes literally my only reason for getting one. So much for being a """computer""".
 
8 years on and it does nothing more than iPad 1 for work purposes the way I see it. I need mouse support for office work of course and especially remote desktop. And no, I should NOT have to buy a specific mouse, but want to use any mouse I want.
But isn't that the same with any Apple device?... Functionality of each platform remains unchanged but improved and enhanced? Was there any mention that the ipad will replace the Mac, iMac, Mac Mini, or any other laptop-intended platforms?

Nope. Just no. Could not disagree more. The iPad has generally been compared to and mentioned together with the words PC and computer so many times.
 
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Of all the things that you mentioned, iPad is better than laptop only for book reading. It might also work better in some cases for Netflix and web browsing (as in "on the couch"). For everything else on your list, laptop is better and desktop is even better. The fact that iPad is passable does not make it a replacement for anything. Most of the time when people start talking about iPad replacing a laptop, they have an iPad with a physical keyboard in mind. Well, that's just another version of a laptop. There are use cases where tablets excel. Those are mostly the cases when the user needs a computer on the go (especially when using a computer while standing) or in bed (or on a couch). For everything else I need a bigger screen (preferably 27+ inches). And with a bigger screen touch interface fails miserably.
A notebook or desktop isn’t better than a tablet for everyone just because you need a 27” monitor.

The iPad does replace a notebook or desktop for some, and it doesn’t for others. But your definition of “better” or “passable” isn’t relevant to that fact.
 
Yes indeed, as the one reviewer noted, it is time for the iPad to start gaining more desktop style abilities. I don’t necessarily think that should be a mouse but I think some simple things to start would make it very useful:

1. Access to external drives
2. Let us compile things and execute them on the iPad — even if it’s only signed to work only on this iPad and not redistributable
3. Let us change some defaults such as browser, mail client, etc. The current things can stay default but let us be able to change it

To me, those three things would instantly make the iPad a more interesting device without totally compromising the vision for what an iPad is meant to be.

As well as ability to install fonts which isn't a hack of a solution. With Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Photoshop (coming soon) we need away to manage fonts at the operating system level.
 
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Is being a laptop replacement such a huge deal to everyone here?


Look, I believe you all know my story. I use my iPad Pro 9.7" to teach in the classroom, though I still do the bulk of my lesson prep on my iMac, including converting word documents to pdf format (which then gets synced to the documents app via dropbox) so they can be opened in Notability for annotating.


I don't pretend the iPad can replace my Mac, and honestly, that doesn't bother me. I have two devices, each of which excels in what I need it to do, and they complement each marvellously. I don't need my iPad to run macOS because my iMac already does, and truth be told, I have genuinely come to prefer iOS for its ease of use and intuitiveness. Not saying the iPad is perfect (google docs still sucks on it, for one), but having worked with integrating an iPad into my workflow since 2012, I do find that the iPad has come a very long way since then.


Not too long ago, the phrase “you can’t do real work on an iPad” was thrown around a lot, but as more people have shown that they totally can do their work on iPads, the PC defenders have had to become more specific in their criticisms. Arguments for the continued dominance of the PC have been reduced to “you need it for sharing documents” or “you can’t do development on iOS.” or some other niche use case.


The trend towards eliminating things that iOS devices can’t do is marching on and there’s no reason to think it will stop. With each passing day, people are changing their workflows in ways that make PCs less relevant, while iOS (and Android) are making changes to fill the gaps that are still there.


PCs will exist for a long time, and I have no doubt that they will remain relevant for many people, but it continues to become more and more clear that the future is not macOS or Windows, but iOS and Android. As such, I am neither surprised nor dismayed that Apple continues to favour development of iOS over the Mac.


We really should be beyond debating whether the iPad can be used for content creation. That discussion is over and those still arguing that it cannot are saying more about themselves than about the iPad with every passing day.


I completely agree with your evaluation there. I myself made the decision to move away from my MacBook Pro to just my iPad Pro and iMac.


I had already owned my 12.9” iPad Pro for a while and had become reasonably productive with it when I decided to invest a not insignificant amount of money, in a tricked out MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Initially I got on perfectly fine with it, I used my developer tools, productivity apps and so on, as one would expect.


But within six months or so I began to find myself once more doing the lions share of my work on my iMac, simply because it had more power and a much larger, nicer screen. Out-with that, I was back to using my iPad Pro again. Drawing, jotting down notes and ideas, doing mock-ups and so on, is just so much more pleasant with the Pencil than a Trackpad and keyboard - or so I find.


I discovered more, and better apps for the iPad Pro which enabled me to do even more work with it. Apps such as Graphic, in my opinion, an excellent alternative to illustrator on my Mac gave me the freedom to start doing my vector work with iPad Pro and the Pencil. The fact that it’s also compatible with illustrator is something of a boon.


Ultimately I sold my MacBook Pro, it had become largely redundant. I’ve never regretted that decision. Of course there are some occasions when I’m away from home and my iMac that I must resort to using Remote Desktop software to hook into my Mac and access Xcode, for instance. But I’ve not found it to be a particular hardship. It works perfectly fine for the small amount of time I use it.


I’m not about to say the iPad Pro is a complete replacement for all that a laptop is and can be. Certainly for some, there is no alternative to a laptop and that’s just fine.

But, like you I think the days where an iPad was nothing more than a big iPhone, used for entertainment purposes only, are over.


Many people have demonstrated just how capable the iPad Pro can be at content creation, within the confines of the software available. By which I mean, of course we’re not yet able to run apps such as Xcode. Though I think that too could be a possibility one day.


For some people an iPad is all they need - my next door neighbour for instance. For some an iPad Pro will provide all of the flexibility they need to get their work done. Others will require both a desktop system and an iPad Pro. For more a laptop and only a laptop will do.


My point is, there is no reason why all of these use cases cannot happily coexist. Indeed they do, they are.


I really don’t understand the need for some people to try and shoehorn a device like the iPad Pro into a corner where content creators are not allowed to visit. It’s nonsense and it’s becoming more nonsensical with each passing year (or less.)

One can most definitely be productive on an iPad, one can certainly create on an iPad. It doesn’t mean those of us who do so want an end to “traditional computers”. We’ve just discovered ways to coexist, or exist without them. If you haven’t, or you can’t, well that’s fine too, all of our needs are different. But for goodness sake, stop trying to deny that the iPad (Pro) isn’t capable in its own right.




.... Feels good to get a short story’s worth of a rant out - it’s been a while :D Maybe once I’ve finally broken this 57 hour insomnia trip, I may even read it :p
 
The iPad 9.7 with the A10 is looking like a steal to me at $329
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Yes, but there are plenty of other windows laptops out there, likely better or the same as the Surface. I guess I don't see why the Surface specifically is the one to get. It's not a good tablet (let's be honest) and it's an okay laptop. I don't personally want a traditional OS and all the baggage that comes with it (these last two weeks with a Windows machine have been terrible). I moved to iOS only a few years back and I don't think I'd ever go back to a traditional computer.
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Exactly, and it's crazy how much better the iPad Pro is for only $300 more. Apple even went cheaper, the $329 iPad is so much better than the $499 iPad ever was.
I agree. The $329 iPad 9.7 is looking like a steal at $329. That might be the one I buy.
 
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A bunch of people with trucks complaining that a car can't handle the same tasks that a truck can.
But when the company making the car says it can handle the tasks of a truck... you end up getting the car compared to a truck.

It seems pretty simple. If you don't want your car compared a truck, don't compare it to a truck yourself. To be fair though, the car maker isn't shying away making the comparisons nor complaining about comparisons being made. The whining comes from car owners.
 
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