Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 13 Pro Max as the main “computing device”

O

Observerxx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 16, 2022
17
37
Hello Forum, I’m new here!
A simple question: am I the only one using the iPhone as the main device?
I’m a high school teacher (Italy) and I do run a Holiday home. For my productivity needs (videocalls, Pages and Number for school and taxes) the 13 Pro Max is more than enough.
I also have a 11” M1 iPad Pro and a Windows Laptop that I use for media purposes and little more.
I sometimes think about a Mb Air/ Pro with the risk of buying something “useless”
 
  • Like
  • Love
  • Haha
Reactions: SB1500, flobach, Caviar_X and 1 other person
If you’ve got an AirPrint compatible printer - then you’re good for printing.
But-
I’ve found that there’s STILL websites out there that I visit that iOS STILL can’t render properly and have work correctly in Safari or any iOS browser- so I HAVE to use my Mac computer to interact with these websites.

I’d say that 5% to 10% of websites I visit don’t work properly on iOS. Mainly sites I want to buy something from.

All that said, I used an iPhone 6 Plus on iOS 9 as my only computing device for a couple years - but it was frustrating.

You’ll be frustrated occasionally too if all you’ve got is an iPhone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Reggaenald and Observerxx
Too bad that some websites do have problems.
This thing is so fast. According to some benchmark the A15 should be on the same level of quad core Intel i5 - i7 11th gen.
 
God no.

I do not use any phone or tablet as a computer. Lots of people do and if it meets your needs to do so then great. But that would be an extreme inconvenience/impossibility for me.

Both the iPhone and the iPad have a very long ways to go before they can match my computers and what I do with them.

I use my iPhone as a phone/text messenger with some light web/email use outside the house and that's all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: August West, JPack and Observerxx
I keep downsizing:

landline+desktop > dumbphone+laptop > smartphone+tablet > phablet+BTkeyboard

I’ve been using an XR as an ‘only device’ for 2.5yrs now averaging 7-8hrs SOT/day. I’m primarily texted and photo based, so with options for font size, reader view, zoom window, and well integrated photog, usage for me is great (I don’t need a computing device for work).

That said, I’m an outdoor enthusiast, UL camper/traveler, and into EDC (every day carry) as hobbies so am OCD with portability, multitasking, and efficiency. It’s so cool having all the gadget functionality/entertainment of home, incl sustainable power (3oz/5w solar) in a small EDC bag.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SB1500, orbital~debris, Reggaenald and 1 other person
Even in the past with the “typical” office job I used to spend most of the time on the iPhone with the exception of job tasks done with the business pc.
With actual needs the 13 Pro Max serves me well for everything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orbital~debris and Reggaenald
Maybe as a media consumption device but certainly not for productivity.

Just reading the words Numbers and iPhone makes me cringe. It’s like eating spaghetti with a spoon. You could do it, but you wouldn’t want to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: d.o.p., Saturn1217 and eyoungren
If it works for your needs, then that's fine. If you're looking into a new Macbook, doesn't seem like it's worth it unless you want better Apple integration with the phone, or if you really hate Windows OS
 
  • Like
Reactions: zoga and Reggaenald
Observerxx said:
Hello Forum, I’m new here!
A simple question: am I the only one using the iPhone as the main device?
I’m a high school teacher (Italy) and I do run a Holiday home. For my productivity needs (videocalls, Pages and Number for school and taxes) the 13 Pro Max is more than enough.
I also have a 11” M1 iPad Pro and a Windows Laptop that I use for media purposes and little more.
I sometimes think about a Mb Air/ Pro with the risk of buying something “useless”
Click to expand...

I know right!

While I do have a 16” Macbook Pro and an 11” iPad Pro, I could in a pinch survive solely on an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zoga and Reggaenald
I remember a day when I was on the train and I was asked to edit a file as soon as possible.
I was traveling with my laptop as well but I felt like “oh, using it while commuting is so annoying!” and in few minutes I did everything with the iPhone
 
  • Like
Reactions: zoga, SB1500, flobach and 2 others
Different perspective:
In school as a student I used the 2016 iPhone SE for mostly everything I didn’t specifically need a PC for, like printing.
Even creating documents in Pages. If it works, it works.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SB1500 and Observerxx
With the exception of Netflix and similar I’m struggling to find ideal case scenario even for my iPad Pro M1.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zoga
To each their own, of course. But I find using an iPad Air 2020 as a replacement for a laptop a total failure. iPadOS is total bug poop, doesn‘t even have a true file system, and has little more than very basic apps when it comes to doing actual laptop/office tasks. I find it takes ten times longer to use a spreadsheet on the iPad than on my MacBook Pro. You can’t really edit web pages because you can’t view them with the HTML you create (lack of true file system strikes again). You can’t really edit RAW photos or videos because the apps are so lacking in features, plus no true file system. Using my iPhone 13 Pro Max would be even more frustrating since it has a small screen and a ridiculously small keypad. So iPad and iPhone are basically for viewing media, listening to music, surfing the web (iPad), phone calls (iPhone), and using a few apps that don’t really do much. I suspect you people who claim you use an iPhone to replace a computer don’t really use a computer as a computer, merely as a toy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyoungren and JPack
Observerxx said:
I totally agree with “To each their own, of course”.
Click to expand...
Let's all hope that Apple continues to see this the same way. There may be a day where the iPhone or iPad are as capable as an actual desktop computer. But I'd like to be able to make that choice/determination on my own - not have it forced on me as Apple is sometimes too willing to do with other things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SB1500
w5jck said:
To each their own, of course. But I find using an iPad Air 2020 as a replacement for a laptop a total failure. iPadOS is total bug poop, doesn‘t even have a true file system, and has little more than very basic apps when it comes to doing actual laptop/office tasks. I find it takes ten times longer to use a spreadsheet on the iPad than on my MacBook Pro. You can’t really edit web pages because you can’t view them with the HTML you create (lack of true file system strikes again). You can’t really edit RAW photos or videos because the apps are so lacking in features, plus no true file system. Using my iPhone 13 Pro Max would be even more frustrating since it has a small screen and a ridiculously small keypad. So iPad and iPhone are basically for viewing media, listening to music, surfing the web (iPad), phone calls (iPhone), and using a few apps that don’t really do much. I suspect you people who claim you use an iPhone to replace a computer don’t really use a computer as a computer, merely as a toy.
Click to expand...

I use my iPad and Mini to browse the internet, online shopping, video streaming apps, online banking, video conferencing, instant messaging, emailing, maps, games, listening to music, taking photographs, podcasts, audiobooks, etc… it’s pretty much a leisure device. I don’t do any productivity tasks or work related stuff on it and I am guessing most people who solely use it for normal tasks have no requirement for a PC either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zoga
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back