The iPad Pro 12.9" has replaced my Mac.

[batristain]

The iPP has replaced my MBA for browsing and email....I still use my Air for iTunes syncing and backup and for coding (I have a genealogy website). It mostly just sits on my desk and I use the IPP. It's nice that now when I travel I just take my iPad instead of my work laptop, MBA, and an iPad. It will never completely erase the need for a Mac for me but I could see my hubby completely ditching his MBA for an IPad Pro - right now he has my hand me down iPad mini.

Cheers,
Bobbie

 

[xraydoc]

My iPad Pro gets 85% of my screen time, so in a sense it has replaced my Macs as my primary computing device. And I'm totally satisfied with that. For complicated work where I simply must have multiple windows open on multiple screens, I still have my Macs. But carrying my MacBook Pro with me on a daily basis is not something I need to do any more.

 

[placidity44]

My iPad Pro gets 85% of my screen time, so in a sense it has replaced my Macs as my primary computing device. And I'm totally satisfied with that. For complicated work where I simply must have multiple windows open on multiple screens, I still have my Macs. But carrying my MacBook Pro with me on a daily basis is not something I need to do any more.

That is exactly what I meant!! Nailed it. I'll always have a Mac for software development and everything but I certainly won't be upgrading my computer every 3 years anymore!

 

[cynics]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the iPad Pro still requires iTunes similarly to other iPads correct?

If so I feel an iPad Pro wouldn't be able to replace anything my current iPad Air 2 can't do already and not to nitpick that can't do much more then my iPhone.

So I guess in that respect an iPhone with a big screen and keyboard wouldn't be an adequate Mac replacement for me personally. But hey, different strokes for different folks!

 

[M. Gustave]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the iPad Pro still requires iTunes similarly to other iPads correct?

iDevices haven't required iTunes for many years.

 

[cynics]

iDevices haven't required iTunes for many years.

How do you put your media on them? I still use iTunes....

edit: Bit of a ninja edit, changed your music and video to media.

 

[masotime]

How do you put your media on them? I still use iTunes....

edit: Bit of a ninja edit, changed your music and video to media.

Applications like nPlayer allow you to create a WiFi URL that you can access from your Desktop and upload files directly to it. Documents allows you to connect to sync services like Dropbox and regularly sync folders.

If you don't have a Desktop at all, then your only recourse is streaming music / video, or downloading them via the iTunes store. These seem to be perfectly legal, valid ways of getting your media fix, although you might not have the content that you want.

Or are you saying you don't want to use iTunes at all, including the App Store, Music Store, Books etc? Because that seems pretty extreme to me, and makes iOS devices pretty useless.

 

[M. Gustave]

How do you put your media on them?

Apple Music, and iTunes app for movies/tv. And yes, I'm aware that those are not acceptable options for some people.

The point is that you stated that iTunes on the desktop is required for iPad ownership, and that is not true. It hasn't been true since the iPhone 4s days, I believe.

 

[cynics]

Apple Music, and iTunes app for movies/tv. And yes, I'm aware that those are not acceptable options for some people.

The point is that you stated that iTunes on the desktop is required for iPad ownership, and that is not true. It hasn't been true since the iPhone 4s days, I believe.

Dude it was a rhetorical question (not a statement). Try re-reading it. "Does the iPad Pro require iTunes similarly to other iPads?" There is no wrong answer, the answer could be a lot or not at all as long as its similar (which it is) then the answer is yes. Geeeez....

I was trying to avoid pointing out what was otherwise blatantly obvious but you really want to hammer that nail in there don't you?

 

[M. Gustave]

Dude it was a rhetorical question (not a statement). Try re-reading it.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but the iPad Pro still requires iTunes similarly to other iPads correct?"

And then when I correct you, you get defensive and aggravated. Makes sense.

 

[cynics]

"Correct me if I'm wrong but the iPad Pro still requires iTunes similarly to other iPads correct?"

And then when I correct you, you get defensive and aggravated. Makes sense.

Does it not require iTunes in a similar fashion?

 

[Mr. Zarniwoop]

Does it not require iTunes in a similar fashion?

I'm not sure I follow this discussion well.

I replaced my 2013 MacBook Air (8MB RAM/512GB SSD) for a 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi+Cellular/128GB storage) about two months ago now. Prior to truly making that switch, I was slowly shifting to using my iPad Air 2 (Cellular/128GB storage) as my daily driver for about six months but still on a Mac maybe 20%-40% of the time. My primary apps are Microsoft Office, Do.com, Safari, Mail and Messages.

My primary file storage provider is mixed between Google Drive (business) and Dropbox (personal), along with shared space on other services for specific client projects (Microsoft Sharepoint, Microsoft OneDrive and Box being the most common, in that order). Because of the split-screen functionality, all this works great on my iPad Pro. I also often have the Comcast Xfinity X1 TV app running in a window while working with news or sports playing.

Part of making this transition work is not using the iPad in the same manner I would have used my Mac ten years ago by relying on local files on a hard drive. Instead, it's primarily meant to work via cloud services. And, largely, it works really well.

I do keep offline copies on my iPad for all current work-in-progress, just in case I find myself wanting to work without some type of Internet access. However, outside of trans-Atlanic flights, that doesn't seem to happen very much anymore. When I recently bought a 60GB data SIM while staying in rural Portugal for 30 Euros to be able to do HD videoconferencing with clients from whatever village I found myself in, my iPad-centric life hit an inflection point of never looking back. I'm sitting in a cafe in Lithuania right now using a 5GB for 0.58 Euro/day prepaid data SIM! "How many days will you be here? That'll be 8 Euros total."

I'm not sure why one absolutely needs iTunes on a Mac or PC for an iPad? I do listen to music, watch movies and read books on my iPads and iPhone, but most often it's with Spotify, Infuse and Kindle. Apple also made the transition from "iTunes on a Mac" to "iTunes from the cloud" rather seamless for my old library of music files because of iTunes Match. For that reason, I haven't synced an iPhone or iPad to iTunes via a USB cable or iTunes Wi-Fi sync in almost five years.

I can see a day in the future when I turn off iTunes Match and just have copies of songs available via Dropbox or maybe DS audio, the iOS Synology music app. My Synology NAS seemed much more relevant pre-iPad-centricity than it does now, I don't think I'll be buying a replacement when mine dies. I don't really access it anymore, it's just hooked up to my cloud file server accounts so it has a local copy of everything sitting in in my home in Chicago.

I will admit every now and then I do hook up an iPhone or iPad to iTunes to just have a complete encrypted backup when I transition to newer devices rather than purely relying on iCloud backups. I'm not sure it's really needed, but I still do it.

 

[cynics]

I'm not sure I follow this discussion well.

I replaced my 2013 MacBook Air (8MB RAM/512GB SSD) for a 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi+Cellular/128GB storage) about two months ago now. Prior to truly making that switch, I was slowly shifting to using my iPad Air 2 (Cellular/128GB storage) as my daily driver for about six months but still on a Mac maybe 20%-40% of the time. My primary apps are Microsoft Office, Do.com, Safari, Mail and Messages.

My primary file storage provider is mixed between Google Drive (business) and Dropbox (personal), along with shared space on other services for specific client projects (Microsoft Sharepoint, Microsoft OneDrive and Box being the most common, in that order). Because of the split-screen functionality, all this works great on my iPad Pro. I also often have the Comcast Xfinity X1 TV app running in a window while working with news or sports playing.

Part of making this transition work is not using the iPad in the same manner I would have used my Mac ten years ago by relying on local files on a hard drive. Instead, it's primarily meant to work via cloud services. And, largely, it works really well.

I do keep offline copies on my iPad for all current work-in-progress, just in case I find myself wanting to work without some type of Internet access. However, outside of trans-Atlanic flights, that doesn't seem to happen very much anymore. When I recently bought a 60GB data SIM while staying in rural Portugal for 30 Euros to be able to do HD videoconferencing with clients from whatever village I found myself in, my iPad-centric life hit an inflection point of never looking back. I'm sitting in a cafe in Lithuania right now using a 5GB for 0.58 Euro/day prepaid data SIM! "How many days will you be here? That'll be 8 Euros total."

I'm not sure why one absolutely needs iTunes on a Mac or PC for an iPad? I do listen to music, watch movies and read books on my iPads and iPhone, but most often it's with Spotify, Infuse and Kindle. Apple also made the transition from "iTunes on a Mac" to "iTunes from the cloud" rather seamless for my old library of music files because of iTunes Match. For that reason, I haven't synced an iPhone or iPad to iTunes via a USB cable or iTunes Wi-Fi sync in almost five years.

I can see a day in the future when I turn off iTunes Match and just have copies of songs available via Dropbox or maybe DS audio, the iOS Synology music app. My Synology NAS seemed much more relevant pre-iPad-centricity than it does now, I don't think I'll be buying a replacement when mine dies. I don't really access it anymore, it's just hooked up to my cloud file server accounts so it has a local copy of everything sitting in in my home in Chicago.

I will admit every now and then I do hook up an iPhone or iPad to iTunes to just have a complete encrypted backup when I transition to newer devices rather than purely relying on iCloud backups. I'm not sure it's really needed, but I still do it.

Tons of valid points and usages, I'm not denying them. I was eluding to the fact that there is still uses that require iTunes.



Few and far between admittedly but even Apple says basically if you have a problem connect the device to iTunes. And if you don't have a computer then "borrow one from a friend".

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306

 

[M. Gustave]

...but even Apple says basically if you have a problem connect the device to iTunes. And if you don't have a computer then "borrow one from a friend".

I suggest you read that article again. That's clearly only if you haven't sync'd to iCloud; and it's only in cases where you need to wipe the phone. Again, even in this one case you highlight, iTunes is not required. You really need to drop this. You're wrong.

 

[cynics]

I suggest you read that article again. That's clearly only if you haven't sync'd to iCloud; and it's only in cases where you need to wipe the phone. Again, even in this one case you highlight, iTunes is not required. You really need to drop this. You're wrong.

No. That is how you enter recovery mode. Here is a more accurate link for you.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201263

And than you have this for the "connect to iTunes" screen if a restart doesn't fix it. (A different issue)

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203122

Are we supposed to ignore the iPad explicitly saying "connect to iTunes"? Hahah nah man it's lying it's wrong. Hmm I guess you could take it to an Apple Store or even buy a new iPad and then you wouldn't need iTunes ever!

 

[adib]

Any workaround and which equipment to buy ?

WD MyCloud EX2 will do that "out of the box" without much tinkering.

 

[Coolpher]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the iPad Pro still requires iTunes similarly to other iPads correct?

If you don't have your media in the streaming Service like Netflix Hulu Spotify Apple Music or iTunes Store purchases then yes you will need some kind of Mac to sync it over but even at that you can use Wi-Fi syncing but for me I use Netflix Xfinity TV Spotify so I never have to connect my iPad Pro 12.9 to a computer and I use iCloud back up so for the last few years iPads haven't required a computer for use I want to say two or three years

 

[Night Spring]

Tons of valid points and usages, I'm not denying them. I was eluding to the fact that there is still uses that require iTunes.

View attachment 639459

Few and far between admittedly but even Apple says basically if you have a problem connect the device to iTunes. And if you don't have a computer then "borrow one from a friend".

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306

That's kind of like saying "Do you need a spare tire to drive a car?" Yes, you need that spare tire if one of your tires go flat, but it isn't something you need during the course of regular everyday driving.

So for the rare occasions when you need to connect to iTunes, you can borrow a friend's computer or go to an Apple Store. For everyday use, it's perfectly possible to use iPad without ever connecting it to a computer.

That said, you are right that the Pro iPads behave exactly the same as all other iPads in this regard. There's no special way where the Pro iPads behave differently than regular iPads, other than having Pencil and Smart Keyboard compatibility.

 

[cynics]

That's kind of like saying "Do you need a spare tire to drive a car?" Yes, you need that spare tire if one of your tires go flat, but it isn't something you need during the course of regular everyday driving.

So for the rare occasions when you need to connect to iTunes, you can borrow a friend's computer or go to an Apple Store. For everyday use, it's perfectly possible to use iPad without ever connecting it to a computer.

That said, you are right that the Pro iPads behave exactly the same as all other iPads in this regard. There's no special way where the Pro iPads behave differently than regular iPads, other than having Pencil and Smart Keyboard compatibility.

It is kind of like that....kind of...

It's just something you will need on a rare occurrence. But on that rare occurrence it will be required. Or a tow, or having the flat tire replaced while leaving your car on the side of the road which I would equate to taking it to an Apple Store or using a friends computer.

There is still no way around it, your car requires 4 inflated tires and until then its inop.

Wouldn't you prefer to just rely on the spare for a little while?

I feel our view on this subject are not opposing. Unless you are saying that since it's not often used than its not/never required.

.....

I essentially call an iPad Pro a big iPhone and this is the point called into question from my post? Not sure how I feel about that. I wish I would have left that part out or somehow worded it more carefully. Lol

 

[Night Spring]

There is still no way around it, your car requires 4 inflated tires and until then its inop.

That's true. But then, the other day, the mouse failed on my desktop, and I was unable to use it until I went out and got another mouse.

There's always things like that in life. Nowadays, it's so rare to see that connect to iTunes sign on an iPad, I don't really worry about it. Running to a friend's house or Apple Store when that happens feels like a perfectly acceptable solution to me, the same way I had to run to the store to buy another mouse.

As for you saying iPad is big iPhone, I found this thread after the discussion was in full swing over the connect to iTunes issue, I have to go back and see if I can find that!
[doublepost=1468000399][/doublepost]

that can't do much more then my iPhone.

Okay, found it. And well... Have you considered how much you can do on an iPhone? Saying it can't do much more than an iPhone is actually saying it can do a lot.

 

[bensisko]

I essentially call an iPad Pro a big iPhone and this is the point called into question from my post? Not sure how I feel about that. I wish I would have left that part out or somehow worded it more carefully. Lol

iPad Pro is a big iPhone. Sure... Why not?

I'll just say I don't agree with that, but I know plenty of people feel this way so yep, just like a desktop is just a big laptop.

 

[cynics]

That's true. But then, the other day, the mouse failed on my desktop, and I was unable to use it until I went out and got another mouse.

There's always things like that in life. Nowadays, it's so rare to see that connect to iTunes sign on an iPad, I don't really worry about it. Running to a friend's house or Apple Store when that happens feels like a perfectly acceptable solution to me, the same way I had to run to the store to buy another mouse.

As for you saying iPad is big iPhone, I found this thread after the discussion was in full swing over the connect to iTunes issue, I have to go back and see if I can find that!
[doublepost=1468000399][/doublepost]

Okay, found it. And well... Have you considered how much you can do on an iPhone? Saying it can't do much more than an iPhone is actually saying it can do a lot.

iPhone can do a lot no doubt. I'd be lost without it.

Taking hypotheticals out of the equation. Could an iPhone replace a desktop/laptop for you personally?

 

[Night Spring]

Could an iPhone replace a desktop/laptop for you personally?

An iPhone, no, mainly because the screen is too small. My 12.9 iPad Pro has replaced my laptop, and I only use my iMac for a few things that still can't be done on my iPad. But I can go days without sitting in front of the iMac.

 

[sracer]

iPad Pro is a big iPhone. Sure... Why not?

I'll just say I don't agree with that, but I know plenty of people feel this way so yep, just like a desktop is just a big laptop.

There have been people who denigrated the iPad since it was first announced. I remember all of the juvenile references to feminine hygiene products in the days between the announcement and release. But once it was in their hands... mic drop.

 

[masotime]

So I guess in that respect an iPhone with a big screen and keyboard wouldn't be an adequate Mac replacement for me personally. But hey, different strokes for different folks!

So let's sidestep all the snark and nonsense and get to the heart of the matter. Why wouldn't it be an adequate Mac replacement for you...? What do you do with your Mac that you can't do with an iPad?