The Neo Taught Me I Never Needed an iPad

[Corefile]

So you are the gatekeeper of the definition of “real work”?

Not anymore. I always said when Tim Apple retired then I would too.

 

[baconcat_8964]

To me, iPhone is for going outside, Mac is for desktop work and play, and everything else around the house is on iPad.

I feel it's quite weird to have two computers (Macs) at home. It's also quite weird to gear the iPad up with a Magic Keyboard, mouse, and even an external display. Those devices should stay what they are.

 

[Ctrlos]

After using an iPad Pro for so many years I now find a trackpad to be a rather clunky way to interact with my data. Photo editing and manipulation is soooo much easier with a touchscreen, especially the Pencil which reminds me fondly of my old Wacom. It has purchase parity with the iPhone as well, something that annoys the hell out of my with the Mac.

 

[throAU]

The iPad always was a content consumption device. Some folk pretended to be productive and creative with them but in the end they're kidding themselves on. iPad OS really isn't conducive to real work. That being said, the lack of Apple Pencil support on the Neo means the certain areas where it can be used productively can't be replicated on the Neo. This is the dilemma which awaits switchers.

Lol...

It doesn't matter how productive you are on a computer if it isn't with you or you are not in a position to use the keyboard.

Or if your productivity includes documentation, say taking pictures and notes of things in the field.


Can I do all my jobs on an iPad? No. But if you think the iPad can't be used for "Real work" your world view is pretty small.

 

[throAU]

Not anymore. I always said when Tim Apple retired then I would too.

You've got some years to go yet then, he isn't retiring.

 

[doobydoooby]

I use my fullsize ipad every day for handwritten notes, thats its USP (and really pretty much only SP these days). Anecdotal testament to longevity: it's an ipad pro from 2019, still fit for purpose.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

The iPad always was a content consumption device. Some folk pretended to be productive and creative with them but in the end they're kidding themselves on. iPad OS really isn't conducive to real work. That being said, the lack of Apple Pencil support on the Neo means the certain areas where it can be used productively can't be replicated on the Neo. This is the dilemma which awaits switchers.

Saying the iPad can't be used for productivity is the same as saying the Neo can't because of its 8gb of ram. The truth is some people out there have jobs that can be done on those devices.

I can probably do some of my work on Neo, some on iPad, but not all. So I didn't buy a Neo and my iPad is mostly for catching up on news and hobbies in our sofa.

People use different devices for different reasons. Just because you can't imagine yourself doing your job on these devices does not mean that no one can.

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Tablets have always been a product that i don't see a use for, i either use my Phone or my Macbook Air.

Tablets are great for bedtime reading or browsing. Cooking, putting a recipe on display. Fixing something while watching a youtube instructional video.

 

[Corefile]

Saying the iPad can't be used for productivity is the same as saying the Neo can't because of its 8gb of ram.

No it's not.

 

[one more]

I feel the same way. Since getting the NEO, I honestly haven’t used my Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) with the Apple Magic Keyboard at all, and I’ve only picked up my Apple iPad mini (7th generation) a few times over the past month—mainly just to play The Sims FreePlay.

The NEO has kind of become my go-to device because it handles the everyday stuff so easily, and for basic productivity tasks it just feels more practical. I never expected it to replace my iPads as much as it has, but that’s exactly what happened.

This sounds confusing to me - so you must have spent at least $1650 on your iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) and the Apple Magic Keyboard. With this amount you could have easily bought MacBook Air ($1099) or MacBook Pro ($1699). It is not like you could not afford a good Apple laptop before, so what attracted you to Neo?

 

[one more]

The iPad always was a content consumption device. Some folk pretended to be productive and creative with them but in the end they're kidding themselves on. iPad OS really isn't conducive to real work. That being said, the lack of Apple Pencil support on the Neo means the certain areas where it can be used productively can't be replicated on the Neo. This is the dilemma which awaits switchers.

It all depends on what you call “productive and creative”. I use my iPad for taking my client notes, managing the appointments, invoicing my clients and communicating with them in three different languages (this is where the on-screen keyboard gets really handy). My work also involves travelling, so carrying my 11” iPad Pro around is much easier than MBA or Neo. So I have been using iPads since iPad Air 1 and the only thing I still cannot comfortably do on iOS/iPadOS is downloading torrent files, but then this has nothing to do with productivity and creativity.

 

[Abydos]

I find 'needed an iPad' a bit over the top, I've never needed one but find them useful as book readers, viewing manual pages on assembly (disassembly) of devices, wiring diagrams, et cetera. - clearly there are other methods of accomplishing those tasks, but an iPad filled the roles well. as for the Neo in those roles, I won't know until I've tried

 

[zenmacx]

Two different products for me.
The Neo, represents a device that allows me to work, where as the iPad is more of content consumption device. I use it to watch or read, not produce anything

Well said.

Casual observation reveals Apple devotees heavily influenced by the company’s marketing dialogs bought into the thinking that an iPad could easily replace a laptop. It was somewhat of a fad mentality, the “think different” position which to a certain degree helped sell iPads.

Now years later, those who tried that and found that even with a Magic Keyboard, the iPadOS is simply too limited for many workflows that one would typically use a MacBook for are returning to laptop use.

Two different products indeed.

 

[TonyM42]

Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoy my iPad and understand why it’s a great tool for so many people. However, for most of my daily activities, the NEO is all I need. I don’t play games or draw on it; I mainly use it for social media and watching videos. Occasionally, I need to do more computer-based tasks like typing emails, writing word documents, or creating Excel sheets, which are much easier with a keyboard. Up until now, an iPad was the only option for me because of its price. I wouldn’t spend $1000+ on a laptop for just a few tasks every now and then, but with my educational discount, the MacBook at $599 finally made sense. When I first got the NEO, I was a bit skeptical about how often I’d actually use it, but I’ve found myself using it more than the iPad. I’m curious to know if anyone is experiencing something similar.

This works well for me…My Neo / monitor arrangement works well for me and is much more flexible than my previous (and much loved) Mac Pro setup.

 

[Pacific1972]

My two sons used their different sized iPad Pro (both M1) with Apple Pencil or
Keyboard and me, at the age of 53, wondered how fast they are with eMail,
Picture work & modification, games etc. but for me I like to have an additional
big screen HDMI and USB / USB-C connection.

I try out a 27" Dell Conference Monitor - after finishing my 6" x 9" new book
on Amazon (!) I loved my 32" Samsung M8 with two large viewable book pages !

I understand your argumentation for the Macbook NEO. Not everyone
is editing 100+ pictures, cut longer videos or using offline AI daily.

The screen size is good, the quality and the power is ok and the Macbook Neo
is a pure (high-quality) standard-setting powerful consumer product with
barely a long battery life and passive heat management system - and you can
do everything daily with the MacBook Neo as with the bigger machines !

The MacBook Neo reminds me of how we used to always crave more powerful hardware.
However, what really matters is that advanced users and professionals can still achieve
amazing results even with limited hardware - but there is no real limitation, if you use
only macOS and no (example) Parallels Desktop...

And that’s exactly what the colorful MacBook Neo embodies... and no problem with connecting
external keyboard, mouse, external SSD, printer or a large UHD monitor via USB-C !

 

[tunnel under ocean blvd]

Tablets are great for bedtime reading or browsing. Cooking, putting a recipe on display. Fixing something while watching a youtube instructional video.

Honestly, I never really got the whole "using an iPad lying down in bed" thing. People always bring it up as the ultimate casual consumption device, but holding a flat slab is not ergonomically great in several ways, for me at least.

For me, resting a laptop right on my lower chest or upper stomach just can't be beaten. The keyboard base anchors it perfectly so I don't even have to hold it, and the stiff hinge lets me tilt the screen to the exact right viewing angle while my head is flat on the pillow. My arms don't get tired. lol I do like using iPads with the Magic Keyboard in bed, but might as well get a Macbook at that price. lol

 

[lookn4wifi]

Was set to sell my iPad Pro w/ Magic Keyboard to help fund a MBA. Then enter the Neo. I added a MBN to the mix rather than replacing the iPad. When the iPad gets long in the tooth I probably wont need to replace it, although I use it as much if not more than the Neo. Don’t know if the M1 iPad will outlast an A18 Pro MacBook, although battery life may have a say.

 

[Biro]

I have a Mac Studio, a MacBook Pro and two iPads (13 and 11 inches). I use and enjoy them all for different jobs and situations. And you know what? I’d still consider a Neo as a vacation laptop. Sure, an iPad would handle most media consumption needs. But I find processing photos much easier on a Mac vs an iPad. Maybe that’s just me. But I can see picking up a Neo - especially if it gets the A19 Pro chip and 12 GB of RAM next year. And if a $599 Neo got stolen or trashed, it wouldn’t freak me out the way a stolen or trashed $3,000 MacBook Pro would.

 

[teralpar]

This sounds confusing to me - so you must have spent at least $1650 on your iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) and the Apple Magic Keyboard. With this amount you could have easily bought MacBook Air ($1099) or MacBook Pro ($1699). It is not like you could not afford a good Apple laptop before, so what attracted you to Neo?

That's a fair question. For me, the main attraction to the Neo was portability. It feels much easier to carry around than my 13" iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard, and it's definitely more portable than my 16" M3 Pro MacBook Pro.

I'm a part-time college student, and I originally bought the iPad Pro because I wanted something lighter and easier to take with me than the MBP. The issue I ran into is that some coursework still requires full desktop software, so iPadOS just doesn't always work.

What I've realized over time is that, for my actual needs, the MacBook Pro is more machine than I really need, while the NEO hits a sweet spot of being lightweight, convenient, and enough for most of what I do day to day.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

This is a premise I don't get. As cool as the Neo is, it doesn't do anything I want an iPad for. It wouldn't even replace my antique iPad Air 2! The iPad's strength is its simple form factor, and touch first OS. It can be handy to hook up a keyboard and trackpad sometimes, but that's circumstantial.

I find the iPad is a superb ancillary device to a MacBook. I love using my iPad when I am working as a draftsman, as I can load up the RFI/Engineering/Architect's sketches and markups on the iPad as I draw in AutoCAD. Somehow having them on a device I can pick up and manipulate by hand makes it easier to do a better job.

Sure, I could load them on a second (or third) screen, and sometimes do if I've let my iPad battery die again (14 year old batteries don't last long), but it's not the same, so I don't know what good a Neo would be.

 

[alongdingdong]

Mobility!

Ipad mini is much lighter, smaller and compact.

My needs in this stage of my life i do not require anything more for personal usage then a ipad mini.

In fact i will buy the mini 8 cellular when it comes out replace my iphone for a "dumbphone" that has whatsapp.

My iphone does nothing more then apple pay, whatsapp, and google maps when driving.
I am not the right person for a expensive smartphone, i rather have a compact tablet for these things so its also replacing needs for a laptop/desktop for my type of usage.

It must be that OP is still very young and the NEO marketing and FOMO kicked in hard but laptops have been around for decades, you may have tried hard to replace a laptop with a tablet but evidently it does not fit your current needs/lifestyle, this has nothing to do with a 600 dollar budget apple laptop.

Lastly OP talks about using the ipad to watch tiktoks in bed, well there he lost me. you have a completely different lifestyle and needs then me.

OP also pretends that he only can work on Apple products as if there are not 100000000 sub 500 dollar windows laptop that are half decent for Excel.

thus me getting back to my previous text, OP is on the marketing/ FOMO hype and thats all good for him, but a majority of the people here have different opinion.

 

[throAU]

Was set to sell my iPad Pro w/ Magic Keyboard to help fund a MBA. Then enter the Neo. I added a MBN to the mix rather than replacing the iPad. When the iPad gets long in the tooth I probably wont need to replace it, although I use it as much if not more than the Neo. Don’t know if the M1 iPad will outlast an A18 Pro MacBook, although battery life may have a say.

Added bonus: when not doing tablet things, your ipad is a great portable second (extended) display for your macbook.

I probably use my ipad more than my macbook pro in total - because it’s used most of the time my macbook pro is as a display. If i need to go do something way from my desk, the ipad comes with me. If i travel 90% of the time i take the ipad. It’s plenty powerful enough for the 90% case.

 

[MayaUser]

now with the rise of the foldable iphone...ipad will lose its momentum...
people will use iphone fold with an laptop or desktop

 

[throAU]

now with the rise of the foldable iphone...ipad will lose its momentum...
people will use iphone fold with an laptop or desktop

Only for people who can’t afford both.

A foldable iphone is going to have nowhere near the battery capacity and battery life and will still be way smaller than even a 11” ipad. Probably still smaller than an ipad mini.

A foldable iPhone is a kindle or maybe (at a stretch) ipad mini replacement at best.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

now with the rise of the foldable iphone...ipad will lose its momentum...
people will use iphone fold with an laptop or desktop

Yeah nah. Besides browsing the web and reading ebooks, what does a folding phone do better than a normal phone? What does it do better than an iPad? It’s a compromise that is the worst of both worlds unless all you use your iPad for is web browsing and ebooks.