Don't forget an iPad is just a big iPhone and nothing more

Apple Products Ipad
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There are simple things that make me frustrated while doing regular work that wouldn’t happen with a laptop that costs a third of the price:
The Word and Google Docs apps are incredibly bad (I could write another post about this)

There is no volume control per app. In a Zoom meeting? I can’t watch or hear anything else until it’s finished.

Since everything runs on apps, the controls are really clunky and static. When I open the chat in Zoom, it pops up right in the middle of the screen and blocks my view.

The apps for everything other than Apple’s are terrible.

Apps frequently close unexpectedly, and you have to hope that it autosaved your work.

Want to see the screen on a sunny day? The battery will drop from 100% to 65% in about an hour. And there isn’t even a battery health display because the battery isn’t replaceable.

The floating keyboard setting is always popping up while I type. I’ve never used it, but it always gets in the way.

This is all happening on my M1 iPad Pro. I know it can do much more, and that’s what makes it frustrating.

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To be fair, even the desktop versions of Zoom open the chat right in the middle of the screen (and it never remembers its position) when the meeting is full screen.

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Keats said:
To be fair, even the desktop versions of Zoom open the chat right in the middle of the screen (and it never remembers its position) when the meeting is full screen.

In my experience with Windows, it opens on the right side of the app and stays there, not interfering with my gallery view or anything.

4

Don’t forget an iPad is just a big iPhone, nothing more.

And that’s exactly how I use it. I put my phone down when I get home and pick up the iPad for the larger display. I switch back to the phone when I leave for portability.

For me, the iPad is more of a phone replacement rather than a laptop substitute. However, if I only use my laptop for basic tasks like email, calendar, banking, and browsing, then the iPad could definitely take its place.

I used my iPad to create something with Pages yesterday. It was doable, but definitely not the same experience as on a laptop.

And there is no battery health display because the battery isn’t replaceable.

Good. That’s probably the most pointless information on an iPhone, and I’m tired of people obsessing over it.

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Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

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Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

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Jin said:

Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

I use my iPad for gaming and drawing, and as a larger phone.

I actually don’t use my phone much because the iPad screen is far nicer to look at.

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Jin said:

Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

Exactly. People who want a PC and try to use an iPad as such are the ones who struggle the most. On the flip side, I see others being super productive with their iPads, using all kinds of shortcuts, the Apple Pencil and multi-app views, which I can’t be bothered with.

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Jin said:

Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

This argument doesn’t make sense. People use laptops for various purposes. If someone can do everything they need on their iPad, then it can work as a valid laptop alternative.

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Firth said:

Jin said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

This argument doesn’t make sense. People use laptops for various purposes. If someone can do everything they need on their iPad, then it can work as a valid laptop alternative.

Actually, your comment isn’t valid because you didn’t read carefully. I’m talking about my own experience, not anyone else’s. For me and my tasks, iPadOS is simple and buggy enough that I wouldn’t think to do anything on it other than the main task I got the iPad for.

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Jin said:

Firth said:
Jin said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

This argument doesn’t make sense. People use laptops for various purposes. If someone can do everything they need on their iPad, then it can work as a valid laptop alternative.

Actually, your comment isn’t valid because you didn’t read carefully. I’m talking about my own experience, not anyone else’s. For me and my tasks, iPadOS is simple and buggy enough that I wouldn’t think to do anything on it other than the main task I got the iPad for.

You said, ‘This device is not for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop.’

That’s the first line in your comment.

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Firth said:

Jin said:
Firth said:
Jin said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

This device isn’t built for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop. I have the iPad for a particular job, which is why I got it. But the iPad cannot take the place of my laptop.

This argument doesn’t make sense. People use laptops for various purposes. If someone can do everything they need on their iPad, then it can work as a valid laptop alternative.

Actually, your comment isn’t valid because you didn’t read carefully. I’m talking about my own experience, not anyone else’s. For me and my tasks, iPadOS is simple and buggy enough that I wouldn’t think to do anything on it other than the main task I got the iPad for.

You said, ‘This device is not for those who think an iPad can effectively replace a laptop.’

That’s the first line in your comment.

Exactly. My first sentence confirms my point. The person who posted this would surely benefit more from a real laptop, not an iPad. The real task is to figure out what you need based on the tasks at hand. If you don’t have that knowledge, then both the iPad and laptop will meet your needs, and the iPad will seem like it can replace a traditional laptop.

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Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

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Onyx said:

Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

It will work as a word processor, just not how you want with your chosen software. Even though I love my iPad, I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s alright.

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Perry said:

Onyx said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

It will work as a word processor, just not how you want with your chosen software. Even though I love my iPad, I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s alright.

At that price point, I expect it to do something incredibly simple without crashing multiple times.

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Onyx said:

Perry said:
Onyx said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

It will work as a word processor, just not how you want with your chosen software. Even though I love my iPad, I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s alright.

At that price point, I expect it to do something incredibly simple without crashing multiple times.

I’ve been using the Pro as my main device for two years.

It works just fine. You just need to shift your workflow. I mostly use Pages, Safari, and Google Sheets. I’ll admit that the Google Apps aren’t the best on iOS, but aside from that, I’m really productive on my iPad.

The issue is (and many share this) that you expect the iPad to operate like a computer when it simply doesn’t. It follows its own rules.

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Max said:

Onyx said:
Perry said:
Onyx said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

It will work as a word processor, just not how you want with your chosen software. Even though I love my iPad, I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s alright.

At that price point, I expect it to do something incredibly simple without crashing multiple times.

I’ve been using the Pro as my main device for two years.

It works just fine. You just need to shift your workflow. I mostly use Pages, Safari, and Google Sheets. I’ll admit that the Google Apps aren’t the best on iOS, but aside from that, I’m really productive on my iPad.

The issue is (and many share this) that you expect the iPad to operate like a computer when it simply doesn’t. It follows its own rules.

But I really don’t think I’m expecting too much from it.

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Onyx said:

Max said:
Onyx said:
Perry said:
Onyx said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

It will work as a word processor, just not how you want with your chosen software. Even though I love my iPad, I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s alright.

At that price point, I expect it to do something incredibly simple without crashing multiple times.

I’ve been using the Pro as my main device for two years.

It works just fine. You just need to shift your workflow. I mostly use Pages, Safari, and Google Sheets. I’ll admit that the Google Apps aren’t the best on iOS, but aside from that, I’m really productive on my iPad.

The issue is (and many share this) that you expect the iPad to operate like a computer when it simply doesn’t. It follows its own rules.

But I really don’t think I’m expecting too much from it.

Perhaps I didn’t phrase it well.

iPadOS can be a solid productivity tool, as long as you follow the Apple way of doing things. This can be frustrating for anyone coming from Windows or even MacOS. It’s like having driven a car a certain way your whole life and suddenly learning new rules.

I had both a MacBook and an iPad Pro for a while, and rarely touched the MacBook. Once you adjust and learn to establish new workflows, it operates wonderfully, often better than a laptop. But if you’re confused about why the iPad can’t do things like a Windows machine, yes, it will limit you and cause frustration.

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Max said:

Onyx said:
Max said:
Onyx said:
Perry said:
Onyx said:
Perry said:
Sounds like this isn’t the right device for you.

You’re right. But I expect it to at least perform as a word processor with a $300 keyboard on it haha (my fault)

It will work as a word processor, just not how you want with your chosen software. Even though I love my iPad, I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s alright.

At that price point, I expect it to do something incredibly simple without crashing multiple times.

I’ve been using the Pro as my main device for two years.

It works just fine. You just need to shift your workflow. I mostly use Pages, Safari, and Google Sheets. I’ll admit that the Google Apps aren’t the best on iOS, but aside from that, I’m really productive on my iPad.

The issue is (and many share this) that you expect the iPad to operate like a computer when it simply doesn’t. It follows its own rules.

But I really don’t think I’m expecting too much from it.

Perhaps I didn’t phrase it well.

iPadOS can be a solid productivity tool, as long as you follow the Apple way of doing things. This can be frustrating for anyone coming from Windows or even MacOS. It’s like having driven a car a certain way your whole life and suddenly learning new rules.

I had both a MacBook and an iPad Pro for a while, and rarely touched the MacBook. Once you adjust and learn to establish new workflows, it operates wonderfully, often better than a laptop. But if you’re confused about why the iPad can’t do things like a Windows machine, yes, it will limit you and cause frustration.

No, you were spot on. Someone bought an iPad expecting it to replace a PC, but that wasn’t its intended purpose.

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If you accept that the iPad is and never will be a computer but can manage to adapt your workflow using the iPad, then it becomes your personal computer.

I have the 11 inch M1 too, and despite all its limitations, I managed to create my workflow, so now I wouldn’t trade my iPad for a computer again.

The desktop browser versions work well. I write in Grammarly with no problems, and correct things in real-time using Notes. I handle my spreadsheets in Google Sheets too, work remotely from my iPad, and make both written and video content.
My laptop can’t edit videos without lag, but with the iPad, I can do that from anywhere.

Sure, screen brightness and glare can be an issue when outdoors (I have a bad reflective screen protector).

But what more can you ask? I have 4G or 5G internet everywhere, I can import and edit my DSLR photos pretty well, work on Canva, manage my WordPress blog just like on a computer, and so on.

So yes, while the iPad may not be a computer and isn’t for everyone, it can still serve as your personal computer if you know how to use it.