iPad replacing laptop?

[poohs_hunny]

I'm getting ready to replace my laptop and am wondering if getting an iPad and keyboard is the way to go. I have had an iPhone and iPad mini for many years, so am comfortable with the technology. Right now I am a stay at home mom, but I will be going back to teaching in some manner or other in the next year or two when my daughter is in school full time. My daughter would inherit the mini if I switched to an iPad.

So, anyone who has replaced their laptop with an iPad, do you regret it or love it and why? What accessories do you recommend getting (besides a keyboard)? What apps have you gotten that have been helpful in mimicking a laptop?

Thanks for any feedback and advice you can give!

 

[ShayBells]

Honestly, I could never replace my MacBook with an iPad. I have both. But if you are considering it know you can get Word and everything like excel on an iPad. I also like good notes app with the Apple Pencil I use as a notebook of sorts. And procreate app is awesome if you like to draw, “paint” etc. The iPad is just like a mini but bigger (and you can use a keyboard and Apple Pencil with the iPad. I think that’s the only difference, though there might be some I am unaware of.)

 

[tvguy]

We had a few people when we started working from home that did that, but I think most if not all gave up on it. Many of us needed two big monitors to do our work, and that apparently wasn't possible with an iPad. At least in the pandemic situation, two groups of people seemed to have the most issues working from home, those with the highest speed internet because it seemed to go down the most. and those with any Apple product. Not an Apple person but it seemed like people with Macs would be down an hour or so a month because their computer required an update and they couldn't log in remotely until the update was compelte.

 

[Toolulu22]

I use an IPad, even though I have a laptop (don’t even know where it is) and new Chromebook purchased last year to teach virtually (waste of money, I rarely use it).

I love my IPad and can do pretty much everything on it that I need to. When I retrieve something off of my external hard drive, fax or scan multiple pages, or do a lot of typing I’ll use a desk/laptop.

I have a keyboard, but the IPad touchscreen is something that I like. When I was shopping around for a dedicated work tool last year, the price of laptops was discouraging, especially ones with touch-screen. I also like being able to quickly attach photos or documents to texts and they are available across my devices. Plus, with regular updates your IPad will remain functional for years, whereas I always felt as though my laptops did not last long before having to replace them.

I use mainly Google apps for spreadsheet and document sharing. I love being able to share and work on things with colleagues simultaneously. The key being, much of why I like my IPad so much is because it’s app based and that works for me. My husband, on the other hand, only uses his IPad for entertainment or browsing. He still likes to use desk/laptop only for his business and hobby related records. So, it boils down to personal preference.

edit- I just realized that you said that you’ll be teaching again. An IPad is easy to carry and use in the classroom and has many uses including attendance, quickly showing someone their grade/assignment, and it’s thin and light, which is important.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I did it. I have the iPad Pro 12.2 inch with Magic Keyboard and I love it. DD also has the same iPad and got the Magic Keyboard to use for graduate school and it’s going great. (She said it probably wouldn’t work for undergrad. She does have a MacBook, too, but it’s her second MacBook and she has had problems with the motherboard with both.) We don’t have a computer at home, we all have iPads.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have a laptop (MacBook Air), and an iPad. Honestly, I just do not use the iPad that much. I do not think I could ever replace the laptop with an iPad. Honestly, if I had to choose, I would pick any laptop (Mac or Windows) over the iPad if I was limited to one or the other.

That said, the picture above where the keyboard looks like it has a mousey thing... that DOES look very nice.

 

[_19disnA]

Apple certainly has its followers, but I am not one of them. I prefer my windows based PC with a real keyboard when doing anything that involves typing/data entry. Spreadsheets, emails or general data entry is easier for me to do using a real keyboard vs. a touchscreen/virtual keyboard. When we had Apple products at work, many users were confused on how to store/find work files and just didn't understand how to use them. Apple products tend to also be more pricey for the same level of functionality. When using my PC, I am seated at my desk, so the ability to walk around the house with some sort of portable tablet isn't of benefit to me. Depends on a lot on personal preference and how you plan to use your device. You don't need a high end gaming PC to do internet surfing or replying to emails. Switching back and forth between Apple and Windows products can be a challenge since they each have their own conventions on how things are done.

 

[Wendy1985]

My mom gave me a tablet that works like a lap top

 

[fla4fun]

Well, I have a Mac laptop, a Windows laptop, and two iPads (a mini and a Pro). I use the iPad Pro the most. The Mac laptop is for photography. The Windows laptop is used for writing documents and spreadsheets to share with others. The iPad mini is primarily used as an ereader these days, and it travels with me so I don’t lose or damage the Pro. I haven’t found one device yet that I can truly use for everything without making sacrifices in the quality of the output. My sister does have the setup the poster pictured above, and likes it, but she still has a Windows laptop also.

 

[E&Cmom]

I have never had an laptop and just use my iPad or our computer but mostly the I pad. It is primarily recreational use though. None of us have used laptops until recently. My eldest just started university and goes to an art university . For school, she was required to get a laptop so we got her a Macbook. She already had the IPAD Pro which is uses as she does illustration and digital art. She goes between them now doing her drawing and personal art on the IPAD but doing more school work and writing papers on the Macbook. As they are doing hybrid this semester, she uses the MacBook for her online class as well.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I could go either way. I relied on an iPad for years and switched when DH got me a laptop, but I'm easily contented so think on it forst. The newer Ipads are really really nice & if you are an artist the Ipad has the Procreate app which my family artists really seem to enjoy.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

One positive for Apple is less malware. We were Apple people early on (1990s) then switched to PCs until our first iPads. We kept home PCs but, despite having tight security on them, they always managed to get messed up with viruses. We still have our last laptop but never use it because it doesn’t work. It’s frustrating. Haven‘t had even one problem with the iPad Pro or the Magic Keyboard. It’s a beautiful thing, so not going back. Granted, I don’t use spreadsheets. But I do use it for just about everything else.

 

[_19disnA]

All computers have the potential to be infected with various types of viruses that can impact any device connected to the internet. I wouldn't decide to buy one type of product over another just because you think it is less prone to viruses. User behavior also plays a role. Clicking on dubious links of unknown origin in any email is a bad idea regardless of what brand of computer you might be using.

Can Macs get viruses? (norton.com)

 

[AndreaA]

I have an iPad Pro with magic keyboard (like the one in the picture), a large screen Mac Pro desktop, a 17” and a MacBook Pro (yup, still works great for photography). I barely touch anything but the iPad. My kids have laptops for school and we still do most of their work on my iPad when I’m helping them. We homeschooled last year and did it 100% on my iPad.

If you are planning to use it for teaching, you likely are using GoogleClassroom. That’s easy to use on the iPad. It’s so easy to attach photos of documents to “submit” them. I can use Word, Excel, Numbers, Pages, heck, even Lightroom (although I wasn’t able to import the full-size files from my Nikon d780) work easily on the iPad.