In the last few years, it’s become trendy for Apple tech pundits to dismiss the iPad as an almost irrelevant and useless tool. They feel that the release of the Apple silicon chip has removed the advantages of the iPad and that there is no reason not to use a Mac laptop instead of an iPad.
They also feel iPadOS is inadequate compared to macOS. This leads to the common mantra that while iPad hardware is great, iPad software is severely lacking.
Reasons Why Some People Have Switched from the iPad to a MacBook
Since Macs switched to using Apple silicon chips, the MacBook now shares many of the same advantages the iPad previously had.
• With the silicon chip, the MacBook is almost instantly on, just like the iPad. I typically keep my MacBook Pro plugged into power in sleep mode. The machine is instantly on and ready to go when I wake it.
• Probably the most significant factor is a much longer battery life for Mac laptops. At one time, the iPad had a much longer battery life than the laptop. But with the silicon chip, that has changed dramatically. Now, one can spend all day working on a MacBook without plugging it in.
• Many people, especially power users, enjoy the advantages of macOS. You can do a lot more with a Mac than an iPad. A lot of the dismissive attitude toward iPads is based on the idea that the iPad isn’t a Mac and can’t do the same things a Mac can, and they prefer to work on a Mac instead.
Some pundits conclude that the iPad is no longer useful since the silicon chip has equalized the functions of the iPad and MacBook in some ways. However, millions of people, including me, disagree. I use my iPad daily, even though I own a MacBook.
The iPad is Not Intended to be a Mac
Every time Apple releases a new iPad model, professional reviewers whine about how the “hardware is great, but the software is lacking.” What they mean is the iPad doesn’t run macOS. This same predictable mantra has been repeated in the days following the iPad event held earlier this week. The mantra is “iPad good, software bad.”
It’s evident that Apple never intended the iPad operating system to be the Mac operating system. They aren’t designed to meet the same needs. iPadOS is geared toward people with less complex needs who want to simplify their computing lives and have a light, compact computer with touch input.
It’s time for the pundits to stop trying to make the iPad something it was never intended to be and accept it on its own terms. If those terms don’t fit their needs and macOS does better, let them use the Mac exclusively.
But that doesn’t mean that the iPad is useless or that everyone should use macOS. Millions of users find the iPad is the ideal computer for meeting their needs. For years now, my wife’s only computer has been an iPad. It meets all of her needs, and she doesn’t want to deal with the more complex operating system of macOS.
Different Tools for Different Contexts
I use different tools in different contexts. I use the most comfortable and capable tool for my job.
I use my Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display for heavy-lifting work projects when I want to focus, like a morning of writing, mind mapping, and drafting longer emails. I also use it in the evening when I need its raw computing power to play PC games on a Windows emulator.
I use my MacBook Pro when working at a remote location, like the library or a coffee shop. When using macOS is an advantage for the kind of work I’m doing, the MacBook Pro is the mobile tool of choice.
However, I use my 11” iPad Pro when I want to work comfortably on my sofa. The iPad is easy to hold and manipulate and doesn’t require me to conform my body to hold it like a MacBook does.
I also use my iPad as my mobile device when I don’t want to carry around my bulkier and heavier MacBook Pro. It’s also lighter and thinner than a MacBook Air. For example, when I go to a doctor’s appointment, it’s a perfect size for reading while waiting, as a notepad to remind me of questions I want to ask the doctor, and as a tool to record notes from the visit.
Although some people find a MacBook an adequate mobile device and are comfortable holding one on the sofa or sitting in a chair, I have never found that comfortable. An iPad is built to be held and used. It is much easier and more comfortable to hold and use touch input on an iPad than to balance a laptop on your lap and type.
What I Use My iPad For Every Day
How do I use my iPad?
1. Performing my daily morning routine. During my morning routine, I sit comfortably on my living room sofa with a cup of coffee and my iPad. I review my calendar and task manager and read from three daily books, each about a page long. I read fifteen ReadWise highlights that are randomly selected by the app.
In addition, I review collected blog posts and newsletters in Readwise Read and check the weather forecast. If one of my readings prompts an idea, I use a shortcut on my iPad to record a blog post idea with my initial thoughts.
2. Journaling in Day One. I open the Day One app on my iPad to record my initial journaling for the day. The app opens with my journaling template, and I respond to my journal prompts on the iPad, either using the virtual keyboard or dictation.
3. Dictating. I typically use the Whisper Memos app on my iPad to dictate a response to my Day One journaling prompt: “What’s on your mind?” I’ll also dictate longer emails and notes to myself.
4. Reading. My iPad is my go-to device for reading on the Kindle or Apple Books apps. I often sit on a sofa reading a non-fiction book in the afternoon. I’ll sit in the living room with my wife in the late evening and read fiction.
5. Looking at and editing photos. When I take a lot of photos, it’s often quicker and more comfortable to sit down on the sofa with my iPad, scan through all of my photos, and edit out the ones I’m going to delete.
Sometimes, I do more advanced photo editing on my iPad. If you haven’t edited photos recently on an iPad, you’d probably be amazed at the many adjustments and features in the iPad Photos app.
6. Drafting and revising mind maps. I use the MindNode app on my iPad to initially draft mind maps. I also use it to periodically revise mind maps when I’m not at my desk.
7. Taking it on trips instead of my MacBook. I typically take my iPad on trips more often than my MacBook. It is lighter and thinner, and I can comfortably use it for many purposes. I use it for reading, watching movies, keeping up with my email and messages, editing photos, and my daily morning routine. If I anticipate doing a lot of writing, I’ll attach it to the Apple Magic Keyboard before I go.
8. Using it as an additional computer screen when using my Mac Studio and Studio Display. I sometimes use an iPad as an additional computing resource when watching webinars or participating in FaceTime calls.
I’ll have a list of topics to cover on a FaceTime call on my iPad when I don’t want to take up display screen space with the list. When I want a full-size screen for the Zoom call I’m on, I’ll take notes on my iPad on my desk in front of me.
9. Taking handwritten notes. When I was a member of the board of a volunteer organization, I used my iPad extensively to take handwritten notes with my Apple Pencil 2 during board meetings. I would scan a copy of the meeting agenda and paste it into the GoodNotes app, then record notes on the agenda and the attached blank pages.
Even with A Silicon MacBook, I Still Use my iPad Every Day
The debate between using an iPad or a MacBook ultimately comes down to personal preference, workflow, and individual needs. While some may find the MacBook or a desktop Mac more suitable for specific tasks, others, like myself, still see the iPad as a valuable and versatile tool in their daily lives. For some functions, I prefer to use MacOS. For others, I use iPadOS.
The question of whether iPadOS or macOS is “better” can only be answered with, “It depends.” It depends on the needs and preferences of the user. For my wife’s needs and preferences, using an iPad as her only computer is “better” than using a Mac. For me, it depends on the job I have to do. For some functions, the iPad is “better” than my Macs; for other jobs, my Mac is “better” than my iPad.
I don’t believe the pundits are right when they assert there is no longer a purpose or use for the iPad or that iPadOS needs to be more like macOS. It certainly isn’t true for me and millions of other happy users who continue to love and use their iPads daily. And it’s much less expensive than a Mac laptop.
Whether for reading, note-taking, photo editing, or daily routines, the iPad continues to prove its worth as a valuable companion in our digital lives.