I have an iPad Pro M1, which only replaced an iPad Air 3 last year because of a screaming deal on the year old model and my desire to switch everything with which I travel to USB C to simplify the cables and chargers I have to carry.
I use it daily for reading, mostly RSS feeds in Feedly, but also some browsing.
It’s other major use is for watching video and listening to music when I travel, which I do fairly frequently. The battery life is excelent and it doesn’t drain my phone, which I want to be sure remains charged by the time I get to my destination. The iPad is much better than hoping to have on board content or using the tiny screen of my iPhone.
That said, as soon as I want to do anything (say write an email even) I look for a chance to use a computer (or when travelling, a Chrombook, which is relatively cheap if lost or destroyed). The iPad interface, at least for me, remains remarkably inferior to a regular keyboard+pointer for doing much of anything but content consumption even if paired with a keyboard and pointing device.
My curiosity was tweaked when I saw the Apple financials showing a significant drop in iPad sales (I think it was north of 20% decline). It makes me wonder if people use their Macs and/or phones instead or if they simply buy one then don’t see the need to upgrade.
Apple pushed iPads very hard as the future of computing and I was always a bit bemused by this. Of course this is just mho.
I experience this often when on the road trying to do something as simple as write a work email on my iPhone. Almost as soon as I start, I run into all kinds of iOS limitations or inconveniences that just lead me straight back to wanting to get my Mac out. I realize iPadOS can do a couple things better than iOS, but I still wonder how people are expected to get real work stuff done on those platforms (as Apple keeps suggesting) when Mac makes it so much easier, faster, and more flexible.
I am a heavy iPad user . I use it every day to read my email, take pictures, play games, social media, read books and so much more. I like it because it is portable. I can sit in my recliner and use it or take it on trips.
It is versatile —- playing, reading, has many apps like banking, health, YouTube, Camera, photos, etc… I like editing Photos on the iPad better than on my MacBook Pro.
I use my 2010 MacBook Pro about 2-3 times a week when I have extensive work like writing, paying bills that can’t be done on the iPad, and other stuff.
While I use my iPad Pro 12.9" much less than my iMac, it does get about ~2-3 hours of use daily – primarily for content consumption.
Specifically for e-books and e-comics, and browsing a few web sites catering to written content. Basically at the coffee shop in the morning, and at home in the evening. (For video content, I have an Apple TV and a DVD player.)
The one exception has been for travel, which is fairly infrequent for me. Have found that the iPad, along with a bluetooth wireless keyboard, pretty well covers everything I need on the road (which in my case, is either for family visits or recreational.)
Yes, the iPad in integral to my everyday computing, primarily for checking email, texts, watching documentaries and YouTube videos…so much more enjoyable that viewing on iPhone. The iPad is a great tool for when the ‘grans’ come over as well. We download ed programs and fun games. I’m a big iPad fan!
One of the things which infuriates me with the iPad is the file management. My (former) boss spoke to me yesterday about an issue. He does our payroll by sending a banking text file (.aba) to the bank - he gets this from a private server at work, drags it to his desktop, launches Safari, goes to the bank site and drags the file onto the window.
Now he wants to be able to do it on his iPad. He’s going to need the Files app (and a basic understanding of how it works) , then a way to access our private server, then some instruction on how to switch between apps, and then how to upload the file via iPad Safari. Something he could do in his sleep on his MBP suddenly becomes an issue for him.
As several others have said, the iPad is a good device for content consumption, email, web, messages etc which are all things you could do on a phone. Perhaps people don’t see the need for both. For more expansive or ‘serious’ computing, development, video, serious photography etc it falls short and a computer steps up.
Once again just mho, ymmv. One thing for certain, we are indeed spoiled for choice and it’s nice to be able to choose.
iPad is designed for consumption of data, whether email or Netflix. I learned it is horrible for producing anything. I hate onscreen keyboards.
My MacBook Pro is also very good at consumption plus I can actually do work. Real keyboard. Numbers pad when tethered at a desk.
My iPhone is great for reading (not responding) to email, and consumption. News readers are very good, not a big screen like an iPad but it fits in my pocket.
(Apple, keep making the SE! Some of us don’t care about cameras and love something you can hold in your hand comfortably).
Kindle Paperwhite-that is what I read on now. Longer battery, no blue light.
One more thing, I’ll never understand why there is no Health app on the iPad (or Mac). Apple finally brought the Weather app over so perhaps they’ll see the light with Health.
I imagine the reason is that Apple had way too many other things to work on, or perhaps they wanted to be 100% sure that they did it right as far as privacy is concerned. Whatever the reason, as always, Apple has not said.
Cool thanks, I probably skipped over the iPadOS part of the keynote :)
I hope they give it the ability to report properly. I’d love to be able to print tables of HR, BP, O2, sleep, exercise etc to give to my Dr rather than spending the first 10 minutes of a consult explaining them.
In my second act after retirement, I am doing outpatient work and using an electronic medical record (EMA) and decided to try to use only an iPad rather than sit behind a desk with a computer. It has not been the smoothest transition, mainly due to the EMA poor implementation of iOS in the app. But I figure it will mature and I have become comfortable with glancing at the iPad for info and jotting down information for later transcription. I think as the iPad matures and the software improves, it will be an invaluable tool. I did get a smaller device than my home 12 inch, as holding that one up can be hard on your arm if you do it all day.
Use my iPad all the time, typing this message on it right now. In terms of screen time, it’s definitely my main device. I prefer my iMac when I need a larger screen, need to type a lot, or need to move among multiple apps. The Mac is more flexible but rather hard to use in my recliner. While the Files app on the iPad has improved over the years it still doesn’t hold a candle to the Finder. I average about 6 hours screen time a day on my iPad. My wife uses hers much more than I do. Since I drive most places she uses hers while I’m driving.
I have travelled with my iPad, but prefer to use an MBA. The biggest issue for me is that I have no extension/add-on support for either Safari or Firefox. I’m spoiled by uBlock Origin and Bypass Paywalls Clean in Firefox, and find it hard to cope with all the ads and lack of access to news. And if I’m limited to just using it for e-mail, then I might as well use my phone which I have with me anyway. I doubt I’ll bother with replacing it if and when it dies.
I’m surprised you can’t install ad-blocking extensions on your iPad. Although uBlock Origin doesn’t seem to have an iOS version, there are other ad blockers. I use AdBlock Plus on my iPhone, and it is also iPad compatible:
That’s me. I’m trying to justify the cost of purchasing a newer one and coming down on the side of saving my money. I mainly use my old iPad for a few games when I’m housesitting for family. Also, the screen is big enough to watch a baseball game with my mlb subscription. Since I mainly watch either a dvd or read a book when house sitting, I’m leaning toward not replacing my ancient iPad.
My iPad Pro is my most used device — it’s excellent at a lot of things (mostly consumption related) and competent at just about everything that doesn’t require extensive keyboard use. I use it in the morning to catch up with the news and email, during the day to do research and record-keeping, and at night to watch things when we’re not using the big TV (which is often). I travel with it for anything besides a full scale professional trip (which needs a laptop). I’m typing this right now on an iPad and a Logitech keyboard looking out over Lake Como from a hotel balcony.
The advantages over a laptop are that it’s significantly smaller (both in weight and volume) the battery life is much better, and the instant on nature makes it much more easily accessible. I have a cellular version, so I’m always connected. It’s better than an iPhone in screen size, which makes a massive difference in consumption for me. In some sense, it’s the least limited device I own, as it can replace both a laptop and a phone, if imperfectly.
The only iPad I ever owned was given to me by an employer the first year it was sold. I tried it for a while, but I already had an Apple desktop and laptop and it never was more than a novelty to me. I gave it away a few months later to someone who would actually use it.
I’ve had no regrets since and no desire to own an iPad with one notable exception: for watching movies on commercial flights. While my laptop has to stay in my carry-on briefcase under the seat in front of me until we reach 10K feet, nearly everyone else is viewing entertainment on their iPads. Those are lightweight enough they’re allowed to be stored in the seat pocket or even be used during takeoff and landing.
I already have a Macbook Air M2 I use during the rest of the flight, so I can’t justify an iPad purchase just for those few minutes. But I still envy them every time.
The iPad has struggled a bit in comparison with the iPhone and even the Mac, and the drop this quarter was probably due to there being no new models to juice sales.
I do agree with you that people probably hold onto iPads longer than their iPhones or Macs, and that might be an interesting poll to run, though the wording would be important.
For instance, I haven’t bought an iPad since the 10.5-inch iPad Pro in 2017, so it’s going on 6 years old. Before that, we had an iPad Air 2 from 2014 that Tonya still uses every day for reading books in Libby because she likes the cover for it, and the previous models were a third-generation iPad (from 2012, now gone, I think) and a pair of original iPads from 2010, one of which can still sort of display the Web portal for our solar panels but doesn’t do anything else. Tonya also has a fourth-generation iPad Air that Tristan got but decided he didn’t need a year later, but she doesn’t like using it for Libby as much due to the case. That’s probably the one I’d take over if I needed something more real.
All that said, the iPad was still a $29.2 billion business for Apple in 2022. So not exactly a failure.
I’m an iPad fan (I have several), but I also don’t update them as often as Macs because they are not income-producers. On the high-end, they cost as much as a Mac laptop, but aren’t nearly as useful in terms of productivity.
For instance, I wanted considered replacing my ancient 2016 12.9" Pro, but getting a new one that size is $1000+, and by the time I add magic keyboard and Pencil and replace lightning charging stations with USB-C, it’s over $1500. For that price I can buy a really nice Mac laptop.
So instead I went with 11" iPad Pro and it’s very nice (much more useful with the magic keyboard), but as many have mentioned, the OS and apps limit you so much that it’s not useful to me for much in the way of work. I mainly use it for reading, watching videos/movies, playing games, and as extra device for multitasking. I do like it – and I can do some work on it in a pinch – but it’s not worth spending as much or more than a real laptop.
(As an example of lack of productivity on iOS, just yesterday I wanted to crop and merge two screenshots together to send to someone. This is a task that would take me 30 seconds in Photoshop on my Mac. I spent 20 minutes trying to get the crippled PS Express on my phone to do such a simple thing. Next time I’d just move the images to my Mac and do the job there.)
