Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Can the iPad work as a literal computer ? I ’m well aware that I ’m not first to nurture this dubiousness . It is , however , the first sentence for me to ask the question of myself . After all , everyone ’s needs for a proper “ computer ” are unlike , and I ’ve never given it a fair shake .
I ’m running aniPad Pro 11 - inchthat uses an 8 - marrow CPU/10 - core GPU Apple M2 , which is an insane amount of exponent to carry into a lozenge . And I ’ve lately lend aMagic Keyboardand Apple Pencil into the mix , making it seem a lot like a even laptop computer . It still has limitation , but with all that on doard , I found myself surprised at howgoodof a figurer the iPad Pro can really be .
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
What’s a real computer, anyway?
There was a fourth dimension when a clearer distinction existed between a tablet like the iPad and a personal computer runningWindows or macOS . window management , multitasking capability , peripheral support , and more were limit on the iPad by comparison . The same is true for Android tablets and , to a degree , Chrome OS machines , but I ’m focalize specifically on the iPad .
Recent change to iPadOS have confuse that note . While my iPad Pro 11 has a belittled ( but still quite available ) show , the iPad Pro 12.9 is closer to a 13 - inch laptop computer . Physically , and in term of transparent performance , the iPad Pro — and establish iPads to a less extent — challenger laptops course Windows and macOS .
For example , iPads now provide excellent support for strong-arm keyboards like the Apple Magic Keyboard I ’m using to drop a line this tarradiddle . Apple also bake touchpad support into iPadOS , which works well on the Magic Keyboard . Unless you pay really close attention , using the keyboard and touchpad on an iPad is undistinguishable from using a MacBook .
window management , and thus multitasking , has also improved in iPadOS . The smaller screens are set factors , of path , but it ’s well-situated to break open two apps and run them side by side . Stage Manageradds the ability to run iPad apps as window that can be resized , overlapped , and grouped by job , labor , or whatever make for best . And while iPadOS does n’t offer as much flexibility in Windows management as Windows and macOS , but it ’s skinny enough for me .
care run apps is also elementary , and modern iPad Pros have either 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM , depending on the storage . That means they can run many apps at once with the same ease of project switching find in Windows and macOS . Thanks to the iPad ’s touch display , it ’s perhaps even prosperous to manage a workflow on the iPad than on a Mac .
File management will always be a struggle .
However , many full - featured software that unravel in Windows and macOS have dewy-eyed variant available for the iPad — if they have iPad apps at all . Microsoft ’s suite of productiveness apps , for example , have iPad combining weight , but they ’re more basic and optimized for the iPad experience . For most software program , you ’ll get a subset of function . Microsoft Excel , for representative , supports many of the full software ’s formatting and date functions , including convention and charts . But innovative features like Pivot Tables are n’t supported .
One of the biggest difference between iPadOS and “ veridical ” operating systems is single file direction . While Windows and macOS provide access to the inherent file social structure , or at least as much of it that is necessary to supervise all user files , iPadOS does not .
you could salt away file cabinet locally on an iPad , but you ’ll find far less flexibleness in care your files . The iPadOS Files app can access files saved in various swarm service and devices like meshwork - attach computer storage ( NAS ) . So , you may get your work done , but you ’ll have to correct your habit to make the iPad work for you .
Another major difference is peripheral support , which is limit on the iPad compared to Windows and macOS machine . Rather than list all the peripherals that are n’t keep going , I ’ll speak for a instant about the few that are .
printer are supported in iPadOS , but not in the same fashion as in Windows and macOS . Rather than instal a equipment driver for virtually any modern printer , you ’ll want to seem for a printer that supports Apple ’s AirPrint help , has another compatible service , or offer an iPad app . You may chance that not all printer features are supported , but you ’ll at least have minimal impression functionality .
you could also connect an external video display to the iPad , although you may have to use an arranger link up to either an iPad ’s USB - C , Thunderbolt / USB4 , or Lightning connector . Onsupported iPadsusing Stage Manager , you’re able to connect up to a 6 K display and move files and windows between your iPad display and the outside reminder .
While many Windows and macOS PCs support more than one external reminder , many can not . TheMacBook Air , for example , only supports one outside show . In this esteem , the iPad is a compeer . However , Windows and macOS offer much more powerful windows direction features that let you optimise your use of international displays .
By most definitions , then , the iPad is indeed a “ real ” computer . It ’s more modified , sure , but you may get many of the same chore done on an iPad . Chrome OS PCs are considered real computers , and they have many of the same sort of limitations found in iPadOS .
How well does it work for me?
So , it ’s really more a enquiry of how you use your PC rather than whether the iPad qualifies as a real one . For me , the iPad has been surprisingly useful , and it ’s a vital constituent of my work flow .
Most of my work involves inquiry and put Book down on the screen . I can do both on my iPad as well as on my MacBook Pro , with one caveat . When I ’m working at my desk , I use three 27 - in external 4 K displays because I ’m often going back and onward between various research and the patch I ’m writing . Obviously , that does n’t ferment as well on the iPad .
By any meaningful definition , the iPad is a real figurer .
Sometimes , though , I ’m focused on one research topic or one man of writing , such as when I ’m work on my novel . In those sheath , the iPad is actually the better machine because it forces me to maintain that focus . I ’m much more likely to get distracted when I have three dissimilar screen to appear at .
The iPad is also much more portable . I can carry it around the theater and use it anywhere , and I do n’t always like to lug the MacBook around when I ’m working remotely . Often , the iPad is all I need .
Of naturally , I write about engineering , so I use software program and peripherals that the iPad does n’t hold . And there are tasks that I continue to handle on my MacBook because I have n’t take the time to transition them to the iPad .
So , for me , at least , the answer is simple . By any meaningful definition , the iPad is a genuine computer , and I employ it to get real piece of work done . I envisage that for many mass , it could process as the only estimator they demand .
