Taking the plunge and going all in on iPad Pro.

[Jaidyn Belbin]

So, as the title suggests, I'm finally doing something I've wanted to try for ages. Ditch my MacBook Pro and see if I can go entirely iPad. I watched the WWDC keynote with great excitement, and bought the 10.5 inch a day after it was released with the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, and have hardly used my Mac at all since. The only tricky thing will be software development, as I sometimes mess around in XCode, but if it becomes critical I'm planning on falling back to a new iMac (which would be better for that anyway). Disclaimer, I am a student currently, so my use case will probably be way different to "professionals", but it'll be an interesting experience nevertheless. One great thing has been the ability to digitise all of my notebooks and uni resources, which has been fantastic.

Has anyone else done this or is wanting to? Share your experiences!

JB

 

[Just_Me_D]

I purchased my 9.7” iPad Pro as a replacement for my early 2009 model MacBook, and it has worked out great for me. I still used my MacBook for doing a clean install of iOS and for the occasional iTunes backup, but that’s about it.

 

[anon(50597)]

I purchased my 9.7” iPad Pro as a replacement for my early 2009 model MacBook, and it has worked out great for me. I still used my MacBook for doing a clean install of iOS and for the occasional iTunes backup, but that’s about it.

So your 2009 model is still going strong?

 

[Just_Me_D]

So your 2009 model is still going strong?

Oh heck no!...(laughing)....The display card is fried...Again...so I’ve been using an external monitor with it for quite some time. It was a PITA to replace the display card and I’m not wasting money or effort on doing it again. In fact, I threw away the old monitor prior to moving back to Orlando so my old MacBook is useless to me at this point. I do plan on replacing it soon with a new MBP, but it’s not a priority right now.

 

[anon(50597)]

Oh heck no!...(laughing)....The display card is fried...Again...so I’ve been using an external monitor with it for quite some time. It was a PITA to replace the display card and I’m not wasting money or effort on doing it again. In fact, I threw away the old monitor prior to moving back to Orlando so my old MacBook is useless to me at this point. I do plan on replacing it soon with a new MBP, but it’s not a priority right now.

Since I don't know much about these things....would a 2009 model updated with a new processor, hd and ram be worth it in 2017?

 

[Just_Me_D]

Since I don't know much about these things....would a 2009 model updated with a new processor, hd and ram be worth it in 2017?

I don’t think it can be updated with a new processor, and the most it can take in regard to RAM is 4 GBs of which it already has. Trust me, it has run its course, and I’ve gotten my money’s worth out it...

 

[anon(50597)]

I don’t think it can be updated with a new processor, and the most it can take in regard to RAM is 4 GBs of which it already has. Trust me, it has run its course, and I’ve gotten my money’s worth out it...

I'm thinking more about myself and learning from your experience. I have seen them for sale with 8gb ram and a 500gb hard drive. Also an updated processor (2.6 dual I believe). Then again, I just got an iPad Pro which is serving most of my current needs.

 

[Just_Me_D]

I'm thinking more about myself and learning from your experience. I have seen them for sale with 8gb ram and a 500gb hard drive. Also an updated processor (2.6 dual I believe). Then again, I just got an iPad Pro which is serving most of my current needs.

I’ve seen reports of similar builds, but I’m not putting money toward upgrading it. I prefer to just get a new MacBook Pro and not worry about it. Know what I mean? I upgraded the RAM from 2 to 4 GBs as well as replaced the display thingy, but that was a hassle that I prefer not to deal with again. It’s like trying to work on a newer model vehicle that require special tools....(laughing)

 

[anon(50597)]

I’ve seen reports of similar builds, but I’m not putting money toward upgrading it. I prefer to just get a new MacBook Pro and not worry about it. Know what I mean? I upgraded the RAM from 2 to 4 GBs as well as replaced the display thingy, but that was a hassle that I prefer not to deal with again. It’s like trying to work on a newer model vehicle that require special tools....(laughing)

Understood. I would never do anything like that either, leave it to the pros. That's why I figure if I can find one already done and save tons of money, it might be worth it for me. I'm not going to use it for business or anything like that.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Understood. I would never do anything like that either, leave it to the pros. That's why I figure if I can find one already done and save tons of money, it might be worth it for me. I'm not going to use it for business or anything like that.

I understand, and if you can find one of those spec’d out MacBooks at a cheap price, go for it...

 

[anon(50597)]

I understand, and if you can find one of those spec’d out MacBooks at a cheap price, go for it...

I may, I'm just trying to justify it.
Like I said, my Dell laptop running Windows 10 drives me nuts sometimes. I just want to do a rather simple thing and it ends up freezing or taking forever. I'm thinking of going all-in on Mac again after a long layoff.

 

[anony_mouse]

So, as the title suggests, I'm finally doing something I've wanted to try for ages. Ditch my MacBook Pro and see if I can go entirely iPad. I watched the WWDC keynote with great excitement, and bought the 10.5 inch a day after it was released with the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, and have hardly used my Mac at all since. The only tricky thing will be software development, as I sometimes mess around in XCode, but if it becomes critical I'm planning on falling back to a new iMac (which would be better for that anyway). Disclaimer, I am a student currently, so my use case will probably be way different to "professionals", but it'll be an interesting experience nevertheless. One great thing has been the ability to digitise all of my notebooks and uni resources, which has been fantastic.

Has anyone else done this or is wanting to? Share your experiences!

JB

Please post how you get on. I'm very interested to hear your experiences, especially what works well for you, what is tricky and what is impossible (if anything) about using the iPad to replace a laptop.

Thanks!

 

[anon(50597)]

Well, I pulled the trigger on a used 2012 i7 with 8gb ram and a 750gb hd. Should be here by Friday. This way I'm not out a huge amount of money.

 

[roystreet]

So, as the title suggests, I'm finally doing something I've wanted to try for ages. Ditch my MacBook Pro and see if I can go entirely iPad. I watched the WWDC keynote with great excitement, and bought the 10.5 inch a day after it was released with the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, and have hardly used my Mac at all since. The only tricky thing will be software development, as I sometimes mess around in XCode, but if it becomes critical I'm planning on falling back to a new iMac (which would be better for that anyway). Disclaimer, I am a student currently, so my use case will probably be way different to "professionals", but it'll be an interesting experience nevertheless. One great thing has been the ability to digitise all of my notebooks and uni resources, which has been fantastic.

Has anyone else done this or is wanting to? Share your experiences!

JB

I tried switching over from my existing Surface Pro 3 to the iPad Pro 9.7". I immediately bought the Pencil, but I had a real difficulty buying Apples 'Smart Keyboard'. I now have a Zagg keyboard/case and it's better. I almost exclusively use the iPad.

Although I have a MacBook Air which I have to use for some special (occasional) needs. I also use it to sync. I enjoy the convenience, long battery life, and the interface of the iPad. Plus iOS 11 is a HUGE Update for the iPad. It makes it worth switching.

I wouldn't ever go back to Windows or my Surface. The iPad Pro has a lot of power and is a pretty fluid experience. Plus, there are plenty of accessories for them available. The iOS ecosystem is, I believe, is the best out there. The iPad is the best, (my opinion) hybrid out there. It's no longer just a tablet for consumption.

I write word documents & use OneNote extensively. It allows me to write & draw on documents as well type in them. It works very well. Of course, word on the iPad doesn't have as much power or capability as the desktop version, but it does do what I need generally. It does perform quite well for image & video editing also. It's usually quicker & snappier than the Windows or Mac laptops I use

You probably made a great decision switching to the iPad Pro. I'm convinced, without a doubt, I made the best decision.

 

[Jaidyn Belbin]

I tried switching over from my existing Surface Pro 3 to the iPad Pro 9.7". I immediately bought the Pencil, but I had a real difficulty buying Apples 'Smart Keyboard'. I now have a Zagg keyboard/case and it's better. I almost exclusively use the iPad.

Although I have a MacBook Air which I have to use for some special (occasional) needs. I also use it to sync. I enjoy the convenience, long battery life, and the interface of the iPad. Plus iOS 11 is a HUGE Update for the iPad. It makes it worth switching.

I wouldn't ever go back to Windows or my Surface. The iPad Pro has a lot of power and is a pretty fluid experience. Plus, there are plenty of accessories for them available. The iOS ecosystem is, I believe, is the best out there. The iPad is the best, (my opinion) hybrid out there. It's no longer just a tablet for consumption.

I write word documents & use OneNote extensively. It allows me to write & draw on documents as well type in them. It works very well. Of course, word on the iPad doesn't have as much power or capability as the desktop version, but it does do what I need generally. It does perform quite well for image & video editing also. It's usually quicker & snappier than the Windows or Mac laptops I use

You probably made a great decision switching to the iPad Pro. I'm convinced, without a doubt, I made the best decision.

That's great to hear! Yeah, I'm always amazed at just how much it can do, especially when iOS 11 drops. You're certainly correct saying that iPad is no longer just a consumption device. Some of the professional apps are genuinely desktop class. And its speed blows me away too. The A10X chip is as fast (on Geekbench at least) as my 2016 MacBook Pro which I got rid of, which is unbelievable considering it's only 6.1mm thick, with no fans or anything. I can't wait to see what comes next.

One more thing, unlike the Mac, using an iPad is actually "fun". It's interesting and different to the classic computer, and I think that makes a big difference.

 

[roystreet]

Yeah, it’s like the best type of hybrid. I truly do enjoy using it. I love not having to go to my Surface or Mac. Well, actually I pretty much gave my wife my Surface Pro. I think more & more people are using the iPad as their main computer. I consider it a great long-term investment.

 

[KingBuick]

I might get the 10.5" Pro and use it to complement my 13" MacBook Pro with Retina Display early 2015 2.7ghz 128 GB. I can not see using it instead of the laptop.

 

[evanking527]

So, as the title suggests, I'm finally doing something I've wanted to try for ages. Ditch my MacBook Pro and see if I can go entirely iPad. I watched the WWDC keynote with great excitement, and bought the 10.5 inch a day after it was released with the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, and have hardly used my Mac at all since. The only tricky thing will be software development, as I sometimes mess around in XCode, but if it becomes critical I'm planning on falling back to a new iMac (which would be better for that anyway). Disclaimer, I am a student currently, so my use case will probably be way different to "professionals", but it'll be an interesting experience nevertheless. One great thing has been the ability to digitise all of my notebooks and uni resources, which has been fantastic.

Has anyone else done this or is wanting to? Share your experiences!

JB

I'm not sure how many professionals use Pro apps (and therefore need a Mac), but I think that it's a very niche thing, whereas there are many students of all kinds that could benefit from a portable and powerful device for their work, even more powerful and portable than a MacBook (in some cases). I may even say that any student who does not use XCode, Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro should get an iPad, since all the necessary Google and Microsoft software will allow them to complete their work and be compatible with most things for their classes.

 

[Jaidyn Belbin]

Well, it’s been 3 months now, and still going strong. Haven’t even noticed my Mac’s absence.

The release of iOS 11 was as great as I’d hoped, and definitely makes using iPad way better. The ability to have 3 apps on the screen at once is amazing (4 if you include a PiP video). I’ve heard a few stories about people experiencing bugs with iOS 11, but so far, I haven’t encountered any (that I’ve noticed). Battery life is still fantastic, I end up with ~40% at the end of a day of pretty solid use, although I’m not a power-user, so that’d obviously vary. It’s crazy fast, and I still haven’t gotten over how nice the screen is.

As far as accessories go, the Smart Keyboard is still performing nicely. I’ve actually spilt water AND coffee over it, and there still aren’t any visible stains, so that’s good. The keys are still great, although I’m one of the people who loved the flat MacBook keyboard, and I know that’s pretty divisive, so again that’s a personal preference. I’ve only really used the Pencil for writing (I’m not much of an artist haha), and I haven’t noticed any troubles with the original nib, even with pretty regular use (a few hours every day or so).

Unfortunately, the uni degree I’ve enrolled in requires some specialist software, specifically Matlab, so a Mac will be necessary, but for everything else, I can still see myself defaulting to my iPad. At least I won’t have to carry any paper!

J

 

[Atindra_Shukla]

Well, it’s been 3 months now, and still going strong. Haven’t even noticed my Mac’s absence.



The release of iOS 11 was as great as I’d hoped, and definitely makes using iPad way better. The ability to have 3 apps on the screen at once is amazing (4 if you include a PiP video). I’ve heard a few stories about people experiencing bugs with iOS 11, but so far, I haven’t encountered any (that I’ve noticed). Battery life is still fantastic, I end up with ~40% at the end of a day of pretty solid use, although I’m not a power-user, so that’d obviously vary. It’s crazy fast, and I still haven’t gotten over how nice the screen is.

As far as accessories go, the Smart Keyboard is still performing nicely. I’ve actually spilt water AND coffee over it, and there still aren’t any visible stains, so that’s good. The keys are still great, although I’m one of the people who loved the flat MacBook keyboard, and I know that’s pretty divisive, so again that’s a personal preference. I’ve only really used the Pencil for writing (I’m not much of an artist haha), and I haven’t noticed any troubles with the original nib, even with pretty regular use (a few hours every day or so).

Unfortunately, the uni degree I’ve enrolled in requires some specialist software, specifically Matlab, so a Mac will be necessary, but for everything else, I can still see myself defaulting to my iPad. At least I won’t have to carry any paper!

J

I too am using iPad Pro 10.5 inch as my main computer and replaced the laptop totally. However I do use a windows PC at my office and at home.
Plus I have started editing my DSLR photos using iPad with snapseed and LR. Overall a great experience.

Atindra