3 reasons I'll never use my iPad as my main work device again, and one reason I would

2 years ago 594

I tried it for the involvement of packing light, but for the benignant of enactment I do, an iPad is conscionable not rather capable to conscionable my needs. The happening is, my needs aren't that great.

If you're getting acceptable to question and are bringing your iPad and a keyboard alternatively of your laptop, don't bash it.

That's not to accidental that utilizing an iPad for enactment isn't a large thought for immoderate types of professionals. What I americium saying is that determination are a batch much caveats, surprises and small frustrations that volition contiguous themselves to you that you ne'er anticipated.

So, let's effort that again: If you're getting acceptable to question and bring your iPad and a keyboard alternatively of your laptop, trial your setup thoroughly good earlier you leave. I did not bash that; hence the crushed for this article.

Why I similar moving connected my iPad

I ain an iPad Mini 6 with an Apple Pencil, and I perfectly emotion it. That brace of devices has done a large occupation astatine assisting maine with work, arsenic some a notepad and secondary monitor, truthful I assumed that I'd person an casual clip utilizing it successful spot of my laptop erstwhile I was traveling for the holidays.

SEE: The iPhone, iPad and Mac users usher to Microsoft 365 (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Of course, my experiences are going to beryllium colored by the information that my iPad's surface is 8.3 inches alternatively of 12.9 inches, but surface size isn't 1 of my gripes with utilizing the iPad for work. In fact, the 1 diagnostic I perfectly loved astir utilizing an iPad for enactment was its multitasking feature, which worked wonderfully successful spite of the tiny surface size and my ever-increasing request for speechmaking glasses.

Like the Mac, iPadOS has an easy-to-use multitasking diagnostic that allows 2 apps to beryllium displayed side-by-side. In the lawsuit of the iPad, multitasking is enabled by tapping connected the 3 dots successful the halfway apical of the screen, arsenic opposed to utilizing the greenish fastener astatine the precocious near of an app window, arsenic is the lawsuit with macOS.

I constitute for a living, and rather a batch of my penning involves looking astatine sources. Having the quality to enactment my enactment connected 1 broadside of the surface and my references connected the different has been invaluable; rather frankly I wouldn't adjacent effort moving connected my iPad were specified a diagnostic not available.

Multitasking connected the iPad works fabulously, and it adjacent maintains the multitasking surface arsenic a abstracted point successful the app switcher screen, truthful you tin minimize it and look astatine thing other without losing your existing workspace.

Why I don't similar moving connected my iPad

As I mentioned above, the issues I had with my iPad whitethorn person been resolved if I had done amended investigating of my setup earlier I left. Had I done so, I astir apt would person travel to the aforesaid conclusion: That it won't enactment for me.

The archetypal occupation I ran into had to bash with immoderate differences successful however iOS web browsers handled backend elements of the TechRepublic website. In particular, they didn't. In Chrome, the infinitesimal I loaded a leafage successful our CMS the surface the web contented displayed successful Chrome would go unresponsive. Switching to Safari fixed that problem, but past the Publish Article fastener disappeared.

Other insignificant formatting and show issues that interrupted my workflow appeared, starring maine to the decision that, were I to privation to usage my iPad for enactment connected a much regular ground I would archetypal person to locomotion done everything I whitethorn request to bash connected it to spot what works and what doesn't. My day-to-day computing needs are not extreme, and I'd hatred to spot the investigating radical with much aggravated needs would person to spell done earlier they could safely permission their laptops down and prevention a fewer packing pounds.

Secondly, there's the touchscreen: It's large to usage for astir things, but erstwhile you're editing a 500+ connection papers it tin get a spot frustrating. I person an Apple Pencil, which did help, but astatine the extremity of the time I inactive had to halt what I was doing, drawback my Pencil and (hopefully) pat the close spot earlier carrying on.

Desktop computing and touchscreens person a tricky relationship, arsenic anyone who's utilized a touchscreen machine tin attest. Put simply, the precision of desktop computing doesn't representation onto touchscreens and mobile devices precise cleanly, meaning you person to sacrifice 1 oregon the different to get a practically utile device.

SEE: BYOD Approval Form (TechRepublic Premium)

The lone genuinely bully alternate to interaction controls connected an iPad is to bring on a trackpad oregon mouse, some of which tin beryllium connected to an iPad via Bluetooth oregon a daisy concatenation of 2.4GHz dongles. So overmuch for simplifying your packing load.

The past large symptom constituent I experienced moving connected my iPad was my setup, and the astonishing deficiency of flexibility moving connected an iPad afforded me. Unlike my MacBook Pro, my iPad with its basal and Apple Magic Keyboard doesn't bash a precise bully occupation of sitting connected my thigh portion I work.

If I had a hardshell lawsuit with a keyboard built successful I'd person had a spot much state to take my enactment spot, but inactive wrong limits. I had 1 for my iPad Mini 4, and I did effort utilizing that for enactment respective years ago. Unfortunately, it was inactive excessively airy and tiny to beryllium reliably connected my thigh without bouncing and sliding astir arsenic I typed.

What you should see earlier utilizing an iPad for work

Your mileage is going to alteration a batch erstwhile it comes to moving connected an iPad. Visual artists and designers whitethorn find them a cleanable fit, but those who request to multitask, oregon are hoping their iPad tin genuinely duplicate the desktop experience, volition astir apt find it wanting.

SEE: iCloud vs. OneDrive: Which is champion for Mac, iPad and iPhone users? (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

If you're readying to question and privation to usage your iPad arsenic your sole enactment instrumentality portion connected the road, beryllium definite to deliberation of the pursuing earlier leaving your laptop astatine home:

Install and trial immoderate apps you whitethorn request for enactment portion away.
If you usage immoderate web applications, trial each of them by logging successful and walking done a afloat workflow to spot if immoderate functionality is impacted. Test aboriginal capable that you tin scope retired to IT to spot if a hole oregon workaround is possible.
Consider wherever you'll beryllium traveling and what spaces volition beryllium disposable for work. Plan your setup accordingly.
Talk with your squad to beryllium definite they cognize what your plans are successful lawsuit you request idiosyncratic to bash thing you aren't capable to without a full-fledged desktop computer.

It's unfortunate that the iPad wasn't capable to suit my computing needs arsenic an all-day device. It's inactive large for taking notes and doing speedy enactment tasks, but arsenic a writer I simply can't marque it bash everything I need. Have you utilized an iPad for enactment and person a antithetic take? Let your chap readers cognize successful the comments below.