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Can You Use iPad as Your ONLY Computer?

10:29 video

I get a lot of questions from YouTube, friends and family about whether an iPad will work as a main computer. I ask what they use their computer for, so let’s break down what most people need and whether the iPad can be their only computer. I’ve used my iPad for just about everything over the last two years because of its versatility as a touch tablet that can become a workstation with a mouse and keyboard. People complained from the start that it was a content consumption device, and I’d agree, but over the last five years there’s been a dramatic shift.

A keyboard

The most important thing is a keyboard: any keyboard case or Bluetooth keyboard exponentially increases your ability to type long messages and documents. I prefer the iPad Magic Keyboard, a dock-like desktop experience with a great backlit keyboard, a smooth trackpad and adjustable viewing angles. For apps updated for the full keyboard and trackpad or mouse, there’s a new level of precision and productivity. This isn’t limited to the iPad Pro: there are many keyboard options for iPads of all sizes, and most Bluetooth keyboards and mice work fine.

Web browsing

Most people would say browsing is the main thing. iPad has Safari, and iPadOS 13 brought a much closer desktop-class experience by showing desktop sites by default, taking advantage of the bigger display with more content and columns. Reader view works as on a Mac. You can have as many tabs open as you want and arrange them, and finally, favicons on tabs (the best way to find the tab you want). You can have two Safari windows side by side for comparison shopping (“which overhead camera rig to buy… hypothetically”).

I use Amazon on the web rather than the app, because with the changes in Safari since iPadOS 13, the website works better and more consistently in most cases. That goes for Home Depot, Apple, YouTube and Twitter too: they run better and offer more features than the apps, I don’t fill my storage with apps and I don’t need the extra notifications. Safari also has a download manager with history, and you can upload files from the Files app (not just Photos), download files of any type, and upload things like a resume or documents for your bank.

Email and social

A close second. You can use social apps or the websites in Safari, and the built-in email client works well. With an iPad and a keyboard, I can crank out email responses and weed out the junk as fast as on a Mac or PC.

Documents

Word processing, notes and spreadsheets: Apple’s iWork apps (Pages, Numbers) and Apple Notes sync with iCloud and are updated for mouse support. Google Docs and Microsoft Office apps had issues with mouse support (Microsoft had started beta testing it), but Google Docs in Safari has full mouse functionality, and both sync with Google Drive or OneDrive.

File management isn’t great (a complaint I’ve heard from others and myself), but it’s usable: most apps save to their cloud location, but you can save locally, create folders in the Files app and save from any app, and add cloud services to the sidebar (menu > Edit Sidebar). For PDFs, there’s Acrobat Reader and Adobe Fill & Sign, which I use for work: I send a time sheet from email to Fill & Sign, add my signature and send it back, far faster than PDF software on a PC.

Printing and scanning

Print with any AirPrint printer or a shared network printer. To scan, Microsoft Office Lens lines up a photo and cleans and straightens it into a presentable document.

Photos

I use Google Photos instead of Apple Photos: it hits my requirements for syncing, editing and sharing. Photos from my iPhone upload automatically and are available everywhere quickly. I have over 56,000 photos in it and use shared albums with friends and family for holidays and parties. To get photos from a non-smartphone camera: an iPad Pro with USB-C can connect the camera directly by USB cable; an iPad with Lightning can use the Apple USB3 camera adapter; or use a USB-C SD card reader (like a CoCaCka one), or the camera apps for wireless transfer. The caveat: you import to Apple Photos first, then Google Photos backs up the camera roll. I keep iCloud Photos disabled and use Free Up Space after everything is backed up to Google.

Entertainment

What the iPad was built for: YouTube, Netflix, casual games (a little $5 Apple Arcade subscription) and not-so-casual ones like Modern Combat 5, plus live TV from AT&T TV Now or YouTube TV. The Retina screen and decent speakers make it great from the couch to the kitchen counter to an airplane (“some day”), and a simple folding case props it up almost anywhere.

Verdict

That isn’t exhaustive, but it covers what most people use a computer for, and tens of thousands of apps let the iPad help you learn, work and create almost anything, from video editing and graphic arts to learning languages and flying a plane. In my experience, the iPad CAN be your only computer. Like switching from PC to Mac, it can be daunting as you learn new ways to do things, but eventually you just use it. For me, the massive changes in Safari let me make the iPad my only computer if I want; I switch all the time because I’m crazy. Are there workflows you absolutely can’t move to the iPad? If you made the jump, what’s the best thing? See my video on how Safari makes the iPad more like a laptop.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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