Day 2 & 3 Days 2 & 3 ended up being split between the iPad Pro and the MacBook Pro... That was not my intention, but as I cannot run Citrix on the iPad I had to use another device. The rest of the day comprised of Zoom meetings and webinars which the iPad Pro handled without any issue, however, that is expected out of any current device. The day did become more interesting with the introduction of Swift Playgrounds. I decided I wanted to learn Swift code so that one day I can give creating an iOS app a shot. The program works great on the MacBook Pro, and even has a lot of functionality for the Touch Bar, which I rarely use. The iPad app version of Playgrounds utilizes the same short cuts but they seem to be more optimized for the iPad than for the MacBook. I did enjoy working on the coding with the iPad. However, most likely in the future that will only be when I do not want to work in my office. And that is kind of a theme with the iPad. Which leads me to my conclusion. The iPad Pro is Great! I truly do love the device. I had some issues, like mouse controls, due to not being able to swift and use magic mouse gestures and the screen giving me some grief in while watching YouTube, but those are issues because I am not using the correct mouse for iPadOS and I am using a second generation iPad Pro. A new Magic Mouse and the newest iPad Pro would solve many of the little annoyances I ran into. But the biggest problem with daily driving an iPad Pro for me is that Apple has a great product line up that overlaps the need for the iPad Pro. Light use activities like email and media consumption (YouTube, Netflix,) and online shopping work so well on the iPhone that there is no need to get out the iPad Pro. The same is true on the other end. Creating Word documents, working in Canva, web design, and coding work so well on the MacBook Pro there is no reason to use a less powerful device with a smaller screen. The iPhone and the MacBook Pro meet each other in the middle and cut out the need for the iPad Pro. I struggle with is because I truly do like the iPad Pro and I think it is well on its way to becoming a true laptop replacement. If you have devices like an iPhone and a laptop or desktop then I am not sure where the iPad Pro fits into your life. It is a great device but it no longer has its niche. I believe that by turning the iPad Pro into a laptop has caused the iPad to lose its identity. But wait there is another device that Apple makes, which is rarely mentioned and might be the winning combo of power and portability. The iPad mini... I used to have an iPad mini, if anyone sees it let me know I lost it about a year or so ago. It was a first generation with LTE. I could see myself putting away my phone and using the iPad mini for everything except what I need to do on the MacBook Pro. the screen is slightly bigger, 7.9", than the iPhone XS Max's 6.5" display that I daily. But not cumbersome like the 12.9" iPad Pro, making it more portable and easy to pull out quickly and use. Could the device we all forgot about be the real winner in all of this going forward? Let us know your thoughts and experiences. What tech gets you through your day?
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Day one, the learning curveDay One. I woke up this morning and wondered if I could possibly train myself to only use my iPad Pro for the next few days. The idea seemed easy enough. Especially given that Apple in the recent months has touted the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement. Features like Bluetooth mouse support and a better file management system got me thinking that this may finally be a possibility. I have been trying to make this happen since I bought my first iPad mini about 7 years ago. A little background. The iPhone XS Max is my daily driver. It’s with me 24/7. I do almost all of my emails, web browsing and media consumption (YouTube & Netflix) on the iPhone. What I am unable to perform on the iPhone gets picked up by the 2019 15” MacBook Pro. I need to be able to run the full desktop versions of some programs, such as a virtual machine on Citrix. Between the iPhone and the MacBook Pro there is little need for the iPad Pro as it is halfway between each device. So there sits the 12.9” iPad Pro. I carry it with me everyday yet I rarely touch it and I feel guilty. So lets stretch its legs and see how far it can get us. I’m a trained seal. Right off the bat there is an obvious problem, the iPhone. It’s come a long way and has become such a versatile device that I instinctively reach for it without a thought. Even if I am sitting at the iPad Pro I still reach for the phone to respond. The phone is going to have to go into a drawer. Set up of the Magic Mouse was very easy as it is a Bluetooth device, and connects as such. Same with he Xbox controller and the Apple Pencil. All that was left to do was to download Microsoft Office and I was good to go and get started. First impressions. It will take some time to get use to not going for the iPhone and the MacBook. They do their jobs so well its hard to not want to use them. I can tell you that I am nowhere near as fast at multitasking as I am on the other devices. I typically run the MacBook with 2 additional monitors, so I am really scaling myself back but that’s okay as I need to focus on the iPad experience. I am happy to report that Word functions just like it should. That may be obvious to a lot of you but until I started working as a Compliance consultant with a boss that uses all Windows for work, I had been using Pages for the last 7 years. I will say this version of Word is scaled down to look and function much better on the iPad, much like Pages. I like it, so far no complaints. The multitasking gestures will take a bit to get used to. Using split screen to answer email and text pop ups is nice but I am constantly fumbling with getting the screens set up correctly without closing them on accident. Overall I am confident that this set up will fulfill most of my demands. Gaming. It was a long hard day at the office watching endless reviews on the Apple AirPods Pro so I needed to kick back and enjoy some gaming. Usually this means sitting in front of the tv playing Call of Duty or Forza on an Xbox One X. But I am even making the iPad Pro my go to gaming machine for the next couple of days. Fortunately Apple as introduced controller support for the iPad. Now I can play Call of Duty Mobile with the Xbox One controller. And because I am using an iPad Pro I can max out all the graphic settings and still have a fully playable experience. I also gave EA’s Real Racing 3 a go and it was a much improved experience over the screen and tilt controls. Overall a not fully console like experience but a lot of fun for a mobile device. Day one conclusion. Its going to take sometime to get used to. Most of you are not going to toss your iPhone in the drawer and carry around an almost 13” iPad all day, when most of what we do is scroll through Facebook and text. Don’t lie that’s mostly what you do on your phone. But I wanted this to be an extreme case, to really see the mileage you can get out of an iPad, a mouse and iPadOS. As with any tech your mileage may vary based on your specific needs. For a lot of consumers, like my wife, a standard iPad checks all of her boxes as she uses it for primary media consumption and social media. For others who need the high horsepower of a laptop or desktop an iPad Pro could be a more portable solution for on the go work. No matter where you fall on the scale Apple has done a fantastic job of creating a product line up that has a solution for everyone. Something we are seeing rivals like Microsoft trying to emulate with their Surface line up, if you can figure it out… It is almost as confusing as the Porsche 911 line up. |
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AuthorI am an everyday person who has a passion for technology. I am not a technology guru but rather a everyday user of technology. #techwithtyler is focused on technology that is used by everyday non tech people. I hope to pass along my knowledge to help you better live with and through todays technology. Archives
April 2020
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