What does iPad do? - Apple haters stay out

[Jones McCann]

I mainly use my iPad for writing with apple pencil or if I want to read something online with a larger screen. I'm an apple hater at heart but their software is top of the line compared to Android shit, especially when it comes to ux and accessibility controls. You can add voice controls that do swipes for you if you need that kind of thing, it's pretty comfy not having to manually scroll if you're reading something. Using a desktop is better but if you want to not sit at a desk all day or dont want to type it's very nice for that.

 

[Gar For Archer]

There are also more tablets from Samsung, Lenovo and even Nokia. Could they be good substitutes?

The best cheap iPad alternative is an older iPad. Contrary to popular belief, Apple has literally the best long-term software support in the industry, and their mobile chipsets are always hilariously overpowered for what an iPad actually does, which in effect translates to very good future-proofing. The oldest iPad supported by the latest OS was released 10 years ago. Compare this to Samsung Galaxy Tabs which can barely eke out 3 years of software support. My parents are still using iPads that were bought 7-8 years ago, and while the devices are starting to show their age, they’re still perfectly usable for the basic functionality you’d expect out of an iPad, e.g. a bigger screen to read, watch videos, and browse the web.

 

[Administrator Flotsam]

The best cheap iPad alternative is an older iPad. Contrary to popular belief, Apple has literally the best long-term software support in the industry, and their mobile chipsets are always hilariously overpowered for what an iPad actually does, which in effect translates to very good future-proofing. The oldest iPad supported by the latest OS was released 10 years ago.

That's my main worry though, even if the hardware is superior (which I acknowledge it is, they do design their own chips after all), will software be able to keep up when the iPad OS version changes? Some apps will probably support the older versions but isn't it true that there's no guarantee and that its possible to reach a state where the app won't open because of needing updates but those updates can't happen because the OS is too old? Or is that hyperbole?

Also, doesn't storage become a pain in the ass if you want to keep photos, videos, massive libraries of music and ebooks + more stuff (like justifiably pirated movies)?

 

[Gar For Archer]

That's my main worry though, even if the hardware is superior (which I acknowledge it is, they do design their own chips after all), will software be able to keep up when the iPad OS version changes? Some apps will probably support the older versions but isn't it true that there's no guarantee and that its possible to reach a state where the app won't open because of needing updates but those updates can't happen because the OS is too old? Or is that hyperbole?

As I said, the latest version of the OS is compatible with an iPad that was released in 2012. And with how retardedly overpowered their chips have gotten (along with software upgrades getting more and more incremental), that window is only going to get longer for newer iPads. App compatibility WILL eventually be an issue in the long long run, but any apps that run solely on the device (e.g. apps that aren’t just a facade for a web service) will continue to run just fine in perpetuity unless the dev went out of their way to be a dick and purposely gimp old versions.

Also, doesn't storage become a pain in the ass if you want to keep photos, videos, massive libraries of music and ebooks + more stuff (like justifiably pirated movies)?

Most if not all recently-released iPads have USB-C now, so they’re compatible with USB-C drives, and the built-in file manager is sufficient to copy files to your internal storage. Not as convenient as internal expandable storage, of course, but miles ahead of how things used to be.

 

[Merton J. Dingle]

If there's a mobile game that seems cool but seems like it would play better on a bigger screen, then use a tablet. If you want to read ebooks, then a tablet is king; tablets are also underrated, in my view, for reading text heavy pages on the web, like Wikipedia. If you want to sit in bed and watch videos on YouTube or some other video platform, then a tablet is probably more useful for that purpose than a phone. Really, I think it's a question of whether having a tablet can make the things that you're already doing easier in certain situations. And one doesn't necessarily need an iPad. The top tier Android tablets nowadays are quite good (like the Galaxy Tab series), and many even still have a microSD card slot.

 

[Almighty Space Duck]

One of my sisters makes extensive use of the document scanner feature built into Files + annotation with the pencil for her university work. She’s told me that just those features made the purchase worth it.
I use mine at work for taking notes in meetings and for scribbling jobs/ideas down. It’s nice not having a desk half covered in scraps of paper. At home I use it in place of my phone when I would want to quickly look something up while sat on the couch/browse the farms/watch YouTube. I’ve also used the LiDAR camera thing to take quick measurements of stuff. I thought that would never see use but it’s often easier to use that than go out to the shed looking for a tape measure. I’ve also made use of photoshop and lightroom to quickly try idea/mess about instead of getting my laptop out.
Home and Work uses/apps are separated using the focus modes.
I tried using Sidecar and while useful I find that I would rather be able to control the iPad as an iPad.

 

[Almighty Space Duck]

hey i gotta ask, are you an apple user by any chance? if so, what does it feel like to be an apple user and how expensive it is to buy apple products?

I am an Apple user. As for how it feels, they are really nice products to use. I think most will admit that Apple put a lot of effort into the user experience stuff. I certainly don’t fit the laptop caste / hipster demographic that are the stereotypical Apple user. For me it started with hand me down iPhones from my parents, the usual thing that one of them would get a new phone on upgrade so one of us would end up with the old one.
I picked up a Mac mini as a HTPC because I soured on windows after 10 and 11 is just awful. I’ve used Linux (Fedora and Debian) on laptops in the past and it was ok but fancied trying something new. There some quality of life stuff that I found really nifty, the shared clipboard and being able to migrate a safari session from one device to another is amazing.
When it came to buying a new laptop I was already set to spend big on it so treated myself to a MacBook Pro since I wanted the nicer screen (which is probably the nicest screen on anything I’ve ever used). It’s total overkill for editing my photos, messing about in photoshop, play the odd game plus standard email/browsing but the 15 inch Mac air wasn’t a thing when I got it.
The iPad is an iPad Pro and is again overkill. I got this on holiday in Japan, I decided I would get myself an iPad Air but with the tourist discount, visa discount golden week discount and the exchange rate I had in my card made it the same as the Air I had planned to get so decided to treat myself to the better screen/refresh rate.
I cannot overstate how friendly macOS is to use, it used to be that I had all the time in the world to fuck about with computers but now I just can’t be arsed. I want things to work and not get in my way when I want to do stuff.
Cost? Yeah they’re expensive. £800 on that Mac mini, £3500 on the MacBook and £600ish on the iPad.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Cost? Yeah they’re expensive. £800 on that Mac mini, £3500 on the MacBook and £600ish on the iPad.

This is what keeps me from Apple other than just the cringe of every one thinking you're laptop caste; cost. For 600 bucks, I can buy a solid pistol or shotgun, multiple android tablets, a new Xbox or PS5, about half the parts to my plans for a PC, etc, the list goes on. All for a tablet that admittedly draws well

 

[asr]

iPads are useful if you're running through lots of papers and like to annotate by hand (think like doing a literature review) and in the same train of thought, is also the most polished experience I've had in terms of digital handwriting for notes. There a real benefit in being able to take copious amounts of notes, all on that device and export as a pdf to reference later when reviewing. the drawing is useful too with molecules, anatomy, physiology, pathways, etc. I am not gonna be autistic and type all that shit out and use Latex when I don't need to.