What I Regret About Going iPad-Only (After 714 Days)
Here's what I've learned over the course of two years
714 days ago, I removed the packaging and opened the box.
And there it was: a new jacket for winter.
A few hours later, I took my iPad out of the box, scanned my face, and allowed Apple to access every detail of my personal life.
Around the same time, I also opened my Apple Pencil and almost immediately failed at an attempted pen spin. My Magic Keyboard would arrive a few days later.
In hindsight, opting for an iPad was a risky decision. I was in love with the novelty of the iPad and the technology behind it, but I also knew the iPad couldn’t come close to a Mac in terms of software.
Here are some of my regrets about going iPad-only:
The Stress
By relying on just an iPad, there’s a constant source of stress: will it work?
With a traditional laptop (like a MacBook Air or a Dell XPS), you can be confident that any software you need will work. Any website you need will work.
Because if it doesn’t, many students/members of your group won’t be able to properly use the website.
But since the iPad-only “lifestyle” is incredibly rare, many websites aren’t optimized for iPads.
Here are a few examples I can think of:
In my college-level math course, matrices can’t be typed in on the online homework assignment system. That’s pretty important considering that the course I’m taking is Linear Algebra/Differential Equations
When registering for a scholarship system at school, I was having difficulty logging in while other students had already finished because the iPad kept glitching out
Some WordPress extensions don’t work on my iPad. When I was working on my personal website and my nonprofit marketing project’s website, that created a couple problems.
At home and during distance learning, this wasn’t an issue - I (thankfully) have access to a capable computer.
When I go to college, however, I’ll have to get a computer (pretty important considering that I want to major in computer science). That sucks, but it is what it is.
Chrome Extensions
This is a niche issue, but you only notice it once you miss out on a cool app.
Obviously, the lack of Chrome extensions on iPadOS restricts the software you can run. Nowadays, though, many Chrome extensions have alternatives or even alternate versions as iPad apps.
However, there are some that are yet to make the change or don’t feel that the change is necessary.
Here are two situations where I’ve faced this issue:
In debate, gathering evidence (especially in my category) is crucial. There is a popular debate software available to help with this process, but it’s only available as a Chrome extension.
As a side project a few months ago, I was taking a look at crypto. I was creating NFTs and crypto tokens. However, the crypto wallet app I used was only available on Chrome (technically there was an iPad version, but the app is almost unusable). That meant I couldn’t access my account outside of my house.
With the introduction and success of Safari extensions, I hope that Chrome extensions become a reality in the near future.
Desktop Software
This is probably the stereotypical answer to “what do I regret about going iPad-only” - the lack of desktop software makes things tough.
Thankfully, most desktop apps do have alternatives on iPadOS.
In my journey of learning how to code, that basically describes the situation for me. Using websites like Codewars and apps like Carnets, I’ve been able to make my own learning environment.
At the same time, though, I’d love to have easy access to proper desktop apps to build cool and interesting projects.
Multitasking
This is another common response - while multitasking has vastly improved, it’s nowhere near traditional laptops.
With the introduction of iPadOS 16, there was a chance that this could be fixed: Stage Manager and external monitor support seemingly offered a look at genuine multitasking.
So far, however, this has failed for two reasons:
Thankfully, Apple has opened up Stage Manager to older iPad Pros. However, external monitor support is only restricted to the M1 iPads (my 2020 iPad Pro isn’t eligible)
Stage Manager, according to other reviewers (I don’t have the beta and thus haven’t personally experienced it), seems to have failed. Sources: MacRumors, The Verge, and Bloomberg
Stage Manager was a good try, but it wasn’t what we needed. Hopefully iPadOS 17 (or even future iPadOS 16 releases) will bring better multitasking to iPads.
Why I Still Prefer The iPad
I’m not sure how to describe the feeling.
When I use a traditional laptop, I feel like doing work. But when I use an iPad, I feel like creating.
Taking notes on a Mac is generally boring. Taking notes on an iPad is at least engaging, if not fun.
Writing on a Mac is generally boring. Writing on an iPad feels more interactive and less boring.
The pattern continues across most fields.
Even when I’m coding, being able to sketch out programming problems in GoodNotes feels way more fun and engaging than mindlessly typing words on a computer.
The iPad inspires me to create. And that’s what I love about it.
Final Thoughts
“The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, to be able to get the best of both” - Steve Jobs
Thanks for reading!
Adi
Really enjoyed the Steve Jobs quote “intersection of technology and liberal arts!”