You are considering an iPad as an alternative to a laptop. Should you do it? Lets get into it.

If I had to purchase an iPad as a laptop replacement, I would purchase the most powerful model: iPad Pro 12.9 Inch with the folio keyboard. I would also purchase the sleek and powerful hyperdrive dongle. We are talking upwards of $1500 dollars in cost. That said, the entry model iPads are still compelling choices for laptop replacement. Everything that I will be discussing below applies to all current iPad models.

Before he died, Steve Jobs shared a metaphor about his thoughts on the future of laptops and mobile devices.  To paraphrase, he said:

With respect to the way that consumers purchase devices, laptops and desktops are going to become more and more like trucks. Mobile devices like phones and tablets are going to be like cars.

It’s an SUV

There are more car drivers than truck drivers. Trucks are specialized vehicles designed for specific tasks.  To add on to Steve’s metaphor, the iPad Pro fits in-between the car and the truck. It’s an SUV, more utility than a car (phone) but definitely NOT a truck (laptop).

When the iPad was first released in 2010, it was basically a large iPod touch. It lacked; multitasking capabilities, file management, mouse support, and external memory/data transfer capabilities. These were huge feature deficits that kept the iPad in an awkward position.

Late-Bloomer

Fast forward, it has been 10 years since its release and the iPad took the long rout to maturity.  It has finally become a computing device in its own lane minus the feature deficits of the past. Notice I didn’t say laptop. It’s still not a laptop. The iPad is an alternative computing device that offers its own unique experience. This unique experience is mainly thanks to Apple’s App Store. This is the one area where no device can compete. The App Store boast the most polished and sophisticated applications built around a multi-touch interface. According to the Motley Fool, in 2019, the Apple App Store reported $14 Billion in revenue compared to the google play stores: $7 Billion. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS only holds 13 percent of the market share for mobile devices compared to Android’s 87 percent.

Let’s get back to you.

Who are you? Let’s create 2 profiles:

Sarah

Sarah is a college student majoring in business management. Her classes require her to take notes, write papers, check email, join zoom conferences, and print documents to hand in during class. Most importantly, she needs access to the Microsoft Office Suite. She needs to be able to review and edit documents from fellow class members during group projects. She needs to be able to create various folders for each of her courses to stay organized. I would recommend an iPad to this individual. She will be able to complete all of these tasks and enjoy the portability of the iPad along with Apples’ vast app library.  

James

James is a college student majoring in graphic design and photography. He will probably require all the features mentioned in Sarah’s profile. In addition, He will need to use desktop specific software such as photoshop, indesign, lightroom, and illustrator. While there are iPad versions of the previously mentioned applications, they are not as powerful as the desktop versions. In addition, his professors and instructors are probably going to require the specific use of the desktop versions to complete assignments. I would not recommend an iPad to James as a laptop replacement. His major and future occupation relies on the heavy utilization of desktop specific applications. 

Time to wrap this up:

When Sara graduates to become a lawyer, doctor, office manager, soccer mom, or the first women president of the United States, the iPad will serve her well. She doesn’t need to use desktop specific software to accomplish her tasks.

When James graduates to become a photographer, graphic designer, web designer, app designer, art director, video editor, or audio engineer,  he will be tempted to purchase an iPad Pro because it can do all of the above. He’ll probably buy an iPad one day…  But there will still be an irreplaceable laptop or desktop computer in his life.