Can an Ipad replace a Laptop?

[Doug]

I have a Toshiba laptop I use mainly for web browsing, word processing, and picture storage.
The hinge is messed up and I can't close it anymore. Could I replace it with an Ipad with 64 gig storage and do most of what I'm doing now? I have found an external storage device for Ipads that will hold 500 gigs, so I think long term storage would be adequate.

I really don't like the idea of having to pay an annual fee to use Microsoft; should I skip the Ipad and switch to an Apple laptop?

Tell me your experiences and opinions, please.

 

[HoughMade]

I have essentially used an iPad to replace a laptop for years. I have a computer at work for heavy duty stuff and computers at home as well, but the iPad (with a Zagg keyboard) is all I ever use for portable computing which includes, like you mentioned, web browsing and light word processing. I even use it to store huge amount of medical records for cases to use in depositions and hooking it up via HDMI for courtroom use with exhibits.

 

[Doug]

What model Ipad do you have? How much space do the Apps take? Any difficulty shifting from Microsoft word?
I would plan to get a keyboard.

 

[chezuki]

iPad is great for browsing, but IMO not for much real word processing, even with a keyboard. Also, you can purchase Office 2010 outright pretty reasonably and skip the monthly crap.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I have an Ipad and do most everything I want to from it. But it's no computer. There are word processing apps you can get and me, being a cheapskate, have only tried the free or really cheap ones, and not having a mouse is a PIA! (I don't know if they make mouses for Ipads BTW). You'll also want to get one of those bluetooth connected keyboards. Using the keyboard on the touch screen will get you by but it's not very fast/efficient. We still keep a computer around for that stuff that just doesn't work very well on Ipads.

 

[HoughMade]

What model Ipad do you have? How much space do the Apps take? Any difficulty shifting from Microsoft word?
I would plan to get a keyboard.

iPad 4th generation, wifi only. I have a 32gb, but I don't store media on it to speak of. I use pages for word processing and it is pretty intuitive. Documents can be exported in Word format. I don't know what space is taken up by apps vs. documents.

Like I said, I still have a computer at work (ironically, a laptop that hasn't been off the dock for 2 years), as well as a desktop and laptop at home.

 

[Doug]

Has anybody switched from a Windows PC to an Apple? How hard was the transition? Any Apple users have any comments?

 

[iChokePeople]

If you really, really want to, you can also run Word on the iPad. But I don't know why you'd want to.

Will it replace a laptop? Depends on your needs. If you're primarily a "consumer" of information, probably yes. If you're a creator of information, probably no.

 

[iChokePeople]

Has anybody switched from a Windows PC to an Apple? How hard was the transition? Any Apple users have any comments?

Lots. There's a learning curve, but I'll bet you'll be glad you switched and never want to touch another PC.

 

[WebSnyper]

I have a Toshiba laptop I use mainly for web browsing, word processing, and picture storage.
The hinge is messed up and I can't close it anymore. Could I replace it with an Ipad with 64 gig storage and do most of what I'm doing now? I have found an external storage device for Ipads that will hold 500 gigs, so I think long term storage would be adequate.

I really don't like the idea of having to pay an annual fee to use Microsoft; should I skip the Ipad and switch to an Apple laptop?

Tell me your experiences and opinions, please.

What annual fee are you talking about? You can get multiple flavors of office that you can get that are not an annual subscription.

Also, on some of the Office 365 versions which are subscription based, you can install on up to 5 machines, etc so it may be the better deal if you had multiple machines.

Compare Microsoft Office Versions - Microsoft Store

That Apple laptop will cost you quite a bit more than a PC.

What model Ipad do you have? How much space do the Apps take? Any difficulty shifting from Microsoft word?
I would plan to get a keyboard.

Why would you need to shift from Word?

https://blogs.office.com/2014/03/27/announcing-the-office-you-love-now-on-the-ipad/


Office is also available using the web version for free:

[url]https://products.office.com/en-US/office-online/documents-spreadsheets-presentations-office-online

[/URL]

 

[rw02kr43]

depends on what you're doing? For the most part yes. But for doing any real word processing, video editing, and to some extant basic internet then no. Many websites still just don't work right on an ipad. Clicking links and stuff like that. We've been ipad only for about 2 years now. It's annoying having to wait to get on a real computer to unload a camera, or print something, or click a link that just doesn't work on an ipad.

Jason

 

[terrehautian]

For internet browsing, sure. I used it a lot when my laptop was slow with the old hard drive, but as soon as I put the solid state hard drive in my laptop, it is only about 15 seconds different from the time I can use my ipad to the time I can use the laptop (laptop powered off to being usable is 20 seconds).

 

[jamil]

Has anybody switched from a Windows PC to an Apple? How hard was the transition? Any Apple users have any comments?

It's not hard. I've made the switch several years ago, first for work, and then over the years I eventually replaced my home PCs with macs. I did buy a Windows 8 laptop a couple of years ago to serve a specific need, but I rarely use that laptop anymore. It's been several months since I've switched it on.

The most painful part of transitioning was saying goodbye to a very large library of Windows programs collected over the years, and replacing the useful functions with new mac versions. I say "useful functions" because a lot of the software I had was utilities to help me back up and maintain Windows. OS X comes out of the box with most of that.

If you find some programs you just can't do without you can still run windows programs on Intel based mac hardware, but you still need windows to do it. You can duel boot OS X or Windows using bootcamp, or you can use a virtual machine like Parallels (not free) or Virtual Box (free).

It does take a bit of getting used to, but OS X is intuitive enough that it's pretty easy to figure out how to get things done.

Software you'll probably want to buy mac versions for, definitely office for mac. Also, os x comes with a file browser called Finder, but I've been a longtime user of a replacement called PathFinder. I just has a lot more features that I find useful than Finder has.

 

[CountryBoy19]

This question is highly subjective...For the tasks you mentioned yes, I think an ipad could replace a laptop but it won't work for everybody.

Example: My wife is a school teacher, she uses publisher, word, & pdf programs HEAVILY to create, view, modify, & print packets and learning aids for her class. There is no way an Ipad can compete with the processing power, ease of use, and versatility of a laptop in the way she uses it. And to have a high-power desktop + Ipad is more inconvenience that it's worth as she would have to continuously move files from one device to the other to ensure she always has the files she needs. That's not to mention that she wouldn't be able to take the high-power device with her if it were a desktop.

For that reason we run a Dell mobile work-station (really a high-power desktop packed into the package of a large laptop) with an Intel Core I7 processor and 8 GB of RAM (can accept up to 32 GB)... This computer can handle having numerous browser windows/tabs open at the same time she has several pdf docs open and is in the processing of completing multiple publisher/word projects...

And I can use it to do 3D CAD work (solid modeling, drawings, etc).

 

[mondomojo]

I suggest a chromebook as an alternative to the iPad or laptop. It has more functionality than an iPad, not nearly the steep investment of a laptop and there are free apps for just about anything you might need to do. Look at it as "laptop lite". Its also cheaper than an iPad or laptop and you don't need to learn a whole lot as it is similar enough to PC that you'll hardly notice after a while. A buddy of mine picked a nice one up on sale at Sam's club for about $250. Don't go for the cheapest you can get, as the specs can suck on those. Pick up a name brand you know like HP, Dell or Asus so that you don't get any surprises. While it doesn't have the bells and whistles of a laptop, IMO its a better alternative to an iPad. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mad Macs]

Ok, I've deployed THOUSANDS of ipads and can honestly say that they will not replace a laptop. They will do most of what a laptop does, but not 100%. There's no local filesystem to browse, the App support is good, but it's vastly different than using a computer.

iPads are great for what they are. If you really need a laptop but your budget sucks, get a Chromebook. If you are set on a Mac, get a Macbook Air as they are solid machines.

I personally use a 12" Macbook as my daily machine and love it. In fact I haven't used my iPad much since I've gotten the macbook.

 

[BugI02]

Has anybody switched from a Windows PC to an Apple? How hard was the transition? Any Apple users have any comments?

We switched in '08 because the wife is a graphic designer and it made her life much easier. I was DOS and windows since the command line days but had zero problems making the switch. They are very intuitive and, more importantly, very stable. You can flounder around learning your own way by trial and error and the things will virtually never lock up or crash. They have TRUE plug and play, something I don't feel MS ever got right. My theory of PCs up through Windows7/Vista was that for each additional window you had open you exponentially increased the likelihood of a crash. Nothing of the sort with the Mac. I have never regretted the switch.

 

[Hardscrable]

Has anybody switched from a Windows PC to an Apple? How hard was the transition? Any Apple users have any comments?

First, I am not a big time user. My wife uses a computer & phone for 8 hours a day and tries to avoid them as much as possible at home. I was trained with punch card systems in 1970. First PC was DOS system. Went to Windows in the 90's. Needed a new home PC in 2005 or 2006. One son was a huge Mac fan/user and bought me a mini-Mac for Christmas. I wasn't happy about switching at that time. Transition was not bad. Fast forward to today & our home ( wife & myself ) now has 2 iPhones, 2 iPads, & a desk top iMac. Today I would not consider ever owning anything else but Mac.

 

[jamil]

First, I am not a big time user. My wife uses a computer & phone for 8 hours a day and tries to avoid them as much as possible at home. I was trained with punch card systems in 1970. First PC was DOS system. Went to Windows in the 90's. Needed a new home PC in 2005 or 2006. One son was a huge Mac fan/user and bought me a mini-Mac for Christmas. I wasn't happy about switching at that time. Transition was not bad. Fast forward to today & our home ( wife & myself ) now has 2 iPhones, 2 iPads, & a desk top iMac. Today I would not consider ever owning anything else but Mac.

With the latest generations of MBP's, and the release of Mavericks, Apple is putting chinks in the armor of my loyalty. I am still a loyal mac guy, and not much would make me want to switch to Windows. But Apple pisses me off sometimes.

I WANT to be able to upgrade my hard drive and RAM myself without voiding the warranty and buying special tools.

And about Mavericks, I'm going to say something that I'm sure no one has ever said about any Windows release. The OS X UI is done. It's been pretty much done for the last couple of releases. Short of a complete rethinking of the UI I see nothing they can do to improve on the UI since Lion. I see the UI changes with Mavericks as completely unnecessary and mostly inconvenient. For example, when I click what used to be the (+) button, I just want the window to maximize. I DON'T WANT FULL SCREEN MODE!!!

Either get on with OS XI, or leave the OS X user interface the **** alone.

 

[Tanfodude]

I use a Surface tablet and it has a usb, so it has replaced the laptop for basic use since it comes with office package. But not for gaming. Stick with windows if you're into gaming.