10 ms·

A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

binaryapparatus 10y ago
Decent writer looks for a niche that's not occupied and says 'hey this will do'. Then tries to convince us it is all well. It is not -- the emperor is naked. I like how Federico does his job but I really don't like 'lets pretend iPad can replace proper computer' approach. Matt Gemmell took the same path recently and it won't end well too.
- msh 10y ago
  Why not? It will not work for everyone but I think it will for a lot of people.
  - swiley 10y ago
    As much as I dislike the iPad there are some people that it is truly better. We tried giving my 90 year old great grandmother a windows 98 machine a looong time ago so she could send email with us but she really couldn't figure it out. We got her an iPad the other year and while she has ended up with it stuck in airplane mode (and a number of other similar problems) a number of times, she now functions with it. (we think this is important because she lives by herself now and still refuses to move down with us.)
- stinos 10y ago
  I don't know, I kinda like he took a powerful tablet then added enough hardware to make it more computer-like. Never owned an iPad but this looks somewhat appealing (though overpriced) if I'd have the same use for it as the OP. I don't so I'll likely never buy such thing and rather stick with actual computers but still it looks for it works out well and probably 'will do' just fine.
- ebbv 10y ago
  This is my biggest problem. This article is a really long tutorial on how to make an iPad sorta kinda do the things my Mac already does out of the box. Why? There's never a convincing argument why I would want to do this.
  - dasil003 10y ago
    The argument is more app innovation is happening on mobile apps than PCs these days, and the simpler paradigm allows for more concise workflows and you can do a good deal more of your stuff just carrying around a iPad or even from your phone than you can when living in a MacOS world. HN is probably the wrong audience because windows and filesystems are uniquely well suited abstractions for developers who have umpteen workflows and use cases of significant complexity. However observing how huge an improvement an iPad is for my joe-sixpack relatives, I think it's worth exploring the idea of how far can iOS can be taken by power users. I certainly think it could feasibly meet the needs of specific creative professionals like writers, designers or video editors.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    >Why? There's never a convincing argument why I would want to do this. Lighter. Longer lasting battery. Dead easy app management. No "blue screens". Apps designed for direct manipulation. No configuration and maintenance hassle or sys-adminy stuff. Works great on a desk, on your lap, on a sofa, on the bed. But best of all: if you're a writer/journalist/etc, and mostly do writing, web, email, reading, IM, etc, it does all you need, and nothing you don't.
    - deleted 10y ago
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- deleted 10y ago
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- coldtea 10y ago
  Any particular sign that he's being deceptive, besides "that wont work for my workload"? >but I really don't like 'lets pretend iPad can replace proper computer' approach. Isn't that irrelevant personal preference? I like that approach, and it could have totally replaced "proper computer" for me (which it does) on trips and elsewhere away from work, if I wasn't also a programmer.
  - binaryapparatus 10y ago
    Key word is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance There is at least 80% chance that author decieves himself too. See file management and hardware sections and it should be obvious. In hardware section he buys razer keyboard case just to be able to use iPad more comfortably. See pictures there, if we don't know it is iPad it really looks like a proper laptop. Jumping trough hoops to make something work does not constitute 'iPad Pro is, by far, the best computer I've ever owned'.
    - coldtea 10y ago
      >See file management and hardware sections and it should be obvious. In hardware section he buys razer keyboard case just to be able to use iPad more comfortably. So? The idea behind using the iPad as your main computer is not "touch interaction for everything" but "I like the computing model" (self-contained apps that don't interact through a filesystem, no administration, etc). Obviously you can (and should) still use a keyboard for writing longer texts, a stylus for drawing, etc.
_Codemonkeyism 10y ago
I don't want to sound arrogant, but for everyone who used a ridiculously overpowered computer - 90% of people (?) - for surfing and using Word, yes the iPad Pro is fine - or even overpowered. Using it to develop Python looks intersting, I'd like to know more about what he does (I assume Python works fine, Webpack compile? How is the 'drive'?)
- duffn 10y ago
  I agree. It would be fine for the vast majority of people, but I can't ever see myself actually writing code on an iPad.
  - jaegerpicker 10y ago
    I write code on my on a daily basis. Coda, Swift Playgrounds, or Coda as my ssh client into a linux server and then emacs on the server. As a lightweight LTE capable environment, it's pretty amazing. It entirely depends on what you code but for web application or iOS dev it's pretty damn capable.
- rubyfan 10y ago
  Same. While it's near impossible these days to get many things done without an internet connection I usually like to have a full stack on localhost for convenience. I'm curious how anyone might meaningfully develop using the iPad Pro.
  - evgen 10y ago
    While I am not committed to it yet, I have found it pretty easy to move a lot of my development work to my iPad Air 2. Pythonista, Working Copy, and Textastic cover local dev/testing cycle, Blink lets me connect in to a mosh session on a cloud dev server, and with Screens I can VNC to my laptop sitting on my desk, etc. I still prefer my MBA for dedicated coding sessions, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how far you can get with just a tablet and bluetooth keyboard or keyboard case for the tablet.
- watersb 10y ago
reustle 10y ago
I've been trying to replace most of my daily (chrome-based) browser tasks from my macbook air to an ipad pro 12" for the past 2 weeks. Trying to do anything reasonable on safari/chrome for iOS is a pain in the ass, and is nowhere near desktop replacement level. I really wish it was, and I use "request desktop version" often, but even then so many sites are so broken. Safari mobile is just not ready for this "serious" work. We need a desktop-level browser on iOS.
- givinguflac 10y ago
  I'm genuinely curious as I've seen a few people say it but I've literally never experienced an issue that couldn't be solved by requesting the desktop version. Could you give an example of a broken site so I can check it out?
  - reustle 10y ago
    Upwork has been the biggest pain point for me so far. Try scrolling in the messages pages, for example. Also the padding/margins are totally wack so the text is glued up against the sides of the pages. Also enjoy the capcha every few minutes. Another site is Facebook (non-mobile site). Not a wonderful experience. Another one is my own little project, Amtrak.io. On my 13" macbook air the top 4 KPI boxes are in a row, but on the 12" ipad they are not, even though the resolutions are nearly the same. It seems to be sites who use media queries, as I read that ios safari reports to the DOM that's its physical screen size is actually actual-screen-size/2 which is silly and annoying.
wslh 10y ago
I can only think he is joking when he says he develops software using Python. Yes, you can connect to a remote computer via SSH or use a an unofficial (and non-free) Python port. Noawadays developing software also involves using IDEs... just in case the author forgot that part.
- falcolas 10y ago
  > Noawadays developing software also involves using IDEs Assuming your definition of IDE is limited to GUI applications, and assuming you speak for everyone. Since neither is true, developing code on the terminal on a remote server is very possible and even practical.
  - wslh 10y ago
    > and assuming you speak for everyone. The author is the one who speaks for everyone. I would like to use Xcode or Atom/Visual Studio Code. And... by definition when you work on a remote server you are not developing on the iPad!
    - ar0 10y ago
      > The author is the one who speaks for everyone. No, he doesn't. He speaks of his own experiences. In fact, he states as much very clearly in the introduction: "The Mac and the iPad can coexist in a market where customers believe one is superior to the other. I prefer working on the iPad; others like their Macs more. And that's fine[...]".
      - wslh 10y ago
        > He speaks of his own experiences. His experiences only work for a few people. For example, Node.js is one the top programming languages being used now, how do you develop with Node.js in the iPad Pro? Java? C/C++? Go?
        falcolas 10y ago
bluedino 10y ago
People were doing this with an iPad and the first SSH clients for iOS but it never caught on beyond "hey look at me"
- coldtea 10y ago
  Any hard numbers about this "never caught up"?
nunez 10y ago
I unsuccessfully tried using the iPad as a full-fledged computer for two months. It did not work out. Much of the web still assumes that you're using a mouse. You don't realize this until you try browsing the web with the iPad. Also, using SSH,even with Panic, was not as seamless as it seemed. There was much screen refreshing. I really missed having a mouse.
- berntb 10y ago
  >> Much of the web still assumes that you're using a mouse. Not everything is mobile friendly yet, but do you really meet many mobile unfriendly web sites? Most problems I have on phone/tablet are company internal products, where they literally designed the UI before the iPhone existed. I haven't tried those 2-apps-on-the-screen things with iPad Pro. Maybe it works well enough so I could work. Maybe.
  - chairmanwow 10y ago
    There are many, many subtle web interactions that happen on ':hover' when you are browsing the web. It can make new websites difficult to manage whenever you aren't quite sure what to do.
    - berntb 10y ago
      Of course. But my point was that most of the modern web seems to be mobile friendly or even "mobile first". (And hence not depend on effects being able to use effects like that).
    - givinguflac 10y ago
      I've never had an issue with hover interactions personally, but perhaps you use some website I don't visit. Hover text is available by long tapping, and every hover action I've ever come across works as expected simply by tapping on it. Sounds like there's something out there you use that needs a design update.
- cwyers 10y ago
  You can get a USB mouse, can't you?
heimatau 10y ago
I'm currently debating to use an iPad Pro for my main workflow. This article is 12 pages long. Lots of solid perspectives. I'm surprised I haven't read more articles like this yet. I'm a math student. I hate the sheer volume of paper I have to lug around. I know the iPad won't replace 100% of my activities as a college student and as an autodidact but I have a sneaking suspicion that the iPad Pro is a solid device, localized control and overall a replacement of my laptop (primary computer) for 95% of activities. P.S. I went to check out a Microsoft Surface, a family member got one for xmas last year and she loves it. It crashed on me within 1 minute, namely OneNote, which would be apart of my primary workflow. iPad Pro never crashed and had great response times.
- FreezerburnV 10y ago
  That's interesting to hear, because I've been using a Surface Pro for the last year and never had a similar issue. OneNote (when I use it) has generally been pretty solid sans some weird account issues that didn't take long to solve. I'd never give up my full computer for a tablet to do actual work. It has the flexibility that I can use all the normal dev tools, and then switch over to Gamemaker, etc. I honestly think using an iPad for real development is basically limited to web stuff, because you can't access Xcode to make an iOS app, or Qt for a desktop application, or even Gamemaker/unity for games. It's a "limited" tool. Don't let that single crash taint the surface line of products, because they are solid. A friend even decided to get one over Black Friday and is loving being able to write code again, as his desktop is hooked into a tv for games/entertainment.
- kaishiro 10y ago
  When I read comments like yours I can't help but feel as if your mind was made up before you gave the device a fair shot. Despite your singular negative experience, even you must be able to concede that it was most likely an atypical issue. I've had iPad applications crash on me numerous times - but I still think they're great, largely stable devices.
  - heimatau 10y ago
    Well, I didn't want to write a book of reasons but one of my math professors avidly uses it and it crashes EVERY SINGLE class, many times it crashed at least two times in a 3 hour class. The max was about 7.
new299 10y ago
The article is interesting, I learnt about a few apps that could be valuable to me. But what I found most worrying was the lack of acknowledgement that exclusively using cloud storage has caviates associated with it. Are we really so comfortable with, unencrypted, cloud storage now that we don't even mention the potential for warrentlsss access and other abuses?
- deleted 10y ago
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- Tloewald 10y ago
  Unencrypted?
  - fjdlwlv 10y ago
    Well, cloud provider has the decryption key
- LeifCarrotson 10y ago
  Yes, most people are that comfortable with unencrypted storage. But I expect the most interesting push back will not come from a tiny fraction of the population who care about such things, but from strict rules in governments and large organizations that prohibit storing classified or confidential data in unencrypted cloud storage. Either we'll get encryption as a normal feature, or private clouds. (also sp. caveats, warrantless)
  - willstrafach 10y ago
    This is a bit off base. For companies, they have data loss prevention policies in work-enabled devices, constraining work data to only be possible to download to work-approved (usually from their MDM provider) applications, not possible to export and able to be remote wiped from the device by the company at any point they chose. For government, storing classified information in the cloud is already a major violation. Even data designated as FOUO requires special considerations (Although AWS GovCloud is a good solution for serving such needs). In a sense, your "private clouds" estimate is already the path that has been taken, as there are many frameworks and requirements that have been created by gov over the past few years in terms of storing certain types of information. Trying to force all cloud providers to abide by them seems like it would be a losing battle as well, and would not be taken lightly by many.
DennisP 10y ago
It's not a real computer for me unless I can write and run my own software on it.
- bardworx 10y ago
  But you can write and run your own software on iOS platform. Are you referring to non-published (not in the store) software? You can use TestFlight to run software on your own devise, without releasing, and without any modifications to the OS.
- jaegerpicker 10y ago
  ok then the iPad Pro qualifies. Continous, Swift playgrounds, python3 and a number of other apps allow you write and run code on the device.
  - swiley 10y ago
    You still can't build the kernel yourself.
    - egypturnash 10y ago
      Which rules out Macs or Windows as "real computers" for you, then?
jwr 10y ago
I am a big fan of iPads, the large Pro in particular, which I use every day. But I don't think it is quite ready for being the only computer, except in a few select use cases.
heimatau 10y ago
It took me a while to go through his entire 12 pages but here is a brief list of the apps/accessories he speaks about: *Note: there are duplicate apps for similar situations (i.e. three writing apps) but that's because he was switching between them for different uses. - Readdle’s Document app - ‘best file manager’ - workflow app - like IFFTT - iA Writer - writing app ($3.99, short writing) - Working Copy Enterprise ($14.99) - collab writing - Twelve South’s ParcSlope ($49.99 on Amazon) - Razer Keyboard Case for iPad Pro ($169.99 on amazon) - Anker PowerCore 20000 Battery ($45 on amazon) - Apple 29W USB-C Charger - Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless (headphones) - SteelSeries Nimbus Controller - Tom Bihn Daylight Briefcase - Spotify and Apple Music - Synology NAS - DS214play (for home server/media center) - DS Get, DS File, DS Video - QuickConnect feature with Synology (allows access to home server, in non-home settings) - Infuse Pro 5 ($12.99, for not needing to convert media files) - Plex (free - video streaming) - Provenance (github - old games emulator for iOS) - https://github.com/jasarien/Provenance/wiki/Building-Provenance - PlayMira ($9.99 - ps4 game streaming) - Timepage for iPad (6.99 - calendar) - Airmail ($4.99 - mail account) - Sanebox ($ - email management assist) - Pixelmator ($4.99 - edit images) - Launcher with Notication Center Widges by Cromulent Labs (free - url automation) - https://www.macstories.net/reviews/with-launcher-2-0-im-rethinking-my-notification-center-widgets/ - Inoreader (free - rss feed reader) - Fiery Feeds Premium (9.99 - rss feed reader) - Copied (free - clipboard manager) - Bear ($4.99 - notes replacement) - https://www.macstories.net/stories/why-im-considering-bear-as-a-notes-app-replacement/ - Ulysses ($24.99 - text document writing, zen app, short writing) - Pinnacle Studio Pro ($12.99 - video editing) - VideoGrade ($5.99 - color editor of videos) - DEVONthink To Go ($14.99 - doc and info management, search function is high value) - iThoughts ($11.99 - mindmap) - Scrivener - ($19.99 - writing, long form writing) - Ferrite Recording Studio (free, voice memo with editing) - SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive (SDIX30C-064G-GN6NN) (64 gb = $49.99) - Annotable (free, image annotation) He writes about a lot of apps. Here is a list of it all (warning all of his stuff is affiliate links) https://www.macstories.net/stories/one-year-of-ipad-pro/12/#content https://www.macstories.net/stories/one-year-of-ipad-pro/12/#...
cylinder 10y ago
This sounds like a nightmare.
mark_l_watson 10y ago
I take a different approach. I use a MacBook for software development and using OmniGraffle for creating technical diagrams for my books. Most everything else I do on an iPad Pro. I don't mind having two work devices, especially given that I also have several Linux laptops and a few old Mac laptops. If I were ever to travel for a year, then I could live with just an iPad Pro (I use Prompt for multiple SSH shells, so I can program on an iPad), but for regular life and work, having two devices makes sense.

Decent writer looks for a niche that's not occupied and says 'hey this will do'. Then tries to convince us it is all well. It is not -- the emperor is naked. I like how Federico does his job but I really don't like 'lets pretend iPad can replace proper computer' approach. Matt Gemmell took the same path recently and it won't end well too.

msh 10y ago
Why not? It will not work for everyone but I think it will for a lot of people.
- swiley 10y ago
  As much as I dislike the iPad there are some people that it is truly better. We tried giving my 90 year old great grandmother a windows 98 machine a looong time ago so she could send email with us but she really couldn't figure it out. We got her an iPad the other year and while she has ended up with it stuck in airplane mode (and a number of other similar problems) a number of times, she now functions with it. (we think this is important because she lives by herself now and still refuses to move down with us.)
stinos 10y ago
I don't know, I kinda like he took a powerful tablet then added enough hardware to make it more computer-like. Never owned an iPad but this looks somewhat appealing (though overpriced) if I'd have the same use for it as the OP. I don't so I'll likely never buy such thing and rather stick with actual computers but still it looks for it works out well and probably 'will do' just fine.
ebbv 10y ago
This is my biggest problem. This article is a really long tutorial on how to make an iPad sorta kinda do the things my Mac already does out of the box. Why? There's never a convincing argument why I would want to do this.
- dasil003 10y ago
  The argument is more app innovation is happening on mobile apps than PCs these days, and the simpler paradigm allows for more concise workflows and you can do a good deal more of your stuff just carrying around a iPad or even from your phone than you can when living in a MacOS world. HN is probably the wrong audience because windows and filesystems are uniquely well suited abstractions for developers who have umpteen workflows and use cases of significant complexity. However observing how huge an improvement an iPad is for my joe-sixpack relatives, I think it's worth exploring the idea of how far can iOS can be taken by power users. I certainly think it could feasibly meet the needs of specific creative professionals like writers, designers or video editors.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >Why? There's never a convincing argument why I would want to do this. Lighter. Longer lasting battery. Dead easy app management. No "blue screens". Apps designed for direct manipulation. No configuration and maintenance hassle or sys-adminy stuff. Works great on a desk, on your lap, on a sofa, on the bed. But best of all: if you're a writer/journalist/etc, and mostly do writing, web, email, reading, IM, etc, it does all you need, and nothing you don't.
  - deleted 10y ago
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deleted 10y ago
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coldtea 10y ago
Any particular sign that he's being deceptive, besides "that wont work for my workload"? >but I really don't like 'lets pretend iPad can replace proper computer' approach. Isn't that irrelevant personal preference? I like that approach, and it could have totally replaced "proper computer" for me (which it does) on trips and elsewhere away from work, if I wasn't also a programmer.
- binaryapparatus 10y ago
  Key word is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance There is at least 80% chance that author decieves himself too. See file management and hardware sections and it should be obvious. In hardware section he buys razer keyboard case just to be able to use iPad more comfortably. See pictures there, if we don't know it is iPad it really looks like a proper laptop. Jumping trough hoops to make something work does not constitute 'iPad Pro is, by far, the best computer I've ever owned'.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    >See file management and hardware sections and it should be obvious. In hardware section he buys razer keyboard case just to be able to use iPad more comfortably. So? The idea behind using the iPad as your main computer is not "touch interaction for everything" but "I like the computing model" (self-contained apps that don't interact through a filesystem, no administration, etc). Obviously you can (and should) still use a keyboard for writing longer texts, a stylus for drawing, etc.

_Codemonkeyism 10y ago

I don't want to sound arrogant, but for everyone who used a ridiculously overpowered computer - 90% of people (?) - for surfing and using Word, yes the iPad Pro is fine - or even overpowered. Using it to develop Python looks intersting, I'd like to know more about what he does (I assume Python works fine, Webpack compile? How is the 'drive'?)

duffn 10y ago
I agree. It would be fine for the vast majority of people, but I can't ever see myself actually writing code on an iPad.
- jaegerpicker 10y ago
  I write code on my on a daily basis. Coda, Swift Playgrounds, or Coda as my ssh client into a linux server and then emacs on the server. As a lightweight LTE capable environment, it's pretty amazing. It entirely depends on what you code but for web application or iOS dev it's pretty damn capable.
rubyfan 10y ago
Same. While it's near impossible these days to get many things done without an internet connection I usually like to have a full stack on localhost for convenience. I'm curious how anyone might meaningfully develop using the iPad Pro.
- evgen 10y ago
  While I am not committed to it yet, I have found it pretty easy to move a lot of my development work to my iPad Air 2. Pythonista, Working Copy, and Textastic cover local dev/testing cycle, Blink lets me connect in to a mosh session on a cloud dev server, and with Screens I can VNC to my laptop sitting on my desk, etc. I still prefer my MBA for dedicated coding sessions, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how far you can get with just a tablet and bluetooth keyboard or keyboard case for the tablet.
watersb 10y ago

reustle 10y ago

I've been trying to replace most of my daily (chrome-based) browser tasks from my macbook air to an ipad pro 12" for the past 2 weeks. Trying to do anything reasonable on safari/chrome for iOS is a pain in the ass, and is nowhere near desktop replacement level. I really wish it was, and I use "request desktop version" often, but even then so many sites are so broken. Safari mobile is just not ready for this "serious" work. We need a desktop-level browser on iOS.

givinguflac 10y ago
I'm genuinely curious as I've seen a few people say it but I've literally never experienced an issue that couldn't be solved by requesting the desktop version. Could you give an example of a broken site so I can check it out?
- reustle 10y ago
  Upwork has been the biggest pain point for me so far. Try scrolling in the messages pages, for example. Also the padding/margins are totally wack so the text is glued up against the sides of the pages. Also enjoy the capcha every few minutes. Another site is Facebook (non-mobile site). Not a wonderful experience. Another one is my own little project, Amtrak.io. On my 13" macbook air the top 4 KPI boxes are in a row, but on the 12" ipad they are not, even though the resolutions are nearly the same. It seems to be sites who use media queries, as I read that ios safari reports to the DOM that's its physical screen size is actually actual-screen-size/2 which is silly and annoying.

wslh 10y ago

I can only think he is joking when he says he develops software using Python. Yes, you can connect to a remote computer via SSH or use a an unofficial (and non-free) Python port. Noawadays developing software also involves using IDEs... just in case the author forgot that part.

falcolas 10y ago
> Noawadays developing software also involves using IDEs Assuming your definition of IDE is limited to GUI applications, and assuming you speak for everyone. Since neither is true, developing code on the terminal on a remote server is very possible and even practical.
- wslh 10y ago
  > and assuming you speak for everyone. The author is the one who speaks for everyone. I would like to use Xcode or Atom/Visual Studio Code. And... by definition when you work on a remote server you are not developing on the iPad!
  - ar0 10y ago
    > The author is the one who speaks for everyone. No, he doesn't. He speaks of his own experiences. In fact, he states as much very clearly in the introduction: "The Mac and the iPad can coexist in a market where customers believe one is superior to the other. I prefer working on the iPad; others like their Macs more. And that's fine[...]".
    - wslh 10y ago
      > He speaks of his own experiences. His experiences only work for a few people. For example, Node.js is one the top programming languages being used now, how do you develop with Node.js in the iPad Pro? Java? C/C++? Go?
      - falcolas 10y ago

bluedino 10y ago

People were doing this with an iPad and the first SSH clients for iOS but it never caught on beyond "hey look at me"

coldtea 10y ago
Any hard numbers about this "never caught up"?

nunez 10y ago

I unsuccessfully tried using the iPad as a full-fledged computer for two months. It did not work out. Much of the web still assumes that you're using a mouse. You don't realize this until you try browsing the web with the iPad. Also, using SSH,even with Panic, was not as seamless as it seemed. There was much screen refreshing. I really missed having a mouse.

berntb 10y ago
>> Much of the web still assumes that you're using a mouse. Not everything is mobile friendly yet, but do you really meet many mobile unfriendly web sites? Most problems I have on phone/tablet are company internal products, where they literally designed the UI before the iPhone existed. I haven't tried those 2-apps-on-the-screen things with iPad Pro. Maybe it works well enough so I could work. Maybe.
- chairmanwow 10y ago
  There are many, many subtle web interactions that happen on ':hover' when you are browsing the web. It can make new websites difficult to manage whenever you aren't quite sure what to do.
  - berntb 10y ago
    Of course. But my point was that most of the modern web seems to be mobile friendly or even "mobile first". (And hence not depend on effects being able to use effects like that).
  - givinguflac 10y ago
    I've never had an issue with hover interactions personally, but perhaps you use some website I don't visit. Hover text is available by long tapping, and every hover action I've ever come across works as expected simply by tapping on it. Sounds like there's something out there you use that needs a design update.
cwyers 10y ago
You can get a USB mouse, can't you?

heimatau 10y ago

I'm currently debating to use an iPad Pro for my main workflow. This article is 12 pages long. Lots of solid perspectives. I'm surprised I haven't read more articles like this yet. I'm a math student. I hate the sheer volume of paper I have to lug around. I know the iPad won't replace 100% of my activities as a college student and as an autodidact but I have a sneaking suspicion that the iPad Pro is a solid device, localized control and overall a replacement of my laptop (primary computer) for 95% of activities. P.S. I went to check out a Microsoft Surface, a family member got one for xmas last year and she loves it. It crashed on me within 1 minute, namely OneNote, which would be apart of my primary workflow. iPad Pro never crashed and had great response times.

FreezerburnV 10y ago
That's interesting to hear, because I've been using a Surface Pro for the last year and never had a similar issue. OneNote (when I use it) has generally been pretty solid sans some weird account issues that didn't take long to solve. I'd never give up my full computer for a tablet to do actual work. It has the flexibility that I can use all the normal dev tools, and then switch over to Gamemaker, etc. I honestly think using an iPad for real development is basically limited to web stuff, because you can't access Xcode to make an iOS app, or Qt for a desktop application, or even Gamemaker/unity for games. It's a "limited" tool. Don't let that single crash taint the surface line of products, because they are solid. A friend even decided to get one over Black Friday and is loving being able to write code again, as his desktop is hooked into a tv for games/entertainment.
kaishiro 10y ago
When I read comments like yours I can't help but feel as if your mind was made up before you gave the device a fair shot. Despite your singular negative experience, even you must be able to concede that it was most likely an atypical issue. I've had iPad applications crash on me numerous times - but I still think they're great, largely stable devices.
- heimatau 10y ago
  Well, I didn't want to write a book of reasons but one of my math professors avidly uses it and it crashes EVERY SINGLE class, many times it crashed at least two times in a 3 hour class. The max was about 7.

new299 10y ago

The article is interesting, I learnt about a few apps that could be valuable to me. But what I found most worrying was the lack of acknowledgement that exclusively using cloud storage has caviates associated with it. Are we really so comfortable with, unencrypted, cloud storage now that we don't even mention the potential for warrentlsss access and other abuses?

deleted 10y ago
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Tloewald 10y ago
Unencrypted?
- fjdlwlv 10y ago
  Well, cloud provider has the decryption key
LeifCarrotson 10y ago
Yes, most people are that comfortable with unencrypted storage. But I expect the most interesting push back will not come from a tiny fraction of the population who care about such things, but from strict rules in governments and large organizations that prohibit storing classified or confidential data in unencrypted cloud storage. Either we'll get encryption as a normal feature, or private clouds. (also sp. caveats, warrantless)
- willstrafach 10y ago
  This is a bit off base. For companies, they have data loss prevention policies in work-enabled devices, constraining work data to only be possible to download to work-approved (usually from their MDM provider) applications, not possible to export and able to be remote wiped from the device by the company at any point they chose. For government, storing classified information in the cloud is already a major violation. Even data designated as FOUO requires special considerations (Although AWS GovCloud is a good solution for serving such needs). In a sense, your "private clouds" estimate is already the path that has been taken, as there are many frameworks and requirements that have been created by gov over the past few years in terms of storing certain types of information. Trying to force all cloud providers to abide by them seems like it would be a losing battle as well, and would not be taken lightly by many.

DennisP 10y ago

It's not a real computer for me unless I can write and run my own software on it.

bardworx 10y ago
But you can write and run your own software on iOS platform. Are you referring to non-published (not in the store) software? You can use TestFlight to run software on your own devise, without releasing, and without any modifications to the OS.
jaegerpicker 10y ago
ok then the iPad Pro qualifies. Continous, Swift playgrounds, python3 and a number of other apps allow you write and run code on the device.
- swiley 10y ago
  You still can't build the kernel yourself.
  - egypturnash 10y ago
    Which rules out Macs or Windows as "real computers" for you, then?

jwr 10y ago

I am a big fan of iPads, the large Pro in particular, which I use every day. But I don't think it is quite ready for being the only computer, except in a few select use cases.

heimatau 10y ago

It took me a while to go through his entire 12 pages but here is a brief list of the apps/accessories he speaks about: *Note: there are duplicate apps for similar situations (i.e. three writing apps) but that's because he was switching between them for different uses. - Readdle’s Document app - ‘best file manager’ - workflow app - like IFFTT - iA Writer - writing app ($3.99, short writing) - Working Copy Enterprise ($14.99) - collab writing - Twelve South’s ParcSlope ($49.99 on Amazon) - Razer Keyboard Case for iPad Pro ($169.99 on amazon) - Anker PowerCore 20000 Battery ($45 on amazon) - Apple 29W USB-C Charger - Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless (headphones) - SteelSeries Nimbus Controller - Tom Bihn Daylight Briefcase - Spotify and Apple Music - Synology NAS - DS214play (for home server/media center) - DS Get, DS File, DS Video - QuickConnect feature with Synology (allows access to home server, in non-home settings) - Infuse Pro 5 ($12.99, for not needing to convert media files) - Plex (free - video streaming) - Provenance (github - old games emulator for iOS) - https://github.com/jasarien/Provenance/wiki/Building-Provenance - PlayMira ($9.99 - ps4 game streaming) - Timepage for iPad (6.99 - calendar) - Airmail ($4.99 - mail account) - Sanebox ($ - email management assist) - Pixelmator ($4.99 - edit images) - Launcher with Notication Center Widges by Cromulent Labs (free - url automation) - https://www.macstories.net/reviews/with-launcher-2-0-im-rethinking-my-notification-center-widgets/ - Inoreader (free - rss feed reader) - Fiery Feeds Premium (9.99 - rss feed reader) - Copied (free - clipboard manager) - Bear ($4.99 - notes replacement) - https://www.macstories.net/stories/why-im-considering-bear-as-a-notes-app-replacement/ - Ulysses ($24.99 - text document writing, zen app, short writing) - Pinnacle Studio Pro ($12.99 - video editing) - VideoGrade ($5.99 - color editor of videos) - DEVONthink To Go ($14.99 - doc and info management, search function is high value) - iThoughts ($11.99 - mindmap) - Scrivener - ($19.99 - writing, long form writing) - Ferrite Recording Studio (free, voice memo with editing) - SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive (SDIX30C-064G-GN6NN) (64 gb = $49.99) - Annotable (free, image annotation) He writes about a lot of apps. Here is a list of it all (warning all of his stuff is affiliate links) https://www.macstories.net/stories/one-year-of-ipad-pro/12/#content https://www.macstories.net/stories/one-year-of-ipad-pro/12/#...

cylinder 10y ago

This sounds like a nightmare.

mark_l_watson 10y ago

I take a different approach. I use a MacBook for software development and using OmniGraffle for creating technical diagrams for my books. Most everything else I do on an iPad Pro. I don't mind having two work devices, especially given that I also have several Linux laptops and a few old Mac laptops. If I were ever to travel for a year, then I could live with just an iPad Pro (I use Prompt for multiple SSH shells, so I can program on an iPad), but for regular life and work, having two devices makes sense.