I’ve used a variety of apps and often the app indicates what cloud service they support. I’ve never had an issue with that. So, iA Writer is iCloud. 1Writer, when I tried it supported Dropbox which I used for awhile when I was hosting a blog at Blot.im. I use Textastic with files stored in iCloud and their corresponding ftp servers.
You’re correct on those limitations. It’s never been a problem for me as I move into trying a new app I don’t have a problem with using what they support. My use of those various providers varies as needed. Usually it’s for storing/exchanging files with clients and for that purpose it’s been excellent. Most of my work files I’ve always stored locally on the iPad, in iCloud or in some cases on my Mac.
I’ve never felt the need to access system folders on the iPad. I’ve seen it brought up by some folks but consider it a non-issue in normal use of the iPad. I’ve accessed those folders on the Mac to troubleshoot problems. I’ve never had the problems on the iPad so consider that a win.
Thanks for the clarifications! You caught my attention with your post earlier suggesting that iPadOS is basically a mobile phone OS with tweaks. I think that would have been closer to true 5 years ago. From my point of view it’s come a long way since then. And while it does not have Mac-level control and freedom I think it’s possible to say that there is a middle ground.
That it is not a totally open system but that access to the files and the flexibility/design of the Files app has come a long way. A year ago I did a side by side comparison of the design/function of the Files app along side of the Finder. Going through various view options like list, column, icon views. Comparing info pane options, contextual menu options, etc. My take away from that exercise was that for general use the two, while not exact, are easily comparable.
On multitasking, yeah, there’s an again, you’ve hit on some real limitations. It’s funny though, lol, I guess I was never the Mac power user I thought I was! I’m sure there are plenty of folks that use those shortcuts but I never did. I used Command-Tab to switch between apps but never the others you mentioned. And though I’d tried virtual desktops several times I just found them more cumbersome to manage.
On the iPad I actually was quite happy with Split View and Slide over. Then Command-Tab as needed to switch to an app outside of my current split to reference material that was not in the slide over. That model definitely requires more shuffling but I found it generally worked.
With the M1 and iPadOS 16 and now iPadOS 17 I stay in Stage Manager and find the 3-4 windows in a space are perfect for the work I do.
I do create app window arrangements that I tend to leave intact in the sidebar on the left which I switch to as needed. I’ve come to view that as an almost easier, usable version of virtual desktops. I never stuck with virtual desktops on the mac because I couldn’t remember what was where. I found it easier to just Command-Tab. With the always visible sidebar I can easily see at a glance my app arrangements.
If I need more space for certain tasks I sometimes connect to an external display.
But yes, again, as with your examples on the Files/Finder comparison, the iPad is not exactly equivalent to the Mac.
I would emphasize that with the M1 iPads and newer the increased memory has made a huge difference in multitasking in terms of apps holding content. With just the base model and 8GB of memory I almost never see an app reload content. Safari will reload a tab that I’ve not used in a day or two. But during a day, no, everything is as I left it.
Side-note on fingerprints: the first thing I do with an iPad is adde a screen protector. The one I’ve got is the Moshi iVisor. It completely eliminates fingerprints, smudges and makes the screen far more usable outside. I clean my screen maybe twice a month. The very minimal smears/smudges wipe away in 2 seconds. So much better than the bare glass that not only needs daily cleaning but seems to hold onto the finger oils.
Nice! Though, I’ve never tried using it. Guessing you and others find it useful. Maybe I’ll give it a shot.
Sidenote: Am I the only one that has difficulty remembering all of the available multitasking shortcuts. Every now and then I check them and try to incorporate/remember some that I don’t normally use but I end up forgetting them/going back to my usual habits.
That was probably too flip a statement. It would have been more accurate to say it’s a mobile OS optimized for a large, tablet-sized screen to make better use of the extra real estate.
And I shouldn’t have minimized the importance of that, which becomes apparent if you try to use an iPad-sized tablet running Android, which is still primarily a phone OS.
That’s very cool. I wish it worked on an iPhone when using a bluetooth keyboard, which I do when I don’t want to carry my MacBook or am going someplace where I’m concerned that it might get damaged or stolen.
Btw, I just mentioned in another thread that the emacs-style keybindings that macOS supports natively (control-t to transpose letters, for example) even work on an iPhone with a bluetooth keyboard.
I’ve loved virtual desktops since my Linux days and still use them all the time. In case you ever start using a Mac again and want to give them another try, all you really need to remember is that control-up gives you an overview all your open desktops. You can add and delete them there, and click on the thumbnails to go to them.
When you’re on a desktop, control-left and right swing you to adjoining ones, and you can hit control-1, 2, 3, etc. to go directly to the one you want.
Laptop trackpad affords effortlessly fluid control with three-finger swipe up and down and three-finger swipe left and right to accomplish the same things.
(Trackpad settings allow three- or four-finger swipes to be selected.)
I use the MBP (M1 Max) and an iPad (12.9 5th Gen.) interchangeably daily. Generally, I prefer the form factor and flexibility of the iPad. The nature of my work is such that I can do nearly all of my work on the iPad effectively and efficiently whenever I choose. A few times, I want the MBP because the iPad is not as capable. For example, DTTG is a poor sibling of DT on the desktop; “complex” and multiple file manipulation is much easier on the MBP. Likewise, though I can design complex Keynotes on the iPad, it is easier on the MBP. Finally, some mobile apps, e.g., Scrivener and Word, are more limited than their desktop and MBP versions. That said, on the iPad, 90% of my work can be done just as well, and sometimes with easier focus.
Those are very slick and I’ve liked them every time I’ve tried them, but I use an external keyboard and mouse so much that even when I’m out somewhere I end up using the keyboard commands out of habit.
I have a very nice click-y keyboard sitting on the shelf that I am sad I no longer use. I just really like the all-in-one goodness of the Touch ID, keyboard, and trackpad of my M1 MacBook Air.
I am a Mac first guy. My iPads, 2018 12.9" Pro and original Air, are secondary devices. But I get good use of both.
My Air is now my “Stream Deck” using TouchPortal. And with Universal Control I use my iPad all during my work day. And after it is a TV (sports!) while I use my Mac Studio, and often as my mobile computer when I am away from my desk. Yes it is a computer, despite what @macsorcery foolishly says above.
As @geoffaire correctly says, it is a tool, and the right tool for some, but not all, jobs. Embrace it for what it is or be frustrated that it is not what you want it to be.
A couple of years ago I read on Forbes: “After using the new M1-based iPad Pro and the newest MacBook Air M1 model, I can see these products being on a collision course. Indeed, Apple is making more iOS apps work on the Mac and with Apple’s overall continuity capabilities synched across both OS platforms and in the cloud, they are increasingly encroaching on each other’s territory.”
And now Apple is getting ready to ship “An all‑new platform”, “Built on the foundation of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS”, that will usher in “An all‑new world for developers” who are told to “Get ready to design and build an entirely new universe of apps and games”.
The Vision Pro will be third computing device Apple has developed that has arrived with its own App Store. It’s starting to look like Apple is determined to prove Steve was correct: “. . . PCs are going to be like trucks. They’re still going to be around, they’re still going to have a lot of value, but they’re going to be used by one out of X people.”
I think I understand what you mean, but it’s inaccurate to say that an iPad isn’t a computer. Practically everything from cars to toaster ovens is a computer now.
Compared to those, the iPad’s functional range is much closer to that of traditional desktop OSs. But unlike Macs (so far), iPads—and apparently, the Vision Pro—are part of what Cory Doctorow calls the War on General-Purpose Computation, in which corporations and governments seek to exercise increasing control over what you can and can’t do with your own devices and operating systems.
For example, Apple doesn’t want you to run wifi analyzer apps on your iPads and iPhones, so you can’t. There’s no technical or practical reason you can’t; they’re available for Macs and Android devices. You can’t because Apple won’t let you install them.
