For those who have followed Federico’s iPad journey over the years, this is a fantastic writeup. Heck, even if you haven’t, there’s some really neat commentary on the iPad and some nerd-friendly workarounds for the iPad shortcomings he’s found.
I echo much of his overall vibe in enjoying the iPad, wanting to use it as my main computer (my needs are far simpler as I use a Windows machine at work), and yet still wanting iPadOS to keep moving forward (I’m not saying anything in particular, but I want to see Apple continue pushing it forward).
This article ( Essay) further establishes that iPad is just not suited for some workflows .
Federico might get a kick out of doing this and pushing the boundaries but most people use computers as tools and this is a great advertisement of how iPad is not the tool he should be using.
Currently rocking the 2020 Air (still going very strong) and operated it as my sole computer for about 6 months. Now that I have a MacBook Air I am breathing a sigh of relief (my grad program requires a Chromium based browser). I am glad that Federico finds it useful in his workflow. But I am considering downgrading to the iPad mini or the next Gen cheap iPad because it works great as a supplement and a companion to the mac. I cant justify Mac Prices for it.
For me the iPad is still iOS where real work can happen. I do not do real work on my iPhone. (in fact in the not to distant future iPadOS will be where I engage with iOS apps.)
I echo what others have already said, I’m glad he has found a solution, but it won’t last, and it took a LOT of hardware to accomplish. 2025 will be my 14th year as an iPad user, and my 6th as someone who uses one for almost everything.
It’s easier for me because I’ve never been a gamer or a podcaster. The only video conferencing I do is either FaceTime or Webex and there is no camera or lighting that can make me look good, so why bother?
I use spreadsheets and take notes, etc. like everyone else. Split screen and slide over work much like Spaces on the 13” MacBooks that I used for many years. One thing that makes it possible for me to use an iPad as my main computer is server side rules, etc. Another is apps. Just about every service I use from banking to healthcare has a dedicated app.
But I can’t do everything because Apple doesn’t allow it. I need a Mac for Arq and Hazel, or a PC with Arq and FileJuggler.
But like Federico said “ . . . some people, including me, simply prefer getting their work done on a machine that isn’t a MacBook.“
Alternative take: Everything we do with computers is a work around.
I’ve mostly stopped reading MacStories in recent years because it started to feel too centered on his back and forth between Mac and iPad. Sort of a weird “I built my content creator brand on using the iPad but now I have doubts” which actually worked out well for him as he played to the conflict and drama as a sort of story arc. At least, that’s the way it’s felt to me for a few years. And good for him as he’s mostly made that work it seems.
But as a reader I wasn’t there for that. I’m interested in useful explorations about using the iPad. It’s experiments with iPad modularity, useful iPad apps and discussion of workflows and use cases that keep my attention. But this article is one that digs into what it means to use the iPad as a tool in a larger toolbox and I enjoyed it.
The weird thing about this whole debate about the iPad as a computer and tool for working is the ridiculous idea that we have only have one device, one tool. It’s just silly and always has been. In 2024 there are billions of humans using billions of computing devices. Phone, tablet, laptop, desktop or something else, chances are, most here use a mix of devices for different tasks, different workflows. If your brain can only handle managing or learning one device, well, okay. I know plenty of folks that just get by with an iPhone or other smart phone. There are some that get everything done in a browser on a Chromebook.
I’ve complained many times that tech conversation and coverage is lopsided in that it’s dominated by the voices of a handful of podcaster/youtuber pundits and techfluencers. And in the case of the iPad that has meant that certain use cases get talked to death while many are never discussed at all. It leads to an incomplete understanding of what’s possible and what’s useful and this has certainly been true of the iPad discussion.
If you’re a Mac user and you need to scan documents you don’t freak out that the Mac does not have a built in document scanner. You use a separate scanner or an iPhone with a scanner app. Need to print? You use a printer. If you’re using a Mac Mini you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, screen and maybe a web cam. Oh, and let’s not forget, if you’re using a Mac and want to get on the internet, you’ll need to tether to an iPhone or use an internet service with an external modem.
You see where this is going. The Mac also needs additional hardware to be a complete and useful solution. And that’s okay, we don’t need to dwell on it. We just accept it and move on to finding the additional hardware needed. No need for debate. In the real world most of use use a mix of tools depending on our jobs, tasks, etc.
Even podcasters don’t just use a Mac. They use external microphones and likely quite a few other devices attached to their Mac. I’m not a podcaster but I’ve been interviewed for a few and in those cases I just used my iPad for the call and (gasp!) my iPhone to record my local audio. A simple version of what Federico is now doing as a podcaster. It’s okay to use secondary devices and tools to get the job done. I thought this all along and wondered why it was an issue for him.
Of course, past versions of iPadOS were more limited just as past versions of the iPad hardware more limited. An M1, M2 or M4 iPad Pro with iPadOS 18 is far more capable than a 2018 iPad Pro with iPadOS 15. I appreciate that Federico highlights the improved Files app and support for UVC. The point is that our hardware, apps, OS and external devices options are always improving. The more interesting and empowering conversations are those exploring options and solutions in a diversity of use cases.
Except that as we get older, and especially for those dealing with parents in their eighties and nineties, fewer devices is better. One competent easy-to-use device would be great. My mid-ninety-year-old Dad was a computer wiz for his age in his seventies, but his capabilities have fallen off markedly.
And I can tell that I’ve slowed down since retiring for medical reasons. So, it may happen to all of us … if we’re even lucky enough to get old with our wits still about us.
I agree. My mother took an “Introduction to Microcomputers” course at a local university when she was 60, but the IBM PC wasn’t even introduced at that time. Years later I would have liked to have given her an iPad but there was no way to support it remotely. And AFAIK that is still true.
Today I would have given her a Chromebook and been able to help her from anywhere. That’s another area, IMO, where Apple is missing an opportunity.
I’m certain he does these iPad contortions simply to make content for his brand that iPad is the answer for everything.
I’m sure if you add up the cost of all the extra hardware, he could have just bought an iPad Air for less.
More reliable, less cables, less fiddly setup.
Did he not get the memo that with Jump Desktop (or similar) app from iPad to anything else, you can use a setup that works and still ‘claim’ an iPad is involved?
Seriously, by the time he has external monitor, external recording, external microphone, is it really still an iPad or just a compute slab augmented/enhanced and upgraded ad nauseum to do what a computer can ‘simply do’ out of the box?
I see your point, but we all use our computing devices to make a living, to do other things that must be done, and to have fun. Everything Federico is doing falls in those same categories.
I’m fine with Federico only using his iPad. I aim for cosmic balance with him by only using my MacBook.
I don’t know — not sure if you read the whole piece or not, but he’s pretty clear he knows there are other ways to do things, but he enjoys and prefers the iPad…he likes the modularity, the ability for the iPad to be whatever he needs in that moment.
Don’t think he wants to take his MacBook into the bed to read a book.
I can certainly understand loving a form factor and wanting to find ways to make it work better for him.
I would argue a MacBook Air beats an iPad in mobility, especially if you want to type things without an onscreen keyboard. I would also argue it’s no worse than an iPad (especially a large one) at reading in bed, and might be even better because you can change the screen angle and not have to hold anything. (Personally I wouldn’t use either.)
I haven’t listened or read anything he’s done in years (nothing against him, I just don’t care that he uses an iPad for everything), but when I did, it used to drive me nuts when he would be talking about jumping through hoops to get something done on an iPad that is trivial on a Mac.
Exactly. I’ve beat this drum so much. The Mac is the basis for comparison as the “canonical” device because it was first. But most of the things people say they can’t do on an iPad, then can. It just needs to be done differently from what they are used to. Yes, there are many things an iPad can’t do by itself, but as @Denny pointed out, there are many things that a Mac can’t do by itself.
I happen to like computers of any variety, as I have since I was introduced to the Apple IIe in second grade. From PCs to my old programmable calculator (HP 48SX), I am fascinated by just about anything with buttons and a screen, extra points if it’s also programmable. Probably many of you share this joy.
No surprise, I like the iPad, too. The iPad of today is equally capable with the Mac, with some limitations that make it not such a great device for some people, while it is a miracle device for others.
For me, I can use it almost exclusively–and without ridiculous workflow contortions. The biggest limitation for me is third-party software that does not enable the features that I need to accomplish a mundane task. That type of problem is steadily decreasing.
I recently tried a jury trial and managed the whole case with just my iPad Pro. I mean, I walked into the courtroom every day with nothing more than my iPad Pro, my AV kit, my Apple Pencil, and my Apple Magic Keyboard. I didn’t have a single sheet of paper, unless the Court staff passed it out. More than that, I managed my whole case from my iPad. There was a considerable amount of file management, file renaming, and transferring files among counsel. All done on my iPad. My argument notes, examination outlines, presentation materials, evidence, etc. were all created, managed, and presented from my iPad. Each juror was given an iPad with the entire set of case exhibits on it for their deliberations. (i’ve used an iPad in all my prior cases going back to 2015, but I’ve never gone in with zero paper, notebooks, and laptops. For those of you worried, don’t be, I had a half dozen back up methods in case something went wrong.)
The MacBook Air, is indeed a very capable machine in terms of mobility, especially with its great battery life. Like with everything else here, which one gets crowned as more mobile depends on your work. For me, there is no way the MBA beats the flat-panel iPad for mobility, though. I can communicate directly with a jury or a witness without a clam-shelled screen blocking my view. I can walk around with it the way I would with a notepad.
The iPad is an astonishingly great device for my line of work. I share this stuff not to talk people who don’t like iPads into liking them. But to help people who are on the fence see that other people can do great things with iPads. Also, to dispel myths that the iPad is not good enough, not capable enough, etc.
Anyway, here is how the case went, if you’re curious. I also gave a write-up to the developer of the software tools that I use in my trials.
I agree with this. You don’t need to be a contortionist like Federico and do crazy things to make an iPad work. That is the wrong message. Learn how to use an iPad “the iPad way”–if you are so inclined–and you will see just how capable the machine really is.
You’d argue a MBA beats an iPad for you. Not for Federico.
I am not here to defend his decisions because I personally don’t use my iPad like he does. But I also think it’s ok to understand that he has his preferences. You don’t have to read his stuff (like you said you don’t), and you don’t have to read posts about his articles that you don’t read.
Sure, and I don’t care what he uses, but I am assume you posted this here, and defended it, because you agree. So I made counter points, the whole point of being on this forum is to discuss things after all.
Counsel jointly supplied the iPads. We use a vendor to provide us the fleet. The Court has to approve, and our judge did.
We can’t know before jury selection how jurors will feel about using iPads. So, we get approval from the court and then the Court addressed it with the jury prior to sending them in for deliberations. I’ve used this software, ExhibitsPad twice now. Both juries loved using the iPads.
Yes. Many courts are new to this but our 90 year old judge was open to it. Same with the somewhat younger judge in my prior case. We could not have even walked the iPads into the courthouse without an order from our judge. Different courts handle it differently, of course.
When the documents are uploaded into ExhibitsPad, they are approved by counsel for all parties. Only admitted exhibits are put on the iPads. The iPads are locked with guided access and WiFi, cell, and Bluetooth are disabled. The iPads are given to the jurors while they are in deliberations and held by the court when they retire for the evening.
