My next iPad is going to be a MacBook Air!

It is still not possible to set the phone wallpaper from a file. It has to be from Photos. So you have to litter your photo library with the artsy wallpapers you download. In finding out if this is still a limitation with each new release, I get to see the madness that is the “share” sheet. It’s not a share sheet. It’s a kludge that is way too overloaded these days.

If you are happy to use a Shortcut, you can save all the images as files and select the image you want from the folder:

Set Wallpaper From File

Using this method you can also automate changing the background for specific focus modes or at certain times of day etc. (removing the Choose from and just linking to a specific file).

Hope this helps.

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Thanks, I had not considered that approach. I will try it out… see if I remember, more like… but it still leaves me with one problem. Can a Shortcut be created to automate my complaining about this feature not being present in iOS in 2022? :laughing:

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I’ve just replaced my iPad—with a B5 Moleskine squared notebook. Working well so far, not needed to recharge it once.

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I’ve heard they are a pain to back up. :wink:

For that I have a scansnap! :grin:

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Did you get the optional Moleskine Pencil that costs as much as the notebook? Y’know, just to have parity across product types. :wink:

You don’t care for your iPad?

It’s a long story. Short version: tech is not always best.

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This statement exemplifies my position. I love my IPad Pro and its multiple capabilities. It’s an amazing device. But even though I do ‘serious’ work on it (mainly professional papers editing/drafting), I still “feel’ like I’m not really working. But when I crack open my MacBook Air and use that I ‘feel’ like im doing serious work and there is a sense of ‘ahh, freedom’. I use a Magic Keyboard on my IPad Pro so the input system (keyboard) is the same as a Mac however, the interface being more casual, still doesn’t feel ‘serious’ enough. So for me, i see the pros/cons of both devices from a logical perspective but that ‘feel’ difference whilst hard to quantify, makes a large difference. So 2 devices it will be!

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I think I’m moving in this general direction as well. At some point, I may replace my 12.9 iPad with a mini or 11" for reading/presentations and only work using my MBP. If Apple ever makes a 14" Air, I may move from the MBP to the Air. I’ll be “lighter” all around.

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I replaced my 12.9 iPad Pro with with a 14" macbook pro. Hardly ever use the ipad now.

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I’m giving this serious consideration. I’ve really tried to use my 12.9 iPad Pro as a device for meetings at work but it never sticks. I tend to only use it when traveling these days, but when I got back from a recent trip and started using my Mac Book again it just felt so much better.

An ipad Mini might be a good companion device as my use case is really just reading and videos but an MBA is small enough to use on flights for video and an iPhone Pro Max is pretty good for Kindle books. Hmmmm.

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I was on a business trip when I bought the then-new 12" MacBook. Everyone knows its weakness, but dang, that thing handled like an iPad while doing all the Mac things. While lying on a hotel bed, I could hold it in one hand without difficulty while watching video. The best part, though, was when I did want to put it down — it had a built in stand! :joy:

The Apple Silicon era is begging for a do-over of the ultra-portable model which would not have the same Achilles heel as that original.

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As a contrarian data point, I am exactly on the opposite side. My laptops are both permanently attached to a display and always connected to power so paying for a top of the line laptop screen and rechargeable battery is money that would be better spent towards getting a Mini + iPad for mobility.

But that’s only my use case. What would the Apple consumer masses decide? Seeing iPad sales volume, I think consumers are voting towards laptops + iphones, and the iPad platforms look a little bit crunched, hence the longer replacement cycles. @Bmosbacker wins again!

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I would be a Mac Mini person if it weren’t for occasionally needing to go somewhere and bring my computer. The iPad doesn’t quite cut it for my use cases. So I have an MBA that lives in a vertical stand, connected to a dock / fancy mech keyboard / monitor / etc. Unplug, take with, plug back in.

I played with the 12.9" iPad and keyboard, and it just didn’t fly. So I went the @Bmosbacker route (or more accurately, he’s looking at going my route since he hasn’t done it yet :smiley: ) A mini for my “I need a larger screen for iOS stuff” stuff, and a MacBook for my work stuff.

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I was in an Apple Store a couple months ago and compared carrying an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and a MacBook Air. I don’t know if it was an illusion, but the MacBook Air felt lighter. Even though I have a MBP 16 Pro 2021, I can see myself getting an MBA just to have the amazing portability. But that would add another level of syncing of apps and documents, so it depends on how often I will be traveling.

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That wouldn’t shock me at all. The iPad Pro isn’t super-heavy, but the MBA is more designed to be a single, integrated, lightweight package. Looking at it on Google, the 12.9" iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard is a little over 3 pounds, and the 13" MBA is about 2.8. So the MacBook is almost 10% lighter.

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I really really really wanted to travel for work with only an IPad. But each time I do, I regret it. Returned From a business trip yesterday and took my 12.9 with Logitech keyboard case with me. Needed to prepare a presentation and it took me much much longer to do it than it would have on my Mac. Much more frustrating too. Maybe I’m not as knowledgeable about iOS as I thought or maybe the experience isn’t as simple as it should be (or both)?
I have a MBP 14 which isn’t lite but not that much heavier than the 12.9 combo above.
Next trip will be laptop and my mini for note taking.
Not worth the hassle. Sad face.

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Being a Mac power user doesn’t automatically make someone a proficient iPad user. It takes time to learn a new UI and the strengths, and weaknesses, of a new OS.

I used an iPad as my primary computer for something like two months before I decided to purchase an iPad Pro. And another two or more before using it became second nature.

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