!The Results are In-Conclusion! 1 Month iPad Only Experiment with New M4 iPad Pro

Bmosbacker · June 21, 2024, 12:16pm

Because of upcoming commitments and because I’ll not be doing anything with the iPad over the next two days that I have done over the last 28, I’m sharing the results of my experiment on day 28. I’ve concluded my experiment two days early.

As a reminder, here is why I started this experiment about using the iPad as my sole computing device and the primary work I do.

Why:

One device to manage
Less hardware to purchase, maintain, and sync
One OS to master
Mastery of each app on one platform
Lower TCO over time
Flexible, “modular” computing: laptop and tablet “modes”
Lighter and more portable
Fewer bags, cables, chargers
Cellular
Less exposure to malware and viruses
Awesome screen
Outstanding pencil, I love the new “squeeze feature” which brings up the pencil tools,” the tool dock is gone, leaving more room
I can use an external monitor when needed
Easier backup?, see below
Less intrusive in meetings
Other?

The nature of most of my work:

Short and long-form writing, including a book project
Brainstorming and outlining articles and presentations
Creating speaking notes and slides
Report writing from the research, reports for the board, accreditation reports, etc.
Writing blog posts
Email
Taking meeting notes
Managing projects and tasks
Calendar management
Participating in Zoom and MS Team meetings
Collecting, reading, and annotating articles for research and pleasure
Managing references
Reading books using the Kindle app
Bible reading and study
Keeping up with the news
Conducting internet searches and using this forum
Utilizing AI
Editing and managing photos
Reviewing budgets, and long-range financial forecasts in Excel and Google Sheets
File management

What worked?

I’ve been learning helpful keyboard shortcuts for the iPad. This makes it possible to keep my hands on the keyboard most of the time. For example, I’ve started using the Global key on the keyboard much more.
Because I use Apple’s default apps, I’ve encountered no issues using those apps. They are deeply integrated in the ecosystem and have near feature parity with the MBP. This means most of my work is easily accomplished on the iPad using Pages, Keynote, Calendar, Mail, Reminders, and FreeForm.
The iPad versions of SimpleMind Pro, MindNode, and OmniOutline are excellent on the iPad.
The landscape placement of the camera on the new iPad makes Zoom and other video calls work well.
I removed Ulysses. Because of its deep integration into the Apple ecosystem and the feature parity between all the devices, I’ve moved all but my book writing to Pages. I particularly like the “Read” mode and the Smart Annotation feature. Pages is perfect for multimodal work; I can type and when desired, switch to tablet mode to annotate a document.
The Pages “Reader Mode” in Pages is helpful because I can read a long document without accidently hiting a key and changing or deleting text.
The screen on the M4 iPad is beautiful; it is a pleasure to work on. It is dramatically better than my 14” M1 MBP.

Initially, I thought I could not manage Page’s section page numbering, e.g., hiding the page number on the first page. But I discovered this is done quickly with the Page Setup option. This reminded me that the issue is usually not the lack of the feature; it is learning how to accomplish the task on the iPad. There is initial friction, but it is short-lived if one takes the time to learn.

What did not work or work well and workarounds

I discovered that I need to update my Executive Assistant’s printer for AirPrint. The printer is over ten years old and will be replaced anyway. Though I seldom print documents, I occasionally need to do so.
I discovered that Vellum, which I’d planned to use for the final formatting of a book project, is only available for the Mac. This is and will be a problem for the book project insofar as exclusively using the iPad is concerned.
I have used DEVONthink to store research articles. DEVONthink on the Mac is great but leaves much to be desired on the iPad. DT’s relatively poor mobile app motivated me to give Obsidian another try. After some experimentation, I moved all of my research into Obsidian. I can index my Obsidian vaults to DEVONthink.
Though unnecessary, I found adding a color border to the pointer helpful. This is especially helpful in dark mode.

I discovered a very clever trick for bulk moving apps to the App Library; click here for details. This was helpful because not all apps were placed in the App Library upon the initial setup of the new iPad. Subsequently, I’ve set all apps to automatically move to the App Library upon downloading.
Google Sheets and Docs are adequate and frustrating on the iPad, but when needed, I can use the Chrome or Brave browser for needed Google work.
I can use Shift + cmd + < or > on the Mac to enlarge text in Apple Notes. This cannot be done on the iPad. The workaround is to either set the text size in the Settings app or use the Text Size feature from the Control Center to adjust the text size for a note. It’s not ideal, but it’s not a big deal either. Once set, it stays set unless you change it. This is not as convenient as adjusting text size on the Mac, but it works.

Initially, I thought I could no longer use the Endnote Capture Reference extension I routinely use in Chrome on the MBP. However, after investigating, I discovered I could capture references for online material and research databases directly from WITHIN Endnote on my iPad. I’m sure this can be done on the Mac, but I had no idea this was possible. Using the iPad resulted in my learning how to use Endnote better. Problem solved.

There are fewer keyboard shortcuts on the iPad than on the Mac, e.g., for inserting footnotes in Pages. This is a minor point of friction; inserting footnotes in Pages on the iPad requires only one click.
Publishing to SquareSpace is a pain on the iPad, and so is using MailChimp. The workaround was to use the SquareSpace and MailChimp apps, not the websites. It is still clunky, but that is the case even on the Mac, but it is more cumbersome on the iPad. In short, it is not ideal, but is workable.
I lose 1” on screen compared to the MBP, but I can change the screen resolution on the iPad. Per @Denny: I think the smaller screen size is an unspoken constraint of the iPad. People using 14"+ screens on Macs try switching to a 13 or 11" iPad and feel less productive. Certainly, that’s partly due to the switch from macOS to iPadOS, but I rarely see people discuss the smaller screen as an issue, though I suspect it must be a variable. If you’re not already aware there is an option in screen/display settings on the M series iPads to change the resolution giving you more space, you might want to check that setting.

I am not able to print or export Logos documents from the iPad. There is no solution for this. The Logos app lacks feature parity to its Mac cousin.
I’m unable to create hypertext links in OmniOutliner on the iPad.
Keychain allows one to create secure notes on the Mac. I have not found a way to build or access secure notes on the iPad. The only workaround is to secure these notes in Apple Notes.
Frustratingly, one cannot turn on or off hyphenation in a Pages document on the iPad; this can only be done by opening the document on the Mac, changing the settings, and saving. The change then syncs to the iPad.
I can use Grammarly with the keyboard, but it is not as easy as using the desktop version on the Mac.
Large book projects are the most significant areas of friction. I’m using Scrivener for the book. Scrivener is great on the Mac but mediocre on the iPad. Moreover, compiling the book for ebook and print publication is only feasible with Scrivener on the Mac. Neither Vellum nor Atticus have iPad apps.
It took a little time to figure out how to change file extensions using the Files app. To do so, you select the three small bars on the top right and then, from there, choose view options. You can change file extensions once you have done that for a folder or a file.

One cannot have two versions of Obsidian running on the iPad. Consequently, you cannot have two vaults open at the same time. However, you can have two incidences of the Files app running to access two vaults to move or copy files between Obsidian vaults.
Working with Google Slides (I only use these with a national foundation I work with) is extremely frustrating. It can be done, but Google Slides is inconsistent in responding to input from the Magic Keyboard or touch. I needed to touch an icon to get the Slides to react to keyboard input.
A frustration is that one cannot add key words or a name/title to photos in the Photos app. You can add captions.
If one is using Stage Manager with Pages, the keyboard shortcut to show/hide the inspector (Cmd+Option+i) is not available. It is available if Stage Manager is turned off.
Mail on the iPad lacks smart folders.
Downloading YouTube videos is extremely difficult on the iPad unless one is a YouTube Premium subscriber. Thanks to @JensV I was able to access a YouTube download site in Germany using VPN. This is a suitable workaround if one needs to download YouTube videos using the iPad.
I discovered that on an iPad with a Magic Keyboard, one can click the Globe key and the Q key to launch a Quick Note and the Globe key and the S key to launch Siri.

Conclusion

My 30-day experiment has confirmed that I prefer writing and working on the new 13” M4 iPad. It is light and has a fantastic display. I enjoy typing on the Magic Keyboard and appreciate the ability to remove the iPad from the keyboard for reading or pencil input.

Accordingly, I plan to use the iPad as my primary device. Typically, the Mac is the main device, with the iPad serving a complementary role. I will change this by making the iPad my primary device and using the Mac for tasks I cannot do on the iPad or for tasks it does not perform as well or without significant friction. My primary device will be the iPad with the MBP serving as a utility player.

I still need both a Mac and an iPad because there are somethings I cannot do on the iPad or that involve too much friction. Additionally, there are three advantages to using both devices:

Each device has its strengths and limitations, and as Apple intends, they complement each other.
If one device needs to go in for repair, I can continue working on the other.
The Mac can create backups to external drives, which the iPad cannot do as easily or comprehensively. I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong about this.

So there you have it. I have mastered almost every trick for using the iPad as my sole computing device. It is far more capable as a laptop replacement than most people give it credit for. But, for my workflow needs and preferences, two are better than one.

If nothing else, perhaps I’ve shared a few tips and tricks that will be helpful to others.