The 7 methods I exploit my iPad Professional

This is a sizzling take: An iPad would not want to exchange your laptop computer. I am an enormous believer that (in addition to the Apple Vision Pro) each product within the iPad maker’s lineup has a distinct segment use case for which it’s best suited. Positive, you’ll be able to watch movies in your MacBook, nevertheless it’s not fairly as fluid as utilizing an iPad.

I’ve change into an enormous fan of the iPad Professional since its bezel-less design was launched in 2018. Presently, I exploit a 13″ M4 iPad Professional with mobile. Whereas I like my iPad Professional, I additionally consider it has an extended method to go earlier than anybody ought to seriously consider buying it as a laptop computer substitute.

I did not buy an iPad Pro to replace my MacBook. As a substitute, I purchased it as a complementary machine for a particular set of duties — which it thrives at checking off the to-do record.

1 Watching video content material

YouTube, Apple TV+, Netflix — you title it

The iPad Professional is well my go-to machine for streaming video content material. Admittedly, utilizing an costly sheet of steel and glass solely for video streaming has change into a little bit of a meme. Nonetheless, every time I am making dinner, preparing within the morning, or needing a distraction, I seize my iPad Professional as a result of its massive display screen, loud audio system, and contact interface make it an unimaginable content material consumption machine.

Plus, its low profile means it may be positioned on a stand or within the nook with out getting in the best way. The iPad’s lengthy battery life, mixed with its capability to simply save content material for offline viewing, provides to the protection of why it makes for a wonderful medium for video content material consumption.

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2 Sketching and note-taking

The Apple Pencil is a key aggressive benefit

Probably, the primary cause individuals purchase an iPad is to make use of an Apple Pencil. Many individuals get the machine duo with the intention of sketching and illustrating. Whereas these are nice use instances for the iPad and Apple Pencil, you are able to do much more with these two gadgets.

When ending my undergraduate research, I used my iPad Professional and Apple Pencil every day to repeat down formulation and take notes throughout my arithmetic lessons. I’ve additionally made it a behavior to edit images utilizing the 2 gadgets on my flight residence after a visit. Doc markup, audio modifying, and every other activity that makes use of a stylist means a MacBook cannot match, and the iPad has to come back in to do the job.

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3 FaceTime calls

Panorama digicam for the win

I just lately got here again from a week-long journey to Nashville. Whereas away, my girlfriend and I FaceTimed every night to speak about our days. The iPad shortly turned my go-to machine for these calls. Like video streaming and content material consumption, the iPad’s massive display screen, loud audio system, nice microphones, and low profile make for an excellent video calling machine.

Combining these advantages with the brand new panorama digicam positioned on the iPad Professional’s lengthy aspect, you are now trying proper on the individual on the decision relatively than this off-side video.

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4 Presenter distant and notes

Take management of your keynote presentation and consider something you jotted down

I actually love presenting. Every time I get invited to talk at a convention or occasion, I am jazzed to design and ship a brand new keynote. An amazing good thing about utilizing Apple’s keynote app (past beautiful-looking displays) is the presenter remote feature. In case you’re unfamiliar with it, the presenter distant permits you to have your keynote on one machine (MacBook, iPad, iPhone) and management it with one other (iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch).

When utilizing an iOS or iPadOS machine, you may as well view presenter notes, view present or upcoming slides, add non permanent doodles or illustrations to slides, and use a vertical laser pointer to convey your factors.

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My typical presentation setup includes connecting my MacBook to the presentation show (projector or TV) and utilizing my iPad because the distant to change between slides and consider my presenter’s notes. The 2024 iPad Professionals are a good bit lighter and thinner than their predecessors, so I’ve discovered holding my 13″ mannequin for prolonged durations much more comfy than the 12.9″ that got here earlier than.

5 Studying the information

Considered one of my most important private accomplishments has been transferring away from social media (with the exception ofLinkedIn). When Twitter ended assist for third-party shoppers, I made a decision it was the second to search out another method to get the information. So, I turned to an RSS reader referred to as Reeder. All an RSS reader does is acquire articles and movies from web sites and feeds to pool them right into a single chronological timeline (yay, no algorithms).

Whether or not you employ an RSS or a devoted information app, I’ve discovered my iPad to be a pleasant method to compensate for native and world occasions within the night. As a method to cut back distractions all through the day, I created a shortcut to robotically shut Reeder on my iPhone after I’m at residence however enable me to make use of it whereas I am out of the home. As a substitute, I depend on my iPad as my major studying machine whereas stress-free on the couch.

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6 Writing and focus workflows

The Magic Keyboard offers an incredible typing expertise

Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Professional 13‑inch (M4)

iPads are nice gadgets when you must deal with a single activity, because the platform largely focuses on the consumer solely having one or two apps open. When making an attempt to write an article, my iPad Professional and its Magic Keyboard foster an excellent typing expertise the place I can deal with the one activity at hand.

When writing on my Mac, it is easy to get distracted by an electronic mail or Slack message. So, writing an article in Pages on my iPad results in fewer distractions. The iPad Professional’s Magic Keyboard additionally makes for a snug typing expertise, which is predicted of such an expensive keyboard.

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7 Distant productiveness

I want MacBooks got here in mobile

Apple / Pocket-lint

If Apple made a MacBook with cellular connectivity, I’d purchase it in a heartbeat, and I am not the primary tech author to say this. I bought an iPad with a mobile transmitter as a result of I’ve discovered utilizing my iPhone as a hotspot to be unreliable, inconsistent, and battery-draining. As a substitute, when working away from my home, I exploit my iPad Professional’s direct mobile service for a quick and safe web connection. Most of the time, my iPad’s mobile service is much extra performant and definitely safer than utilizing a public Wi-Fi community.

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