The 7 methods I take advantage of my iPad Professional

Here is a scorching take: An iPad does not want to interchange your laptop computer. I am an enormous believer that (apart from the Apple Vision Pro) each product within the iPad maker’s lineup has a distinct segment use case for which it’s best suited. Certain, you possibly can watch movies in your MacBook, nevertheless it’s not fairly as fluid as utilizing an iPad.

I’ve grow to be an enormous fan of the iPad Professional since its bezel-less design was launched in 2018. At the moment, I take advantage of a 13″ M4 iPad Professional with mobile. Whereas I like my iPad Professional, I additionally imagine it has a protracted technique to go earlier than anybody ought to seriously consider buying it as a laptop computer alternative.

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

1 Watching video content material

YouTube, Apple TV+, Netflix — you title it

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

Plus, its low profile means it may be positioned on a stand or within the nook with out getting in the way in which. The iPad’s lengthy battery life, mixed with its capacity 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.

Associated

New iPad? Set it up with these 8 essential things

Arrange your new iPad like a professional and ensure you’re prepared for something work, research, or leisure throws at you.

2 Sketching and note-taking

The Apple Pencil is a key aggressive benefit

Probably, the primary motive individuals purchase an iPad is to make use of an Apple Pencil. Many individuals get the system duo with the intention of sketching and illustrating. Whereas these are nice use circumstances 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 photographs utilizing the 2 gadgets on my flight dwelling after a visit. Doc markup, audio modifying, and some 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.

Associated

At long last, you can use your Apple Pencil 2nd gen as a camera remote

The Pencilera app brings a long-requested characteristic to iPad, permitting customers to snap a photograph with their Apple Pencil.

3 FaceTime calls

Panorama digital camera for the win

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

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

Associated

How to share your screen with FaceTime

Offering distant tech assist is about to get loads simpler with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia utilizing new SharePlay and FaceTime options.

4 Presenter distant and notes

Take management of your keynote presentation and look at something you jotted down

I actually love presenting. At any time when I get invited to talk at a convention or occasion, I am jazzed to design and ship a brand new keynote. An incredible advantage of 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 system (MacBook, iPad, iPhone) and management it with one other (iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch).

When utilizing an iOS or iPadOS system, you can even 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.

Associated

What is Apple’s iPad really good for? 4 top ways I use the tablet

A breakdown of what Apple’s pill is able to and if it is the proper selection to your wants.

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

5 Studying the information

One in every 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 seek out another technique to get the information. So, I turned to an RSS reader known as Reeder. All an RSS reader does is accumulate articles and movies from web sites and feeds to pool them right into a single chronological timeline (yay, no algorithms).

Whether or not you utilize an RSS or a devoted information app, I’ve discovered my iPad to be a pleasant technique to compensate for native and world occasions within the night. As a technique to cut back distractions all through the day, I created a shortcut to robotically shut Reeder on my iPhone after I’m at dwelling however enable me to make use of it whereas I am out of the home. As an alternative, I depend on my iPad as my main studying system whereas enjoyable on the couch.

Associated

Do you have the right iPad model? This is the one you should actually be using

Here is a top level view of Apple’s more and more sophisticated iPad lineup.

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 have to give attention to a single activity, for the reason that 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 awesome typing expertise the place I can give attention to the only activity at hand.

When writing on my Mac, it is easy to get distracted by an e 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 cushty typing expertise, which is anticipated of such a dear keyboard.

Associated

Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad review: Productivity gains

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Professional and iPad Air is costly, however makes engaged on the go along with your iPad an actual risk.

7 Distant productiveness

I want MacBooks got here in mobile

Apple / Pocket-lint

If Apple made a MacBook with cellular connectivity, I might 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 an alternative, when working away from my home, I take advantage of my iPad Professional’s direct mobile service for a quick and safe web connection. As a rule, my iPad’s mobile service is way extra performant and definitely safer than utilizing a public Wi-Fi community.

Associated

No, you can’t replace your phone with an iPad Mini. And that’s OK

The iPad Mini is ideal the way in which it’s — so long as you do not attempt to drive it to be a Professional.