Last week, I switched from an M1 MacBook Air to an M1 iPad Air. I was using an Apple computer and now...I'm still using an Apple computer. Though my iPad is not a laptop per sé, it is a laptop replacement. In fact, it's more. I've been routinely surprised by the iPad in desktop mode (with an external display and floating app windows) because it looks and feels like I'm back on my Mac. This M1-tablet actually has more power (an extra GPU core) than my MacBook. It's a computer!
Tablet or laptop? Yes!
The iPad used to be just a tablet. In fact, my first iPad (gen 1) was an iPod Touch replacement. But now the iPad is an all-out computer. It's like when the first Chromebooks were dismissed as "just a browser" devices but then grew more capable.
Using iPadOS 17 with Stage Manager in desktop mode (mouse, keyboard, external display) is kind of mind-bending and game-changing (that's not hyperbole). In any mode, iPad has multiple re-sizable floating windows, right-click context menus, customizable toolbars, a dock, a stage, a shelf, an app switcher, keyboard shortcuts, a mature file explorer, interactive widgets, a notification center, a control center...far more than a mere grid of blown-up smartphone apps.
iPad is modular. With the right accessories, this simple tablet transforms into a clamshell laptop or a mini desktop computer. Call it a 2-in-1 or even a 3-in-1.
What's a Hybrid Computer? It's an iPad.
Multi-Tasking
I could write a whole post on Stage Manager for iPad just like I did for the MacBook Air. But the difference would be that while I rejected SM on the Mac, I embrace it on iPad. The feature seems tailor-made for Apple's tablet. On the other hand, it seems tacked onto macOS strictly for feature parity. The Mac already had free-floating app windows, but iPad never did until SM; it's a paradigm shift. It doesn't fundamentally alter what iPad is, but it vastly shifts its potential into higher gear.
That said, I still also greatly enjoy the iPad's Split View and Slide Over features. Their implementation is simple, elegant, and they feel good or fun to use with swiping gestures. They work well with multi-touch gestures as well as cursor control via the 3-dot window menu. I kind of think of SV and SO as casual multi-tasking, whereas Stage Manager, with its floating app windows, is formal multi-tasking.
Whether you want iPad to be more of a multi-tasking tablet or a task-managing laptop, it's nice to have both options. iPad is (wait for it...) up to the task!
App or web -centric? Yes!
With Safari's desktop-class browsing, you can use it on iPad just like on a MacBook. The WordPress CMS works well (I've found no issues yet) as does Google Docs, for example. And you can save sites and web-apps to the Home Screen. So the iPad can be web-centric.
The iPad, of course, also thrives with native apps. Apple's own productivity apps, Pages and Numbers, are great, having many of the features from their Mac counterparts. But many web-apps also have native apps, and it's interesting to have the choice between them.
WordPress and Mastodon, for example, can all be accessed in the browser. But they also have high-quality tablet apps. Which is better? On iPad, you get to choose! In some cases, I use both. For others, like YouTube, I prefer the app over the website.
One advantage of using a native app over a website, like Amazon, is it can easily morph (in Slide Over or 1/3 Split View) into the app-size class that matches the iPhone version. It's like using iPhone apps directly on iPad; I love it. This applies especially to Apple's default apps, such as Notes, Mail, Music, and Podcasts. Though they're good on the Mac, I prefer them on iPad because they're simpler and more modern.
Other native app advantages are notifications and better share sheet integration. For example, I can easily "Save as Draft" my Apple Note directly to WordPress, including the selection of Post Type, Tags, and Categories. It's pretty slick.
Conclusion
These are some early impressions of my iPad Air 5th gen with M1 chip. The iPad is the most capable it has ever been. And Apple seems to be fully supportive of iPad for the foreseeable future.
I think the new 3 nanometer A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro is a hint at what's to come in the M3 line, which iPad will likely gain next year. That means the next iPad Pros could feature hardware raytracing in the GPU, pushing pro apps and mobile gaming to new heights.
Look for more on my blog about iPad in the future. Feel free to share how you're using iPad, whether as a tablet or an all-out laptop replacement. And if you have an iPad mini, how does it compare to its larger siblings?