Run Proprietary or Desktop SoftwareThe iPad can't run Windows or Mac software, which means no access to software that requires Windows or macOS, which includes many of the most popular games. Beyond gaming, many people bring their work home with them, and work often involves proprietary software.
Summary: The 2020 iPad Pro is an iOS tablet first with a keyboard/trackpad as an add-on. Keep that in mind. But it can definitely replace your laptop if you're willing to make a few accommodations and if you don't rely on high-end legacy apps or in-house software that can only run on Windows or macOS.
Word for iPad®, Excel for iPad, and PowerPoint for iPad have the robust capabilities and familiar look and feel of Office, while offering a fantastic touch experience built from the ground up for iPad. With the free versions of the apps, you can read your Word documents, use your Excel data and present with PowerPoint.
As far as a laptop replacement goes, the iPad Air may not be there for everyone just yet, but it is certainly close. Add in the accessories such as the Apple Pencil and the smart keyboards that Apple offers (as extras) and you have a fully featured device that could potentially replace your laptop.
New iPad Pro Benchmarked: This Blows Away Windows PCs. The A12X Bionic chip inside the new 2018 iPad Pro outperforms even Core i7-powered laptops.
We think, however, that an iPad is a great choice. It runs many of the apps you'll find on a laptop, including Office apps like Word and PowerPoint and the Apple equivalents, and in some cases an iPad is actually more powerful than a laptop thanks to the super-fast processors Apple uses.
For iPad / iPhone
- Open the Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the device screen or swiping down from the top right corner of the screen (varies by device and iOS version).
- Tap the “Screen Mirroring” or “AirPlay” button.
- Select your computer.
- Your iOS screen will show on your computer.
Connect iPad via Wi-Fi
- Connect your iPad or iPad mini to your computer.
- In iTunes, when your tablet appears in the Devices list, click it.
- In the Summary tab, select the Sync with this iPad over Wi-Fi check box.
- Click Apply.
- Click Done.
- Disconnect your iPad or iPad mini.
Using USB, you can directly connect iPad and a Mac or Windows PC to set up your iPad, charge the iPad battery, share your iPad internet connection, transfer files, and sync content. Make sure you have one of the following: PC with a USB port and Windows 7 or later.
Plug your iPad into your computer with a lightning-to-USB cable, and your iPad should light up with an extension of your Windows or Mac desktop. Move your mouse to the right of your desktop, and it'll travel over to the iPad. You can even touch the iPad to control Windows or OS X.
Connect a USB drive or an SD card
- Insert a USB camera adapter or an SD card reader into the charging port on iPad.
- Do one of the following:
- To view the contents of the device, tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device below Locations.
What you'll need
- If the monitor has a USB-C to USB-C connection, you'll be able to directly connect the iPad Pro, most likely with the monitor's included cable.
- For all other monitors, you'll need the appropriate adapter (USB-C to HDMI, USB-C to DisplayPort and so on).
How to use your iPhone / iPad as a webcam. Just like Android, there are several iOS apps that claim to be able to turn your mobile device into a webcam. Download and install EpocCam from the App Store. Unlike DroidCam, a set of desktop drivers for EpocCam is available for both Windows 10 and macOS.
Apple's newest iPad Pro has all of the makings of a great computer, but it's still not ready to replace my laptop. The iPad Pro's long battery life, fast performance, and new trackpad support make it a compelling laptop alternative in 2020.
You can print from an iPhone or iPad with just a few taps if you have a printer with AirPrint capabilities. Even printers without AirPrint can typically be synced wirelessly to an iPad or iPhone, but you might need to get an app to help out.
While even Apple has confirmed the iPad Air will outperform the iPad Pro in some use cases with the A14 chip, the iPad Pro still includes a more powerful GPU and more RAM (and actually has more CPU and GPU cores). The iPad Pro with A12Z has 8 CPU and GPU cores compared to 6 CPU and 4 GPU cores with the A14.
You don't have to choose between a laptop and an iPad. You can have both. But if you only want to buy one device, think carefully about what you need it to do. If you don't need any of those applications, then choose the iPad.
