I felt that the new-form-factor 12.9-inch iPad dramatically strengthened the argument for an iPad over a laptop for those with relatively basic needs. I did, however, feel compelled to make the case for an iPad-specific version of iOS, so that the software would do justice to the hardware.

While the iPad Pro isn’t trying to be a Mac, it is a grown-up device and it needs a grown-up operating system. Not macOS, but rather a tailored version of iOS, designed to take advantage of the additional capabilities of the iPad. What some people have termed padOS.

Apple of course finally gave us that with iPadOS 13, and I have to say it makes a huge difference…

expand full story

Way back in 2015, I looked at whether the iPad Pro of the time could be a Mac substitute. My bottom line then was “not for everyone, but for many, yes.”

The answer, of course, is the same one I give when non-techy friends ask me which laptop they should buy: It depends on what you want to do with it.

But once I’ve heard what they want to use it for, my answer to the question, ‘Which laptop should I buy?’ has often been, ‘You shouldn’t: Buy an iPad plus Bluetooth keyboard instead.’ So far, at least, everyone who has taken this advice has been happy with the result…

expand full story

It will surprise no-one that I was an early adopter of the Kindle, buying one almost the moment they went on sale back in 2007. I was doing a lot of business travel at a time, and absolutely loved the ability to carry a whole load of books with me at all times in essentially zero space.

My Kindle went literally everywhere with me, whether it was across town or to the other side of the world. That changed, however, when the first iPad came out …

expand full story

There are two Apple products I was pretty sure weren’t for me. The first was the Apple Watch.

To be fair to myself, I didn’t state outright that I would never buy one, only that I was a skeptic.

Although I can’t see an actual problem I need the watch to solve, that’s not the same as considering it a useless device. I can see potential applications for it, I’m just not sure they amount to a sufficient reason to own one.

I now wear one everyday. But there seemed no doubt at all that I had no possible reason to want an Apple Pencil …

expand full story

Quite a few friends have asked my advice about which iPad to buy. In general, my approach when asked for advice on iDevices is to start by asking rather a lot of questions of my own. What will you use it for? How often will you carry it around with you? How appealing to you are features X, Y and Z?

Depending on their answers, I’ve recommended everything from the cheapest to the most expensive models. Indeed, my general advice with the iPad has been that, unless you need any of the Pro features, the cellular version of the 9.7-inch iPad with 128GB storage is likely the one to go for.

But this year is a little different …

expand full story

Even before the new compact 12.9-inch iPad went on sale, there was talk of even larger iPads.  Developer Steven Troughton-Smith made the case for a 14.9-inch iPad Pro, noting that this would allow two decent-sized Safari tabs to be open side-by-side with a third app open too.

And while some might think it’s a crazy idea – where would it end? – a poll of 9to5Mac readers shows that around 40% of you favor the idea of an iPad larger than the existing 12.9-inch model …

expand full story