The iPad Pro M4 was released in May. With many anticipation building for iPadOS 18, we quickly discovered that this upcoming software update didn’t change the fundamentals of iPadOS. Still, since I didn’t have a newer iPad, I was convinced that I should finally upgrade my 2nd-generation iPad Pro to the new 13-inch iPad Pro M4.
With the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro combined, I needed a little push to get away from my Mac and see if I could get my work done with Apple’s most expensive tablet. That’s why when I had to go on a business trip in recent weeks, I knew I had to take the risk of taking the iPad with me instead of my MacBook Pro.
Even though I knew getting the MacBook Pro was probably a better option, I was intrigued by the possibility of using the M4 iPad Pro as my primary computer and was trying to figure out if I could get the job done. Here’s how it went.
I make sure the iPad Pro M4 won’t let me down
Before traveling, I made sure all the apps I needed to do my job as a tech news reporter were working properly, especially when using iPadOS 18 beta 1. In my case, Slack, my messaging app, Microsoft Edge or Safari, and Pixelmator had to work properly.
In the week leading up to my business trip, I wrote a few articles here and there about the M4 iPad Pro. It certainly could have gone more smoothly, but I was confident I could get the job done. When I got home, I can say that things were better than worse. However, the iPad’s positives and negatives became more apparent.
I got the iPad for fun, but there was still work to be done
The main reason I brought the M4 iPad Pro with me was that I wanted to be able to watch my TV shows and movies conveniently during the long flights. While I could have brought both devices, I knew it would be too much, and I also wanted to see if the iPad Pro could replace my Mac for business travel.
The overall experience was good, but I had two main issues that I felt could have been avoided with a MacBook: RAM management and Grammarly incompatibility.
The first problem is going to affect more users. At least once, while I was working, I lost about 200 words because Safari would refresh the page before WordPress could autosave it. Even with 8GB of RAM, the iPad Pro would often want to refresh Safari pages when I switched between apps. Unfortunately, even if I had 16GB of RAM, the same thing would have happened. The thing is, the iPad has poor RAM management, and some apps like Final Cut Pro get removed from RAM as soon as I minimize them. It’s crazy.
The other problem was the language barrier. As a non-native English speaker, I often need to check my spelling with Grammarly. While it works quite well on the Mac, I ran into a lot of issues with the iPad, such as:
- Grammarly does not work with Apple’s Magic Keyboard
- When I asked Grammarly for suggestions, it was unable to give me any options for rephrasing a sentence
- I had to tap paragraph by paragraph to get information on Grammarly (while removing the iPad from the Magic Keyboard)
- The recommendations were not so specific
Long story short, Grammarly (both the app and the extension) didn’t work as expected. I had these issues before installing the beta, and of course, they didn’t go away with iPadOS 18. In this case, I think this is both an Apple and developer issue, and it might be the biggest downside for those considering replacing their laptop with an iPad.
There’s something charming about the iPad workflow
Despite these issues, I still enjoyed using the iPad Pro while traveling. Not only is it a great device, it also has the speed of an iOS device.
I also got to try Stage Manager in action for the first time. While it has its limitations, I think it’s the best solution to date for splitting the screen. It was great to split multiple windows in a natural working environment. It’s also especially cool to have different scenes for apps, like Mail + Slack, Safari tabs only, Pixelmator, etc.
Of course, this is only possible thanks to the Magic Keyboard, which improves the iPad experience. Otherwise, the iPad keyboard would take up half the screen and I wouldn’t be able to work as quickly as I would like.
While I still feel more secure with a Mac, I know the iPad can do the trick. After all, in 2019, I covered WWDC 2019 in person with an iPhone XR, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and a dream. Phew.
Can the iPad Pro M4 replace a laptop?
It all depends on your needs. For me, the Mac offers the most reliable work experience. However, I have no problem with wanting a more fun experience. The iPad Pro has been very useful for me as a journalist, and I’m sure it works well for designers and many other professionals as well.
For my next business trip, I’ll still consider taking the iPad with me. Eventually, I might sell the MacBook Pro and keep my Mac Studio for working at home and the iPad Pro for working outside.
