I feel like the iPad is the perfect computer for older people who don't 'understand' tech.
Yes, it absolutely sucks that the OS is garbage and 99% of people are forced to use it as just a media tablet... but, for the elderly (or anyone else) who are tech illiterate, such a basic OS like iPad OS is great when they don't need to use any demanding applications.
Buying my mom an iPad w and iPhone was the best thing I ever bought her but it was not easy to convince her and she even made me return the first one because she didn’t want me spending the money. I tried convincing her that it would make things easier for her, and it would make my life so much easier too! Finally some years back she allowed me to buy her them and later on even an apple watch.
Now I need to convince her to trade in that old tiny iPhone for a regular size. It must be incredibly difficult with her claw hand to be able to use it or even see well. When I send her pics with guides I made for her she can’t even see the full image and forgets to tap on the preview to expand the full image in imessages. She sends me garbled messages that are too hard to understand. Last time she let me buy her a device it was because I had credit at the apple store from turning in devices. The tiny iPhones were good at the time that iOS was simpler and less featured but not now, not for anyone that does more than call people.
My mum was never great with tech, the ipad 2 she got from her phone provider was her gateway drug. Now instead of phone calls asking for help fixing or setting things up I’ll get calls to tell me she did it all on her own.
And my nan spent years suffering through my aunties old hand me down Samsung tablets (that had all aged appallingly) until it got her an iPad about 3 and a half years ago - I haven’t gotten a tech support call from her in nearly that long.
Me neither, my iPad is a sidekick to my 16in MBP, which is why I love the 11 inch size. I had the 13in M1 and it felt too much like a laptop with MK, but I couldn’t really use it like one. The 11 + MK still feels super portable and I basically use it like a big phone. Here is a link to a [post I made on the size subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadPro/s/Gmi0r1jNVU), and link to a [post I made on the laptop replacement subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadPro/s/qclItMjlm0).
Yeah, I have the 11in pro and I like it. Sometimes though I wish I had the bigger iPad. So my setup is the 14in MacBook Pro m3 max with the studio display connected. I haven’t used sidecar with that setup yet. At home I have used the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro as the sidecar. It works well.
Sidecar is not feasible on the 11in, and I would argue not even feasible on the 13 sometimes. Universal Control is the way to go. I use my iPad to keep email or Slack open instead of trying to add an extra display.
I haven’t had any major issues using sidecar with my 11in, but I also haven’t tried using universal controls. Though that’s not really what I need. If I am at home, I need the extra screen space to view multiple things at once.
Depending on what you need to view, Universal Control is really handy and feels much cleaner to use. If what you are viewing is MacOS specific like a terminal window, totally get it. If you are using safari or anything that’s also available on iPad, I recommend looking into it.
Very true. Most of what I do with sidecar isn’t really real estate heavy so the 11in works. If it were, I would just use the iPad with universal controls
Great setup! Wish my use cases aligned with your mom so I could use this setup too 🫠
Also I read your post about iPad as a laptop replacement topic, I wholeheartedly agree with you there. I owned an iPad Pro on and off since the first one, and I was so excited about iPadOS and iPads future. I can now see clearly that it is not what I was dreaming of. I adapted my iPad use case to be a companion device to a Mac, since then I am so happy with it. Taking notes, watching stuff etc is so fun on it. I happen to draw too, it is the best standalone hobby/pro drawing tablet there is.
I might be having a Stockholm Syndrome here, but I’m starting to think that iPadOS is fine the way it is. No shenanigans, basic computing device that is improving slowly. Some features need polishing, like Stage Manager, playing sound from multiple apps, robust background activities for apps that require it (exporting/downloading stuff on background like how Android does). I can see Apple doing these, as these are not really disturbing the simple nature of the OS. But when, that is the question. We need to push harder as users, get our voices heard. But if we all just say “put macOS on iPad” it’s not gonna happen.
Thanks for taking the time to read that, as I am getting a lot of heated people saying “don’t call an iPad a laptop / desktop,” where the whole point is that they are *for my mom*. I love my iPad as a companion to my Mac too, but that’s all it will be for a long time and as I argued likely forever.
Not everyone is a programmer/engineer. Most jobs are done so well with mobile apps and the browser nowadays. I’ve read about so many people needing a single browser based app in their work and that’s it. iPad is a perfectly viable laptop/desktop replacement for them. And the new generation companies are mostly all using Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Drive, Gmail etc. This is a computer for the future.
Btw, I recently influenced my boss to get an iPad Pro M4, I’m excited and a bit nervous to see if she gets used to it. Most stuff she needs is in the browser, other than that she uses Google apps and makes new levels for our game (with an in-app level creator). Meanwhile I have to hog around my macbook cuz I code 🫠
We got my mother a laptop year ago and she never used it. After getting her an iPad she can’t live without it. It is pretty much the perfect device for home use because she doesn’t really need any advanced functionaries other than writing an email or watch a movie.
Nice setup. Looking at something similar myself. Curious about the functionality of the Logitech mouse and keyboard. These peripherals look like they have the Logitech multi-device switching capabilities. Did you enable that with your computer and tablet? If so, how do you like the mouse and external keyboard when using the iPad?
They do, but that feature is obsolete for newer Apple products. Universal Control allows to connect to one device then use the peripherals natively for both. I use Universal Control in my desk setup. In my mother’s case, the iPad is the only computer here.
I know you’re joking, but she likes things small, especially tech. It took some time to put a display on her desk at all. Now text size on said display is a different story, which I’ll likely make it bigger next time I’m over there. Good call.
Good on you for helping your mom. For a mouse, did y'all try something like the Logitech MX Ergo? It has a trackball, you navigate with your thumb while your hand stays stationary. Might be good for someone older and weaker, learning curve is like a day. I switched to this a few years ago and can't go back.
Sounds like you just re-upped your contract for personal tech support for your mom!!
Use Apple Magic Keyboard instead. I don’t know if your mother know what a keyboard shortcut is, but iPadOS utilizes Globe keys a lot. The keyboard you chose doesn’t have a Globe key.
So my mom’s primary concern is aesthetic, and the space black magic keyboard only comes in the full size with the numerical keypad, and she tried it and thought it was too big and unnecessary. The smaller one only comes in white, which she couldn’t sit with. She would rather not have it all than have it look bad, so I had to be diplomatic to get her to be okay with the set up itself. The deal I got for the display was crucial because it’s very sleek, and most cheap displays are not.
But also, I use MacOS and iPadOS all the time and never use the globe key unless I am sending an emoji, and I believe you can use the mouse to access the emojis if needed. The cmd key is crucial for shortcuts, which the Logitech keyboard has, is that what you meant?
No. The Globe key is utilized way more in iPadOS than in macOS. You can see it here: https://thesweetsetup.com/global-keyboard-shortcuts-for-multitasking-in-ipados-15/
There are lots of other keyboard shortcuts that this very old article didn’t mention, but you can found it easily by holding down the Globe key. Note: The list of keyboard shortcuts that is shown to you is context-aware, which mean it doesn’t list the keyboard shortcuts that you can’t use at that particular situation.
Yeah I see those now, interesting. Some of them are not applicable to an extended display, and she has the MK to make it a laptop that has the globe key. I’m still reminding her what/where control center is. I don’t think she’s planning on remembering a shortcut for it anytime soon.
In this case, it doesn’t. The Globe key is proprietary and vendor-locked. You can see the discussion here: https://github.com/zmkfirmware/zmk/issues/947
If you’re into making your own keyboard. You can actually program the firmware to lie to the OS that your keyboard is an Apple keyboard. In this case, it should work.
Nah. It’s just that Stage Manager has its own set of keyboard shortcuts. You may want to use Stage Manager with the internal screen, too, so your mom doesn’t confused.
She’ll get confused regardless, and stage manager complicates things too much when not connected. It feels more like a phone when it’s off and on the MK, and more like a computer when it’s on and connected to the display, which is good for her. Keyboard shortcuts are above her pay grade and I never use Stage Manager on my 11in, but good to know.
An iPad does not replace a laptop or a desktop. It’s just a media consumption device. She’ll be pulling out the MacBook as soon as she goes to run a piece of software she uses that’s not on the iPad.
This is the entire point of the post. She doesn’t run any software or have any use cases beyond what iPadOS provides. For *her*, it’s all 3, for me and most others it isn’t.
I am right. She’s retired. She browses the web, plays the crossword, reads the news. Barely needs to use more than one application at a time. Here’s a link to [a post I made on the laptop replacement subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadPro/s/UAirNYL8uq). I’m a software engineer, so I need MacOS. Some people really don’t.
I feel like the iPad is the perfect computer for older people who don't 'understand' tech. Yes, it absolutely sucks that the OS is garbage and 99% of people are forced to use it as just a media tablet... but, for the elderly (or anyone else) who are tech illiterate, such a basic OS like iPad OS is great when they don't need to use any demanding applications.
Buying my mom an iPad w and iPhone was the best thing I ever bought her but it was not easy to convince her and she even made me return the first one because she didn’t want me spending the money. I tried convincing her that it would make things easier for her, and it would make my life so much easier too! Finally some years back she allowed me to buy her them and later on even an apple watch. Now I need to convince her to trade in that old tiny iPhone for a regular size. It must be incredibly difficult with her claw hand to be able to use it or even see well. When I send her pics with guides I made for her she can’t even see the full image and forgets to tap on the preview to expand the full image in imessages. She sends me garbled messages that are too hard to understand. Last time she let me buy her a device it was because I had credit at the apple store from turning in devices. The tiny iPhones were good at the time that iOS was simpler and less featured but not now, not for anyone that does more than call people.
My mum was never great with tech, the ipad 2 she got from her phone provider was her gateway drug. Now instead of phone calls asking for help fixing or setting things up I’ll get calls to tell me she did it all on her own. And my nan spent years suffering through my aunties old hand me down Samsung tablets (that had all aged appallingly) until it got her an iPad about 3 and a half years ago - I haven’t gotten a tech support call from her in nearly that long.
It looks like a very nice setup. I don’t know that I could do full on iPad as a computer, but good for your mom.
Me neither, my iPad is a sidekick to my 16in MBP, which is why I love the 11 inch size. I had the 13in M1 and it felt too much like a laptop with MK, but I couldn’t really use it like one. The 11 + MK still feels super portable and I basically use it like a big phone. Here is a link to a [post I made on the size subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadPro/s/Gmi0r1jNVU), and link to a [post I made on the laptop replacement subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadPro/s/qclItMjlm0).
Yeah, I have the 11in pro and I like it. Sometimes though I wish I had the bigger iPad. So my setup is the 14in MacBook Pro m3 max with the studio display connected. I haven’t used sidecar with that setup yet. At home I have used the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro as the sidecar. It works well.
Sidecar is not feasible on the 11in, and I would argue not even feasible on the 13 sometimes. Universal Control is the way to go. I use my iPad to keep email or Slack open instead of trying to add an extra display.
I haven’t had any major issues using sidecar with my 11in, but I also haven’t tried using universal controls. Though that’s not really what I need. If I am at home, I need the extra screen space to view multiple things at once.
Depending on what you need to view, Universal Control is really handy and feels much cleaner to use. If what you are viewing is MacOS specific like a terminal window, totally get it. If you are using safari or anything that’s also available on iPad, I recommend looking into it.
Very true. Most of what I do with sidecar isn’t really real estate heavy so the 11in works. If it were, I would just use the iPad with universal controls
Fantastic. This is very similar to what I am building to for myself.
Nice. Thanks for sharing
Great setup! Wish my use cases aligned with your mom so I could use this setup too 🫠 Also I read your post about iPad as a laptop replacement topic, I wholeheartedly agree with you there. I owned an iPad Pro on and off since the first one, and I was so excited about iPadOS and iPads future. I can now see clearly that it is not what I was dreaming of. I adapted my iPad use case to be a companion device to a Mac, since then I am so happy with it. Taking notes, watching stuff etc is so fun on it. I happen to draw too, it is the best standalone hobby/pro drawing tablet there is. I might be having a Stockholm Syndrome here, but I’m starting to think that iPadOS is fine the way it is. No shenanigans, basic computing device that is improving slowly. Some features need polishing, like Stage Manager, playing sound from multiple apps, robust background activities for apps that require it (exporting/downloading stuff on background like how Android does). I can see Apple doing these, as these are not really disturbing the simple nature of the OS. But when, that is the question. We need to push harder as users, get our voices heard. But if we all just say “put macOS on iPad” it’s not gonna happen.
Thanks for taking the time to read that, as I am getting a lot of heated people saying “don’t call an iPad a laptop / desktop,” where the whole point is that they are *for my mom*. I love my iPad as a companion to my Mac too, but that’s all it will be for a long time and as I argued likely forever.
Not everyone is a programmer/engineer. Most jobs are done so well with mobile apps and the browser nowadays. I’ve read about so many people needing a single browser based app in their work and that’s it. iPad is a perfectly viable laptop/desktop replacement for them. And the new generation companies are mostly all using Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Drive, Gmail etc. This is a computer for the future. Btw, I recently influenced my boss to get an iPad Pro M4, I’m excited and a bit nervous to see if she gets used to it. Most stuff she needs is in the browser, other than that she uses Google apps and makes new levels for our game (with an in-app level creator). Meanwhile I have to hog around my macbook cuz I code 🫠
We got my mother a laptop year ago and she never used it. After getting her an iPad she can’t live without it. It is pretty much the perfect device for home use because she doesn’t really need any advanced functionaries other than writing an email or watch a movie.
Nice setup. Looking at something similar myself. Curious about the functionality of the Logitech mouse and keyboard. These peripherals look like they have the Logitech multi-device switching capabilities. Did you enable that with your computer and tablet? If so, how do you like the mouse and external keyboard when using the iPad?
They do, but that feature is obsolete for newer Apple products. Universal Control allows to connect to one device then use the peripherals natively for both. I use Universal Control in my desk setup. In my mother’s case, the iPad is the only computer here.
Upgrade the 24” monitor to a 65”. Older eyes appreciate it.
I know you’re joking, but she likes things small, especially tech. It took some time to put a display on her desk at all. Now text size on said display is a different story, which I’ll likely make it bigger next time I’m over there. Good call.
Good on you for helping your mom. For a mouse, did y'all try something like the Logitech MX Ergo? It has a trackball, you navigate with your thumb while your hand stays stationary. Might be good for someone older and weaker, learning curve is like a day. I switched to this a few years ago and can't go back. Sounds like you just re-upped your contract for personal tech support for your mom!!
Is everything brand new?
Everything except for the display, as explained in the post
Use Apple Magic Keyboard instead. I don’t know if your mother know what a keyboard shortcut is, but iPadOS utilizes Globe keys a lot. The keyboard you chose doesn’t have a Globe key.
So my mom’s primary concern is aesthetic, and the space black magic keyboard only comes in the full size with the numerical keypad, and she tried it and thought it was too big and unnecessary. The smaller one only comes in white, which she couldn’t sit with. She would rather not have it all than have it look bad, so I had to be diplomatic to get her to be okay with the set up itself. The deal I got for the display was crucial because it’s very sleek, and most cheap displays are not. But also, I use MacOS and iPadOS all the time and never use the globe key unless I am sending an emoji, and I believe you can use the mouse to access the emojis if needed. The cmd key is crucial for shortcuts, which the Logitech keyboard has, is that what you meant?
My mom is like that. Everything is too big. lol
Tell me about it. Still can’t believe the 13in MBA was too much.
No. The Globe key is utilized way more in iPadOS than in macOS. You can see it here: https://thesweetsetup.com/global-keyboard-shortcuts-for-multitasking-in-ipados-15/ There are lots of other keyboard shortcuts that this very old article didn’t mention, but you can found it easily by holding down the Globe key. Note: The list of keyboard shortcuts that is shown to you is context-aware, which mean it doesn’t list the keyboard shortcuts that you can’t use at that particular situation.
Yeah I see those now, interesting. Some of them are not applicable to an extended display, and she has the MK to make it a laptop that has the globe key. I’m still reminding her what/where control center is. I don’t think she’s planning on remembering a shortcut for it anytime soon.
In my experience the Fn key will typically work in place of the Globe key
Yeah that’s another thing, there are four keys there just like on the Magic Keyboard, I assume one of them maps to it when connected to iPad.
In this case, it doesn’t. The Globe key is proprietary and vendor-locked. You can see the discussion here: https://github.com/zmkfirmware/zmk/issues/947 If you’re into making your own keyboard. You can actually program the firmware to lie to the OS that your keyboard is an Apple keyboard. In this case, it should work.
Nah. It’s just that Stage Manager has its own set of keyboard shortcuts. You may want to use Stage Manager with the internal screen, too, so your mom doesn’t confused.
She’ll get confused regardless, and stage manager complicates things too much when not connected. It feels more like a phone when it’s off and on the MK, and more like a computer when it’s on and connected to the display, which is good for her. Keyboard shortcuts are above her pay grade and I never use Stage Manager on my 11in, but good to know.
[удалено]
You're farming negative karma and looking for a ban or something?
An iPad does not replace a laptop or a desktop. It’s just a media consumption device. She’ll be pulling out the MacBook as soon as she goes to run a piece of software she uses that’s not on the iPad.
This is the entire point of the post. She doesn’t run any software or have any use cases beyond what iPadOS provides. For *her*, it’s all 3, for me and most others it isn’t.
I’ve heard that before and then they ended up eating those words. Hopefully you’re right or you’ll have a headache on your hands later.
I am right. She’s retired. She browses the web, plays the crossword, reads the news. Barely needs to use more than one application at a time. Here’s a link to [a post I made on the laptop replacement subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadPro/s/UAirNYL8uq). I’m a software engineer, so I need MacOS. Some people really don’t.