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It was not so long ago that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had asked a journalist with an iPad to "get a real computer", jokingly. The timing was perhaps right, but then Apple went on to talk about the "What's a computer" ad for the iPad Pro, where we could see a girl rocking the new device ask his suspicious neighbor "What's a computer?"
For a Microsoft fan like me, this ad certainly ruffled some feathers. I was crazy. How does Apple make fun of the mainstream Windows market?
Two years later, I find myself in a rather similar situation, but my opinion has changed. I am a big fan of Surface and I love all Microsoft products. However, with Apple offering a recovery agreement on iPads and an educational discount afloat, I decided to buy a new iPad Air 3 and say goodbye to my old iPad 4.
But why? Apple redefining iOS 13 to make the iPad a bit more a laptop replacement, I was usually curious to know what an iPad Air 3 equipped with the new iPads from. Apple, which is expected to come out this month (perhaps as early as today after the Apple event), could do the trick. me as a technology blogger.
Before I went to the Apple Store, I asked myself a few questions. First of all, how can a modern iPad compare to a Surface? Can it really replace a laptop by Windows 10 (or in this case my Surface) for my workflows?
After using my iPad Air for a few days, I went home looking at my Surface and wondering what a computer is. I also realized that the iPad is more than an oversized iPhone or iPod touch. Here is more about my experience.
With iPadOS, an iPad can Actually manage my workflow
For my daily work as an independent writer, I use quite a number of applications. These include any available web browser, Asana, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Planner. Every day I access it via the web, but all are available as standalone applications on the iPad.
I already had these apps on my old iPad 4 also, but iOS 10 being so old, it never had the multitasking capabilities and productivity potential offered by the new iPadOS. Web sites load in a horrible mobile mode and everything is slow to load. Because of this, I have never bothered to use my iPad for work. He accumulated dust in the form of Netflix machine and streaming.
It was unexpected for me, but iPadOS on iPad Air 3 has completely changed its view on iPad. Apple finally has an operating system optimized for tablets, although I still have some reservations about applications for iPad and browsing experience on the Web. Is it going to be like working on a phone?
Let's stop there: it was not bad, quite the contrary.
I quickly found that Safari on iPadOS is able to automatically render the desktop version of web pages. And, with the zoom feature of text in the address bar, zooming out meant that I had the full version of most web pages when I needed it. Of course, the text sometimes seemed small on the small 10.5-inch screen of my iPad, but I could read the text and write without problems.
In addition, I discovered that I could use several side-by-side tabs in Safari without using different browsers. Just as I would with Edge in Windows 10, I've opened two Safari tabs. One with my WordPress dashboard, and another with the main OnMSFT site. I then dragged the OnMSFT tab to the right side of my screen. iPadOS understood that I was ready to multitask and placed my two navigation sessions side by side, with a slider in the middle to resize it. It reminds of Windows 8!
But that was not all. Then I opened Microsoft Teams and then opened Planner. Both in the background, I went back to the home screen and I reopened the teams. The dock at the iPad realized that I needed a planner and suggested it to me. I dragged it to the top of the screen and boom! Multitasking side by side with the two apps I needed the most!
iPadOS was so concise that it recalled all the multitasking sessions that I had opened. This was especially helpful when I went home to check and open other applications. I did not need to go back and repeat the process to get back to my Safari tabs or my Planner / Teams combo.
I've even received notifications for Slack and Teams in the background, as I would do under Windows 10. This really reminds of the stacking feature in Windows, which automatically suggests to open applications of 's & # 39; "stack" when you press the Windows keys and left or right. . Of course, you're only limited to two open multitasking applications and side-by-side with iPadOS (and you can add one in rollover mode), but did I still need Windows 10? Well, maybe not.
Some of the apps I've used
With the keyboard and mouse, iPadOS is as good as Windows 10
Although I mentioned my steps for multitasking above, I will specifically leave out two points: the keyboard and the mouse. I had actually used both with my iPad. In fact, I wrote all this message on my iPad Air, without any problem for the most part. I used the Logitech MX Keys as the keyboard and the Logitech MX Master 3 as the mouse.
The keyboard support in iOS is not new, but with the new iPadOS, the mouse support is also new. Hidden in the Assistive Touch and Accessibility options, the iPadOS beta has a round slider, able to emulate the touch of a finger.
Similar to what I get with my Surface Pro mouse, it means I do not have to always look up to the iPad screen to accomplish common tasks like scrolling or selecting text and opening applications. I could also use the mouse to click and insert images in this post. Combined with the improved iPadOS Files application, mouse support allows me to easily choose different locations for files: Local Storage, OneDrive, and so on.
As a bonus, the scroll button on my Logitech MX Master 3 also served as a home button, eliminating the need to access the screen. It's really the function that kills which iPads really need since the beginning. Thanks to his mouse, the iPad is close to the surface.
For writing, this mouse support has proven to be a lifesaver. I was able to highlight text with the keyboard, then click to insert links. I have regularly clicked with the right mouse button on spelling errors, waiting for a spelling suggestion similar to that of Windows 10. Under iPadOS, I had to d & # 39; First highlight the spelling, then click with the mouse. There is no right-click support, because a right-click would simply bring up the Assistive Touch menu. I've also missed the Grammarly extension, which would otherwise have corrected my spelling mistakes.
Nevertheless, at the end of the day, for my work based on the Web, the iPad was as good as Windows 10 and my Surface. I did not see anything in Safari, nor with the multitasking that Windows 10 was not already doing for me.
Clean, concise and streamlined user interface
To begin, I must mention how iPadOS is clean and concise when it is put side by side under Windows. In iPadOS, Apple has reduced the size of the iPad's home screen and added a "More" option for the home screen in the settings of the iPad. display, which could reduce the grid of icons. In response to other complaints, Apple has also introduced a new option to keep widgets on the home screen. Personally, I did not like this and I disabled the feature, but for longtime iOS users, it gives iPads a fresh and useful look.
Similar to the desktop or taskbar icons in Windows 10, the new design makes the iPadOS dock much more popular. In hindsight, this makes it easier to access applications. All you need is there. No cumbersome animated vignettes or practical menus: click on the application of your choice, it is right next to it.
Then there is the dark mode. Microsoft has made darker efforts in Windows 10, as well as Google with Android 10, but I have never seen a dark mode as effective as iPadOS. All applications are compatible with the dark mode, and it is simply beautiful. The home screen folder icons become dark, like most stock applications. The notifications are also dark, with no trace of white on the operating system. Compared to the Windows 10 Dark Mode File Explorer (which still has "clear elements"), Microsoft is ashamed. Just look at the Notes application, for example: it's like I'm writing on a dark leather sheet.
Finally, there is the simplicity of the new Files application. It now displays a column view, which allows you to have a quick overview of your files. There are also sorting options and icons. All these functions are familiar to me since Windows 10. I'm at home where I want to be.
Where is the crutch?
IPad and Surface both have high-end designs, but I can not write an article that compares the iPad experience to the Surface experience without mentioning the keyboard and crutch. Microsoft truly revolutionized the industry by designing the Surface tablet with a built-in kickstand and a removable keyboard. It's really practical and makes the use of the Surface much more comfortable in almost any situation.
Now to Apple. Microsoft's rival has since understood what makes Surface so great by offering a $ 160 keyboard case, which connects via an exclusive POGO connector to the iPad Air and iPad Pro. It can fold and allow you to use the iPad from two angles, but it's not the same thing as a built-in kickstand. I have tried it in an Apple Store, and you still have to handle the case to put it back in place. The keyboard itself is awfully uncomfortable and it is not as easy to set up as to pull a kickstand on a Surface.
Although this is a separate purchase, as with the Surface keyboard, I did not buy the keyboard case for iPad Air 3. There are many cases that will give you a kickstand experience, but it just adds unnecessary weight to the device. I'm sure these cases would give the iPad a feel more like that of a laptop, but for me it was not necessary.
I would use the iPad on my desk. Instead, I used the protective cover for my Microsoft Wedge keyboard as a support to keep my iPad in a comfortable position. It worked and I paired the tablet with my Logitech MX Master 3 mouse and my MX Keys keyboard and decided to use my iPad Air 3 for work.
What is a computer? But I still need my surface
At the end of the day, my iPad Air 3 has almost finished replacing my Surface. The multitasking capabilities are excellent and as good as I know in Windows 10. All the applications and services I need to work are there. IPadOS is much cleaner, efficient and concise than Windows 10. I just would have liked the screen to be larger and that I chose the iPad Pro, almost without any bezel. I also want Apple to work on external monitor support so I can extend my iPad screen in the same way as my Surface on Windows 10.
In any case, iPadOS also represents a huge advance for a tablet-based operating system. We know that Microsoft is hoping to adapt Windows to foldable tablets with its Windows Core modular operating system and is even striving to improve tablet experiences on Windows 10. Google has also shown with ChromeOS how to create an operating system for Windows 10. the tablets.
For the moment, Apple has realized the potential of consumers using tablets as productivity devices. Maybe Microsoft and Google should worry. IPadOS being this focus for me, a longtime user of Windows, it can only improve in the future.
However, in terms of computing power and versatility, I still came back to my Surface Pro, because I often talk about applications and complete office services such as Microsoft Office 365. I can not cover this properly on my iPad as iPad apps are still mobile software. In addition, nothing is more powerful than a Windows computer for video editing or other tasks that go beyond my web work.
Still, I think that Apple has really killed it with iPadOS, and for some, it really turns iPads into Potential Surface killers. If you're still not a fan of the polarizing tablet mode in Windows 10, I highly recommend giving iPadOS a look, as it is probably the best touch-screen operating system for tablet devices. this day.
Additional Reading: iPad, iPadOS, Surface, Tablets, Windows 10
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