OK, I know the iPad team is ready to come to my neck with a pitchfork, but hear me out — my “hating of tablet-based” is justified.
First and foremost, if you’re a digital artist, graphic designer, or parent of an unruly child who can only be calmed with a rectangular slab of tech, you’re free to come by and collect $200. Art and taming wild children are good reasons to buy a tablet. All other tablet owners, especially those who already own a laptop and smartphone, please come into my office; I’d like to talk to you.
You’re not off the hook, but I have one simple question: why f*** do you have a tablet?
If your tablet wasn’t gathering dust in a dirty dark closet somewhere, I’m sure many of you would respond with some variation between “It’s lightweight and comfortable” or “I use it for media consumption!” Others might say, “I use it to read!” or “It’s the best travel companion.”
I’ll address why I don’t have water retention later, but the subset of tablet owners I am truly want to rip in the first are “I activate the LaPtoP list” People. Without further ado, let the slate hate begin!
A tablet with a detachable keyboard? Why didn’t you get a laptop?
“WTF is the goal of the tablet?” I asked during one of our laptop mag morning meetings. The question sparked a controversial debate. After all, one of my co-workers has it 2020 iPad Airwhich he mates with Apple Magic Keyboard, so he was understandably somewhat offended. Another of my classmates said, “Hey! My guys have pills. They love them and use them regularly!”
“Do these tablets come with a keyboard of some kind?” she asked with a slight tone of irony. And they answered, “Yes.” “Well, why don’t you just get a laptop if you’re going to turn your tablet into one?” I asked with genuine curiosity. Seriously, inquiring minds want to know. Why turn up your nose when getting a laptop — only to buy separate keyboards and other peripherals to turn your tablet into the clamshell form factor you supposedly didn’t want in the first place? What sense do not make?
Even from a financial point of view, choosing a tablet over a laptop isn’t a win-win, especially for Apple users seeking a “laptop replacement”.
For example, let’s look at a file M2 iPad ProApple’s premium tablet is often touted as a viable laptop alternative among slate enthusiasts. The 12.9-inch variant with 256GB of storage costs $1,200. Use the Magic Keyboard, which raises the price to $1,550. Whew!
Its laptop counterpart with similar specs — the M2 MacBook Air with 256GB of storage — costs just $1,200. Now why on earth would one choose an iPad Pro over a MacBook when they’re paying $350 more for a glorified mobile operating system (ahem, iPadOS) is not as powerful as macOS? Even if you get the M1 iPad Air (256GB configuration) with the Magic Keyboard, you’ll still pay $1,050, which is only $150 less than the M2 MacBook Air. I did not get it!
Among those who say, “Well, I’m not looking for a cheaper laptop replacement per se; I just want something light and compact,” please follow me to the next section. I have a few pick words for you, too.
Tablets aren’t always lighter than laptops, travelers bulge!
Let me get my scales out for this section – we’ll need it.
First of all, the Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is heavier than one might expect. Place it on a digital scale and the display will say: 1.6 lbs.
Now, let’s weigh the 12.9-inch M2 iPad Pro. No, our scale is not broken, and yes, you see right. The tablet weighs 1.5 pounds, which makes the Magic Keyboard slightly heavier than the iPad Pro itself.
The Magic Keyboard is heavier than the iPad Pro by design. Placing a heavy device on a lightweight keyboard stand would be a terrible idea – the iPad Pro would simply tip over. As such, the Magic Keyboard should act as an anchor, offering an appropriate weight distribution to the bottom half to discourage the tablet from tipping over (I’m sticking to the theme of using nautical jargon here).
In total, the 12.5-inch iPad Pro paired with the Magic Keyboard weighs about 3.1 pounds. Conversely, the M2 MacBook Air weighs just 2.7 pounds. As such, is it really true that the iPad Pro is a better travel companion than the MacBook due to its lighter weight?
I know some of you might say, “Well, I don’t use the Magic Keyboard with my iPad, so the joke is on you!” Well, I’m not one to type on an on-screen keyboard, dear reader, and so is the joke truly On?
Even if you don’t own an iPad Pro or an Apple-branded tablet, my statement still holds. It’s not 2010 anymore (when laptops ranged between four and seven pounds). Today, there are plenty of lightweight, ultra-portable laptops that make excellent travel companions. It may not be lighter than tablets, but it sure can come close. the current generation Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Opens in a new tab), for example, it weighs just 2.5 pounds and is just 0.6 inches thick. Moreover, the battery life is 15 hours 39 minutes. Boo yah!
Drop the “bigger screen” argument
Tony Polanco, a computing writer for sister site Tom’s Guide, didn’t take kindly to my dislike when I asked him about his tablet and why he had one. “I use it to watch things while I’m eating at the dinner table,” he said defiantly.
“Why don’t you just use your laptop or phone?” I asked. Again, I was really curious.
He replied, “The keyboard from the laptop gets in the way and the phone screen is too small.” After some stubborn resistance and careful consideration, Polanco was right. Although the cumbersome keyboard is not annoying I — and the nearly 7-inch screen on my phone is more than adequate Mine Media consumption needs These minor inconveniences are clearly baffling enough to motivate consumers like Polanco to dispel those handicaps by buying a tablet.
Although Polanco entertained me for the first half, it dawned on me that the bigger screen argument is no longer a viable excuse when you have 2 in 1 laptops In the market (Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 (Opens in a new tab) is a fan favorite). If you turn off your keyboard at the dinner table while you’re eating, swap your laptop for a convertible that folds into a tablet. The problem has been resolved!
You get a bigger screen, the keyboard is farther away, and you don’t have to waste your hard-earned money on a silly little tablet. Plus you are killing two birds with one stone. Win, win!
Stop using your iPad to read – get a Kindle or something
Chuck Ness, National Geographic host Mind Games: On the road and the Neil deGrasse Tyson StarTalk podcast, Talk To Laptop mag for its technical hardware And he has one big problem with the iPad – it sucks as an e-reader.
“[One] something [Apple] What you need to do is to optimize your screen. With these other e-readers, you can [reduce blue light] Nice said. The game show host also complained about the iPad’s bright backlight. “Let me see the words! You don’t have a bright backlight on a page or a magazine, do you?” he asked rhetorically.
To be fair, iPadOS Do It has a setting that allows users to set the screen to a warmer color tone, which is easier on the eyes. It’s called Night Shift. You can access it via Settings > Display & brightness > Night Shift.
But here’s the thing Nice forgets – the iPad was not designed to be an e-reader! As such, yes, it will have a slew of features inconvenient for the frustrated reader, including the fact that it’s not the lightest for a one-handed grip and the annoying glare on the iPad screen while you’re sitting near a bright window. No, Apple isn’t interested in tweaking the so-called “flaws” because reading isn’t the main use case for the iPad.
On the contrary, Amazon Kindle does not face these hurdles as it is specially designed to please and appease the avid readers. Cues from the story? Get an Amazon Kindle (Opens in a new tab) While that!
Well, but your phone and mobile device can do the same thing
If your laptop could turn into a song and dance in front of your tablet, it would be singing, “Anything you can do I can do better! I can do anything better than you!” You want to broadcast NetflixAnd HBO Max and consuming other media content? A laptop or phone can do this. “But Kim,” she might be thinking, “I want to bring something lightweight to bed that would allow me to catch up on all my favorite shows before bed.”
use your smart phone; It’s much less stressful than holding a tablet in your hand. It would also be less painful if it fell on your face while watching a show on your back (believe me, I know). If you stick to larger screen sizes while streaming your favorite binge-worthy content, the laptop will do just fine.
Most tablets can manage schoolwork, web browsing, videoconferencing, email and other light workflows without issues, but why buy another device to do something a laptop can already do?
I’m not the only one who doesn’t deal with tablets. Although there is a lot of hype surrounding the novelty Samsung Galaxy Tab S8The Google Pixel device advertising, and a slew of new Apple iPads for 2022, according to canalis, the tablet market saw a whopping 11% drop in shipments year-on-year in the second quarter of 2022. See? Most consumers aren’t buying into the whole “tablets are useful” agenda either.
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I know I know. I sound like the annoying parent who says, “We don’t need to buy McDonald’s; we already have food in the house!” But for the most part, tablets really are We are Redundant and unnecessary devices.
As we mentioned at the beginning, if you are a digital artist and graphic designer, feel free to use your tablet! Even convertible laptops aren’t ideal for sketching, drawing, and designing, considering how difficult it is to hold them while folded into “tablet mode.” Whether you have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (Opens in a new tab) Paired with the S Pen or iPad Pro (Opens in a new tab) accompany him Apple Pencilyou must be in good hands.
I’ll also let you slip if you simply want a second screen in addition to your main screen—another great reason to snag a tablet. Or maybe you have a wild child and don’t want to deal with a restless kid during an eight-hour road trip. Believe me; I get it! Tablets provide enough of a satisfying mobile gaming experience to keep the little ones entertained.
Other than the above specialty Use cases, WTF is the goal of the tablet?