Information Technology Services

By: Emily Macios

The iPad is a very powerful and convenient tool. The large and beautiful screen is a joy to use for everyday tasks from checking email, surfing the web, using Facebook and other social media apps, watching YouTube and Netflix, and performing productivity related tasks using Mirosoft Office, etc. The convenience factor is unparalled as the form factor of the iPad allows you to perform all of these tasks while sitting on the couch. The size and portability allow you to take it with you everywhere. Photos and videos can be viewed at full resolution, even in 4K for the newest iPads. And LTE enabled iPads allow you to be connected anywhere and anytime. Overall, it is a fantastic tool for everyday use.

But can the iPad truly replace a laptop or desktop?

One of the limitations of the iPad is its lack of ports. With no USB ports, it makes it difficult to use a thumb drive or other USB related devices. There are ways to get around this with an adapter but it's a hassle to have to buy and keep track of an adapter.

While the hardware of the iPad, especially the newest iPad Pro with its A12x processing chip, is just as powerful, and sometimes even more so, than many PCs, the software is where the iPad's many limitations come into play. No matter how powerful the power of the processing chip, iOS cannot do everything a Mac or Windows OS can do.

While mobile and cloud-based apps are becoming increasingly frequent, there are still many applications that are only supported by a Windows or Mac computer.

Another limitation is the browser. Safari still renders many websites as mobile (the iPad is afterall a giant mobile device) which limits functionality and/or prompts an app opening. While responsive web design vastly improves web page rendering and functionality on mobile devices, unfortuntely there are many sites out there that don't practice the RWD approach.

Perhaps the biggest limitation is the lack of a true file management system. There is no true structure or organization of your files. The lack of a traditional file management makes it impossible to browse, move, and manage your music, photos, videos, documents, and other files.

While the iPad is a fantastic device that serves many useful purposes and is a Godsend to countless people for specific things, when compared to a desktop machine, the iPad will never truly be able to replace your laptop or desktop computer...at least with the current limitations of its operating system. iOS has come a long way, and the iPad is more powerful and faster than ever, but at its core it's simply a larger version of the iPhone. As long as iOS remains such a mobile driven OS, the iPad cannot truly compete with the much more powerful Mac or Windows OS.