Apple recently promoted the iPad Pro or "tablet computer" as an alternative to the laptop, saying "Your next computer is not a computer." That is, the next computer that you will buy will not be a computer, and it focused on the iPad's distinguishing points with its advertisements, as it is more powerful than most laptops on the market, easy to navigate, use and light in weight. Not to mention its battery is better and more efficient than most other devices' batteries, as well as its iPadOS support for mouse, stylus and external storage. These aspects have enabled some users to make the iPad their primary work device. But are these points enough to make the iPad an alternative to the laptop?
iPadOS
Built on the strong foundations of the iOS operating system, iPadOS offers a qualitative work environment designed specifically for iPad users, marking a major shift as a standalone operating system. And now iPadOS 14 opens up even more, with smart updates to the stylus, apps, privacy, augmented reality, and more.
What does this system offer?
iPadOS offers many features to its users, the most important of which are:
Applications
Pop-up menus and sidebars make it possible to access multiple apps from one place quickly and easily, without having to switch between apps.
search
Search features a new, smaller and easier design that allows you to search the Internet and find apps faster. Search suggestions are also available as you type, for quick results.
Privacy
iPadOS offers greater control over the data you share and demonstrates transparency in how it is used. For example, you can get information from the App Store that helps you understand the privacy policy of each app before you start downloading and using it. Also, a signal appears at the top of the screen when an app uses the camera or microphone. As for geographic location, you can give your approximate location instead of your actual location.
Maps
Maps is the best way to navigate while maintaining privacy. Maps in the iPad operating system made discovering new places, shopping and navigating between places easier than ever before.
augmented reality
Augmented reality experiences can be displayed according to specific geographic coordinates that you can see anywhere around the world, in different cities, next to famous landmarks, and even where you live.
Richer experience with AirPods
The headphones provide a quality listening experience because the sound surrounds you no matter how you move. These headphones offer easy switching between Apple devices without switching AirPods manually. For example, if you end a phone call on your iPhone and then switch to your iPad to watch a movie, the speakers switch automatically.
files
The Files app includes a completely redesigned sidebar that brings together all the essential functions. You can navigate to files, external disks, file servers, and folders just like when using a laptop. The Files app also supports external disks that use APFS encryption, where you can just enter the password to access the disk content.
Safari browser
Browsing the Internet should be fast and secure, and that's what iPadOS has made Safari more powerful and capable, while providing new ways to help protect your privacy.
What distinguishes the Safari browser?
- This browser can translate websites in seven different languages. When you visit a website that Safari can translate, a translation icon will appear where you just have to click on it to translate the site.
- Safari warns you about unsafe or compromised passwords. The browser monitors your saved passwords to ensure they are not exposed to any data breach. To this end, Safari uses strong encryption methods to regularly check your passwords against a list of hacked passwords, and this is done in a secure way that preserves privacy without revealing your password information to anyone, even Apple.
- By clicking on the Privacy Report icon; You can view a privacy report where the browser explains to you how websites treat your privacy.
- The fastest browser in the world, which is designed to work specifically on Apple devices, so it knows how to consume energy efficiently and give the battery a longer life, and it is also faster than the Google Chrome browser in loading websites.
- Safari supports 4K video playback on YouTube, Netflix, and others.
- Safari helps protect you with powerful security features, including iCloud Chain, which stores and fills in passwords automatically, and Password Monitoring, which alerts you if your passwords are compromised. It also alerts you when it encounters suspicious websites and prevents them from loading.
- Safari syncs passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs, and more across various Apple devices. When these devices are close together, you can move what you're doing in Safari from one device to another automatically. You can also copy photos, videos, or texts from Safari on your iPad and then paste them into another app on any other Apple device, or vice versa.
Applications that make the iPad Pro an alternative to the laptop
There are a number of applications that succeed in transforming the iPad Pro into a powerful computer that fulfills all needs. Here are some of the apps that are used to boost iPadOS:
Gmail / Outlook
They are considered one of the most powerful applications for viewing email messages without having to open them in the browser every time. Gmail has a storage capacity of 15 GB, and they are characterized by a high degree of security.
Notes
This app comes with all Apple devices. Notes can create and edit notes, as well as many advanced features, such as adding a table, scanning a document with the device's camera, and merging photos and video content as well.
Additional features include a drawing feature to make it easier to draw with the stylus in an empty area of the screen. You can also insert a map into a note, arrange notes into folders and protect them with passwords.
PDF Expert 5
If you have to read, edit and add comments to PDF files, this is the right app you need. It is an easy-to-use application that allows you to highlight text, write notes, and sign files. It also supports a range of different file formats, and lets you track changes just as they would in Word.
Zipped
An application used to open compressed files downloaded from various websites.
Things 3
This handy application helps in organizing tasks and organizing your to-do list for projects. It is similar to To Do List in task scheduling.
Snapseed
It is the best application to edit photos before sharing them on social networking sites. It gives you many effects to apply to photos and fulfills all your basic needs related to photo editing. It is considered an alternative to Photoshop and is distinguished by its ease of use.
Roambi Analytics
This application is used for reporting and analysis and allows you to take data from anywhere - including Excel - and turn it into charts and graphs.
Office surprise for iPad users
Microsoft introduced new features and capabilities to enable users to be productive in more ways. Many Office updates have been made to take advantage of them and make it easier to work on the iPad.
- touchpad and mouse
Office, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have received updates to take full advantage of touchpad support in iPadOS. Using a mouse and keyboard called Apple's new Magic Keyboard enables easy cursor control, smooth navigation, and fine-tuning. When you move your finger across the Magic Keyboard's touchpad, the pointer turns into the tool you need depending on the content you're pointing at. And using the mouse or touchpad with the iPad to do things like highlight a section of text in Word, select a group of cells in Excel, and move and resize graphics in PowerPoint is easier than ever. This experience will help make the iPad more capable of doing more work.
- Update start screens and menu bar
Microsoft updates the overall user experience in Office programs with new start screens and a new menu bar. These improvements provide a unique user experience that is proven to help users easily find what they need on the job.
These updates that have reached users are the latest in a series of updates that Microsoft will continue to introduce to the Office package designed to take advantage of the capabilities of the iPad, such as the multi-touch screen and multi-use accessories, the ability to open multiple documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and additional updates that will arrive to users in the coming weeks such as Offline file support for iCloud files.
Adobe applications - photoshop
Many of us hear about Photoshop and Illustrator. These programs are examples of the Adobe suite of programs as they are known to a wide range of designers and entrepreneurs. And as with the Fresco drawing app.
Photoshop on iPad offers basic retouching, compositing, and more features, and improvements are added constantly. Photoshop files can be created in full PSD format and stored on the cloud without the need for any conversion, and they will have the same resolution and performance no matter what device you're working on. Pen and touch shortcuts can also be used to make edits directly to photos. You can also display only the basic tools you use and the panels you need, so you can get the most out of the iPad Pro screen.
As an added bonus, you can use watercolors or oil brushes to draw lines with extendable vector brushes using Adobe Fresco with Photoshop on iPad.
Photoshop capabilities on iPad Pro:
- Familiar workspace: Work with layers and the toolbar as you would on a laptop. You can scroll, reduce, compress and move the image however you want.
- Access from anywhere: Work on iPad without an internet connection – used brushes and files are synced automatically, and saved to the cloud so you can design at any time.
- Retouch: You can modify, enhance, and remove unwanted elements using the features available on the program.
- Layers: You can create as many layers as you want on your laptop using a mini view, so it's easy to organize and move between them.
- Overlays: You can combine elements to create a new element on multiple layers. You can also make complex selections and brushes with precise control of your fingers or with the stylus.
- Selections: Easily select and copy photos to your iPad. You can also copy and paste selections to create overlays.
Control and Navigation on the iPad Pro
First: using the mouse
When you connect a mouse to the iPad Pro, a circular cursor will appear on the screen, then you can move the mouse as you would when using a computer or laptop. You can adjust the speed of movement of the pointer on the screen along with its other settings.
The mouse pointer changes shape as it moves through screen elements; For example, it turns into a pointer in the form of the letter I above the written text, and this indicates the possibility of using the pointer in a text document or selecting and copying words from a web page and pasting them into a note, for example. The cursor disappears after a few seconds of inactivity, so you just have to move your mouse to bring it up again.
Second: using the pen
to pair it with the iPad Pro; Simply attach the second generation stylus to the magnetic connector on the side of the iPad. In the first generation, remove the cover and plug it into the “Lightning” charging port on the iPad Pro, then click the “Pair” button when it appears. After the pen is paired with the iPad, it stays connected to the iPad, but loses its connection when you restart the iPad, turn on Airplane Mode, or pair it with another iPad. If you want to use it again, just plug the pen back in.
Tags: Apple iPad, iPad, iPad Pro, iPad, laptop, laptop