I tried using the iPad Pro 2024 as a laptop for a week — it went exactly as expected
Is the iPad Pro a laptop replacement?
Apple recently released the iPad Pro 2024, which means it’s time to once again ask whether the company’s latest premium tablet can replace the best laptops.
The question has more weight this time given how the new iPad Pro packs the powerful Apple M4 chip and can be paired with the redesigned Magic Keyboard. The new OLED display is also as good as those seen on OLED laptops. In addition, the tablet lasted over 13 hours in our battery life test — far longer than many of the best Windows laptops we've reviewed.
These factors should theoretically make the new iPad Pro a decent laptop replacement. But after a week of using (or rather, trying to use) Apple’s powerful slate as a laptop, I can tell you the best MacBooks don’t have to worry about the iPad Pro making them obsolete. Far from it.
The iPad Pro is a fantastic tablet, but it’s still not close to delivering a true laptop experience. I’ll explain why below.
iPadOS isn’t great for productivity
In my humble opinion, iPadOS 17 smokes its main competitor, Android 14, in terms of overall useability. To use a refrain familiar to Apple users, iPadOS just works! This operating system is the main reason I prefer iPads to the best Android tablets. But despite its virtues, iPadOS can’t compete with macOS on Macs.
As our own Mark Spoonauer wrote, the iPad Pro 2024 is proof that Apple needs to blow up iPadOS and start over. iPadOS was originally designed for content consumption, and it still excels at that. Watching videos or reading on an iPad is a great experience. However, trying to do basic work on an iPad Pro (or any iPad) is cumbersome at best and frustrating at worst.
I use Google and its various apps for both work and personal use. On a Mac or Windows laptop, I can have Google applications like Drive, Docs, Calendar and so on all in a single browser window containing tabs for those apps. I can do this on Chrome for iPad, but it's annoying that I'm always prompted to download the discrete app for each program. — forcing me to go through extra steps before I can use the Google app I want. The apps also have a slightly different layout than they do on macOS and Windows, which takes some getting used to.
What about Stage Manager? This iPadOS feature puts the app you’re using front and center and pushes up to four other open apps off to the left-hand side. This is meant to not only help you focus on the app you’re currently using, but make it easier to access other apps. Unfortunately, you have to turn Stage Manger off to use Split View to see apps side by side — which defeats the purpose of using Stage Manager.
I’ve had many conversations with friends and colleagues regarding how Apple should consider putting macOS on iPads — specifically tablets featuring an M-series chip. That would certainly eliminate the problems I have using iPadOS for productivity. However, it could be confusing to have two different operating systems on one machine, and potentially make the iPad less of a tablet and more of a 2-in-1 Mac. I’m not sure if this is the answer, but it’s something I can’t help thinking about whenever the subject of iPads as laptop replacements comes up.
A MacBook Air is cheaper
The other reason the iPad Pro 2024 isn’t a good laptop replacement is price.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 while the 13-inch model begins at $1,299. And this is before tossing in the Magic Keyboard, which costs $299 or $349, depending on the iPad Pro’s size. If you really want to use the iPad Pro as a laptop, then the Magic Keyboard isn't optional, but essential.
At a minimum, you’ll have to spend $1,298 to get the 11-inch iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard. But let’s be honest, trying to use the equivalent of an 11-inch laptop won’t make for a comfortable experience. Because of that, you’ll want the 13-inch iPad Pro. Buying that tablet along with its Magic Keyboard will set you back $1,648!
Let’s compare those prices to some MacBooks. Right now, the 13-inch MacBook Air M2 starts at $999. If you want to upgrade to 16GB of RAM (which I’d personally recommend), the cost jumps to $1,199. Even at that price, an upgraded MacBook Air M2 costs less than a 13-inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.
And in case you were wondering, the new 13-inch MacBook Air M3 starts at $1,099. If you configure it with 16GB of RAM for an extra $200, it will still cost less than a 13-inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard. Heck, even the MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 ($1,599) has a lower starting price.
Bottom line
For all its strengths, the iPad Pro still doesn’t make a great laptop replacement. Not only is iPadOS not good for laptop-like productivity, but you can get a real laptop like the MacBook Air M2 for hundreds of dollars less.
We might reach a point when the iPad Pro becomes a legitimate laptop replacement. Every new iPad Pro iteration seems to be inching closer toward that potential. But until iPadOS becomes more productivity-friendly (or Apple ditches it for a touch-screen-friendly version of macOS), the iPad Pro won't replace your laptop.
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Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.
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Mike Mihalik I've been using desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones for a very long time. Currently own and use Android, Windows, MacOS, and iOS.Reply
There was a time that tablets or smartphones could not do what a Mac or Windows browser could. The times they are a changing.
Sorry, 8 prefer my Android and Windows over my iOS and MacOS experiences these days. I go back and forth each day.
This moment, I'm on my Android tablet.
Apple can make their tablets better, and they had better. Looking closely at the iPad Pro and iPad Air. They are premium priced, but the premium experience isn't there yet.
Wake me when the average user will actually value what iOS is delivering. It shouldn't be that hard to elevate the user experience, the processor certainly isn't the week link.
I do wish Apple would open up a little.
PS I also am a long time Chromebook user. -
jamfor352 "I use Google and its various apps for both work and personal use. On a Mac or Windows laptop, I can have Google applications like Drive, Docs, Calendar and so on all in a single browser window containing tabs for those apps. That’s not possible on iPadOS as each of those programs is a discrete app you need to download."Reply
Out of curiosity, and because I'm considering buying one, what's stopping you doing that in the browser on iPadOS? As far as I'm aware you aren't forced to download the apps any more -
KalMadda
I just replicated this workflow on my iPad Pro. I have all of the Google apps he just named there open in separate tabs on my iPad.jamfor352 said:"I use Google and its various apps for both work and personal use. On a Mac or Windows laptop, I can have Google applications like Drive, Docs, Calendar and so on all in a single browser window containing tabs for those apps. That’s not possible on iPadOS as each of those programs is a discrete app you need to download."
Out of curiosity, and because I'm considering buying one, what's stopping you doing that in the browser on iPadOS? As far as I'm aware you aren't forced to download the apps any more -
KalMadda “On a Mac or Windows laptop, I can have Google applications like Drive, Docs, Calendar and so on all in a single browser window containing tabs for those apps. That’s not possible on iPadOS as each of those programs is a discrete app you need to download.”Reply
This is false. I replicated this on my iPad, and it’s extremely easy and obviously does work. I opened every web app he mentioned there in separate tabs in a browser window on my iPad. They all are the desktop web app version, and they work perfectly fine. -
adam505 It’s an iPad, why is it compared to a laptop? Who asked for this? It’s like doing a car review on a sports car and saying but how does it compare with a truck? No one asked.Reply -
Tony Polanco Hey, all! I wanted to thank some of you for pointing out that I can have Google apps like Drive, Mail, and such as tabs in Chrome. Apologies for getting this wrong. I've amended the article based on your useful feedback.Reply -
KalMadda
Thank you, sorry I was rude about it. I really appreciate seeing that you amended it! Sometimes I’ve pointed issues out to other authors on other sites, and I just get a bunch of pushback. Thank you for doing this, I respect it when an author is willing to take a second look at his position. 👍🏻Tony Polanco said:Hey, all! I wanted to thank some of you for pointing out that I can have Google apps like Drive, Mail, and such as tabs in Chrome. Apologies for getting this wrong. I've amended the article based on your useful feedback. -
Tony Polanco
I didn't think you were rude, so no worries there! Again, thank you for pointing out my mistake. I don't want to lead anyone astray with bad information so your post (and the others') was a huge help. And in general, it's good for folks to own up to mistakes! Thanks again, friend!KalMadda said:Thank you, sorry I was rude about it. I really appreciate seeing that you amended it! Sometimes I’ve pointed issues out to other authors on other sites, and I just get a bunch of pushback. Thank you for doing this, I respect it when an author is willing to take a second look at his position. 👍🏻 -
KalMadda
Thanks, I’m glad it didn’t come off as rude to you, that’s a relief. 👍🏻. I also really appreciate your take in this article. I do use an iPad as my primary computer, but I’m a graphic designer and do a lot of artistic/creative workflows, so the iPad with the Apple Pencil is the perfect setup for me for those use cases. I also use Nomad Sculpt and several other 3D apps on my iPad as well. 👍🏻. I can totally understand why some prefer the Mac over the iPad, because on the software side, macOS has more software and is a bit more flexible. I think ideally iPadOS will eventually run Mac apps, and be more flexible as well. I’ve never really wanted macOS on the iPad, because I think iPadOS is better optimized for the iPad, but I think that iPadOS should gain more macOS features and software, especially on the iPad Pro models. 👍🏻Tony Polanco said:I didn't think you were rude, so no worries there! Again, thank you for pointing out my mistake. I don't want to lead anyone astray with bad information so your post (and the others') was a huge help. And in general, it's good for folks to own up to mistakes! Thanks again, friend!