Why I'm done with the iPad

I have become more soured on the current state of tech over the last few months. On one hand, we finally got the Pixel watch that we've been waiting for, and on the other, foldable phones are still mind-blowing. I feel that some companies are losing their way.

The transition to Apple Silicon in the Mac is something I've talked about in some of my other editorials. I'm a person who has feet firmly planted in multiple ecosystems, including Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS, and I'm even starting to experiment with Linux through a virtual machine. I used to carry my beloved iPad Pro with me wherever I went.

I've started to notice that instead of bringing the M1 iPad Pro with me, I'm more content to just make sure I have the Z Fold 4. I'm prepared to take care of anything that may need my attention. The Fold 4 has proved to be more than enough despite its small screen.

iPadOS 16 was supposed to save the day

Unless you're someone who works in one, maybe two apps at a time, iPadOS doesn't make sense to be the tool that it should be. I'm quietly in the camp that Apple needs to update iPadOS to bridge the gap between the Mac and a big iPhone.

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I was excited for the iPad when iPadOS 16 was first introduced. Stage Manager looked to be the multitasking redesign that I've been looking for. I jumped on the first iPadOS 16 developer alpha when it arrived.

Stage Manager allows you to have four different app windows open at the same time. You can use different "desktops" on the best Chromebooks but you can also group different apps together. With true external display support, you can have a total of eight apps open on both the iPad's built-in screen and the monitor you plug it into.

The execution was not perfect. Stage Manager has proven to be quite cumbersome if you ignore the various bugs that iPadOS 16 has introduced. There are grids on the screen that can be rearranged. It's possible to go for a 4x4 layout, more often than not, but you're still going to be dealing with overlap windows.

There have been a lot of issues with iPadOS 16 if you focus on the bugs. We have to wait and hope that things are fixed in a way that we expect to see from Apple, because they have spent too much time and money on Stage Manager.

Apple should look to Samsung for guidance

I no longer use the iPad as a regular content creation device as my needs have grown. There are other people in the Apple space who have been able to make their iPad do what they want.

Tried Stage Manager on iPadOS 16.2 beta 1. You know the drill:- Windows still randomly cover the dock - Magic Keyboard still not working for me with QuickType enabled- External display features unchanged from earlier betas- I got this after 2 minutes: pic.twitter.com/1jkHJuw2nuOctober 25, 2022

You can see more.

I've taken a different approach than the two individuals mentioned, and instead of giving myself a constant headaches, I've taken a different approach. While I wait to see what Apple does, I have replaced my beloved iPad Pro with other devices.

I review a lot of the best Chromebooks, as well as a few of the best tablets and phones. My focus has been on making my device do something that it can't do. ChromeOS has evolved to the point where it's not just for classrooms anymore, and one of the best tablets on the market still makes me happy.

If Apple really wants to fix iPadOS and bring true multitasking capabilities to its users, it needs to look no further than South Korean company. The large screen of the Tab S8 Ultra can be used as a portable workspace thanks to the DeX technology. The doctor ordered that the app windows and desktop interface be the same as Windows or MacOS.

Some apps will not work until you return to the "normal" interface. Even if Apple's Silicon continues to be powerful, it's miles ahead of what the iPad is capable of.

There's still hope, but I'm done waiting

The true potential of a mobile device's processor can't be realized because of software limitations. I'm done waiting for Apple to figure it out because we're at that point with the iPad.

I have been a fan of the iPad since Steve Jobs showed it to the world. Sometimes the iPad has grown stagnant, only for a redesign or screen improvement to kick things back into gear.

It's time to move on despite the fact that the M2 iPad Pro was introduced through a press release and brought with it no new or exciting changes. I'll keep an eye on what iPadOS has to offer, but my iPad Pro is just being used as a screen for my MacBook Pro.