Thoughts on the iPad Pro

Apple’s new iPad Pro is a beautiful instrument.

It’s precisely what I expected, and so much more. I take it everywhere now, and I leave my M1 MacBook Pro at home. I purchased the big one. The 12.9” iPad Pro. Besides being awesome at anything I need in business, it is also great for movie-night snuggling.

The most interesting thing to me is the ongoing debate among techies about whether or not the iPad can replace a Mac. For me, the iPad Pro has become my main computing device.

Having watched all the reviews and read all the newsletters, something became really clear to me. Anyone who struggles with the iPad as their main computing device now is lacking only one thing: A reasonably functional file management system.

David Sparks at Macsparky recently wrote:

“I get the most delight when using it to draw (of course!), annotating contracts for the day job, managing my tasks, planning my calendar, and reading/web browsing. On the other hand, the iPad makes the veins pop in my forehead when I try to manage files and email on it.”

I thought deeply about his comment, because I haven’t experienced the file management and email problems at all. In fact, I interact daily with several people who depend on PDFs, Word documents, images and more. For all of the above, the iPad Pro has been incredible. In fact, I feel more organized and efficient on the iPad Pro compared to my MacBook Pro. Why is my experience different? My wife has a theory: “Those other guys are old.”

My wife, like me, grew up on a Mac. We’re both used to the Apple file system, and how the finder works. We can move files around really easily. Then about a year ago I decided to train her on how Google’s system works, because we have a Google Workspace Enterprise domain for the family. Each of us has a Google login and we all use Google Drive, Calendar, Gmail and more to stay organized on a daily basis. In the Mac world, people have been used to moving windows around on a screen, just to copy files from one location to another. It’s something that us kids from the 1980’s and 90’s feel natural being able to do. It’s what we were taught to do in grade school.

Our family’s Google cloud file system external is to Apple’s hardware, but it works seamlessly with all on my Apple devices. It’s efficient and effective, and it follows me everywhere I go, and no matter what device I use. It’s also more secure than anything Apple has created. I can use it on any and every Apple device, from my Mac to the iPad to my iPhone and even my Apple Watch. Because I use Google, managing files and email is a dream. All of my productivity apps talk to each other through this storage and file system that elegantly weaves through all my devices. My professional email talks to Google Drive which talks to Google Docs which talks to Google Jamboard which all connect to Google in one way or another, which talks to the Internet, and all of it makes logical sense.

Without Google Workspace, I would probably have come to the same conclusion that David did, which led to his selling off his 12.9” iPad. I would feel just like David does. Frustrated. Apple’s iPad hardware is way ahead of its time and Apple’s software hasn’t yet caught up to it. Pro users like David are waiting for a future that Apple doesn’t yet completely satisfy. The Mac is based on a gestalt that was born in the 1980s. A local file system, still dependent on “windows.”

Maybe Apple will come out with something like windows/finder for iPad. But I don’t need it. I have my files, email, everything in the most secure cloud on the planet, created and supported by a company that breaths cloud. A company that was born decades after Apple.

That is why my iPad Pro is more functional and more efficient than my Mac for most things I do. It’s a superior device that is leveraging a superior cloud file system. An iPad can replace most of what your Mac does right today, but to do it right you’ll need Google.

This is not a sponsored post. I pay for Google Workspace (Enterprise) for my entire family. If you are interested in Google Workspace, you can use this promo link Google sent me to get a discount. And if/when you need assistance, contact me here and I will be happy to help.