Hello everyone,
I've been really considering purchasing an iPad Air(I know, I got the curiosity bug a little too late what with these price hikes). In any case, I'm wanting to use it as a device to read Kindle, audiobooks, general web browsing, YouTube, and also I love the whole idea of multitasking with two apps open on the screen simultaneously.
What I'm basically wondering is:
If you have an iPad, how have you fit it into your workflow? I own a MacBook, so it could be argued that I don't actually need one, but in thinking about all the iPad can do, it's very tempting.
Do you actually use all the multi-tasking features?
Lastly, how is braille screen input on such a big screen? That's the primary way I type on an iPhone, and as I don't plan to purchase a keyboard, I'm very curious as to how different the experience is.
I know there's always the debate of "if you're blind, I see no reason". Trust me, it's something I've considered what with owning a Mac and iPhone. I'm more interested in what owners or previous owners think before I give in to the urge to buy a new toy. :)
By MelodicFate, 6 August, 2026
Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories
Comments
I used to have an iPad mini
I used to have an iPad mini. I’m completely blind and I have been since birth. I mostly used it as a media consumption device. I can’t pay for personal experience about the Braille screen, and put as I’ve never gotten a hang of that. The reason I don’t have an iPad anymore because I was getting kind of lost trying to navigate larger screen real estate. That may not be an issue for you but just something to keep in mind if you don’t plan on purchasing the keyboard. I didn’t have a keyboard either. I don’t know if that helps at all of it. Hope some of our limited experience I did have with an iPad. It helps a little bit. I’ve heard that Braille screening is actually sometimes easier for people on a larger screen so you actually might find that experience easier than iPhone. Hopefully people around here come and tell you more experiences than what I had. I actually ended up running in my iPad in order to get my iPhone 15 I’m currently running my prime device. My secondary device isn’t an iPad. It an iPhone SE for generation. I hope this helps you. If you get one, I hope you enjoy it.
Re: Singer Girl
Thanks a lot for your thoughts. I at first considered a mini, but then figured it'd be almost the same as my iPhone, so thought better of it. I've researched into how split screen apps and stuff work, so I'm hoping the screen won't be a problem for me, it'll just be developing the muscle memory of where things are at on the screen, as I'm one of those who does the whole explore by touch thing, as opposed to lots of swiping. I'm planning on doing a lot of media consumption too, but I'm mostly aiming for something I can dedicate as almost an ereader...with benefits of a web browser and all my Apple apps. And multitasking, of course. I'm very much interested in the idea of having something like Safari and notes open at the same time. Sure I can do that on my Mac, but it's not the same thing since I plan to almost exclusively use the touchscreen.
In any case, I appreciate your input. Any thoughts and experiences are helpful.
iPad 9
I use it once in a whiled. I mostly use it for youtube but trying to skipt ads are a pain. Just use your MAC. It is not worth it.
@Holger, Re: YouTube
Look for an app called, "Enhance YT". 😇
Skipping YouTube Ads
Honestly, I never watch YouTube on my Mac, just my phone. Beyond using the find command, I'd have no idea how to quickly find the skip button.
Also, I'll be looking up that app
Entry level Ipad or Ipad Air.
When I was looking into getting an ipad, 2 choices were best for my needs. I too wanted an Ipad as an Ereader and a media device for those times when I felt like watching shows. I Chose the Ipad air. It works well for me.
Re: Wavegirl
I'm glad to hear that the Air has worked so well for you. I'm very happy to hear I'm not the only one who has thought about these devices in terms of using it for book reading. Yeah, I researched the Kindles, but everything I've looked at said the experience with a screenreader was not great. From there I started thinking about tablets, and just recently decided an iPad would do the trick. Sure, it's not the cheapest thing out there, but I've used iOS and macOS for more than a decade, so thankfully I won't have to learn a whole new screenreader, I just have to get used to that bigger screen.
Which apps do you currently read with? I'm just curious because I wondered if the Kindle app looked the same as it does on an iPhone.
I just picture having Kindle open on one side and Safari or messages on the other. That idea has a lot of appeal for me.
to iPad or not to iPad, ☺️
Well, even though nobody ever seems to think my workflow makes any sense, I'll say that I love my iPad - it's my main machine. multitasking on it is awesome. The thing is, it's not an iPhone. It's not a Macbook. Honestly, if you get one and try to use it exactly the same way as either of them you'll be disappointed - at least almost everyone seems to be. Honestly, if you get one, try to spend some time to learn it on its own terms. Learn to actually find things on the screen spacially - it's much much faster and you'll get very used to simply touching the screen where the thing you want is, or at least close enough to get to it with a couple of swipes. Braille screen input on the big screen is actually awesome - it actually feels like you're using a brailler, ☺️.
I have to admit that, although it has Voiceover style keyboard access, I find it really inefficient - my usual workflow if I'm doing serious work - writing, programming etc, is to use a bluetooth keyboard to type, but to do almost all navigating with the iPad screen - kind of feels like a giant trackpad. Particularly when you're multitasking being able to move your hand from one side of the screen to the other interacting with two apps can be really smooth. But as I said, it takes time and effort to do things that way, to use the iPad for what it's good at and in the way it's good at, and the Phone and the Mac the same. I'm actually doing things backwards - I've just upgraded from an ancient iPhone 7 to an iPhone 17 pro, and I'm trying to learn how to actually add the phone into my life as something really useful instead of just using it for pretty much only phonecalls, so I'm kind of doing things the other way round, working out the optimal way to actually use an iPhone when I'm used to having an 11 inch screen to work with.
Anyway, just some comments from someone who's basically been living on an iPad for a decade.
Not worth it
I had two iPads since going totally blind: a 9th generation iPad and an iPad Mini A17 Pro, and my answer to questions of whether it's worth owning an iPad as a totally blind individual, is and has always been a resounding no. The reasons why I bought both iPads are because I'm a developer and prefer to use iPads for testing as that allows me to keep developer mode disabled on my iPhone, and they also make excellent showcasing devices for a sighted audience, but for daily use, I consider them inferior to iPhones in every possible way. It's easy to get lost in the huge screen, VoiceOver on iPadOS is far from being polished for keyboard usage, there's no quick way to switch between the side bar and the main view in applications like Settings, no way to control VoiceOver with the keypad, and due to how accessibility behaves with text, it's also hard to find certain controls on the huge screen even if we are aware of their general location. As for Braille Screen Input, I cannot comment since I don't use that input method.
That was the mistake I made
That was the mistake I made. I didn’t know anything about that being split on two different sides of the screen. Because when I was doing my research on the iPad, I was kind of just like ask Apple questions about it. I didn’t know anything about having a split screen like that. I actually got a mini because I figured I’d get lost on a bigger screen, but I got so lost on that thing I had it for a pretty short time and treated it back in and got my current iPhone. Whatever trace you make I hope that you’ll feel happy with it. It probably just takes some getting used to you, but I think it can be done if somebody has a time to learn it. That’s honestly what I would say. I would never say that somebody can’t it all depends on what time you have to learn something. Good luck with whatever you choose.