Hi Everyone,
I am considering purchasing an iPad to have an alternative when I want to keep my phone free. I’m wondering if there are particular things people have found advantageous to do with an iPad verses a phone. Have you found that it has a lot of utility?
By joshl, 9 August, 2022
Forum
Hardware and Accessories
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not much
I use my iPad 9 gen with an Apple smart keyboard. Is not the same with a regular keyboard. Do use it for facebook, movies, and news. It is OK but nothing to write home about it. The keyboard is not as great and it could be better. Was expecting better from an Apple keyboard.
Advantages Over Smartphones
iPads have distinct advantages over phones in that they can run a huge library of software formatted for the larger screen. The best smartphone software does an impressive job of presenting information on such a small screen. But iPad apps have no such restrictions, so the software looks and operates more like conventional computer software. Yet iPads are significantly lighter than typical laptops.
I've used mine mostly for…
I've used mine mostly for listening to podcasts/radio programs, and for FaceTime audio calls. The iPhone can do all of this, of course. However, the iPad doesn't have a proximity sensor that switches to the "earpiece" for audio output whenever it is triggered - it just uses its main speaker, which is what I want. Even if I set the iPhone to use the main speaker for audio during calls, activating the proximity sensor still interferes with it - and you can do that simply by touching the upper part of the touch screen.
I also appreciate the additional controls that can fit on the larger display. For instance, in the Settings app, the list of categories fits right alongside the options for the currently selected category, so that less navigation between settings screens is needed.
It's an old iPad, but I'm glad it still works.
This is an interesting one…
This is an interesting one. There is still a blurred line between phone and MacBook where the iPad hovers.
I found that, after buying my iPad mini, I set it up to fill a specific need, in that, it's a media centre first for my vast library of audio described MP3s I've download that I've converted into MP4, my audiobooks, and so on. It's also loaded up with my news feeds and a few games.
I don't use it as much as I might, but find myself returning to it now and then. It's a pleasant experience to leave my phone somewhere and just chill out with my iPad, down time sort of stuff.
this isn't to say you can't work on it. The mini, to me, is the perfect form factor for two handed thumb scrolling for apps that have that feature, I think the larger iPads might be a bit heavy and big, lending themselves better to work, especially when paired with a keyboard.
I really like the iPad os interface. It feels clean, smooth to use and less frustrating and unintuitive than using VoiceOver on Mac.
The thing is, as blind people, do we really need that much screen? Does it help us? I'd probably say no. The mini is good though as it's easy to hold, good speakers and so on.
What I'd really like is for WhatsApp to come to iPad. In that case I'd probably look at an SE phone only for calls etc and everything else done on the iPad.
This isn't much help, I realise. I'd say you'll find a use for it, though it might not be quite as useful as either your phone or computer. It's a nice thing to have, not a necessary one like a phone and computer... At least, in my experience.