As a minimalist, I’ve lengthy wished to switch the 13-inch MacBook Air M2 I exploit for work with a slimmer and extra transportable iPad. Following the iPad Professional M5’s debut, I got here throughout a closely discounted M4 mannequin. On condition that the 2 generations share a lot of the identical tech specs, I made a decision to go for a 13-inch iPad Professional M4, paired with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Professional.
Till this 12 months, the rational voice in my head warned me that the pill’s varied limitations made this a foul funding, however the whole lot modified with the launch of iPadOS 26. Its extra superior multitasking system brings the cell OS nearer to macOS, and me one step nearer to my dream work setup.
To check the practicality of utilizing iPadOS for work, I put my MacBook away and relied solely on the iPad Professional M4 for every week. Right here’s the way it went.
Design & ergonomics
Probably the most noticeable distinction between the iPad Professional M4 and MacBook Air M2 lies of their kind components. The previous system is lighter, thinner, and extra transportable. It genuinely blows my thoughts how slim the iPad has turn out to be, regardless of packing a desktop-class chip. I additionally recognize the swap to Face ID, which is infinitely extra dependable and handy for me than Contact ID.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
Maybe the perfect a part of this versatile setup is the flexibility to simply detach the iPad from the Magic Keyboard at any time when wanted, additional lowering its dimension and weight. Those that depend on wired earbuds, nevertheless, will miss the MacBook’s headphone jack.
Different iPad compromises embody its bodily stability. Balancing it on surfaces that aren’t straight or strong, similar to your lap or mattress, can generally be difficult. Interacting with the Magic Keyboard’s hinge additionally doesn’t really feel as pure when in comparison with a MacBook.
Enter strategies
One of many fundamental causes behind my swap is the iPad Professional’s superior OLED display screen. Not solely is it sharper and extra vibrant, nevertheless it additionally helps contact and Apple Pencil enter.
Admittedly, I miss the broader, pressure-sensitive trackpad provided by the MacBook Air. Nonetheless, the one embedded into the Magic Keyboard has a comparable really feel and helps haptic suggestions. The keyboard is equally backlit and comfy for lengthy typing periods.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
Multitasking & windowing
Whereas the upgraded windowing system launched with iPadOS 26 makes the iPad extra sensible for work, there’s extra to multitasking than simply opening a number of app home windows. For instance, sure keyboard shortcuts I’m used to don’t work in third-party iPad apps. Likewise, iPadOS hasn’t but adopted the reimagined Highlight Search with clipboard historical past introduced by macOS Tahoe.
Different omissions embody the iPhone Mirroring app, which I used to depend upon, and assist for utilizing Apple TV 4K as a wi-fi second monitor (not simply vanilla mirroring). Typically, I discover myself spending extra time getting the identical duties achieved, as sure flows are completely different—or utterly nonexistent—on iPadOS. My muscle reminiscence will adapt with time, I suppose. However total, multitasking on the iPad is unquestionably inferior to that provided by the MacBook.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
Apps
One factor I dislike about utilizing macOS is the extra restricted availability of native functions. Many builders, similar to Google, keep away from releasing devoted desktop apps, forcing customers to go for their web sites as an alternative. In the meantime, the software program library on iPadOS is seemingly extra complete, and apps are typically extra polished. This has elevated my computing expertise, as I not want to make use of wonky net apps as typically.
Battery & thermals
Arguably, the most important disadvantage of this setup is the iPad Professional’s shorter battery life—which, in a manner, makes it much less transportable. Regardless of my 3-year-old MacBook Air M2’s battery well being dropping to 82%, the laptop computer nonetheless lasts me longer on a single cost than the brand-new iPad Professional M4. And the iPad’s battery life will solely worsen with time, which has discouraged me from connecting it to a mobile plan.
One other consequence of the slim design is the extra frequent overheating when operating intensive duties. Whereas for apparent causes the iPad Professional M4’s efficiency is miles forward, its physique tends to get heat sooner than the M2 MacBook Air. This might be why Apple reportedly plans to implement a vapor chamber to enhance the thermal administration on the upcoming iPad Professional M6.
What I nonetheless want a Mac for
My on a regular basis computing wants revolve round researching, typing, and photo-editing, and the iPad Professional excels in any respect of them. As such, I’ll proceed to make use of it as my fundamental work machine for the foreseeable future. It has basically changed my MacBook Air M2.
However, I can even hold my MacBook round for actions that stay macOS exclusives, similar to HomePod mini OS restoration. My world has flipped: My iPad Professional is now a useful laptop computer alternative… and I solely must hold my Mac round for particular, unusual use instances.