The 12.9-inch M2 iPad Professional is my favourite iPad to this point. The truth is, it is the iPad that I’ve used essentially the most. 

Most iPads undergo a interval the place I attempt to use them for a number of weeks, after which they’re rapidly forgotten till I discover it getting used as a mouse pad or a coaster for a mug.

Additionally: This tiny keyboard is ideal for Raspberry Pi boards and sensible TVs

I believe the distinction comes all the way down to the larger show and the quick processor able to doing a little severe hardcore work, like processing 4K and 5.1K video. 

This iPad may even deal with modifying movies encoded utilizing the super-heavyweight ProRes 422 HQ codec.

It is an absolute titan of a system, rivaling the MacBook Professional by way of energy and efficiency.

However the iPad Professional is a pill, and the MacBook Professional is a laptop computer.

Evaluate: The 2022 M2 iPad Professional is my (drone) copilot

Is there a method to bridge that hole?

Sure.

There are three equipment which have helped me remodel my iPad Professional into a tool that may, in lots of circumstances, substitute my laptop computer.

Listed here are the three equipment. 

keyboard

The very best accent I obtained for my iPad Professional was the Apple Magic Keyboard. It is arms down the most effective, most dependable, most strong keyboard you may get for the iPad.

And I’ve tried lots of keyboards.

It clips on with magnets, has a superb folding stand, works flawlessly, provides a second USB-C port for charging, and protects the pill when it is being transported.

Typing on this feels very very like typing on my MacBook Professional, so shifting from one to the opposite would not really feel jarring. I’ve typed many 1000’s of phrases on this keyboard and it is merely the most effective.

The one downside is that this keyboard is pricey.

Additionally: The very best keyboards

Eye-wateringly costly.

I want there was a less expensive different, but when there may be, I’ve not come throughout something.

An Apple Pencil

I do not use the Apple Pencil on a regular basis, however after I do, it is value its weight in gold.

I like the precision it gives in comparison with jabbing on the display screen with my finger, and even utilizing the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard.

Some apps, resembling the brand new DaVinci Resolve for iPad, really feel like they’re designed with the concept persons are going to be utilizing the Apple Pencil. The person interface is way more densely packed than what we’re used to for a cell app, and having a high-precision pointing system makes an enormous distinction.

A lot so, I discover myself jabbing at my MacBook Professional with the Apple Pencil, and wishing the 2 would cooperate.

Additionally: The best way to pair and cost your Apple Pencil

The Apple Pencil makes my iPad Professional higher than my MacBook Professional.

A hub

I have been utilizing the Satechi USB-C Multiport MX hub for a number of months now, and it is a implausible hub.

This one hub connects the USB-C port on the iPad Professional and offers me two USB-C ports that can be utilized for units and charging, twin HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB-A 3.0 ports, microSD and SD card slots, and a 3.5mm audio jack port.

The whole lot I would like, with the extra bonus that this additionally works on my MacBook Professional and different units. 

Additionally: The very best USB hubs

It is an amazing hub. 

A couple of different helpful equipment

There are a number of different equipment that I have a tendency to hold round with me.

First, I take advantage of the superb Spigen Apple Pencil holder. 

Additionally: How I solved an enormous iPad design flaw

It clamps between the iPad Professional and the Magic Keyboard, held in place by strategic magnets, and securely holds the Apple Pencil in the correct place for charging.

Then there’s the Anker 737 energy financial institution that retains the iPad Professional (and all my different units) going for even longer. If I have to be utilizing my iPad Professional for greater than a day, and I am away from an influence outlet, this 24,000 mAh energy financial institution shall be going with me.

Additionally, after I want extra storage, I join an exterior SSD to that very helpful USB-C port. My SSDs of alternative are the superb Essential X8 drives, which are available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. Including storage this fashion is just not solely quite a bit cheaper than shopping for an iPad Professional with extra storage (Apple costs a whopping $700 if you wish to improve the iPad Professional from the bottom 128GB to 1TB, whereas a 4TB Essential X8 is barely $249.99), nevertheless it’s additionally much more handy as a result of you possibly can swap between a number of drives.

Can an iPad or iPad Professional substitute a laptop computer for you?

It actually relies on what you need from a laptop computer. In my case, including a superb keyboard and trackpad, the Apple Pencil, and a good hub permit me to make use of the iPad Professional as a substitute of a MacBook Professional in lots of conditions.

For instance, if I am mountaineering to do some images or videography, I would a lot slightly take the pill than the laptop computer (it is smaller, lighter, has higher battery life, and it is quite a bit much less fragile).

It is much less that my iPad Professional is changing a laptop computer, and extra that it is a greater resolution.

Additionally: The 6 greatest Macs

I really feel that this “Can an iPad substitute a laptop computer?” debate is flawed. Simply because toothbrush accommodates the phrase “brush,” does not imply that it additionally must be a cat brush, or that there must be a sequence of various third-party brushes that clip onto the tip of a toothbrush.

It is OK {that a} toothbrush is only a toothbrush.

It is also not low cost. Keyboards, hubs, and additional storage all provides up. If all you need is a laptop computer, it is cheaper to purchase a laptop computer.

However in order for you a pill and to customise it so it may well take over a number of the roles of a laptop computer, then that is additionally doable.

Simply keep in mind that you will pay a premium worth for this.