I just bought a 64GB iPad, anything I should know/do?
I'm not a very heavy tablet user, but generally like to have a tablet around for stuff I won't do on my phone. I bought a Pixel Tablet last year when I did my big tech upgrade (new phone, new smart watch, new upgraded tablet), but found the experience a bit lacking with the more important stuff I use my tablet for, largely taking notes with OneNote, and very light mobile gaming (which I usually use my phone for, since it's right there).
I'm curious if anybody's got any advice for a non-dedicated Apple user with an iPad. I'm already thinking about synergy with my multi-platform apps like Microsoft 365, Google Drive (free tier) and Mega (which I use as a backup repo for large data that isn't documents like games, music samples, etc).
I'm thinking some music apps would be great to take advantage of the generally lower-latency audio capabilities of the iPad, but aside from that can't think of too much. Otherwise, due to the 64GB, it's going to be my cloud-oriented low-storage tablet.
I saved $70 on a black friday deal on Amazon, so I bought a pen to go with it, which isn't the Apple Pencil and would be curious to know if I'm missing out on a ton doing that as well?
Side question: I would be curious what the third-party app world is like as well, ideally something like iOS F-Droid.
You're going to get three months of Apple Services through the iPad since you purchased a new device. If at all possible, you may want to wait to redeem those until after the Black Friday deals pop up.
Additionally, unless you're in the EU, there's only so much you can do with Sideloading. Altstore (https://altstore.io/) is probably the best resource available, but even then it's limited, with only a few apps allowed to be sideloaded at a time. Altstore does have emulators and some widgets Apple doesn't like, and you can sideload your own ipas, (apks for iOS) if there's something bespoke that you're into, but your sideloaded apps are only valid a week without a check-in with a computer with iTunes.
As far as more general advice, if you have streaming media, sign into those apps. Apple TV will let you sync most of them (not Netflix) into a watchlist that alerts you if there is a new episode of anything you have watched through Apple TV on any service you synced with. Comics and books are fantastic, it will let you pull passwords from Chrome across your device or another vault if you have one you use, and if you subscribe to something in app, Apple takes a 30% cut. Keep that in mind if you want to support a service or a creator, but it also has all of your subscriptions in one place, should you choose to honor it. iOS has many games that the Play Store doesn't, so if there's something you like on PC, there maybe a version available.
Google does something similar, I believe, so I already follow this rule.
The watchlist thing isn't something I'll have much need for, I but that's good to know!
Altstore was the only thing I found and, while cool, doesn't seem to be much use. I'm surprised at what's in the App Store for indie/smaller games I do play, and am definitely looking at getting Binding of Isaac, since I remember being jealous of a dude I sat next to playing it on his iPhone.
For sure, Binding of Isaac is a big get. iOS and iPad in particular has the only touch native version of FTL: Faster Than Light I’ve found, and it’s a blast to play that way. Looking for stuff like that is where Apple Arcade helps out if you want to try out a whole bunch at once.
Edit: Also, Three Cheers for Tildes is a helpful application to have, specifically for sharing articles and getting your text formatting right.
Sidestore is a fork of AltAtore that allows you to perform the weekly refresh on the ios device itself, instead if requiring a computer.
Follow-up question: Why do I want to wait until after Black Friday to redeem the free service offerings?
In the event that someone like Roku or Best Buy gives away 3 free months of something or other, you usually stack the new device trial on top of the promotional trial easier than the other way around. But I’m not an expert since my iPad was preowned, so ask around.
HEIC, HEVC and HEIF files are proprietary and the default file type for the camera. You may need to grab image/video extensions from the Microsoft store to get them to work with Windows.
AppleMPEG charges licensing fees for them, so they may not work with every program, though they should work with programs in the Apple ecosystem.There are converters like https://www.tunesbro.com/user-guide/heic-converter.html, but it's probably easier just to change the camera settings to use more common file types and that way you can avoid accidentally being the annoyingly oblivious Apple user who shares proprietary file formats with people who cannot open them.
Those formats are not Apple formats. They were each created by industry groups that included a bunch of companies. They’re the ones charging licensing fees.
Also worth noting that Apple may be starting to move away from those formats since they added support for JPEG-XL to all their OSes last year. JPEG-XL is royalty free.
Most Android phones record video in HEVC now and have supported HEIC since Android 10. Windows just leaves them out to save a few bucks and shifts the cost to PC owners.
Ah, MPEG is the one charging. Never seen it outside of Apple's products so just figured they bought the patent.
So Apple is going for JPEG-XL now? Sweet! Will Apple change the default setting on existing devices?
They aren't using it as the default when you shoot, but it is the default RAW format.
PetaPixel has a good article about it.
But this won't really change things in terms of interoperability in the short term. If anything, less things support JPEG-XL than HEIF. The good news is that adoption will likely be quicker since there are no licensing fees.
Good tip! I'll do that asap.
If this is your first iOS device in a while, I'd recommend just being patient with learning how to make the most of your iPad. iOS is very different from Android even if they may seem similar on the surface. Notifications work completely differently, the homescreen is pretty limited, and there will always be one or two extra steps to get things between your iPad and non-Apple devices.
That being said though, for the things you want to do with your tablet, the iPad should do really well. I used OneNote on my iPad for a while and it worked fine enough. It would sync fast enough with my other devices and would play fine with the Apple Pencil. The A-series chips are also pretty powerful so you should be more than satisfied with gaming on the iPad. Thermals will leave a lot to be desired though so it'll get real warm real quick.
I think with a third party stylus, you miss out on some features like the charging notifications, easy tool changing, and software features like scribble to text throughout the OS. Third party styluses just act like a finger so I think some apps may not react the way you expect. You could buy an Apple Pencil off Ebay or something if you really want to try it out and see if you like it.
I can speak a bit about your side question too. If you're in the US, there is no F-Droid type third party app store unfortunately. At least, not yet. You can still sideload apps but the experience is sub-optimal. You're limited in how many apps you can side-load and you have to refresh/reload the apps once a week. I found myself often forgetting to refresh my side-loaded apps on my iPad that I eventually gave up.
This is actually my first iOS device ever. I had an iPod Shuffle but that barely counts as an iPod, since you just went by ear on what you were finding. I've handled some iPhones, but am not finding the iPad hard at all to get the hang of. Power-using will be a different issue, but I can find everything easily enough.
Thanks for the info on the stylus. I got an open-box Apple Pencil for $30. That said the stylus I have works pretty good and triggers palm rejection so it's still a pretty great option for $20.
I'm expecting a bit of friction, but it's not too worrying for me.
The main thing was being able to lasso written text which is dead easy, for some reason it's buggy on Android, but even with my cheap pen, it works really well.
I've never pushed a tablet that hard, but will need to see what I can get out of the iPad then. My Pixel never really heated up, but it's mostly a note-taking machine or for some solitaire or something.
I figured that out after posting. I'd say I'm disappointed, but I'm also okay stepping into the walled garden. I'm only a visitor, so I can work around any app restrictions that are too bothersome on my Pixel Tablet.
Procreate is an amazing art program. Even if you don't consider yourself artistic, but are interested in learning digital illustration or painting, I can't recommend Procreate enough. It's very well-designed, easy to learn, but still has tons of features. It's also incredibly popular, and so there's an endless stream of content on the internet that you can use for learning and inspiration.
64 GiB is going to be a tight fit, but less so if you're not an iOS-only user.
I use my iPad primarily as two things: 10" Safari machine and secondary display for my work Mac. If you're a Windows user, you can get that second part with an app named "Duet". It's super worth it. (It's also on Android and yes you can get dual displays. https://www.duetdisplay.com)
The Apple Pencil is overkill if you're not a creative artist. I bought one just because of charging convenience and it was not a wise purchase. So good on you for buying that pen.
Microsoft 365 has iPad apps, though I am not sure of their quality. For the Google Suite, Gmail works with either the dedicated Gmail app or the absurdly good native app suite (incl. Mail/Calendar/Contacts…), the Google Meet app is fine, and Google Drive does integrate with the Files app. Slides/Sheets/Docs however are as the kids say "hot garbage" last I checked, and I use the browser.
Overall I think you'll like it in iPad world. Assuming it's an older iPad Pro/Air, the screens on these things are quite great for watching television shows, YouTube, and anime.
I’ve used Teams and OneNote and they’re pretty good/stable. I much prefer notability for note taking, but OneNote is what I use for work and haven’t had issues.
Notability's great but I don't think they're worth the subscription. I lucked out and have a lifetime classic subscription but it's impossible to recommend to new people.
Generally inclined to agree. But, I have come to love the Yume Techo planner they offer, which is ~$15 on its own, so it feels like a bit of a wash. Now, if I had other users in my family that wanted a note taking app, I’d be looking at Goodnotes for the better pricing and family sharing.
I actually used Duet in a Samsung tablet to extend my Surface Go's display, it worked surprisingly well.
It's a Gen10 iPad and is at least as good as my Pixel, except the intentionally stunted storage.
I got an iPad as my first Apple device four years ago, mostly to serve as an e-reader. I use it for way more now. Here are some random things I wish I knew when I got it.
I thought the “Tips” app was random junk and deleted it from the home screen. It wasn’t done, just out of sight. Turns out… the Tips app is the user manual directly on the device. It is loaded with well-written doc and useful details. It has interactive tutorials for learning gestures and navigation as well built via Shortcuts.
I regret not taking advantage of the free services Apple offers. AppleTV has some great stuff. I’m now a paying subscriber. Apple Music also has some killer workout playlists, DJ mixes, interviews, and curation. I find it way better than Spotify, plus it’s lossless. I love Apple News for the magazines. I don’t care about their other curation, but the magazines a major draw for me.
I originally denied a bunch of permissions while installing apps. That was a mistake. Apple is really conservative about privacy and permissions, so EVERYTHING will ask for rudimentary stuff (coming from Android ca. 2020). Not approving can break functionality in apps full stop. Not knowing where the settings live is super annoying as a new user to find and fix the issue.
Back to Shortcuts, the automation and scripting you can create on mobile Apple devices is outstanding, if that’s your area of interest.
Safari is actually a pretty good browser. It has tab groups and profiles to separate browsing history, which is something I was missing in Firefox on iOS.
Lastly, I didn’t make the most use of the device until I got a Logitech Crayon. Now, it has replaced so many paper piles in my apartment that it’s become totally worth it. It is my digital planner and note taker.
Digital card games are a favorite of mine. Games like Ascension or Star Realms are easy fun. I like Ascension in particular for allowing async games with friends over days.
I also have an iPad (Pro 13") as my only iOS device, although I've used iPhones and Macs before. Just my opinion so take it as such, but I feel like I get the most out of it with a few additions, otherwise I probably would have gotten rid of it for being expensive overkill just to browse Reddit and play like 2 games. Since purchasing the Pro not quite 3 years ago I've added:
The Apple One scrip is probably the most important piece...Apple Music is honestly a great music app and service, to the point that I also use it on my Android phone and Linux PC (via Cider). Apple Arcade has enough decent games in it to keep you busy on an airplane. And importantly, with only 64GB you're going to want the extra iCloud storage. The rest of it I can personally kind of take or leave, but are nice to have, like Apple TV and News. I also add Affinity Suite because it's a one-time purchase and is a good general replacement for Adobe, but it's very optional, only recommended if you do more with your images than what you can edit in Photos. I don't think I've actually bought any other apps for it, though I do use a lot of free ones.
The magnetic stand (not a tray, not a holder, an actual adjustable stand) combined with the keyboard and trackpad basically turn this thing into a mini iMac, and the iPad works extremely well with the trackpad--much better than a mouse, I would not use even a Magic Mouse with it and definitely not a 3rd party mouse. Why am I recommending that and not the fancy Apple keyboard case for it? Because, IMO, if you want it as a laptop, just get a Macbook. Just my feeling on it.
Microsoft Office apps mostly work just fine, including Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, Excel, Word, etc. Do note that most of them aren't quite full-featured on the iPad versions, but are perfectly serviceable if you don't need the deep magicks or those apps. I find I can do most normal workday tasks just fine with this, and as such, I often take my iPad setup when I travel for work if I'm going to be in a hotel for more than a couple of days. Including the stand and the KB/pad and game controller, as it all fits into my sling bag.
My broad point is that for my uses, I find my iPad worth the money even as my only Apple device. I do find that I only really felt the value of it after investing in Apple One and some additional accessories. But it's pretty versatile, the hardware is very solid, and does a lot of professional and recreational stuff really well--I can pretty much always find a use for it.
tbh for anything more serious I've got my deck for games, and can grab a laptop for productivity. I looked at the keyboard cases, and they cost nearly as much as the iPad did! That's definitely not an option. I've got keyboards out the wazoo, a few of them bluetooth, and one of them has a folio case I can always put the ipad on anyway so that's covered. I also have a bluetooth trackball so, while it's not exactly like the Apple gear, it's good enough. I do like the idea of a magnetic stand, but also happen to have a laptop/tablet stand that would check most of my boxes.
On a tablet it's mostly OneDrive and OneNote that I need anyway, so it's not a super big deal. My understanding is it's basically the Android versions which are only a bit better than the webapps, which would work for anything I need currently.
As far as peripherals I'm not going to buy a bunch of Apple stuff, but I have a bluetooth keyboard that's great, as well as a bluetooth trackball and a folio case I can stand it up with that will match most of my needs, and a USB-C external display if I find myself in a corner with the iPad.
which active stylus did you get?
It was this stylus from iPenbox, which I bought 2 years (and five days!) ago. The reviews on it are admittedly mixed but I'm still using it frequently today and it works just fine. Does palm rejection, tilt sensitivity, etc. Only marks against it are not having pressure sensitivity, and that it has a 5-minute auto-off function that can get really annoying if you're not actively using it. It's not annoying enough to make me pay $130 for an Apple Pencil though.
damn, that's awesome. I bought a cheap cheap one from Aliexpress that had good reviews, but its terrible. I might get one of these. It'd be fun for my tablet. thanks!
If you are using Safari on the iPad, then you should install an adblocker. I prefer Wipr, but AdGuard has a free option that works okay too. After installing the Adblock app, you need to enable its "content blockers" for Safari via Settings->Safari->Extensions.
Some adblockers work by having a declarative block which keeps your privacy protected but limits what types of ads can be blocked. Some adblockers need to request permission to be able to read and modify website data for more comprehensive blocking. It's your choice which type you want to go with (perhaps both), but I stick with the type of blocking that doesn't require letting the extension read any website data.
Alternative: Orion browser has been working well for browsing without ads. Only thing that still happens for me in Safari is paying a bill occasionally.
If you haven't used iOS before, you can change back and forth between the big and little keyboards with a gesture like a pinch zoom. You can't swipe on the big keyboard, but it's easier to manage numbers and symbols.
I can't get this to work, do I need to emable the gesture? I do find the number toggle annoying.
I'm not aware of needing to enable it, but it is kind of fiddly.
Another difference compared to Android is no back button, but the navigation bar on the bottom of the screen can be swiped to quickly flip between apps, and to navigate back within apps one can often swipe from the left edge of the screen (this depends on the app, though, with cross-platform apps being the most likely to not replicate this functionality).
Another 64GB iPad user here. iOS has a very long-standing issue where deleting a file that is bigger than the available free space will instead move it to the system data, where it gets stuck in an unusable limbo—you cannot restore it nor can you delete it directly. Over time, your system data will grow to overtake and suffocate your storage space; you will then desperately delete things to free up space, only to find that the system data only consumes it and grows further.
This is probably part of why everyone in this thread is aghast at your choice of "just" 64GB. Sometimes it misattributes it to other apps, which is quite fun as well. It's very thrilling to delete a 2GB app only to see the next app on the list magically grow by 2GB to compensate.
Thankfully, workarounds do exist to free up space, so it's important to be aware of them. They include restoring backups, downloading huge files, or turning off WiFi, setting the clock a year forward and rebooting.
Another thing to note is that there is only one browser engine available on iOS. All other browsers are simply frontends to the default Safari engine, so you might want to just stick with Safari unless you want certain integrations like tab syncing.
By default, the app store will ask for auth for every installation. This is configurable and you may want to set it to install free apps without permission if you feel like it. I find that having it on makes it easy for me to accidentally authorize payment for paid apps.
The camera's Live mode may be turned on by default; this makes it take a series of photos in succession to make a gif-like result rather than a regular photo, which takes up much more space. If you don't care about the animation, there's a setting in the camera where you can preserve the setting of Live mode. Then you can turn it off in-app and it will stay that way instead of resetting back to on every time.
Shaking your device will trigger a pop-up for Undo by default, which may be confusing the first few times it happens. You can make use of it or turn it off in the settings.
Double tap to select a word, triple tap to select a paragraph.
The iPad does excel at stuff like browsing, reading books and lightweight office work. Microsoft apps like OneDrive, OneNote, Office and Teams work very well (or at least as well as they usually do, anyway) so no worries there. Enjoy!
You might want to exchange it for a larger hard drive. 64gb will run out pretty quickly as you start learning your way around apples ecosystem
Does yours come with a calculator?