The iPad, a revolutionary device that was introduced, *checks notes*, over 15 years ago! Many claim it was Steve Jobs’ pet project, and I have to agree as you can see his passion in it. It was introduced as a post-PC product that was meant to slot between the iPhone and Mac as a simpler way to compute. It was meant to be better at these key things: internet browsing, email, photos, video, music, games, and eBooks. It was meant to be an intimate device that you lounge on your couch with to be immersed in what was on the screen. It was revolutionary at the time…until it wasn’t. Many people quickly saw the iPad as this weird middle ground, and basically wrote it off as a big iPod touch. Quite frankly, it was just that. It was/is a great consumption device, but many people longed to do more with it. They wanted it to be more of a computer.

My journey with the iPad started when I first saw it while watching the 2010 Grammy’s when Steven Colbert pulled one out of his coat to introduce the nominees. Instantly, I wanted one. Of course, I was far too young to purchase/own one at the time, as I am a member of gen z. My aunt (the one mentioned in my welcome post), had pre-ordered one and when I saw her’s for the first time, I was instantly hooked and further my want for one. In 2012, my aunt gave me her first-generation iPad. I loved being able to play games, watch videos/movies, listen to music, and more. At the time, I also had an iPod touch, and the overlap was very apparent, but that didn’t stop me from loving it. By that point, the iPad first gen. was getting a bit too old to run modern apps, so I set my eyes on the newly announced iPad mini and bought it in 2013. My use case for the iPad never really changed. I after the mini, I purchased the first gen. Air, Air 2 (the GOAT), but then things changed when Apple introduced the iPad Pro in 2015.

The iPad Pro was the first time Apple really started touting this as a computer that could do all of the things, if not more, than your Mac. I remember many people reviewing the iPad Pro, but at the end would be disappointed, interestingly in a similar way they were disappointed with earlier iPads, by just saying, “It’s just a big iPad”. And that’s kind of where it has been since 2015. New features have been added to the software, of course, but at the end of the day it’s still an iPad that runs iPad apps. I have had the first gen. Pro, the 2018 revision (11″), the 2020 12.9″, and I now own the 2022 12.9″. All of these, I have tried at various times to use as my main computer.

Everyone tries to tout the iPad as a “laptop replacement” and are always trying to find ways for the iPad to replace their main computer. But has anyone ever stopped to ask ourselves why we want that? What is so bad about our traditional computers? I feel like some of this stems from Apple’s marketing, but also from the amount of money people spend on these devices. Right now, an iPad Pro 13″ with 2TB of storage, Apple Pencil Pro, and Magic Keyboard retails for $2,299. A MacBook Air 13″ with the same specs retails for $1,799. People complain that the iPad is too stripped down, too limiting, and the apps aren’t powerful enough. But, isn’t that something that has already been solved with the Mac? I have asked myself these very questions, and have come to realize, I’m creating more problems instead of solving them.

The iPad was never meant to be a replacement for the Mac. As seen in the 2010 keynote, Steve Jobs showed it along side the Mac and iPhone. It was meant to be personal, meant to be held in your hands, and used as a touch screen. I had a realization that for my current iPad Pro, I have the Apple Pencil, and the Apple Magic Keyboard, both of which take away from that vision. My iPad can’t run Mac apps, its web browser is limiting in some of the ways it handles websites, and overall just isn’t a better product to use for my everyday. I always found that when I tried to force it to be something it is not, it leaves me frustrated and just wanting my Mac back. I also realized, that by having it and using it, it pulls away from the idea that we need to be on our devices less. It is one more screen, one more distraction, and one more thing to keep track of. For me, it doesn’t do anything my phone and my Mac can’t do.

I know many people thought the introduction of the recent iPadOS 26 would bring new life into their iPads by being able to do real multitasking with floating windows and a new cursor. But that only brings you one step closer, right? Even with a new os, the iPad still runs iPad apps, and probably always will. So for me, it doesn’t really solve anything.

All of this is not to say the iPad is not for anyone, in fact, I know many people say it is the best digital art platform. Unfortunately, I am far from being that creative to even scratch the surface of using the iPad in that facet. Plus, for many people, they no longer own a “traditional computer” and want something as simple to use as their phone is. And for that, the iPad is great and can do many things very well such as email, word processing, and reading. Those are things the iPad has always excelled at.

For now, I still own my iPad, but it sits in a drawer as I’m not really sure what to do with it. I have contemplated selling it, but want to make sure I am not going to miss it when it is gone. It has been about a month or so that it has been sitting in the drawer, and it probably sat on my desk unused for about that long before I put it there. I think people will always struggle with what to do with the iPad, as they always have from the beginning. However, they should remind themselves of what the iPad was always meant to be: a post-PC product that excels at internet browsing, email, photos, video, music, games, and eBooks.

Have you had similar feelings with your iPad? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.