Anybody dumped the computer for tablet?

[Murph]

I use my old ancient iPad mini for recording and videos for youTube. It's not cell, just wifi.

But I usually surf, shop, and research with this old Dell desktop.

They're both getting up in years and I was thinking I could replace them both with a new iPad. It's kind of scary to think of not owning a computer after having one since the old Tandy, but I'm retired, not really doing much business and am wondering of a scenario where I would regret it? I do have an Outlook email that gets lots of spam along with shopping stuff, along with the Apple, but that's doable.

What are you guys using?

[Pinch]

I use my phone a lot, mostly when no one's watching so I can still complain about kids being on their phones too much these days. 

[Grog]

I have been using my iPad Pro with an accessory keypad for most of my surfing. I opted for cellular so I could still use it when i leave WiFi. I do keep a desktop to store backups on iTunes.

[Whitefang]

I too use a Dell desktop.  Mine is still less than a year old, so not much to worry about.  It replaced my 10 year old HP tower, which was beginning to get contrary.  My younger daughter(an IT) picked it out for me and did all the file transfer stuff and other setting up.  Turning it on, shutting it down, sending e-mails, reading them, looking through You Tube occasionally and spending a couple of hours a day on forums like this one is the extent of my computer usage and working knowledge.  very limited.

Whitefang

[NighthawkChris]

I generally use PCs to do anything for productivity reasons.  I feel that it is easier to do important tasks with an actual keyboard/mouse instead of some virtual keyboard/touchscreen.  I can browse and pay for stuff with my phone, but I just prefer to do certain things on a PC calmly sitting in my office to do so.  I don't have a tablet, but haven't found a good reason to go out and get one either.  That's just me though... 

Being Windows 10 is losing support in 2025, your older PC probably doesn't meet W11 requirements for install, so have to find alternative options beyond 2025.  Newer PCs of course are W11 compliant.  If you are an Apple guy - have an Apple "PC" - then this doesn't apply.  I only have a "cheap" $400 iPhone (SE). 

Not many people like me though, but I turn older PCs into Linux boxes which can serve as web browser-email checker machine just fine.  I don't recommend going down this path unless you are familiar with your PC and the hardware it has.  I don't install Linux on granny's old PC and say have at it...  But if you know about Linux and such, more power to you.  In fact, my daily "driver" is a Linux-based machine I built with parts I chose (yes, I still build my PCs). 

If you run a DAW, probably want on a more powerful machine - MacBook, PC, etc.  Need something fast and runs cooler.  I know people can Garage Band record with iPads/iPhones and the like, but how good can it really do when you are multi-tracking - IF you are into these types of things.  How EASY is it to use only a touchscreen to do this?  Again, I understand recordings are possible with iPads and such, but if demands increase, I don't see this keeping up comparatively to a more powerful machine. 

An option for the short-term would be to do a fresh install of the OS (Windows probably) on a new disk.  Disks are cheap and you have a licensed Windows most likely, so this is an instant upgrade.  Could also add more RAM which will help with running more programs concurrently.  If it is an older device, probably have the OS installed on a SATA disk where you could go to a 1TB SSD SATA drive.  Talking about spending less than $100 here and booting/running will be night-and-day compared to what you're running today.  Or...  Clone your current disk on new disk which sometimes can make a significant performance increase.  Depends on certain factors too, but reinstall is getting to see how good your hardware can actually perform.  OS is at "healthiest" state right after first install the way I see it - only continues to degrade as time goes on. 

Overall, I couldn't live without a PC.  Much easier to manage my digital life with this I feel.  Tablets are nice, but to me, not a substitute for anything I already have.  Good luck with however you decide to proceed. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by NighthawkChris

[merciful-evans]

I have an older ipad mini. I only ever used it study geography and play an old game I like. 

I need to use a keyboard and a mouse to do anything productive. I've gone over to a laptop. The most demanding thing I use it for is video editing. 

No I dont think I could make a tablet work

[kidblast]

no iPads here, tablets aren't for me.

I'm going PC all the way.

[sparquelito]

HP laptop with ancillary screen for writing, composing,  web browsing, forum posting, online banking, and Amazon ordering.

Inexpensive Android TracPhone for cell phone and texting.
No apps on the phone, and no ordering/banking/finance stuff on the phone, ever.

My wife has a tablet for her artwork, and cell phone (Patriot Mobile)  strictly for calls and texts.

Nothing is synch'ed, by design.
Google and Firefox prompt me to synch all my devices, and I decline.
It goes without saying, but no Alexa in this house, ever.

Lean, clean, and mean.
😑

[kidblast]

the whole listening situation with EVERYTHING is creepy.

have a discussion about snow tires in july, and your facebook feed will start to show all the places where you can get snow tires in your area.

[Murph]

24 minutes ago, kidblast said:

the whole listening situation with EVERYTHING is creepy.

have a discussion about snow tires in july, and your facebook feed will start to show all the places where you can get snow tires in your area.

 

I've never had Facebook, but I used to "mess" with a co-worker by "setting her up" for weird ad feeds by saying "Tiffany" and "diamond rings" and "Jewlery." and stuff to her phone all the time.

Then the next day I would say "ATV's", "Honda Generator" , "Echo Chainsaw" "Toro Lawnmowers".

Drove her crazy....

 

[kidblast]

1 hour ago, Murph said:

 

I've never had Facebook, but I used to "mess" with a co-worker by "setting her up" for weird ad feeds by saying "Tiffany" and "diamond rings" and "Jewlery." and stuff to her phone all the time.

Then the next day I would say "ATV's", "Honda Generator" , "Echo Chainsaw" "Toro Lawnmowers".

Drove her crazy....

 

haha!  Clever!!  This reminds me of something,

One of the best pranks I've ever seen was when one of my friends took one of the spare garage door remotes from another mutual friend.  (I was in a band with friend 2,  "Ric"..)

He put the spare remote in his car, and he'd randomly drive by Ric's house, slow down as he passed by his driveway, and hit the button for the garage door.  Which of course, would do what it was supposed to do.   This drove Ric out of his mind, and kept calling the garage door installer and telling them they had a problem they needed to fix.  They'd come, check it over,  "well, nothings wrong we can see"  I think they came out twice.. 

This went on for about 2 months until we were all together one weekend for a cookout at Ric's house when it all came out.   He just pull the remote out of his shirt pocket, and put on the picnic table in front of Ric  "Hey, I borrowed this,  you can have it back, turns out it doesn't work for my garage door " 

you could not put a price on the look on Ric's face.. 

Hysterical.

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by kidblast

[Larsongs]

I have a mid 2012 MacBook Pro Laptop that I use with Pro Tools & it is bulletproof.. I bought a new 2T high powered IMac a couple years ago I use with Logic Pro X & it is bulletproof as well.

I have an old mini IPad which still works great but is too small.. I recently got a new one that I think is a 12” screen.. I use it all the time for surfing, email, shopping, forums, etc.. It’s great..

They say the new MacBooks will support GarageBand & maybe LogicPro X.. Not sure about Pro Tools.. The MacBooks are a very handy & capable machines….

[Murph]

7 hours ago, Larsongs said:

I have a mid 2012 MacBook Pro Laptop that I use with Pro Tools & it is bulletproof.. I bought a new 2T high powered IMac a couple years ago I use with Logic Pro X & it is bulletproof as well.

I have an old mini IPad which still works great but is too small.. I recently got a new one that I think is a 12” screen.. I use it all the time for surfing, email, shopping, forums, etc.. It’s great..

They say the new MacBooks will support GarageBand & maybe LogicPro X.. Not sure about Pro Tools.. The MacBooks are a very handy & capable machines….

Wow, 11 years plus on the Pro. This "old" Dell desktop is only 6.

Yea, my iPad mini has been great, I have no idea how old it is. I bought the mini on purpose because it was for lyrics, Garageband, Youtube videos, all music stuff. Apple stuff seems to run forever, if I don't get a new, larger iPad, it'll be a Mac probably.

[Larsongs]

1 hour ago, Murph said:

Wow, 11 years plus on the Pro. This "old" Dell desktop is only 6.

Yea, my iPad mini has been great, I have no idea how old it is. I bought the mini on purpose because it was for lyrics, Garageband, Youtube videos, all music stuff. Apple stuff seems to run forever, if I don't get a new, larger iPad, it'll be a Mac probably.

From what I've been told by Computer Repair Guys & the Guys at OWC (OtherWorldComputing.com) Mid 2012 MacBook Pro's were the end of the line fro Laptops that you could pretty much replace any part on including the Mother Board..

I did some RAM upgrades which was inexpensive & very simple.. I'm thinking of replacing the old spool Hard Drive with a 1T SS Hard Drive which would be a huge positive upgrade.. They say it would make it a monster!

Apple doesn't want people able to mod, upgrade & repair their own Computers.. So they put an end to that in 2013.. People have complained to Apple for years & that may have changed with more recent Computers..

[MissouriPicker]

I’ve been using an IPAD for several years now.  I’ve got a desktop computer, but use the IPAD a lot more.  I take it to all my gigs and have all my songs/music setup on it.  For me, it’s very convenient for gigs.

[merciful-evans]

6 hours ago, MissouriPicker said:

I’ve been using an IPAD for several years now.  I’ve got a desktop computer, but use the IPAD a lot more.  I take it to all my gigs and have all my songs/music setup on it.  For me, it’s very convenient for gigs.

The younger players in jazz band I was in used these. The older 2 fellows used sheet music. 

No one in Blown Out (main band) ever used tech. The sax players used notebooks and the singer used a crib sheet with lyrics scribbled on. 

[Sheepdog1969]

On 7/11/2023 at 3:55 PM, Murph said:

Wow, 11 years plus on the Pro. This "old" Dell desktop is only 6.

Yea, my iPad mini has been great, I have no idea how old it is. I bought the mini on purpose because it was for lyrics, Garageband, Youtube videos, all music stuff. Apple stuff seems to run forever, if I don't get a new, larger iPad, it'll be a Mac probably.

Just a word of warning about Apple Macs and laptops. Years ago my aging parents asked me about Apple computers. I explained that they were expensive, tended to be geared towards graphics applications and music and the "arts", tended not to get viruses, and that I had far more expertise in the IBM type systems so I would not be much help when they needed it. 7 years later, both of their Apples, ($4k+ in cost) were unable to support Apple's current browser, and the browser that they were using would no longer work to access the web sites they needed to use. Apple calls this "Phased obsolescence", and despite upgrading both computers RAM to the max, they both became useless.   I currently have my 82 year old Dad running a $350 Lenevo IBM protocol, Windows driven Laptop, which is 4 years old and does exactly what he wants it to do. 

[Sheepdog1969]

Obviously, choosing the right tool depends on what you want to use it for. If you live on a 1/4 acre lot, then you probably don't need a 72" commercial, zero turn, lawn tractor. Similarly, if you just use your cell phone to make and receive phone calls, and occasionally send/receive a text, a $1,200+ Smart phone is a waste of money, (especially if your age makes reading small text on a small screen difficult.) I am quite tech savvy, but people I know are shocked to see that I only have a 4g flip phone, and no "Smart Phone."  My $40 per month cell phone has unlimited voice and texting, and that's all I need it for. At home, I have a desk top with connected printer, that I use just for print jobs, scanning, and some streaming from time to time.  I have an under $400 laptop that is integrated into my entertainment system for streaming on my 55" 4K TV, for internet browsing with a wireless keyboard and mouse from my couch, for my MP3/MP4 music library which plays via HDMI through my 7.2 DTS/Atmos system, and as the primary computer I use to write, compose (MIDI interface/controller/tone library), and record. Since I routinely back up all of my devices/computers onto a Hi-cap portable drive, I just replace my inexpensive, but quality tech, if and when needed with newer inexpensive but quality tech. 

The one device that I do use more than all of the above mentioned items, is my Android Tablet. I bought my first one about 11 years ago after seeing how cool the one I bought for my 6 year old daughter was. I have never paid more than $120 for one, but I have burned through 3 to date. I like a 10" screen, at least, and use a mini SD card for primary storage (as many gigabytes on the mini SD as the tablet supports), so internal storage space on the tablets is not an issue. I focus on processor speed, graphics capabilities, and WIFI connectivity speed when I buy one. I use it to read the news and articles that interest me. I check my e-mail with it. My music library is copied onto the mini SD, so I use it as a "source" for my Bluetooth speaker when out in the "back 40" at the campfire and the like. I use the camera to "scan" documents when I am in a rush (and to take pics around the property). I rarely use it anywhere but at home, but I do take it on vacation for E-mail access. It only connects via WIFI, and has no "cellular" network capabilities. If and when I drop it, break it, or when it fails, I pop out the mini SD and buy a new one. Even the inexpensive ones I buy can do far more than I typically ask of them, but I find I am using more of it's capabilities as time goes by. I really don't think I would be able to use my tablet as a replacement for my other PC's, but maybe a high end Tablet could do that. (That is until I drop it into the toilet accidentally, which is something not likely to happen with my desk top/lap top)