While the iPad has many advantages, it has a few disadvantages as well. In this article, I’ll explain the top disadvantages of an iPad in 2023.
The iPad was first developed in 2004, when designer Jonathan Ive and others created a novel tablet prototype. The product was scheduled to be released before the iPhone, but Apple decided that the latter was more vital, and it debuted in 2007 employing identical technologies. In the last few years, smartphones have become much more capable content-consumption devices, and even though Apple’s latest M1 iPads are blazing fast, they’re not quite ready to replace your laptop just yet. Here are 7 disadvantages of an iPad in 2023.
Disadvantages of an iPad
The following are the main disadvantages of an iPad in 2023:
1. iPads Are Big and Bulky
While iPads aren’t as big as your typical laptop screen, they are big enough to be difficult to handle. For most people, even the 8.3-inch iPad mini is a two-handed device, and that’s Apple’s smallest iPad. When it comes to giants like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, most people only end up only using them while sitting at a desk.
While it might be nice to watch a movie on the large screen of an iPad, your laptop or TV can work just as well. Enjoying a bigger screen might make an iPad seem like an enticing idea for mobile gamers, but holding a tablet for long periods of time can be an uncomfortable experience. That extra weight and bulk might make you end up reaching for your phone more than your new tablet.
2. iPads Aren’t Ready to Replace Your Laptop
When Apple’s Magic Keyboard Case for the iPad launched in 2020, many people were left wondering whether an iPad could replace a MacBook. Well, for most people, the answer was still no.
The M1 iPad Pro is powerful, but it lacks the right software to take advantage of that power. iPadOS has come a long way in the last few years, but it’s still not a desktop-level experience. You’re also not going to have all the same apps available on iPadOS that you would get on macOS.
If you’re a creative professional, you’ll be thrilled to find parts of Adobe’s Creative Cloud on iPadOS, but keep in mind they’re still scaled down versions of the real thing. Even some of Apple’s own software, like Logic Pro X, just isn’t available on the iPad.
See also: 5 Amazing Advantages of Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad
3. iPads and Their Accessories Are Expensive
How much money you end up dropping on an iPad will depend on which model you decide to go with. But while there are quite a few brand-new Android tablets that retail for under $100, Apple’s cheapest iPad—the iPad mini—still starts at $499. Prices only go up from there. Apple’s biggest and most powerful iPad, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, starts at $1099. That’s well into premium laptop prices.
When it comes to accessories, the iPad also isn’t cheap. Even Apple’s Smart Folio case, which is little more than silicone with some magnets, retails for $79 at the Apple Store. And while optional extras like the Magic Keyboard case can give your iPad a lot more functionality, the $299 price tag might make you question whether the Magic Keyboard is worth it.
These days, it seems like Apple really wants every iPad user to also pick up an Apple Pencil. And to be fair, the Apple Pencil is a great tool for artists, digital illustrators, and other creatives. But the $129 price tag for the second-generation Apple Pencil might make you want to think seriously about how much you’ll actually end up using it.
See also: 11 Amazing Advantages of Apple Pencil in 2022
4. Your Favorite Apps Might Not Work on the iPad
You might be excited to get an iPad because you think all your favorite iPhone apps are going to look great on that bigger screen. Well, think again.
Even though the iPad’s big screen might seem like it’s perfect for browsing Instagram, you might be surprised to know that there’s no official iPad Instagram app. Even built-in iOS apps like Weather don’t exist on iPad. And many apps that do support the iPad aren’t optimized for it. Instead of taking advantage of the iPad’s bigger screen to display more information, many apps just end up making everything…bigger.
It’s easy to kill your enthusiasm for using your iPad when you realize that you could be viewing the exact same app on your iPhone, in a package that’s much more comfortable to hold.
5. Locked to the App Store
You must install each app from the Apple Appstore. Other than the Apple Appstore, there is no legal way to download and install an App from the internet. For example, on Android, if an app — KeepVid — is removed from the Google Play store but you need it, you can download the app APK from a trusted source and install it. Installing a third-party app store, such as Amazon AppStore, which has hundreds of thousands of applications, is also an option. It is not possible on the iPad.
6. Apple Ecosystem
The Apple Ecosystem is both a boon and a curse. Once you get in, it’s really difficult to get out. The ecosystem is essentially there to make consumers purchase more Apple products. You’re likely to purchase a MacBook if you have an iPad rather than a windows laptop. This way you won’t be able to see if other brands have better devices and you’ll have to wait until Apple makes one or updates the previous model.
7. No option to add additional storage space
If you run out of storage space on the iPad, you may be left clearing out music, movies, and apps. iPads do not come with SD card slots so the idea of upgrading your storage after buying your device is not an option. So, you most likely have to buy an expensive higher internal storage version.
These are the disadvantages of an iPad
With numerous disadvantages of an iPad, it’s easy to figure out why iPads are not preferred more when it come to recommending someone which tablet to buy. Before making the purchase, it’s good to read the above cons of an iPad.
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