The iPad is still my favorite computer

With the recent release of the M1 Macs, is there still a reason for the iPad to continue existing? The M1 Macs can run iOS and iPadOS apps, with better performance and having a longer battery life.

What the iPad has is magic — it can be the world's best tablet, and instantly transform into a notebook or sketch pad by grabbing an Apple Pencil. Attach it to the Magic Keyboard and you have a laptop, and plug it into a monitor and you have a full desktop. A lot has happened in the past few years, and I still remember a year ago when the first reports of people enabled the assistive touch function to get a working mouse cursor.

What I also like about the iPad is that it is still on a journey of figuring itself out. It’s a work in progress that works for so many things, with limitless future potential. I think the M1 Macs is the best thing that could ever have happened to the iPad because suddenly the Macs and iPads are playing on the same field, although with different approaches. My hopes are that some of the things that make the Mac great will find its way to the iPadOS echo system.

Where I think the iPad needs to grow is adding better support for external monitors. While plugging in a monitor does work well, without special support from the app, the display is limited to a 4:3 aspect ratio to match the iPad screen.