Category: News

The latest news with an iPad focus.

Why switch to iPad, revisited in #71

By Thord Hedengren NewsNovember 10, 2021

The most recent issue of the Switch to iPad newsletter talks about why one should switch, and why that’s something I’m revisiting regularly.

I’m sitting propped up in bed, with chills and a sore throat, as I’m typing this. It’s one of the joys of the iPad, the 12.9” Pro model sitting in the Magic Keyboard at the moment, that portability, it’s one of the things I like the most. However, I could just as well be typing this on the MacBook Air that sits on the sideboard on the other side of the room. It’d work just as well because right now, in the Magic Keyboard, my iPad is a laptop. Literally, a laptop, even, since it’s in my lap.

That got me thinking about why I prefer the iPad, and if that’s still true. I’m in the habit of questioning many things in my life regularly, I think that’s important because it’s all too easy to just accept what you’ve got. Sometimes that’s fine, but if you could change things for the better, wouldn’t you? That includes making hard decisions when need be, and to be okay with things as they are if they’re not worth the hassle.

When it comes to the iPad, and viewing as well as using it as a primary computing device, it’s a fairly simple assessment. I can boil it down to the most common question I get, regarding my choice, which is: Why don’t you just use a Mac instead?

Switch to iPad #71 is out now. It requires an active subscription, so do consider that if you want to support my writing.

Switch to iPad #70: Read it later

By Thord Hedengren NewsNovember 3, 2021

Well, you don’t have to read it later, you can read Switch to iPad #70 now, if you like. It does cover read it later services, though.

I’ve been a user of various read it later services for a long time. They’re great, I love being able to save interesting things for later. Granted, most of the things that gets saved away will sit there for a long time, there are so many feature stories, articles, blog posts and whatnot out there, I can’t keep up. That’s okay, I don’t feel stressed out by having an ever-growing reading queue.

Back in the day, the main feature for the read it later services for me was cleaning away all the rubbish that are on websites. Ads, cross-promotions, related stories, more ads, all of that just takes away from the actual story. More often than not, the story gets a thin column, and all the other rubbish gets more space. It’s not a great reading experience.

📧 Switch to iPad #70 is out now, for paying subscribers. Subscriptions are $5/month or $50/year. There’s a free trial if you’d like to sample the goods before committing.

Notability switches to subscription model

By Thord Hedengren NewsNovember 2, 2021

Update: Notability to let current users get everything, after all.

Popular note-taking app Notability is switching to a subscription model with their 11.0 release, which is out now. That means that the app is free to download, but usage is severely hindered, with limited editing capabilities and lack of iCloud sync across platforms. A subscription costs $15/year, but you can get it for $12 at the moment. That includes several things that was in-app purchases previously.

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Switch to iPad #69: Let’s talk Safari extensions

By Thord Hedengren NewsOctober 27, 2021

The 69th issue of Switch to iPad is all about extensions for Safari. These arrived with iPadOS 15, and there’s a pretty healthy offering available now. This issue goes into how you find extensions, activate them, as well as points you to some extensions that I like.

Switch to iPad #69 is for paying subscribers only. Do consider signing up for a subscription, it’s just $5/month or $50/year, and it helps a lot.

👉🏻 Read the issue here.

iPadOS 15.1 brings back old Safari (almost)

By Thord Hedengren NewsOctober 26, 2021

It’s time to update your iPad because iPadOS 15.1 was just released. It brings SharePlay, announced as a feature for iPadOS but pushed forward before the actual release. With SharePlay you can watch things together over FaceTime, and share your screen too, which surely is useful, but perhaps less so now that the pandemic and work from home situation seems to get more under control. We’ll surely see some interesting collaborative apps and games — there are a few already — utilizing SharePlay, but it could also end up being a gimmick, rather than a truly useful API and feature.

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Issue 68 features three games to kill the time

By Thord Hedengren NewsOctober 20, 2021

It’s Game Day in Switch to iPad #68, with three games to kill the time. This from the first game, Clap Hanz Golf:

I’ve spent a lot of time with Clap Hanz Golf the last few weeks. I played it a bit when it launched on Apple Arcade (yep, you’ll need a subscription to play this one), but then fell out of it. It’s gotten several updates since then, and whatever the reason was to stop playing this game, it’s seemingly gone.

If you recognize the style of Clap Hanz Golf, you might’ve played another golf series called Everybody’s Golf or Hot Shots Golf, depending on your region. Clap Hanz is the developer of said series, which was (is?) published by Sony for various PlayStation platforms. They’re great games, especially the two that was released for PlayStation Portable.

🆓 Read Switch to iPad #68 here, for free.

Switch to iPad #67: This is how I write it all

By Thord Hedengren NewsOctober 13, 2021

It’s Wednesday, and that means that it’s time for another issue of the Switch to iPad newsletter. This time, it’s all about how I write both it, and this very site.

From the introduction:

I’m sitting here, typing out today’s issue of Switch to iPad. That’s not how I usually do it, typically what you get in your inbox (or read in the archives, if that’s your fancy) is written the Sunday or Monday before. The past couple of weeks have been a mess, though, thanks to both work and contractors at home, so I’ve fallen out of my groove, so to speak.

What better time to tell you all about how I write Switch to iPad, then?

Switch to iPad #67 is available in the archives for all paying subscribers. Do consider subscribing, if you have already.

It’s all about Notes in Switch to iPad #66

By Thord Hedengren NewsOctober 6, 2021

Apple keeps updating the default Notes app, and it’s really getting there. I’ve gushed about the new Quick Note feature already, but that’s not all you can do with Notes.

Switch to iPad #66 is another How do I… installment, all about Notes. This time, it’s paying subscribers only, so if you’re not one of those, do consider signing up. There’s a free trial and everything.

✍🏻 Read Switch to iPad #66 here.

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