Can an iPad on iPadOS 26 replace my aging Pixelbook? I tested it to find out.

It’s been 9 years since Apple launched an advert for the 2016 iPad Professional, which requested, “What’s a pc?” That advert has been mocked ever since, because the iPad has at all times been seen as too compromised in comparison with a MacBook, Chromebook, or Home windows laptop computer to function a full pc alternative for most individuals. Nonetheless, iPadOS 26 brings some vital adjustments to the iPad, and I believe it is likely to be sufficient for the iPad to exchange my aged Google Pixelbook.

So, I put in the iPadOS 26 developer construct on my 2020 iPad Professional 11-inch. I do know — it’s the final iPad Professional to make use of an A-series Apple chip slightly than an M-series, so it received’t be lightning quick, particularly on a developer construct. Nonetheless, I received’t maintain any lag towards it right here, as this iPad has at all times skilled points within the first few betas however has at all times been completely easy by the point the steady replace is launched. No, at this time we’ll be evaluating the adjustments to iPadOS 26 to see in the event that they’re conducive to getting work accomplished.

Apple tried to enhance the multitasking expertise on the iPad in 2022 by introducing Stage Supervisor, but it surely didn’t make the form of distinction I wanted. There was no straightforward technique to snap home windows collectively, and more often than not, my apps would overlap one another. All of that adjustments in iPadOS 26, which has overhauled all the things to resemble macOS.

Every window options site visitors gentle buttons, which decrease, maximize, or shut the app. Lengthy-pressing them shows a window-snapping menu with templates, permitting you to rearrange your home windows utilizing the most typical layouts. It’s a large enchancment to the iPad expertise, even on the 11-inch mannequin I’m utilizing. I split-screen and window apps on the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, so I can get lots accomplished on this 11-inch iPad.

One other Mac-inspired addition is the menu bar, which you’ll be able to summon from the highest of the display screen with a swipe or by nudging the cursor towards the highest edge. I’ve by no means used macOS, however from what I can inform, it has many of the identical performance, letting you carry out sure duties and actions inside the app you’re utilizing. What I discovered most helpful was utilizing it to remind me which keyboard shortcuts are certain to sure features. I used to be born and raised a Home windows consumer, so getting used to new keyboard instructions was a studying curve.

It’s been 5 years because the iPad gained help for mice and trackpads, but it surely’s solely now that it’s even remotely usable. In its first iteration, the cursor was only a dot that may routinely snap to the closest icon. It was like enjoying a online game with aim-assist cranked too excessive, and it felt unnatural. The cursor would additionally disappear every time an icon was chosen, with the chosen icon bouncing barely to point that it’d been highlighted.

In iPadOS 26, now we have a standard arrow as a cursor. It’s so simple as that; the dot has grow to be an arrow, and it strikes the place I need it to with out infuriatingly snapping or turning invisible. By itself, this may have been sufficient for me to present utilizing an iPad for work one other attempt, however combining it with the adjustments made to window administration, I acquired a contemporary feeling working system the place mouse and keyboard help not really feel like an afterthought.

No, however I may. I do know — I simply sang the praises of how good iPadOS 26 is for stuff like this, and there’s much more I didn’t go into, like the very fact the iPad model of Safari can deal with WordPress in a manner Android’s Chrome app can’t, or that cellular Safari helps most of my extensions. The explanation I received’t be switching to the iPad for work, and nonetheless plan to purchase a brand new laptop computer, comes right down to pricing.

I like my iPad, but it surely’s outdated. It will possibly do all the things I would like it to once I use it as a pill, however pushing it as exhausting as I did this week felt like an excessive amount of. The A12Z Bionic and 6GB of RAM struggled to deal with all my tabs, the 11-inch display screen felt cramped, and the truth that it may solely mirror its display screen to a monitor, slightly than offering a dual-screen expertise, restricted its usefulness to me.

So, why not purchase a much bigger and quicker iPad Professional? I can get a used/refurbished 12.9-inch M1 iPad Professional, with a five-year guarantee, for £550. That’s not unhealthy, however we’d want so as to add the Magic Keyboard to that, which is one other £145 for a used unit. That’s £695 for a used setup, whereas I can get Snapdragon-powered Home windows laptops with 4 occasions the storage and twice the RAM model new for £500. Even when I wished to go along with Apple, a used M1 MacBook Air, with the identical five-year guarantee, is simply £475.

In the event you already personal an enormous, newer, M-powered iPad, then iPadOS 26 has simply turned it into a really succesful laptop computer alternative. For me, it’s one thing I may use on my present iPad when there aren’t different choices, however a brand new laptop computer nonetheless makes probably the most sense for my use.