Apple Depicts iPad as Laptop, Textbook, and Paperwork Replacement in Series of New Ads - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Depicts iPad as Laptop, Textbook, and Paperwork Replacement in Series of New Ads

Apple today shared four new 15-second ads highlighting the portability of the iPad for education and travel.

The ads, titled Travel Simply, Organized Notes, Paperless Paperwork, and All Your Stuff, depict the iPad as a space-saving replacement for textbooks in the classroom, paperwork in the office, and a laptop during a flight.





Many of the comparisons are exaggerated — for example, the baby on the plane suddenly stops crying when the camera pans over the passenger using an iPad — but the ads convey a clear message about the iPad's versatility.

Two of the ads show the iPad Pro, and two show the sixth-generation iPad, introduced at Apple's education event last March. The latter is priced from $329 in the United States, serving as a lower-cost alternative to the iPad Pro.


Apple initially uploaded the ads to its YouTube channels in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and later in the United States.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

apple world surf league video

Apple Shares Video on How Pro Surfers Use Apple Watch During Competition

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:57 am PDT by
Apple today shared a video showing off the Apple Watch in use at the World Surf League Championship Tour, with surfers describing how they use the watch when competing. Surfers can be hundreds of meters away from the beach during competitions and can't hear announcements over the sound of the water and the wind. The World Surf League has adopted the Apple Watch to solve the problem, linking...
apple watch rescue

Apple Shares Apple Watch SOS Success Story

Tuesday July 21, 2026 9:26 am PDT by
Apple today highlighted the SOS feature in the Apple Watch, publishing a short video featuring a man named Phil, who crashed while mountain biking. Phil was biking with his two young children when he had an accident and was knocked unconscious. His Apple Watch detected the fall, calling emergency services and alerting his wife. He ended up breaking his collarbone and seven ribs, but was...
apple price hike

Apple Just Increased Prices on MacBooks, iPads, and More

Thursday June 25, 2026 5:44 am PDT by
Apple today dramatically increased device prices across multiple product lines. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. After temporarily taking it down earlier today, Apple's online store is back up with a series of product price increases. The changes are as follows: HomePod mini: $129, up from $99 (+$30) HomePod: $349, up from $299 (+$50) Apple TV: $199, up from...

Top Rated Comments

_Refurbished_ Avatar
105 months ago
An iPad will never be a laptop replacement without mouse support. An iPad is a superior product in many ways than a laptop, but for specific situations, a mouse is needed in order to truly replace the laptop.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PBG4 Dude Avatar
105 months ago
So the iPad can back up iPhones and other devices now? They can connect to / format external storage drives, run 3D printers and Blender?

No? Guess it isn’t a laptop replacement yet.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
105 months ago
iPads suck as a laptop. I'll let Craig Federighi explain why ('https://www.wired.com/story/wwdc-2018-federighi-ios-apps-on-macos'):

"We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do."

The iPad will never be a laptop replacement until Apple adds a trackpad.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrBat Avatar
105 months ago
Put a mouse and Desktop applications on the iPad and we can start talking about being a "real" replacement for a laptop.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cookie18 Avatar
105 months ago
People in these comments are really ****ing butthurt over these ads. In all of these cases an iPad could be better than a laptop. A laptop is best for some things, an iPad is best for others. I don’t pull out my MacBook Pro on a flight when I can take out my 12.9" iPad instead, the iPad is vastly superior in that situation.

People act like you can only own one of these ****ing devices, own one or both or none. It doesn’t take away from what each device does better.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
105 months ago
The problem here is that Apple is assuming that nobody in a flight is going to open a Terminal and invoke the C compiler. And the shocking reality is that one of the main reasons why I switched to the Mac years ago is how well the Terminal worked (as opposed to Windows) in a computer that "just worked" (as opposed as a Linux PC).

But now, Apple says to us: "go away, use a Linux PC".
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)