You can actually do exactly that on an iPad. If you already have a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, you can use Chrome Remote Desktop for free.
That’s how I started, but I found Jump Desktop a much better experience overall, and at £14.99 I thought it was a bargain.
But that’s still using the iPad as a terminal to interface with the program being run on a different (remote) machine, yes? These older Wacom products were an actual Windows OS machine so you would run the desktop version locally without need for any communications. I guess there are still other tablet based Windows PC’s around, but I’m not a Windows guy, so not up on what’s available.
Yes, that’s correct.
I actually bought a Microsoft Surface Studio laptop a couple of years ago so I could run SketchUp while I was on the road. It was pretty good, but there were certain things I wanted it to do—such as processing and registering multiple point cloud scans—that were beyond its capabilities. The beauty of using the iPad this way is that my desktop PC is still doing all the heavy lifting. I also have access to all my usual applications, files and settings, exactly as if I were sitting in my office. Another thing I really like is being able to use the iPad’s photo library when I’m with clients. It’s a much more polished experience than anything I managed to find for the laptop.
I have an older version hp windows tablet. You can still find them refurbished
Mine did not officially support windows 11 so i’m limited to SU2024, but it works great and super portable.
That’s the first thing that convinced me to get one — I tell everyone that, in a graphically oriented profession, photos on my iPad rather than words are my “elevator speech.”
Then, while teaching SketchUp and perspective drawing to high school students, I saw many of them with Apple Pencils and drawing on their iPad, so I figured I better try that too.
One of the things I did when building out a new market for a timber frame company was to have an iPad just for getting a high end architect’s or builder’s attention.
I had (at the time) a pro model in a Moleskine like magnetic case. It was roughly sketchbook sized and I jailbroke it. When you opened the cover it would turn on and the only thing you saw was the company logo and an icon for a portfolio. Everything else was locked down and hidden.
I would customize my presentation per the firm I was trying to get an audience with and then FedEx the iPad with a hand written note to one of the principals. Within the box was a custom foam insert so it traveled easily, and I included the return address label prepaid back to my office. Often including some postcards or a print piece.
9/10 times I got a meeting. 10/10 times I was able to chat on the phone with the person I sent it to. 10/10 times the people receiving it, even the 1/10 that didn’t want to meet, appreciated both the thoughtfulness of the presentation + packaging as well as the effort that I had gone through to connect with them.
Wow! All I got from Benson Woodworking was a three ring binder.
When you are the underdog you have to get creative…
I think that’s a brilliant approach Mike 