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Hello, how the hell are you? If this is your first time here, thanks for stopping by. In this blog, we are going to explore whether or not Apple just took over the budget computer market. How did Apple do this without a MacBook? Is Apple going to make a move to iPads as computers? Can you really use an iPad as a real computer?

These are the main questions that I asked myself when looking at the idea for this post. The short answer to all those questions is yes. Apple wants you to use an iPad as your main computer. Yes, Apple wants to rule the budget computer market. Apple did this without a traditional MacBook laptop. They accomplished all this with the release of iPadOS 26. They gave just enough of what makes a Mac a Mac. This allowed them to ensure that the future of the iPad is here to stay, in my opinion.

After reading all the reviews of the beta testing of iPadOS 26 and seeing the writing on the wall, the iPad is here to stay, and it is going to be the everyday user’s computer. The Apple set the stage for the battle of the budget computer with the A16 iPad. You see, this is the model that is listed for the same or lower price as a Chromebook, which is the top choice for the budget computer. With the release of iPadOS 26, the iPad just took that spot. You see, with Apple allowing all the features that the higher-end iPads have with the window management system. By upgrading the Files app to work like it does on the Mac, which allows the base A16 iPad to become the computer of choice.

The huge app ecosystem that Apple has built up over the years gives the person looking for a cheap laptop more choice in apps that will work for them. The Chromebook is based on using the internet to keep you on the device. The A16 iPad is able to become used with ease without the internet. Then you have a connection all the time with the 5G version at just $ 150 more. If you would have told me ten years ago that the iPad would be a lot of younger people’s first computer, I would have said you are crazy.

The fact is, the iPad is the one computer that is for the people, not the computer snobs out there. Yes, with the release of iPadOS 26, Apple has just sealed the deal on making the iPad a real computer for the common people that just want a computer. You see, after you buy that iPad, you are then sucked into the Apple side of computing, and it’s hard to leave all that you have bought while using the iPad.

The one huge advantage that the iPad has over the Chromebook is even the basic iPad can let you edit photos with ease. The basic iPad is more than powerful and can edit 1080p videos with ease (before you come at me, I did that with an iPad 10 with no issues at all). The basic iPad is the one computer that you will need for doing not only the basics of needing a computer; it can and will be just fine when you are researching for a paper you need to write or even just playing your favorite games. If you want a better experience, you have two choices that are still in the budget range.

You see, Apple also has the iPad mini 7, which is even more powerful than the A16 iPad. This means that you will not only have more power but you will also get a smaller screen, so you could almost replace your phone and only have a need for the iPad mini, and that’s it. This could replace your laptop and your phone and only have a need for one device to rule them all. The iPad mini is a step up in price but not by much; it starts at $ 499, so you can have double the transfer speeds and double the power.

The one thing that the iPad mini has going for it is the power to edit in 1080p with ease, which is even better than the A16 iPad. The need for a computer has changed over the years, and if you wanted all that, you would need a larger screen phone, as powerful as they have become. Heck, all I need for a computer is my iPhone 14, as it will accomplish ninety percent of my computing needs. With the phone, all I need for the internet is the phone to run a business in today’s world. So why would an iPad with a 5G connection not be the same? If you can do it with a phone, why not the iPad?

The iPhone or Samsung phones are so powerful that they actually blow away the speed we had in the early 2000s. When it comes down to it, the A16 iPad with its 6GB of RAM and 128GB starting point is better than what the 2013 MacBook Air had for starting specs. With that being said, why again could the iPad, even the basic-level iPad, not replace the budget laptop? You don’t even need to spend the huge amount of money for a keyboard for the iPad to allow typing with ease.

At the end of the day, the iPad is going to be the budget computer king in a few short years. The A16 iPad is going to be a lot of basic users’ first and probably be the one they hold on to for many years. The basic iPad is so good now with iPadOS 26 that it could be the computer for everyone, and with Apple’s ad in 2017, “what is a computer,” just came true, but not for the iPad Pro. The basic iPad is the computer that is for everyone who needs a computer for basic tasks. Enjoy, y’all.