Using iPad Pro as Rock Remote vs. Macbook Air?

Hi! So i have been using my Macbook Air 2018 to control my i5 NUC running Roon Rock. But lately, i have been curious about iPadOS. (Because it seems more “fun” and “fluent” and the screen is better for media watching for me)

Anyway, would be there anything i would be missing when using iPad as remote, vs. MacOS?

Currently i am streaming music from my home NAS and Tidal/Qobuz to my DAC. I do have Full Windows 10 pc in my apartment if that is needed, for things like setups etc. I mostly game on it tho

Thanks!

  1. importing files via drag/drop
  2. resolution stuff related to making a tall-but-not-wide user interface

The second one is a big one, but can be avoided if you go with the 12.9" iPad Pro (it is our only tablet that can go portrait mode).

I have a first generation 12.9" iPad Pro, and it is spectacular. By far my favorite way to use Roon.

2 Likes

Thanks! Yes, i’m probably going to go with 12.9" (Hopefully Apple refreshes the iPads this month)

Importing via drag/drop isn’t an issue. For the songs that are not Tidal or Qobuz, i’m running Openmediavault NAS that has the stuff in it. For the few times i needed to access files to my Mac - Rock i just move them to my NAS and it automatically updates. So non issue. (To my understanding iPadOS supports this) But if it doesn’t walk 15 meters to my PC and do it that way.

But thanks for the feedback, definitely going to pick up an iPad then in near future :slight_smile:

I too have decided on the 12.9 as the main control point for Roon in the LR. Currently using my wife’s 3 year old ipad pro 9.7 (when she’s not using it). The size of the 12.9, with the edge to edge viewing, and portrait mode makes it the big winner. Now if I can just figure out how to get one, maybe Christmas or Birthday.

Maybe I’m being dim but I don’t understand this comment. How is using an iPad in landscape mode a “tall-but-not-wide” interface? Asking since I am considering a 12.9" iPad Pro to replace my iPad Air 2 and trying to determine if the investment will bring worthwhile improvements. Are you saying that the Roon App is optimized for a portrait mode interface even on a computer? Cheers!

The 12.9" iPad supports portrait mode. On a Mac/PC, you can resize the window to be tall. 1024xVERYTALL.

I use a 12.9 iPad, MacBook Air 2018, a Mac Pro desktop, and an Android phone to control Roon. The problem is that the portrait mode on the iPad is such an anomaly with Roon that I never use it that way. 2019 is calling and I really wish Roon would implement vertical scrolling on all devices.