The Ultimate M1 iPad App Suite

The Entry Point

Owning an M1 iPad is only half the battle; the real magic happens when you load it with the right software. After using the iPad Air 5 as my main creative tablet, I've narrowed things down to the apps that actually make use of all that power.

Whether I'm editing 4K video, designing thumbnails, brainstorming ideas or using the iPad alongside my Windows PC, these are the apps that have made the biggest difference for me.

The Creative Heavyweights

Affinity Photo: The Photoshop Killer

If you're still waiting for the perfect desktop-style Photoshop experience on the iPad, I'd seriously look at Affinity Photo 2 instead. I use it for the artwork on my YouTube channel, including thumbnails, and it has most of the tools I actually need without locking everything behind a monthly subscription.

The app is free to download and the full iPad licence is a one-time purchase. You get proper layers, masks, RAW editing, PSD support, selection tools and enough desktop-class features that I rarely feel like I'm using a cut-down tablet editor.

Affinity Photo workspace on iPad

DaVinci Resolve: Desktop Video Power

This is still one of the best video editors you can put on an iPad. Being able to take proper 4K footage, throw it onto the Air 5 and start cutting or colour grading without immediately reaching for a laptop is exactly the kind of thing that makes the M1 chip feel worthwhile.

DaVinci Resolve on iPad

If you already use Resolve on PC, the transition is pretty easy because the Cut and Color workflows are very familiar, and Resolve projects are compatible between iPad and desktop. The iPad version isn't a perfect copy of every desktop workspace, but it is far closer to a real editing application than most mobile video editors.

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Design and Ideation

Miro: My Brain in an App

This is where a lot of my brainstorming happens. Whether I'm mapping out workflows, planning a website, organising a project or dumping ideas for a new video onto one massive canvas, Miro works really well on the iPad.

Miro's workspace on iPad

It gets even better if you're working with other people because everyone can work on the same board in real time. There is a free plan, although it limits how many boards stay editable, so heavier users will eventually run into the paid plans.

Procreate: The Gold Standard

If you bought an Apple Pencil, Procreate is one of the first apps I'd install. It is still one of the best examples of software designed specifically around the iPad rather than a desktop app awkwardly squeezed onto a touchscreen.

I used it while testing my drawing skills with the paper-texture screen protector I mentioned in my iPad review, and the responsiveness with the Pencil is excellent. Whether you're sketching ideas, painting or working on a finished illustration, it absolutely deserves a spot on the iPad.

Procreate on iPad

It is also refreshingly simple to buy: Procreate is a one-time purchase rather than another subscription. As of my latest check, it costs ₦19,900 on the Nigerian App Store.

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Utilities and PC Integration

spacedesk: The Second Screen

This app is a game-changer for my Windows setup. spacedesk lets me extend my PC desktop onto the iPad over Wi-Fi, LAN or USB, essentially turning the iPad into another monitor.

The more interesting part is pen input. With an Apple Pencil, you can use the iPad as a drawing tablet for supported Windows applications, including workflows like opening Blender on the PC and sculpting from the iPad. spacedesk also supports pressure-sensitive stylus input, although how well it behaves can depend on the Windows application you're using.

spacedesk workspace on iPad

For the best experience, I'd use USB or a good local network instead of expecting perfect responsiveness over weak Wi-Fi.

LocalSend: The Ecosystem Breaker

If you regularly move files between an iPad and a Windows PC, install LocalSend. It is basically the cross-platform file-sharing tool I wish every ecosystem had built in.

It works between iOS, Windows, Android, macOS and Linux, requires no account and doesn't send your files through a cloud service. You don't even need internet access; both devices just need to be able to communicate over the same local network.

LocalSend on iPad

I use it for moving files and text between devices without uploading everything to Google Drive or trying to force Apple's ecosystem to play nicely with Windows.

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Quick Breakdown

The M1 iPad Air is old enough now that the chip itself isn't the exciting part anymore. What still makes it useful is that there are finally enough genuinely capable apps around it to turn the hardware into something more than an expensive Netflix screen.

If you've got an M1, M2 or newer iPad sitting around and you're barely using the power inside it, these are the apps I'd start with.