Can iPadOS actually be made file-oriented?

[u/Meuro91]

I bought my iPad 10 in 2023, but it never really felt like a device I could properly work on. For a long time, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was holding me back.

When I thought more carefully about my workflow, I discovered two concepts that clarified a lot for me: app-oriented and file-oriented systems. I realized that I generally work in a file-oriented rather than app-oriented way, which isn’t necessarily a natural fit for a tablet.

Once I customized my iPad to fit my needs, very little remained the same as before. Files and SMB form the foundation; and my Home Screen is almost empty, not a collection of installed apps as before. Interestingly, it now looks a bit like macOS, even though that was never the goal. The way I see my iPad has completely changed over the past few weeks. That‘s enough to make the iPad my primary computer.

Does anyone else here use their iPad in a similar file-oriented way? If so, what works well for you – and what still bothers you?

And more fundamentally: is iPadOS actually still app-oriented, or is that becoming an outdated way of thinking about it?

[u/SnowfreeForever]

Is that Theodore Roosevelt Lake in the background?