Apple explains why iPad is a terrible laptop alternative

[akash.nu]

Right now I’m typing on an excellent bluetooth keyboard, using my iPad.

Lots of excellent replies and thoughts in this thread (except the one above lol).

I think the person who said there needs to be a “tween” OS between MacOS and iOS may be nailing it.

Maybe it’s time to admit that Microsoft’s hardware design dept has nailed it with the Surface concept.

Personally I’ve found iOS *more* useful than MacOS simply because the apps on iOS are more useful in my dad to day life than programs and accessing stuff through a browser in MacOS. I control my smart house/things with iOS apps, talk to friends, take pictures, navigate, etc., all with iOS apps.

Where iOS falls flat is TYPING and EDITING, and also FILE MANIPULATION.

The older Macbook keyboards and trackpad are simply the easiest way to manipulate words ever devised. The Pencil is a terrible mouse substitute.

If the Apple smart keyboard had a nice trackpad, and iOS had a decent file manager, iPad really would be a laptop replacement for almost everyone.

We are humans, we have two hands, arms, fingers. The physical keyboard plus glass trackpad is so far unparalleled, and that way of interfacing hands, arms, and fingers to a machine to manipulate data has been the result of centuries of exlperimentation.

Touch scrren is awesome for many things, especially quick app tasks that just require hitting buttons to turn stuff off and on, or to fire off a few words reply in a text message. For anything more wordy than that, it’s just terrible in comparison to keyboard/trackpad.

Because with keyboard/trackpad, all muscles are at rest except those making fingers fly across the keyboard. Everything else is tiring and imprecise. Maybe there is something better out there, and Apple’s experiment with pencil has been interesting and a great tool for artists, but it still isn’t close to keyboard/trackpad for making words.

Apple is just going to suck it up and admit that Microsoft has it right, and stick a trackpad on their smart keyboard. Then adding a file manager would end almost all of the other complaints.

Then iPad is a “real computer.”

Not necessarily, I’d say once iPad gets Xcode support, it will become a “real computer”. A photographer will say once iPad gets full version of photoshop, it will become a “real computer”. A system admin will say, once iPad gets native command line support, it will become a “real computer” and so on.

You see there’s no definition of a “real computer”. It all depends on individuals and personal use. Even traditional laptops aren’t able to compute the required functions for an astronomer or a planet chasing NASA scientist or to project the path for an upcoming hurricane for a weatherman, does that make a MacBook Air unusable for millions of people across the globe who use it everyday?! No!

It’s all about personal perspectives and not a global problem that needs to be solved. Apple clearly sees computing moving towards a new direction and judging by the success of the iPads compared to any other tablets in the wild, I’d say they’re off to a good start.

 

[aevan]

Yeah, I got excited about that. Watched the presentation.
Waited for them to show me how they SAVE that massive 3GB file. Please, hit "save".
Unfortunately they didn't show that... Wonder why...
Seriously Adobe has to completely redesign the PSD file format in order to make it
work on the silly iOS. I assume it will avoid saving the entire file, but updates only.
BTW you know what? There is a device running a full OS and working beautifully
with a full version of Photoshop. It's called Surface (Book). Apple is years behind Microsoft.
Crazy, isn't it?

This is how PSD already works now, on Mac and PC.

Surface works ‘beautifully’ only with a keyboard and a trackpad. Try using full Photoshop without those.

Also, you know that amazing next generation advanced painting software Adobe Gemini? It is first coming to the iPad, which is their current focus, and only then to the “full” OS you mention. Not bad for a “silly” iOS.

 

[Tozovac]

I have a 2011 Macbook Air, which was also brilliant, but which is an iteration of the PowerBooks, as per Ives. It's nowhere near the brilliant leap that Brunner gave us. Apple just discontinued support for my MBA to try to get me to upgrade. That has left a bad taste in my mouth. The latest MBA is garbage. The current 12" MacBook is tempting, but with only one port (so would need dongles), being slow, and having an insecure Intel processor, I thought I'd try something else.

So I’ve been experimenting with my new 2018 iPad to see how long I could go without my MacBook. I feel like we're back at the top page advertisement. I have a keyboard flopping around. I have a dongle for the pencil. I hope I don't lose the pencil. I hope I don't lose the pencil cap. I hope I don't lose the dongle. Trying to move files around is rediculously complicated, involving weird apps, flaky network connections, and sometimes borrowing someone's laptop. I have a separate charger for the keyboard. A screen protector. A case for the iPad. And then I have a bigger case to stuff all of that stuff into! It's insane.

How about this update.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Hahaha!

 

[Tozovac]

Your point is well taken. And well thought out it really hit me clearly.

We are at the top ad, with dongles and accessories and apps making up for lacking features.

Me personally I am without Laptop since the 11” iPad Pro fills so many of my needs. I could create my own Ad of all the things the iPad Pro replaces.

#9. Social media communications. Social Media is the future period. And it’s better on iOS

I disagree, unless I don’t understand your comment fully. The issue is I see it is the dumbed-down mobile interface using either the Facebook app or Safari on Facebook - overly simplified, lots of wasted space, just a hassle to use when compared to the more efficiently and intuitively laid out desktop screen version.