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HALE101

macrumors 6502
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Mar 17, 2018
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Im using my IPad Pro as a laptop and i love the new update but I’m curious if apple will eventually start trying to make the experience even better than it is now ?
 

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Q. Do you think IPadOS will eventually make the IPad Pros computer experience better?
A. No. As long as Apple continues to sell Macbooks, they won't move iPadOS to a point of being a viable alternative for those who need a MacOS device.

iPadOS as an operating system needs to continue to be locked down... locked down as to what peripherals can be attached to it, locked down as to what apps are allowed, and locked down as to the accessibility of the file system.
 
I hope not.

If I wanted a true laptop experience, I would get a laptop.

If I want a true desktop experience, I got my desktop.

I want a hybrid experience that allows for some computer use, but I bought an iPad tablet for a tablet experience.
 
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Im using my IPad Pro as a laptop and i love the new update but I’m curious if apple will eventually start trying to make the experience even better than it is now ?

Apple is strongly focussed on experiences in my opinion. So on the front of having nicer experiences with the devices, they’ll probably be interested to improve.
 
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Apple is going to continue to improve iPadOS and enable laptop-like features. But they will take their time trying to consider what features to work on and trying to reinvent how they should work on a touch-first device.

I agree with sracer in that Apple wants to keep the MacBook experience separate enough to justify its existence next to a more capable iPad. Maybe eventually there won’t be much of a difference between the two, but I think it’s going to be several years of iteration on iPadOS to get there.
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I feel like the iPad pro chip is being under utilized.

It depends on the app. There are some photo and video apps that really put the A-series SoC to the test and utilize all that it’s got.
 
I feel like the iPad pro chip is being under utilized.

When you say chip, which of the many chip do you refer to inside the device?

And to further that question: how does using that specific chip “more”enhance the iPad’s computer experience?
 
Yes each year it will get better and better. Pro apps set to be released. Apple will i feel give people less and less reasons to buy MacBooks in the future
 
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Looking at the trajectory, I do assume Apple is planning to make the experience as near to a laptop as possible. After all the 2020 iPad Pro tagline states, your next computer is not a computer.

Apple has competition in every segment, but it's an undisputed champion of the Tablet market. With such updated Apple is securing the position. As well as undercutting the competitors who offer Laptops around the price of an iPad Pro. In a way, the company is creating a fine divide, buy a smarter, faster iPad rather than buying a surpass laptop at the same price.

Though this strategy might eat a bit of the market for Macbook Air. But then Apple did jeopardize iPods sales to introduce the iPhone. It can very well do that with iPads if it means great sales and market leadership.
 
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Though this strategy might eat a bit of the market for Macbook Air. But then Apple did jeopardize iPods sales to introduce the iPhone. It can very well do that with iPads if it means great sales and market leadership.

That’s the interesting part to me right now. There are some things that you just can’t do with an iPad right now that you can with a MacBook Air. One example is software development. There are some decent programs on iPad that kind of mimic the IDEs on macOS, but if you want to do “real” work with code, you’ll want a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

It’s kind of the same with image and video, but not as much compared to the coding example. Because the Apple Pencil and touch interface can really provide a more efficient environment on iPad for certain types of creators compared to using a MacBook.

So it’ll be interesting, to me, to watch iPadOS going forward. I don’t think Apple cares much if you go for a MacBook Air or an iPad Pro so long as you’re buying an Apple product. So if iPadOS grows to fill in the gaps that differentiate the MacBook Air and customers stop buying the MacBook Air, then that’s just one less product Apple has to manage and manufacture. Right now they offer both to fit a wider range of needs, but that can change over time.
 
Q. Do you think IPadOS will eventually make the IPad Pros computer experience better?
A. No. As long as Apple continues to sell Macbooks, they won't move iPadOS to a point of being a viable alternative for those who need a MacOS device.

iPadOS as an operating system needs to continue to be locked down... locked down as to what peripherals can be attached to it, locked down as to what apps are allowed, and locked down as to the accessibility of the file system.
For me, all signs point towards an inevitable merge of iPadOS and macOS. Catalyst allows iPadOS app run on macOS. ARM based Mac cuts native x86 support, which iPadOS don't have anyway. Apple heavily market iPad as laptop replacement. It may not replace laptop in general, but Apple can make iPad a replacement for their own laptop lineup, and leave iMac and Mac Pro as only computer that runs macOS.

Lockdown is going to happen on macOS very soon, followed by ARM Mac release. We have seen more lockdown-focused features in Mojave and now Catalina. Some may say “this is for security”, but everyone sees various physical lockdowns during this covid-19 pandemic in the name of “safety”. Same can happen in macOS as well, and Apple can slowly chip away macOS support for random apps downloaded elsewhere.

At the end of the day, I believe macOS will turn into a slightly different variant of iPadOS that provides somewhat better keyboard mouse support and a bit better peripheral support and that’s about it, before it gets completely eliminated by Apple.
 
As long as Apple continues to sell Macbooks, they won't move iPadOS to a point of being a viable alternative for those who need a MacOS device.

You don't know how Apple works. They believe they must kill their products before any other company does it first. They did it with the iPod, which was replaced by the iPhone.

So Apple will eventually do it with the MacBook. I expect they will keep the iPad as a portable computer and the Mac as a desktop
 
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Im using my IPad Pro as a laptop and i love the new update but I’m curious if apple will eventually start trying to make the experience even better than it is now ?
Yes! iOS 12 was the game changer for me that made me spend money on another iPad. iPad os 13 bought even better file management. Now mouse support. If they can allow you to manage your iPhone with your iPad it would be game over.
I’m looking forward to iPad OS 14 & 15. It’s going to make leaps in functionality.
 
That’s the interesting part to me right now. There are some things that you just can’t do with an iPad right now that you can with a MacBook Air. One example is software development. There are some decent programs on iPad that kind of mimic the IDEs on macOS, but if you want to do “real” work with code, you’ll want a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

It’s kind of the same with image and video, but not as much compared to the coding example. Because the Apple Pencil and touch interface can really provide a more efficient environment on iPad for certain types of creators compared to using a MacBook.

So it’ll be interesting, to me, to watch iPadOS going forward. I don’t think Apple cares much if you go for a MacBook Air or an iPad Pro so long as you’re buying an Apple product. So if iPadOS grows to fill in the gaps that differentiate the MacBook Air and customers stop buying the MacBook Air, then that’s just one less product Apple has to manage and manufacture. Right now they offer both to fit a wider range of needs, but that can change over time.

I agree! If there is something Apple has been really good at is reading the future market and pushing users to a different path than what others expect. Whether you take the example of removing the floppy disk from 1998's iMac to removal of the headphone jack.

So, if Apple is pushing to make iPads the new computer, it will do so with full conviction. And looking into the past market trends, all other manufactures will follow suit sooner or later.
 
I agree! If there is something Apple has been really good at is reading the future market and pushing users to a different path than what others expect. Whether you take the example of removing the floppy disk from 1998's iMac to removal of the headphone jack.

So, if Apple is pushing to make iPads the new computer, it will do so with full conviction. And looking into the past market trends, all other manufactures will follow suit sooner or later.

Apple has also missed on their fair share of things too and came out with them long after others (like phones with big screens, Apple pencil, and mouse support in a tablet).

I think each iteration of iOS and now iPadOS makes the iPad a better computer experience. But in typical fashion, the updates come frustratingly slow and leave users wanting just a bit more.
 
To everyone using the iPad with Trackpad and Keyboard, there's a tip regarding YouTube and PIP.

Check for PiPfier on the AppStore, it enables all HTML5 videos to work on PIP. So you can access YouTube in one tab and keep working on other stuff.

Regarding the topic of the thread, I like the fact that Apple is trying a different approach for a different OS instead of going full macOS. There's only one thing that concerns me, it took 10 years to get here.

I hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for external display support and a better files experience.
 
Sometimes I feel like, I'm the only one who wants to use his iPad as a tablet for everything 99,99% of the time.🤨
Heh, you probably are! Jokes aside though, for me though, and I think a lot of other people, having experienced that almost magical experience of using the iPad has made us want to be able to ditch our traditional desktop and laptops, and go for that holy grail single device - and with the iPad it actually felt like it wasn’t a pipe dream anymore.

At work, I use mine mostly at my desk, sitting on a table stand, connected to a big 45” 4K monitor, an external custom mechanical keyboard, and now since 13.4, a Magic Trackpad 2. There I do massive spreadsheets with thousands of rows of data, integrated with 3rd party API’s for external data, json scripting, pivot tables, forecasting algorithms, cashflow and currency treasury operations, etc. I use ERP and ERM software, Finance and Accounting software, CRM and HRM systems, etc etc.

At home, I use that same 11” iPP to manage my video, audio, and photo libraries, create cinematic content and family home videos, take care of my own general personal computing needs, play Fortnite with my son, and design the floor pattern for the new deck in the back yard I am building as this summer’s house project.

Among other things.

Have I had to twist my own arm multiple times, make some compromises, relearn and reimagine workflows, and sometimes bang my head against the wall along the way? Damn right I have - but it is people like me that are the reason Apple has developed in the direction they have. The Files app, Multitasking support, proper Desktop web browsing, and especially real Cursor support are prime examples of features that early adopters, beta testers, and envelope pushers helped pave the way for by seeing the potential of this device and striving to urge Apple to fulfill it.

I think big things are coming for iPadOS in the next couple years, especially after the ARM Macs release. It will be definitely interesting, but gotta say, that while I don’t see myself ever buying anything other than Apple hardware in the future, I also don’t ever see myself wanting to buy another Mac.

Sorry, tangent over 🤘🏻
 
Two key things missing:

Floating window support - really difficult to do well for a traditional touch based iPad experience, but in the future maybe it could be something that is 'unlocked' when you connect a mouse or trackpad?

Fully featured file system - this really jars with iOS in a fundamental way, so if it eventually does happen, probably quite a long way off yet.
 
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