iPad Do you think pro apps will ever come to the iPad?

[Marswarrior462]

For years, it’s been rumoured and people have been asking for pro apps (myself included) for the iPad. A report from Mark Gurman stated Apple is giving the iPad proper multitasking (finally!) but I haven’t heard anything about the pro apps themselves. I’m talking about Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Compressor, Motion, Xcode, Pixelmator Pro, the Adobe pro apps (the full versions of Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, etc instead of the half assed versions already available), Blender, Cinema 4D, things like that. Do you think this will ever happen? If it doesn’t, I will be pretty disappointed, but I’ve been disappointed with iPadOS for so long that I’m not gonna get my hopes up too high, as a 2020 12.9” iPad Pro owner. Even just a cloud-based version of Final Cut would be nice, with Apple adding features to make it more mature over time

 

[sparksd]

Sounds like just a continuation of this thread -

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-closing-the-book-on-this-experiment.2346309/

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Sounds like just a continuation of this thread -

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-closing-the-book-on-this-experiment.2346309/

And hundreds other’s like it. People act like they are the first to have this thought which is odd since filling out the subject line before posting gives you lots of suggestions about posts that already exist with the same subject.

 

[lin2log]

Tell ya what… as soon as you can explain to Apple why the hell they would even want to do that, who actually needs it and for what, as well as explain both the point and most of all what possible advantage it could bring beyond what already exists for the iPad and has existed for ages… then I'm sure they'll do it. But until then… not a chance.

Bottom line: as it stands today, it's an utterly nonsensical notion that FCP, Logic, etc. could or should be ported to iPadOS.

If you actually think they could or should, then you just plain don't get it and most certainly are not a pro user to begin with.

 

[4743913]

Tell ya what… as soon as you can explain to Apple why the hell they would even want to do that, who actually needs it and for what, as well as explain both the point and most of all what possible advantage it could bring beyond what already exists for the iPad and has existed for ages… then I'm sure they'll do it. But until then… not a chance.

people said the same thing about the Apple Polishing Cloth... and yet..

 

[Marswarrior462]

Tell ya what… as soon as you can explain to Apple why the hell they would even want to do that, who actually needs it and for what, as well as explain both the point and most of all what possible advantage it could bring beyond what already exists for the iPad and has existed for ages… then I'm sure they'll do it. But until then… not a chance.

Bottom line: as it stands today, it's an utterly nonsensical notion that FCP, Logic, etc. could or should be ported to iPadOS.

If you actually think they could or should, then you just plain don't get it and most certainly are not a pro user to begin with.

The current gen iPad Pro and iPad Air have the same M1 processor as lower end Macs, and the Developer Transition Kit Mac mini was shown running Final Cut Pro at WWDC 2020 and it had the same A12Z chip as the 2020 iPad Pro (which I have), so the only reason why 2018 and newer iPads cannot run pro apps is because they are not allowed to at this point. As much as I’d take rumours about pro apps coming in the future with a grain of salt, I would never say never. I’d consider it a wild card possibility (possible but still take it with a grain of salt). If it doesn’t happen with iPadOS 16, I will be severely disappointed. It just infuriates me that an expensive device with similar internal specs to lower end Macs and is much more powerful than all lower end Windows laptops priced similarly is not allowed to be anywhere near as capable despite having more than enough powerful hardware. If iPadOS 16 doesn’t fix many of the shortcomings of the iPad, then I can see iPad sales (especially iPad Pro sales) bombing in the next year

 

[darngooddesign]

For years, it’s been rumoured and people have been asking for pro apps (myself included) for the iPad. A report from Mark Gurman stated Apple is giving the iPad proper multitasking (finally!) but I haven’t heard anything about the pro apps themselves. I’m talking about Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Compressor, Motion, Xcode, Pixelmator Pro, the Adobe pro apps (the full versions of Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, etc instead of the half assed versions already available), Blender, Cinema 4D, things like that. Do you think this will ever happen? If it doesn’t, I will be pretty disappointed, but I’ve been disappointed with iPadOS for so long that I’m not gonna get my hopes up too high, as a 2020 12.9” iPad Pro owner. Even just a cloud-based version of Final Cut would be nice, with Apple adding features to make it more mature over time

So contrary to the first part of your post, you would be happy with a half-assed version instead of the full app.

Let me ask you this.

Since building and supporting software isn't free, are you willing to pay several hundred dollars for iPad versions of the apps you already payed several hundred dollars for? They're not going to give you these apps for free.

What about if 3rd party features you use, like plugins and libraries, aren't available because they haven't been ported or built is a way that's compatible with the iPad app?

What if the apps require a 1TB iPad so you will have enough RAM to run the app and edit your projects? And even then 12GB is all you get since iPadOS doesn't have swap memory. Would you pay hundreds in software on top of your $1600 iPad to only edit small projects?

 

[rui no onna]

Since building and supporting software isn't free, are you willing to pay several hundred dollars for iPad versions of the apps you already payed several hundred dollars for? They're not going to give you these apps for free.

Yeah, it’s all about return on investment (ROI).

They’ll likely need to spend millions in salaries to get proper working versions for iPadOS yet how much could they actually get in return?

 

[BhaveshUK]

Yeah, it’s all about return on investment (ROI).

They’ll likely need to spend millions in salaries to get proper working versions for iPadOS yet how much could they actually get in return?

I think that's the big reason we haven't seen these "pro" apps come to iPad. I imagine even Apple have had a hard time justifying bringing their own apps like Final Cut Pro to iPad OS (although hopefully this changes tomorrow). Apple have the data on the more consumer friendly apps they have ported to the platform - Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie (and in the early days iPhoto was a paid iPad App). I imagine the total number of iPads out in the wild and the number of people actively using those consumer friendly apps that Apple have already ported are very small. I can't imagine there's much profit to be made from bringing a "pro" app like Xcode, Final Cut, Motion, Logic, etc. to a tablet platform which is largely viewed as a luxury consumption device or babysitting device by most buyers. I'm someone who wants to use their iPad as much as possible but I accept I'm so far off from what most people are doing on their iPads.

I'm surprised we even have the Affinity suite (Publisher is coming soon to iPad) and Luma Fusion. I wonder how profitable having a separate touch-based version of Affinity Designer/ Photo has been when taking into account the cost of developing an entirely different app to Mac/ Windows and maintaining that different version. LumaFusion seems to have come to iPad from people who bought the early iPads and much like some of us wanted to use it as their only device and they saw a gap in the market - they've never had to spend resources developing a Mac or Windows version separately. It's the same with Procreate - they made an iPad app in the early days when there was a gap in the market and have never wasted resources porting their app onto another platform.

It's even more difficult when we consider how attached iPad and iPhone are. Most developers aren't making iPad apps, they're making iPhone apps primarily. If they have anything left over from their budget, they allocate some time and resources to making the UI look optimised on iPad. That's why so many apps lack feature parity compared to their Mac and Window counterparts or lack iPad multitasking gestures. The iPad will get feature parity when the developers decide the iPhone version of their app should have feature parity.

We're far gone from the year 2010 when everyone in the world was brainstorming and trying to make it big with an iPad app. There's not much excitement or novelty in building iPad apps anymore. Today, the reality has sunk in, app development is hard-work and 99% of apps for iPhone/ iPad and Android platforms will not become the next big thing. I'm not sure there's a clear and viable return on investment for most developers with the iPad platform. I'm struggling to see how Apple can change the attitude of developers when Microsoft and Google are both pushing for Progressive Web Apps which allow developers to code once and launch everywhere without any additional costs.

 

[Ludatyk]

There's not much excitement or novelty in building iPad apps anymore. Today, the reality has sunk in, app development is hard-work and 99% of apps for iPhone/ iPad and Android platforms will not become the next big thing. I'm not sure there's a clear and viable return on investment for most developers with the iPad platform. I'm struggling to see how Apple can change the attitude of developers when Microsoft and Google are both pushing for Progressive Web Apps which allow developers to code once and launch everywhere without any additional costs.

I disagree.

iPad apps are much more better than Progressive Web Apps due to on-device resources within the app. If anything Microsoft is pushing more for ARM instead of Progressive Web Apps. And tbh, it will help push the iPad platform forward. Microsoft has done well with the Surface Pro X and Google is realizing how important it is to have a presence in the tablet industry given their recent updates of tablet apps.

I think iPadOS is trying to break free of iOS… we still have this stigma that the iPad is a big iPhone and the reality is it’s so much more. I know we all wish for more flexibility with iPadOS… but in comparison to macOS and Windows it is still a young platform.

 

[rui no onna]

I think that's the big reason we haven't seen these "pro" apps come to iPad. I imagine even Apple have had a hard time justifying bringing their own apps like Final Cut Pro to iPad OS (although hopefully this changes tomorrow). Apple have the data on the more consumer friendly apps they have ported to the platform - Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie (and in the early days iPhoto was a paid iPad App). I imagine the total number of iPads out in the wild and the number of people actively using those consumer friendly apps that Apple have already ported are very small.

Lol, count our household among those who don't use iWorks (20+ iPads over the past decade). I feel like Apple just made iWorks to force Microsoft's hand. When the pandemic hit, I had to install our office's VPN software on a lot of my co-workers computers. Plenty had MacBooks but they all had Microsoft Office installed.

It's even more difficult when we consider how attached iPad and iPhone are. Most developers aren't making iPad apps, they're making iPhone apps primarily. If they have anything left over from their budget, they allocate some time and resources to making the UI look optimised on iPad. That's why so many apps lack feature parity compared to their Mac and Window counterparts or lack iPad multitasking gestures. The iPad will get feature parity when the developers decide the iPhone version of their app should have feature parity.

Unfortunate but true. There are roughly 1 billion iPhone users versus 80-100 million iPad users. Makes sense to focus more on iPhones than iPads.

 

[sparksd]

Lol, count our household among those who don't use iWorks (20+ iPads over the past decade). I feel like Apple just made iWorks to force Microsoft's hand. When the pandemic hit, I had to install our office's VPN software on a lot of my co-workers computers. Plenty had MacBooks but they all had Microsoft Office installed.

Unfortunate but true. There are roughly 1 billion iPhone users versus 80-100 million iPad users. Makes sense to focus more on iPhones than iPads.

Yeah, look where their revenue comes from (2021):

iPhone - $192B
Services – $68.4B
Mac – $35.1B
Wearables, Accessories - $38.4B
iPad - $31.9B

Apple's 5 Most Profitable Lines of Business (investopedia.com)

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, look where their revenue comes from (2021):

iPhone - $192B
Services – $68.4B
Mac – $35.1B
Wearables, Accessories - $38.4B
iPad - $31.9B

Apple's 5 Most Profitable Lines of Business (investopedia.com)

And I'm betting the closed system iPad contributes more to the Services revenue than the Macs do.

 

[BhaveshUK]

I disagree.

iPad apps are much more better than Progressive Web Apps due to on-device resources within the app. If anything Microsoft is pushing more for ARM instead of Progressive Web Apps. And tbh, it will help push the iPad platform forward. Microsoft has done well with the Surface Pro X and Google is realizing how important it is to have a presence in the tablet industry given their recent updates of tablet apps.

I think iPadOS is trying to break free of iOS… we still have this stigma that the iPad is a big iPhone and the reality is it’s so much more. I know we all wish for more flexibility with iPadOS… but in comparison to macOS and Windows it is still a young platform.

I agree that iPad apps are much better than Progressive Web Apps today. But they have been steadily improving over the years and are becoming more viable. But I have to partially disagree with you about Microsoft pushing ARM more. Microsoft are in a crazy good position right now hence why I invested into their stock (blasphemy as an Apple fan I know!) - their diversification and infrastructure is frankly insane. They're pushing both ARM, WPAs and so much more. At Build 2022, Microsoft have pushed further improvements into PWAs (https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/everything-new-for-microsoft-edge-from-build-2022). Equally, there are some great PWA apps out there already. In my own field (graphic design), there is a web app called Gravit Designer which has a lot of functionality. I'm engrained in Affinity suite and I like my native apps first and foremost but Gravit Designer is a glimpse into a possible future. I'm amazed at how well it already works.

I was also talking more from a developer perspective. I as a consumer prefer my native apps, but for a developer, that takes so much resources and costs because each platform has to be worked on individually. For them, the idea that you could write code once and launch everywhere has to be the dream. Equally, Microsoft and Google have a good incentive to push and push for that dream because they simply can't compete with Apple's App Store. Both Chrome OS and Windows 11 stand to gain a lot if PWAs become the default because it levels the playing field with what Apple currently has.

Lol, count our household among those who don't use iWorks (20+ iPads over the past decade). I feel like Apple just made iWorks to force Microsoft's hand. When the pandemic hit, I had to install our office's VPN software on a lot of my co-workers computers. Plenty had MacBooks but they all had Microsoft Office installed.

I give credit to iWorks for helping me get through my whole university, but you're right that Apple made it to force Microsoft's hand rather than because they were serious. As a student, it was good because it was free. But as a professional today, it's just not workable when every client I collaborate with is using Microsoft Office. If Apple was serious, those apps would have seen big progression from where they were on the iPad 2, but over a decade later they still don't have feature parity with the Mac versions. It's disappointing because I feel if Apple had continued to develop them, we might have a fuller version of Microsoft Office and a more professional app environment on the iPad today.

 

[Ludatyk]

I was also talking more from a developer perspective. I as a consumer prefer my native apps, but for a developer, that takes so much resources and costs because each platform has to be worked on individually. For them, the idea that you could write code once and launch everywhere has to be the dream. Equally, Microsoft and Google have a good incentive to push and push for that dream because they simply can't compete with Apple's App Store. Both Chrome OS and Windows 11 stand to gain a lot if PWAs become the default because it levels the playing field with what Apple currently has.

Don’t get me wrong. I totally understand from a developer sense… having to code once and their product is available wherever without the need to push to various platforms, it‘s definitely better in that sense.

But at their core, Microsoft and Google are both services company… pushing PWA helps them support everyone regardless of what platform they choose. I’m just looking at the recent news of Microsoft developer kit… they see how well Apple is doing with their own in house development and I’m sure they want to replicate it.

 

[BhaveshUK]

Don’t get me wrong. I totally understand from a developer sense… having to code once and their product is available wherever without the need to push to various platforms, it‘s definitely better in that sense.

But at their core, Microsoft and Google are both services company… pushing PWA helps them support everyone regardless of what platform they choose. I’m just looking at the recent news of Microsoft developer kit… they see how well Apple is doing with their own in house development and I’m sure they want to replicate it.

You're definitely right. How many times have Microsoft died on that sword trying to replicate Apple? Windows Phone wanted to be the iPhone and met its downfall when developers weren't interested in developing for a third platform with its own unique design interface. Windows 8 failed when Microsoft were reacting to the iPad and trying to replicate Apple's App Store structure at the expense of their core user base.

Microsoft (and every tech company) would love to have what Apple has in the App Store which is why they are all trying so hard to bring that down. We all saw Microsoft during the Epic Games v Apple trial in regard to Xbox profitability, and we also saw how desperate Apple are to retain their existing App Store fee structure when Craig Federighi threw the Mac headfirst under the bus.

 

[Marswarrior462]

Just 6 hours before Apple either finally listens to years of complaints or disappoints us again like they did last year. Hopefully it’s the former, but I want to keep my expectations realistic, but even then, if iPadOS 16 is another bad update, I’ll still be disappointed and keep on holding onto my iPad until I run out of storage or Apple starts listening to people

 

[dumastudetto]

iPad Pro already has more professional applications than any other modern advanced operating system. And there's more to come!

 

[Marswarrior462]

Even if Apple does make the iPad finally “more Pro,” if my iPad Pro doesn’t get left out of any major features, I might hold on anyway until I run out of storage. If I run out of storage sooner, then I’ll upgrade to the M2 iPad Pro even if my current iPad gets all of iPadOS 16’s features. I have the 512GB 2020 12.9” model (Space Grey), but for my next iPad, I’ll probably go straight for the 2TB model (cellular this time, only reason I have the Wi-Fi model is because I bought it shortly after the pandemic started and I thought it would be a waste of money to pay for cellular data for my iPad during the lockdowns). Unfortunately, my wallet is going to suffer greatly, but I should have enough money by the time I’m ready to upgrade

 

[rui no onna]

Even if Apple does make the iPad finally “more Pro,” if my iPad Pro doesn’t get left out of any major features, I might hold on anyway until I run out of storage. If I run out of storage sooner, then I’ll upgrade to the M2 iPad Pro even if my current iPad gets all of iPadOS 16’s features. I have the 512GB 2020 12.9” model (Space Grey), but for my next iPad, I’ll probably go straight for the 2TB model (cellular this time, only reason I have the Wi-Fi model is because I bought it shortly after the pandemic started and I thought it would be a waste of money to pay for cellular data for my iPad during the lockdowns). Unfortunately, my wallet is going to suffer greatly, but I should have enough money by the time I’m ready to upgrade

I’m kinda scratching my head here.

You’re complaining about iPadOS not having those pro apps and yet you still plan on buying the next version of the ~$2400 iPad Pro model… 🤔

 

[GhostOS]

Even if Apple does make the iPad finally “more Pro,” if my iPad Pro doesn’t get left out of any major features, I might hold on anyway until I run out of storage. If I run out of storage sooner, then I’ll upgrade to the M2 iPad Pro even if my current iPad gets all of iPadOS 16’s features. I have the 512GB 2020 12.9” model (Space Grey), but for my next iPad, I’ll probably go straight for the 2TB model (cellular this time, only reason I have the Wi-Fi model is because I bought it shortly after the pandemic started and I thought it would be a waste of money to pay for cellular data for my iPad during the lockdowns). Unfortunately, my wallet is going to suffer greatly, but I should have enough money by the time I’m ready to upgrade

Everyone is waiting for that class action lawsuit against iPadOS that you promised us!

 

[Ludatyk]

Even if Apple does make the iPad finally “more Pro,” if my iPad Pro doesn’t get left out of any major features, I might hold on anyway until I run out of storage.

You are aware “pro“ is just a marketing moniker indicating it’s a premium product. No need to associate “pro” with a device only used for professionals

 

[Marswarrior462]

You are aware “pro“ is just a marketing moniker indicating it’s a premium product. No need to associate “pro” with a device only used for professionals

Exactly. It seems to imply that they’re marketed towards professionals, but it feels like an excuse to make more expensive versions of otherwise consumer-oriented products. Take AirPods Pro for example. What are AirPods Pro? I’ve never heard of rich hardcore audiophiles using AirPods Pro to edit complex music projects. Those types of people use high-fidelity wired over-ear headphones instead (ones that are far superior to Apple’s own AirPods Max)

 

[Ludatyk]

Exactly. It seems to imply that they’re marketed towards professionals, but it feels like an excuse to make more expensive versions of otherwise consumer-oriented products. Take AirPods Pro for example. What are AirPods Pro? I’ve never heard of rich hardcore audiophiles using AirPods Pro to edit complex music projects. Those types of people use high-fidelity wired over-ear headphones instead (ones that are far superior to Apple’s own AirPods Max)

Huh? So, you rather Apple called them Plus or Max... remove Pro? In an effort to make it clear that it's not a professional device.

 

[BhaveshUK]

Just 6 hours before Apple either finally listens to years of complaints or disappoints us again like they did last year. Hopefully it’s the former, but I want to keep my expectations realistic, but even then, if iPadOS 16 is another bad update, I’ll still be disappointed and keep on holding onto my iPad until I run out of storage or Apple starts listening to people

Apple won’t disappoint you. They’ve promised you nothing. The only way anyone or any company can disappoint you is if they directly said they were going to do something and then didn’t deliver on what they said to you. Your unrealistic expectations of a company that makes technology products is what will disappoint you. You bought your iPad for what it could do at the time, and anything Apple gives you after the fact is a bonus, not a right.

I’m kinda scratching my head here.

You’re complaining about iPadOS not having those pro apps and yet you still plan on buying the next version of the ~$2400 iPad Pro model… 🤔

Agreed. I don’t understand why people keep buying iPads when they know iPad doesn’t meet their needs 🤷‍♂️ I’m in the boat of iPad not meeting all my work and travel needs and guess what… I’m not looking at another iPad to fix that! I’m looking at Windows devices because Apple doesn’t sell anything that will meet my needs and that’s okay. They don’t owe me a device made to my exact specifications. Likewise they are not owed my hard-earned money.