Apple sells a lot more iPads than Macs (though I don't know how the iPad Pro vs Mac numbers compare). I'm really curious to see what new features iPadOS gets, though I suspect it won't be what everyone is hoping for.
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iPad Pro Do you think wwdc21 will bring the m1 ruckus?
- Thread starter thadoggfather
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Apple sells a lot more iPads than Macs (though I don't know how the iPad Pro vs Mac numbers compare). I'm really curious to see what new features iPadOS gets, though I suspect it won't be what everyone is hoping for.
Apple’s pro apps have long been efficient enough to run on iPads Pro, and the iPads Pro have been more than capable of running in terms of raw RAM and CPU power.
With that in mind, it’s quite easy to see that what iPads can’t do is because Apple decide so, not because there’s some type of real hardware limitation.
Exactly why the introduction of the M1 would change what Apple wants us to do with the iPad I don’t know.
Because there’s a lot more RAM? Well, it’s really just 2GBs more than the 6GBs of the 2020 unless you look at the high end configurations.
The whole notion of something great happening because of the extra RAM is all wishful thinking based on the notion that iPads Pro are somehow closer to being Macs than ever before because they now run on processors that Apple also put in some of its desktop machines.
I really don’t see it happening. Apple will just keep making the iPads better and better at what iPads do as long as there’s no significant decrease in sales which doesn’t seem to be the case as long as the CPU and displays keep getting better.
Why let the iPad do everything when Apple can make us buy both an iPad and a Mac?
With that in mind, it’s quite easy to see that what iPads can’t do is because Apple decide so, not because there’s some type of real hardware limitation.
Exactly why the introduction of the M1 would change what Apple wants us to do with the iPad I don’t know.
Because there’s a lot more RAM? Well, it’s really just 2GBs more than the 6GBs of the 2020 unless you look at the high end configurations.
The whole notion of something great happening because of the extra RAM is all wishful thinking based on the notion that iPads Pro are somehow closer to being Macs than ever before because they now run on processors that Apple also put in some of its desktop machines.
I really don’t see it happening. Apple will just keep making the iPads better and better at what iPads do as long as there’s no significant decrease in sales which doesn’t seem to be the case as long as the CPU and displays keep getting better.
Why let the iPad do everything when Apple can make us buy both an iPad and a Mac?
Never going to happen as long as iPad sales are strong.
If Apple put macOS on iPads to any capacity they’d kill many, many desktop and laptop Mac sales for no reason.
No company in their right mind would join two products into one if consumers are repeatedly buying both products separately, year after year.
MacOS is never coming to iPads.
The problem is look at the A12X. It was grossly overpowered for iPadOS and yet, nothing changed. Everyone assumes because the Mac got essentially an iPad Pro chip (not the other way around) that Apple has big plans to take advantage of it, but the iPad Pro hasn’t lacked for power in years. It’s always been hamstrung by first iOS then iPadOS. I am hoping for big changes but understand the hesitation for many of us to believe Apple is somehow going to open the iPad Pro up. I am very happy to be proven wrong. The only thing that gives me a sliver of hope for iPadOS 15 is the fact that the iPad Pros have desktop level RAM to finally go along with their desktop level CPU/GPU performance.
This is a tough one but as far as the OS goes I don’t think much will change. Apple has too many iPads out there to have some version of a super powered OS just for the M1 iPads. All iPads Can do essentially the same thing and Apple isnt changing that I don‘t think. I don’t think anything will be opened up for the new iPad pros and they’ve already said they won’t allow the iPad to run macOS.
I think people hoping for some type of big reveal for the new iPad Pros are going to be very disappointed.
I think people hoping for some type of big reveal for the new iPad Pros are going to be very disappointed.
We needed the A12X/Z first to get the software side of things working though.
Now, MacOS and apps are finally ARM native, iPad Pro base storage has increased to 128GB and storage has proper SSD speeds now for random 4K. I think lack of swap on iPadOS is still going to be an issue if they simply allow Mac apps to work on iPadOS as-is but swap's a feature they can always add to iPadOS 15.
Mind, I'm buying the 2021 iPad because it's an iPad. If it gets support for Mac apps or even MacOS virtualization, then great. Maybe I could finally skip bringing the laptop with me on long vacations. If it takes a future model for that to happen, then it wouldn't bother me either.
The iPad is a polarizing device… it’s viewed as a consumption device, criticized for its OS… crucified for the use of being labeled a ”computer.”
I think Apple has done something very deliberate here and I can think no other reason for them to have brought in the M1 and these different RAM configurations if they weren't about to allow the iPad Pro to do more. I do think Pro apps are coming. They won't give it full Mac OS, but they will give it enough to really make it an in-between device.
Just remember the M1 is basically and A14X with a different name.
As for RAM that will just allow those with the higher storage devices to run more apps at once more smoothly, hence the 5GB Ram limitation that’s still in place.
This is deliberate marketing to get people to upgrade.
Accurate post. I still think the iPad has the potential to be great as computer and consumption device most people in a few years. Just a matter of how slow Apple wants to be with software releases and updates.
Welp, I think in the long term there's no doubt that we will be able to run Mac software in some way, or run a more tactile, mobile, instinctive version of a drawing app, for instance, but the fullest version of that program would be on the Mac, the one with the mouse, keyboard and lots of storage attached. I think being able to run Xcode or play 8K raw on a mobile device would be a great thing.
Apple will not make major changes in one go. That's not how they operate. They are the largest company in the world and can not change core experiences so fast, even if they wanted to. But yes they should just merge iPad and MacOS. They somehow need to enable a full computing experience on the ipad.
Another way to look at it is that they might have been waiting for a few generations of iPads to have the capability to support a more advanced version of iPadOS before releasing it.
The 2018 iPP was quite a jump in terms of performance and clearly has unused potential already. So there could be new features for iPad Pros 2018 and above.
I think iPadOS will evolve but will be gradual. People often forget though: When the 2018 iPad came out it was still iOS. Then in 2019 (only 2 years ago) they introduced iPadOS 13 with the redesigned Home Screen with widgets on the side, file system and the multi tasking changes. Then with 13.4 (less than a year later) we got another major bump with the cursor change and the mouse and trackpad support which was another major step.
iPadOS 14 was more incremental but came only a few months after the 13.4 changes (I’m guessing apple didn‘t want to wait that long for these features otherwise my guess is they would have been introduced in iPadOS 14.
All in all that’s not a bad upgrade path so far in under 2 years.
iPadOS 14 was more incremental but came only a few months after the 13.4 changes (I’m guessing apple didn‘t want to wait that long for these features otherwise my guess is they would have been introduced in iPadOS 14.
All in all that’s not a bad upgrade path so far in under 2 years.
I expect minimal upgrades this year; really the only update that's been leaked (via reputable sources like Bloomberg) is an updated Home Screen... yeah great. I think the increase to allowable RAM might come in (but then if they wanted to they could do that with an upgrade to iPadOS 14... but I think anything bigger will be next year.
Apple have form for upgrading hardware beyond whats really needed to give Dev's time to get up to speed with new changes, etc
Apple have form for upgrading hardware beyond whats really needed to give Dev's time to get up to speed with new changes, etc
Considering there are more than a few professional level fully featured desktop class apps in the iPad already, I think it’s a developers lack of vision for the iPad and its role, rather than anything at all to do with the os.
I can’t remember wwdc being this hyped for a long time. Surly there will be some great m1 software. I don’t think developers care too much about the iPad pros. Apple has not delivered on iPad OS with 14. Maybe next year but we’ve all been saying that for years at this point.
The only thing they could do is offer some type of "pro apps" like Final cut for the iPad. No chance they have some forked OS just for the iPad Pro's.
What incentive does Apple have to give everyone all the features today when they can drip feed OS upgrades? Incremental updates are the smartest play to maximise year on year sales = profit. It's not like people are not buying iPads now because they don't have desktop class software.
Well it’s gonna be iPad OS but with more features for their pro models probably. the M1 chips will get the Pro apps. The M1 Macs got the cross-platform stuff going right?
Rumors so far have indicated "a rewrite of iOS to optimize both performance and battery".
SwiftUI is probably what they're up to, and it's a good opportunity to add a bunch more stuff, because SwiftUI apps are just so much simpler to develop.
Making apps like FCPX could be taken by the FCPX team or by a totally independant team so it wouldn't affect iOS development. I think it's totally possible we see this at WWDC. Although I don't think it would be practical, at least not without a keyboard and mouse.
SwiftUI is probably what they're up to, and it's a good opportunity to add a bunch more stuff, because SwiftUI apps are just so much simpler to develop.
Making apps like FCPX could be taken by the FCPX team or by a totally independant team so it wouldn't affect iOS development. I think it's totally possible we see this at WWDC. Although I don't think it would be practical, at least not without a keyboard and mouse.