iPad Pro Do you want a 2-in-1? Describe your ideal device

[subjonas]

Apple has clearly stated their position against hybrid devices, and I think they still hold that position despite Macs and iPads beginning to share chip architecture which makes a crossover device technically more feasible. But not getting too much into will they/won’t they, I’m really just curious to know how many people actually want a 2-in-1 device (with today’s technology), and what people think this 2-in-1 should look like:

- What form factor would it be?
- Would it run macOS, ipadOS, or switch between the two, or have a new OS?
- What would the trade offs be (whether or not you will be ok with them)?

Also curious to hear people’s arguments against a 2-in-1, whether those arguments are technology-based or other.

(BTW the super low limits on character count for these polls are annoying and don’t allow for specific enough questions and answers.)

 

[sparksd]

I said I didn't want one, my reasoning is that my preference on the laptop or desktop side is Windows, not Mac, and I don't want a Mac. My iPad Pro is a good complement to that.

 

[chrism_scotland]

I actually think the iPad Pro 12.9 with the Magic Keyboard is almost my ideal “hybrid” - I can use it very much as a laptop when its on the Keyboard (this thing is just immense); but I can take it off and read or hand-write notes when I want to as well.

I’d like the camera to be in the top centre (in horizontal mode) as like the new Galaxy Tab S7+ and I’d also love enhanced external display support (although I can kind of get around some of that using a Chromecast) but a a true 2 in 1 like the Surface Book 3? Nah no thanks

 

[unchecked]

If I can get additional ports out of the iPad, or just one more USB-C, that would be awesome. Then I can run it like a Yolobox as a portable streaming encoder and plug in my cameras and audio interfaces.

But I don't see that happening.

 

[AutomaticApple]

- Would it run macOS, ipadOS, or switch between the two, or have a new OS?

It would run iPadOS. I don't want macOS on a 2-in-1.

 

[macdogpro]

I understand Apple won’t merge the iPad OS and Mac OS.
And I somehow can’t imagine using Mac OS with touch base input comfortably.

I just want Apple to keep pushing the iPad OS so that it covers some fundamental basic features that most need, like proper file management and faster file transfer rate.

As for form factor, current iPad Pro with USB C and Magic Keyboard suits me for now.
Maybe more flexible magic keyboard in the next iterations will always be appreciated.

 

[Marlon DLTH :)]

I agree with @macdogpro. I don’t want MacOS on the iPad, I just want Apple to keep improving iPadOS and make it a more capable OS.

 

[ericwn]

I don’t want anything with dual boots of any sorts. I am happy where the iPad is steering with powerful accessories to make specific tasks better. I do wish iPad OS to become more powerful.

 

[secretk]

I would not want to change OS while using the device. Even if there is OS switch it should be seamless for end users. The reason I would like 2 in 1 is that for me there are activities that I would like to do with keyboard and mouse and others that I would like to do with tablet, touch screen and pencil. As long as I can do this I don't care if it is one OS that supports both or the device switches between two OSes.

 

[kazmac]

I would really love pencil compatibility, though I realize one machine will not do everything and I’d probably still need an iPad.

 

[playtech1]

Apple Silicon MacBooks will be sort of a hybrid 2 in 1, as you will get access to iOS apps. That makes me think a touch screen cannot be far behind since it is so central to the iOS experience. It's not much of a jump from that to a MacBook with a keyboard that detaches or folds round the back. I think this is all closer than we think.

 

[ejin222]

I agree with @macdogpro. I don’t want MacOS on the iPad, I just want Apple to keep improving iPadOS and make it a more capable OS.

I agree. I think most of my gripes doesn't have to do with iPadOS more so than the app developers who give us gimped apps. I would like full desktop quality apps on iPadOS.

The only thing I do wish iPadOS changed was multitasking. I would like MacOS levels of multitasking and window sizing control. Other than that, I can't wait to see where Apple takes iPadOS and MacOS!

 

[dk001]

Like to see a hybrid device.
I would like to see an IPP with more MacOS type options that allows me to use like a laptop when needed. Add in the pencil and a Magic Keyboard with all the keys and you have a do it all device.

Where I am coming from:
On the Windows side I have a Thinkpad X280 - hybrid device I have really grown to luv using. I use it primarily as a laptop that can be used as a tablet-like device. The ability to use touch as an alternative input method is great.

On the Apple side I can do 80% of my stuff on an IPP and the remainder on my MB. I would luv to be able to do it all on my IPP however iOS is the limiting issue. Currently my MB is the ONLY device I have that does not have a touch screen.

 

[thelookingglass]

I would want full MacOS with the ability to run iPad apps. And come to think of it...... isn’t that what we’re getting soon with Apple Silicon?

 

[Arbiter156]

The iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard is ideal as a hybrid device, currently some features are lacking like file management and proper multitasking but that can be fixed in software.

The main point here is that hybrid devices aren’t really meant as the sole computer for a pro user. I don’t think the iPad can replace your laptop if you don’t have a desktop.

For me as an example, I needed something to replace my MacBook Pro, had to be lighter and able to supplement my desktop for creative work, I also needed a stylus for artistic sketching and sculpting and something to do general word processing and email etc.

Now I could simply have gotten a MBP 16”and a graphics tablet but the reality is that for graphically intensive work such as Unreal Engine and Z brush I’m going to be at my desktop, hardly something I’d do on the move so the additional GPU power of the MBP 16” is redundant and I value a smaller device more. The iPad can do graphic tablet duty with Duet and do light computing work on the go.

I don’t need it to do everything and the expectation that it can replace your primary computer in everything misses the point that it does what your laptop doesn’t.

 

[macsound1]

While I personally don't want a merged or 2 in 1 device, I think Apple should make it for 1 reason. I don't want the iPad to become as complex as a Mac. I love the idea of 1 app at a time, I think simple devices are elegant and useable in ways different than a complex computing device. I think there should be something that handles easy day-to-day tasks for those who don't want a "computer" just a big phone.

Over the past 5 years, Apple has continued to dumb down the mac with security protocols, removing aperture, obfuscating the file system, adding the T2 which prevents direct disk access etc.

I'd prefer the Mac to continue becoming more advanced and less restrictive and only add features to the iPad that don't change the simple base functionality but add depth for those who'd like to dive in.

 

[mainelyme]

I would like a device that's about the size and weight of a 12" MacBook. It would have a touchscreen, but all the guts would still be in the base with the keyboard and trackpad. The base would rotate all the way around like one of those Lenovo Yoga laptops, but with a more stable hinge mechanism like the Surface Duo. I'd like one or two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. It would have no fan, speakers as good as the iPad Pro's, Pencil support, and a cellular modem. It would run MacOS with iPadOS apps. I would be able to use the touchscreen like a giant trackpad to control the pointer, as I do when I remote into a PC from iOS with Jump Desktop, or maybe it could circumscribe a small area of the screen for pointer control while the rest uses direct touch input.

 

[Secubia]

I would definitely like a hybrid device.
I've used a Surface Go quite a lot for the past 1.5 years and it falls short on two things: Battery life and not being good enough as a tablet (not enough Windows apps fully support touch or pen input so the device was an absolute pain to use until I bought the keyboard accessory).

The iPad does both of those things very well and combined with the productivity of full MacOS it would make an amazing device. I do realise battery life would be hurt by running a full desktop OS, but that's why a tablet mode is needed where lightweight apps are run in full screen like on an iPad.

10-12" screen, detachable keyboard/trackpad, fanless.

 

[Abazigal]

I am a teacher currently using my 11" iPad Pro with my 5k iMac. I like that my iPad runs iOS and have no desire for it to essentially become another laptop, but I would like it to become better at certain desktop tasks, especially working on google docs. I think the iPad is already pretty close to a hybrid form factor, but iOS still needs to become more capable, without compromising what makes iOS so attractive to its core user base in the first place.

 

[Hadron]

My wife uses a Windows 2-in-1, and though she only uses it as a touchscreen laptop that has clear uses. So I would definitely buy a touchscreen MacOS device (I've always regarded Apple's "reasons" for not making one as specious), and for me the ability to use it in a tablet mode would be a plus.

However, note that I said "MacOS". I'm probably unusual here in that the bash shell is one of my requirements (I know the default is zshell in Catalina, but I stick with bash). So if Apple's laptop OS were to become more iPadOS-like and lose that I would be returning to Linux.

 

[Falhófnir]

I’m personally happy with one of each (Mac and iPad), my ideal iPad would probably be a 12.0-12.5” Pro XDR (just a little more wieldy than the current 12.9” model without sacrificing too much screen space) and on the other side I’d love to have an A14-variant based 15” MacBook Air - I think Apple Silicon Macs might well adopt touchscreen as a secondary input method. I’ve spoken about this before, Apple have a bit of a false dichotomy saying a touchscreen Mac would have to be optimised for touch - it wouldn’t, touch could be a secondary way of interacting with content on a mouse and keyboard first machine.

 

[thisismyusername]

I want an iPad that looks/feels like iPadOS when used handheld but looks/feels like MacOS when connected to an external monitor/keyboard/mouse. I'm not even really asking for it to actually run "MacOS", run MacOS apps, have Terminal (although I wouldn't say no to Terminal and real Mac apps), etc. I just want that kind of UI when a mouse/keyboard/monitor are connected to it instead of forcing this weird and awkward thing they've got now with iPadOS.

 

[sracer]

I actually think the iPad Pro 12.9 with the Magic Keyboard is almost my ideal “hybrid” - I can use it very much as a laptop when its on the Keyboard (this thing is just immense); but I can take it off and read or hand-write notes when I want to as well.

I’d like the camera to be in the top centre (in horizontal mode) as like the new Galaxy Tab S7+ and I’d also love enhanced external display support (although I can kind of get around some of that using a Chromecast) but a a true 2 in 1 like the Surface Book 3? Nah no thanks

I have owned a ton of 2-in-1 devices over the years and the ones that have come the closest to what I'm looking for have been....
In not particular order....

Lenovo Yoga Book (1st gen)
The 1st gen Yoga Book was such a unique device. Thin enough that it didn't matter that the keyboard half couldn't be detached. I love the Halo keyboard, the Stylus, and the flexibility of the keyboard area doubling up as a writing surface. Being able to fold it back on itself and have a smooth side (rather than the awkwardly exposed physical keys) really made it feel like a "normal" tablet in tablet mode.

I have the Android version, and except for the one Windows app that isn't available for Android, Android didn't prevent me from doing the things I normally would do with a traditional laptop with a desktop OS.

What prevented it from being "it"....

• The 10.1 inch screen was just a bit too small. 11-12" would've been better.
• Although the halo keyboard half supported pressure sensitivity and palm rejection, the screen itself did not.
• Lack of follow up support by Lenovo... this was a one-and-done for the company.

I still own this device and use it on occasion.


Google Pixelbook
The hardware is top shelf all-around. I love the aspect ratio (more traditional when using it as a tablet, and old-school laptop), integration with Google services, performance, the ability to use Android and Linux apps. The Google Pen works well with it.

What prevented it from being "it"...

• Lack of a quantity of quality pen-enabled apps.
• The platypus approach that Google has taken to including Android and Linux apps.
• The one app that I heavily rely on only has versions for MacOS, Windows, and iOS.
• The non-removable keyboard made it feel awkward in tablet mode.

I still own and use the Pixelbook on a daily basis



Apple 1st Gen 12.9 iPad Pro w/Smart Keyboard Cover
I loved the 1st gen's form-factor, the ability to have smart covers. The Smart Keyboard Cover was, IMO, the best keyboard for a mobile device that I've owned. The combo was super thin and super light. It was so good that for the time that I owned that combo, I didn't have a traditional laptop. Whenever I needed to do laptoppy things, I would launch Jump Desktop on the iPP and remote into the iMac at my home office. Since Jump supported physical mice, I would have a traditional iMac experience on my iPP.

What prevented it from being "it"...

• Lack of support for physical mouse / pointing device
• Lack of support for external peripherals (USB thumbdrives, presentation remotes, 2nd displays, etc.)
• The locked-down smartphone nature of iOS/iPad OS.

I traded my 12.9 iPad Pro in toward a new 2017 Macbook Air


If I had my choice, I'd like:

• an iPad Pro modeled after the 1st gen 12.9
• an under-screen front-facing camera located in the center of the screen.
• a smart keyboard cover with a built-in trackpad
• a version of iPad OS specifically optimized for convertible usage... that means things like getting rid of storage sandboxing, and providing support for external peripherals.

 

[slimejester]

If they made a 7-8” bezel-less iPad mini-sized iPhone Pro, that would be be the best 2 in 1 iOS/iPad OS device for me.

Edit: it’s basically the iPhone 12 Pro Max

 

[KittyKatta]

I dont need a 2-in-1. What I would prefer is for Apple to actually put effort into the iPad as a serious platform (rather than iOS with features glued on it). This is Pro level hardware so lets get some Pro level Apple apps.