iPad Pro Interesting line in Gurman Power On newsletter today

[bcortens]

How much do you "fix" iPadOS, before it morphs into MacOS? Fixing iPadOS is basically saying "make it more like MacOS." Don't do it half-arsed. Have iPadOS and have MacOS, the later on laptops, desktops and tablets. A third OS that sits between iOS and MacOS is not necessary.

Many, including me, have spelled out how to fix iPadOS on these forums. None of it involves turning iPadOS UI into the macOS UI.

A powerful touch first OS built on UIKit rather than AppKit would not be pointless. I actually think iPadOS and iOS should merge but that should mean bringing more capabilities to iOS rather than slimming down iPadOS.
The foundation is there for a truly flexible OS. One which can transform via stage manager on an external display with keyboard and trackpad to a multi-window power OS all the way down to a pocket phone OS.

 

[bcortens]

I understand you are not pleased with the whole idea of Stage Manager. But I just said… I’m still able to have side-by-side apps when using Stage Manager, I don’t understand the problem.

It’s one of those things where I think Apple decided this was the best method for external display due to its flexibility. There’s a group of folks that want overlapping windows, maybe a group of folks that want a grid of 3 or 4 apps.. then there’s a group (like you) who wants side-by-side apps like they are accustomed of doing.

Basically, this method covers all bases.

If they fix app-expose multitasking to get rid of stacked app windows and make it possible to use it to drag and drop to create stages I’ll stop complaining. Until then the stage manager UI is just less intuitive to me.

 

[Ludatyk]

How much do you "fix" iPadOS, before it morphs into MacOS? Fixing iPadOS is basically saying "make it more like MacOS." Don't do it half-arsed. Have iPadOS and have MacOS, the later on laptops, desktops and tablets. A third OS that sits between iOS and MacOS is not necessary.

I don’t think there is a “fix” when it comes to iPadOS… obviously, I want improvements. But at a fundamentally level… it’s not broken. It’s a product Apple can break off and be a business on its own, because base iPad users see no issue with iPadOS. But it factors into your last sentence… at the premium sector, thats when the debate takes place.

Once potential buyers get to that iPad Pro price range… they will start questioning being better off with a MBA? And that’s the heart of the discussion… the overlap between the iPad Pro and MBA (in terms of cost). As much as I’m into the iPad-life, I’ll honestly tell a person who is deciding between the two… go with a MBA.

I believe it’s one of those situations where the people who wants to buy an iPad Pro… is fully aware of that. iPad Pro has a better screen, touch screen… pencil support, get cellular capabilities. Heck, can record a video with the device and edit all in one process. Basically, people are buying into the hardware not necessarily iPadOS.

 

[iPadified]

I’ll stop complaining about files when the following are true:

1. It doesn’t crash or freeze apps by trying to sync with iCloud while I’m in the middle of doing something
2. It keeps a local cache of all iCloud files and folder metadata (not the files themselves just icons and names) on device so that I never have to wait for it to sync just to see the files and folders
3. I can choose to keep just some folders or my entire iCloud Drive cached locally on device.

Until Apple can manage these then I will continue to call out File management on iPad OS

Well, iCloud and Onedrive is not working spectacularly well in MacOS Finder either. Lots of sync issues. iPads are for the non-specialists and many are happy with it being large iPhone and what you are describing is for the specialist.

How much do you "fix" iPadOS, before it morphs into MacOS? Fixing iPadOS is basically saying "make it more like MacOS." Don't do it half-arsed. Have iPadOS and have MacOS, the later on laptops, desktops and tablets. A third OS that sits between iOS and MacOS is not necessary.

I agree a "iPadOS Pro" seems redundant and will always compare negatively to MacOS. Either dual boot or nothing. Even if we had a fixed iPadOS, the desktop apps are still lacking and I do not think a iPadOS pro will help with that.

 

[nj-morris]

AI is a fad??

You heard it here first, folks

I mean, yeah? In what way is it not a fad?

 

[nj-morris]

Re the magic keyboard, I'm curious to see how well it works ergonomically. The iPad seems to be getting lighter, which is promising for portability, but it's probably still going to be very top-heavy. I don't know how they're going to make the trackpad bigger and add a row of function keys without making the hinge smaller, which would just make it more imbalanced. Not sure that would be worth the payoff.

 

[wanha]

I mean, yeah? In what way is it not a fad?

According to the dictionary, fad (noun) is defined as:

"A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze."

In other words - the only way AI is a fad is if you believe it is just a brief craze on the tech screen.

I would argue most observers believe AI is a fundamental tech like the internet itself and is here to stay.

 

[nj-morris]

According to the dictionary, fad (noun) is defined as:

"A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze."

In other words - the only way AI is a fad is if you believe it is just a brief craze on the tech screen.

I would argue most observers believe AI is a fundamental tech like the internet itself and is here to stay.

That remains to be seen, I'm personally very skeptical that AI will be as revolutionary as people say it will be. But at moment there's definitely a 'craze' around a technology which is still very basic and flawed, and to me it just feels like the dot com bubble all over again, and that was 100% a fad. You make a good point that the internet is an essential part of our lives, but there's no doubt that the dot com era 'craze' passed after people's investments went down the toilet.

 

[Arran]

According to the dictionary, fad (noun) is defined as:

"A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze."

In other words - the only way AI is a fad is if you believe it is just a brief craze on the tech screen.

I would argue most observers believe AI is a fundamental tech like the internet itself and is here to stay.

I agree the tech is solid and will stick around and evolve. It’s been doing that for decades already.

It’s just the marketing that’s run away with itself right now. Everyone’s hopped on the hype bandwaggon (like always) because once company A starts blowing it’s trumpet, all the others have to follow or risk being viewed as uncompetitive.

 

[wanha]

That remains to be seen, I'm personally very skeptical that AI will be as revolutionary as people say it will be. But at moment there's definitely a 'craze' around a technology which is still very basic and flawed, and to me it just feels like the dot com bubble all over again, and that was 100% a fad. You make a good point that the internet is an essential part of our lives, but there's no doubt that the dot com era 'craze' passed after people's investments went down the toilet.

Did the dot com bubble prove that the internet or e-commerce were a fad?

Just because there is over the top craze now (Humane AI pin, rabbit R1, and a gazillion ChatGPT clones) is zero indication that machine learning, AI, and deep learning are not fundamental technologies that are here to stay.

 

[wanha]

I agree the tech is solid and will stick around and evolve. It’s been doing that for decades already.

It’s just the marketing that’s run away with itself right now. Everyone’s hopped on the hype bandwaggon (like always) because once company A starts blowing it’s trumpet, all the others have to follow or risk being viewed as uncompetitive.

Sure, this much like the dot come bubble.

People got carried away with the internet and ecommerce and started building crazy and often ridiculously stupid stuff on top of it.

It was as you say marketing that got carried away, not the fundamental tech, and that's been exactly my point all along.

 

[bcortens]

Well, iCloud and Onedrive is not working spectacularly well in MacOS Finder either. Lots of sync issues. iPads are for the non-specialists and many are happy with it being large iPhone and what you are describing is for the specialist.

Having a file sync system that doesn't crash or lock up apps isn't "specialist"

Having the ability to cache files locally is something that is built in to Apple's music app for crying out loud, it's hardly a specialist request.

I agree a "iPadOS Pro" seems redundant and will always compare negatively to MacOS. Either dual boot or nothing. Even if we had a fixed iPadOS, the desktop apps are still lacking and I do not think a iPadOS pro will help with that.

I'd choose nothing then.
I'd rather them not break iPadOS to cater to Mac users who really want a 2-in-1 Mac not an iPad.

 

[JorgeVR]

...regarding the Magic Keyboard: The new aluminum Magic Keyboard is expected to be more durable, with a laptop-like aesthetic...

Even the Magic Keyboard is refreshed, but not th Magic Mouse 😢

 

[shadowboi]

I think every company is more-or-less interested in leaking info. Sometimes it is done on purpose by PR managers and sometimes people do it as a “side hustle”.

It is quite easy to distinguish between two kinds of leaks: when done on purpose the information will look as sterile as it possibly can be without much details, i.e. in order to trigger initial interest and general hype, while if leaked info was initially secret we get much more than just “dry info”, there might be photos, prototypes, sketches etc.

I suspect back in the days Mark Gurman had some serious leakers inside Apple because his information was much more precise than now. Now after Apple did some “cleansings” inside, they may even feed him with fake info so that he looses his rep. Although those are just my guesses, don’t take it serious enough

 

[nj-morris]

Did the dot com bubble prove that the internet or e-commerce were a fad?

Just because there is over the top craze now (Humane AI pin, rabbit R1, and a gazillion ChatGPT clones) is zero indication that machine learning, AI, and deep learning are not fundamental technologies that are here to stay.

I'd argue that there's no indication that they will be fundamental. The hype at the moment is basically around LLMs, because they're bots that can talk like humans and produce a bunch of paragraphs of text on anything you tell it to, but as I say it's a very basic technology that does very little in the way of actual productivity, and produces incorrect, inaccurate or low-quality results extremely frequently. People are just falling for the straight line instinct and assuming that it will just keep getting more and more advanced by its nature, but what I've seen on LLMs don't really fill me with hope.

I think machine learning and neural networks in general are intriguing field of study, but imo they're nowhere near advanced enough to live up to the hype.

 

[hovscorpion12]

I highly doubt that they would sell a laden keyboard for the same price as the current bare product.

I was right. Same price.

 

[bcortens]

Breathing a sign of relief that they didn’t stick macOS on it!

 

[sparksd]

I was right. Same price.

I had been talking about the beefed-up keyboard with storage, etc. that the earlier poster posited. But I am pleasantly surprised at the pricing on the new keyboard.

 

[Boil]

Even the Magic Keyboard is refreshed, but not th Magic Mouse 😢

Why would the Magic Mouse be updated at an iPad Event...?

Apple updated the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air & iPad Pro; NOT the Magic Keyboard for the Mac...

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I suspect back in the days Mark Gurman had some serious leakers inside Apple because his information was much more precise than now. Now after Apple did some “cleansings” inside, they may even feed him with fake info so that he looses his rep. Although those are just my guesses, don’t take it serious enough

No, you’re right. These days, they’re only getting information from folks that have left or got fired from the suppliers. That’s why they always try to convince folks that don’t know how manufacturing works, that “they’ve got serious problems with the iPad and they’re delayed” while 4 weeks later, they’re not only announced, but massive numbers are ALREADY in boxes staged for shipping. Meanwhile, the person that told them there were problems? They’re talking about stuff from 9-12 months ago.

 

[prospervic]

Why would the Magic Mouse be updated at an iPad Event...?

Apple updated the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air & iPad Pro; NOT the Magic Keyboard for the Mac...

He was likely making a joke. Appreciate his ironic humor!

 

[JPack]

Breathing a sign of relief that they didn’t stick macOS on it!

I don't think there's any chance of that happening. Apple builds specialized hardware to run a specialized OS. They're not going to let consumers choose. Same reason Apple TV doesn't let consumers run macOS even though it's got the hardware.

 

[dumastudetto]

The problem Mac users have is they think because it doesn't fit their ends, it's fatally flawed. Part of that is Apple's fault around marketing around what's a computer. The reality is the iPad meets the needs of people who are not well served by the complexity of macOS, but can do everything need comfortably using an iPadOS device - more than they could ever accomplish using a MacBook Pro.

You don't have to own and find every Apple device genuinely useful. Use what works for you. iPad serves its market perfectly and will only continue to grow.

 

[prospervic]

The problem Mac users have is they think because it doesn't fit their ends, it's fatally flawed….

It’s not ALL Mac users, just a subset of geeks who selfishly believe all computing devices should serve their needs, damn anybody else’s.

They already have (and have had for decades) PCs, Mac desktops and MacBooks, but apparently that’s not enough and they cannot stomach the idea of a product that is aimed mainly at non-techies.

 

[dumastudetto]

It’s not ALL Mac users, just a subset of geeks who selfishly believe all computing devices should serve their needs, damn anybody else’s.

They already have (and have had for decades) PCs, Mac desktops and MacBooks, but apparently that’s not enough and they cannot stomach the idea of a product that is aimed mainly at non-techies.

Yep! It's a constant stream of self-entitled why the iPad needs fundamental change to be useful for them. They insist macOS must be made available on iPad hardware, even though it doesn't support touch input, and they already have a wide range of laptops fine-tuned perfectly for macOS.