All iPads iPad with macOS?

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

So according to this tweet, macOS might be around the corner for the iPad:

According with my source Apple would be testing a smaller version of macOS exclusively for the new iPad Pro M2! "Mendocino" should be the codename for macOS 14. A simplified version should be planned for the M2.

Now, we've heard that before, so take it with a Mac Pro sized load of salt, but I think there has been some changes in the past years that might change change the credibility of it. Mouse and keyboard usage has almost become a norm for iPads, and they are absolutely powerful enough to go head to head with low end Macs these years, as they ship with up to 16GB RAM and of course an M2 SOC.

I am in the market for a Macbook Air soon, and I was actually thinking that if I could get a fully fledged macOS on the iPad, I would actively consider it and get an iPad Pro 12.9" instead. A productivity machine, and a couch machine in one? Awesome!

Of course, the tweet mentions a 'smaller' macOS version, whatever that may entail. An iPad OS like interface, but with a full macOS behind it? I think for me it would require that I could just switch between iPad OS and macOS on a whim.. I want a mouse driven interface for productivity, and an iPad finger GUI for my relaxation sessions, but where they both tap into the same file system and settings.
The author behind the tweet goes on with:

I'm currently talking about a 25% larger macOS UI (optimization for touch I presume). The apps will be those of the iPad the system will be macOS.

...Which I think is a *horrible* decision, if true. And frankly, I don't see the idea of having this if we're running iPad OS apps anyway. It could be me misunderstanding his meaning of course.

Speak your thoughts.

 

[JSteele]

Considering they can’t get sidecar working yet, don’t hold your breath. The problem with a MacOS on iPad isn’t the power, its more the form factor doesn’t align well. Imagine you take your iPad out without the magic keyboard and tried to use MacOS with the touch screen, no bueno. I could see iPad OS 17 have a docking station or something similar that gives a desktop like experience and can run full MacOS apps in the future, but I’d highly doubt to see it even mentioned before next Junes developer conference.

 

[Digitalguy]

First, concerning your poll, let me remind what happens in general in this forum when you ask the question of MacOS on iPad. As I wrote in another thread:

"You will find many opposite views on this, and some are here too.
From people who say, it will come at some point (a minority), to others that say it won't happen, but these are mainly split in 2 opposite groups:
Group 1: Apple wants to sell 2 devices, not an hybrid that can do both, it's not in their (financial) interest
Group 2: MacOS on iPad makes no sense, not even in dual boot or virtualized, don't change the iPad, get a MacBook if you want that."

Having said that, let me tell you why Full MacOS will never come and why the rumors makes sense.
Apple doesn't want to lose the 30% fee on apps. So they are all in for MacOS apps on iPads in order to sell more high end devices but they have to come via the store.
Problem is it's not easy to get developers to redesign their apps. So Apple is probably testing a way to run a verison of MacOS which is more optimized for iPad screens (even if touch is still a big question mark) so that developers could have they MacOS app store apps run on iPad without any code rewriting.
So most of MacOS apps would not run.
At this point, we don't know if it's dual boot or side by side with iPadOS, like stage manager, but before iPad purists come and say "leave the iPad alone!", iPadOS will always be the default OS for any iPad and just like Stage Manager, or Bootcamp, this would be an option for power users.

 

[aeronatis]

There are actually advantages of having a less cluttered OS on a device like iPad Pro. For instance, iPad Pro M1 easily plays 6 streams of 4K videos comfortably on LumaFusion while a MacBook Air with the same chip obviously can't. Therefore, I think, while there is definitely a lot of room for improvement in iPadOS, giving it macOS is not the way to go. Proper external display support, better external device compatibility, better expandability via the USB-C port and more Pro apps could elevate the experience considerably.

 

[haydn!]

I think the poll needs a new option:

No, but speed up the evolution of iPadOS becoming more MacOS like but with a clear touch first focus on UI, UX and feature design.

I think we all agree iPads are capable are more than iPadOS affords them right now, but I don’t think a port of MacOS is the right answer. It needs an OS that takes advantage of the power available but recognises it is not a notebook/desktop.

 

[PeteBurgh]

I think we all agree iPads are capable are more than iPadOS affords them right now, but I don’t think a port of MacOS is the right answer. It needs an OS that takes advantage of the power available but recognises it is not a notebook/desktop.

Exactly this.

macOS is terrific in lots of ways, but it's built on a stack of technologies, metaphors, mental models that date back almost 40 years.

The whole promise of the iPad, in my view, is to think about new ways of computing with a fresh set of assumptions. Assumptions not just about things like screen size and input mechanism, but about the kinds of tasks people want to do, how and where they want to work, and so on.

I've no doubt that it's technically feasible to run macOS on an iPad, and even that it would serve the needs of some users. But I hope the future lies elsewhere.

 

[lordhamster]

I like iPads because they are just "a big iphone." All the interactions, simplicity and benefits of a mobile platform in a bigger screen. That said, YES, on occasion I'd love the option to plug in a mouse and keyboard and have my device turn into a macbook air for certain tasks.

 

[chevyboy60013]

That would be interesting to see for sure. Not sure if I would really want it, however it could possibly have some benefits that at the time I am unaware of. I have both, an iPad Pro 3rd generation with the m1 chip and magic keyboard and a MacBook Air m1. Since I got the iPad Pro with the m1, I basically use that for everything, and the poor MacBook Air doesn't get as much attention. Decided since I am off today I will give the MacBook Air some love and attention, and let the iPad Pro have some rest for a change, at least for now. Both work awesome, its just so much easier to carry a small lightweight backpack when commuting to the office and back, and since I am one who isn't 100% job oriented during working hours, doesn't bother me if there are parts of the job I have to leave for the others to finish daily.

 

[AppliedMicro]

I have no doubt that they're testing macOS builds on iPads somewhere in Cupertino.
That doesn't necessarily mean they'll release it.

It needs an OS that takes advantage of the power available but recognises it is not a notebook/desktop.

Looks notebook enough to me 🤷‍♀️

 

[haydn!]

I have no doubt that they're testing macOS builds on iPads somewhere in Cupertino.
That doesn't necessarily mean they'll release it.

Looks notebook enough to me 🤷‍♀️

Not a notebook/desktop FIRST. Not really sure why that needed explaining, but, here we are. 🤦‍♂️

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I hope this rumor is false. Not because I don't want it, far from it. macOS on iPad would be my dream come true. If the rumor is true, then I'd have a reason to get an M2 iPad Pro, and all my criticisms of it will disappear and now I'd want one and I can feel my wallet crying so for the love of god don't be true!

 

[teohyc]

Not sure why Apple would spend so many years to develop iPadOS only to put MacOS on it.

 

[iPadified]

Mouse and keyboard usage has almost become a norm for iPads,

I am doubting this presumption very much.

12.9 inch screen is too small, in my opinion, for MacOS. I prefer larger screens but a 16 inch iPad - sure.

I do wonder what that mean with MacOS light. Will pencil work? Otherwise DOA.

 

[rkuo]

I am doubting this presumption very much.

12.9 inch screen is too small, in my opinion, for MacOS. I prefer larger screens but a 16 inch iPad - sure.

I do wonder what that mean with MacOS light. Will pencil work? Otherwise DOA.

The iPad Pro 12.9 has a larger screen size by area than the MacBook Pro 13 ….

 

[Tagbert]

I am doubting this presumption very much.

12.9 inch screen is too small, in my opinion, for MacOS. I prefer larger screens but a 16 inch iPad - sure.

I do wonder what that mean with MacOS light. Will pencil work? Otherwise DOA.

There are display supply chain rumors that Apple is experimenting with both 14” and 16” iPad screens. Not clear if they will go with one or the other or both but they are definitely looking to supersize at least one iPad.

 

[aibloop]

Automatic Dual boot/switch between iOS/OSX when connected to Screen/Keyboard. Drop the walled garden ahead of regulators chopping them down!

They likely fear that a fully functional OSX on iPad will cannibalize MacBook Air sales, so doubt it very much unless they are forced to. But would it matter since they are about the same price?

 

[Tagbert]

Automatic Dual boot/switch between iOS/OSX when connected to Screen/Keyboard. Drop the walled garden ahead of regulators chopping them down!

They likely fear that a fully functional OSX on iPad will cannibalize MacBook Air sales, so doubt it very much unless they are forced to. But would it matter since they are about the same price?

I would not want automatic, forced switching. Give me the choice. Don’t make assumptions based on your use cases.

 

[flur]

They likely fear that a fully functional OSX on iPad will cannibalize MacBook Air sales, so doubt it very much unless they are forced to. But would it matter since they are about the same price?

I don’t think it would be that big of a deal. Microsoft manages to offer both the Surface and the Surface Laptop, and they’ve done so for years, so obviously they’re seeing a market for both formats. Apple would just need to adjust their order quantities of each.

People like to throw around the cannibalization argument here as if there’s some kind of loyalty to existing product. The loyalty is to the bottom line - if selling fewer lower end Airs and offering more powerful iPads means they make more money and get larger market share, that’s what they’ll do. Honestly, IMO the only reason they haven’t done it already is a loyalty to Steve Jobs proclamation that it would never happen. But Steve has been gone for over a decade and the market and the capabilities have shifted a lot since then.

 

[iPadified]

The iPad Pro 12.9 has a larger screen size by area than the MacBook Pro 13 ….

In my opinion…