And I’ve never opposed improving iPadOS and adding more macOS type features in a way that makes sense for iPadOS. I’m not opposed to more desktop-type functionality in iPadOS. Apple’s been steadily adding more desktop type functionality in iPadOS. As to the dual monitors thing, that’s more about the chip than the OS. I believe a hub can provide multi-display support. The M4 can technically drive 3 displays I believe, but two of those are used for the iPad itself, since it uses a Tandem OLED display.
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The OS (iPadOS and iOS) will, all things being equal, always be constrained because the iPad is not designed to deal with the heavy lifting Macs do. There is only so much that can be gotten out of the iPad before it breaks down and stops making sense: it's a thin slate with no active cooling and its internals are sandwiched against the screen. Putting something like macOS on it and allowing it to have effectively unlimited multi-tasking would destroy its battery life and cause throttling due to inadequate thermals. We already see from different benchmarks how hot it runs, including dumping FPS on GPU tests by 50%. Macs with active cooling don't have this problem.
People who need trucks don't go get a Toyota Prius or even a sports car. They get a truck to get the job done. This whole thing about Apple purposely limiting the iPad to not compete with Macs is nonsense. It's limited because it's a tablet, not a desktop computer. Its design limits it. It's absurd how much this is talked about. There is a reason desktop computers that are towers still exist, with grills and fans. There's a reason why thicker laptops like MacBook Pros with grills and fans and thicker heat sinks exist. Because they have to. Because it's physics. Just like an engine in a car, CPUs and GPUs generate lots of heat. There is no escaping this, there is no argument. Sustained performance suffers in devices like the iPad compared to devices like the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio, etc. And we haven't even gotten to the other design element of the iPad being designed as a mobile device and touch-first.
From The Talk Show, WWDC24
“I’m far more productive on the Mac than the iPad… the way I deal with that is I just do what I feel most productive on the Mac on the Mac and let the iPad be the iPad…” John Gruber
“That’s exactly the right answer… they’re different products… different design points…" Greg Joswiak
“A wise man [Steve Jobs] was talking about cars [iPhones/iPads] and trucks [PCs/Macs]… you took this incredible powerful V8 engine that powers this truck that I used to tow my boat and you put it in this sports car... why can’t I haul lumber and a boat with this sports car?… this engine is awesome in the truck and awesome in the sports car... we are not trying to create a Windows 8 PC or whatever…” Craig Federighi
People who need trucks don't go get a Toyota Prius or even a sports car. They get a truck to get the job done. This whole thing about Apple purposely limiting the iPad to not compete with Macs is nonsense. It's limited because it's a tablet, not a desktop computer. Its design limits it. It's absurd how much this is talked about. There is a reason desktop computers that are towers still exist, with grills and fans. There's a reason why thicker laptops like MacBook Pros with grills and fans and thicker heat sinks exist. Because they have to. Because it's physics. Just like an engine in a car, CPUs and GPUs generate lots of heat. There is no escaping this, there is no argument. Sustained performance suffers in devices like the iPad compared to devices like the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio, etc. And we haven't even gotten to the other design element of the iPad being designed as a mobile device and touch-first.
From The Talk Show, WWDC24
“I’m far more productive on the Mac than the iPad… the way I deal with that is I just do what I feel most productive on the Mac on the Mac and let the iPad be the iPad…” John Gruber
“That’s exactly the right answer… they’re different products… different design points…" Greg Joswiak
“A wise man [Steve Jobs] was talking about cars [iPhones/iPads] and trucks [PCs/Macs]… you took this incredible powerful V8 engine that powers this truck that I used to tow my boat and you put it in this sports car... why can’t I haul lumber and a boat with this sports car?… this engine is awesome in the truck and awesome in the sports car... we are not trying to create a Windows 8 PC or whatever…” Craig Federighi
The constraints can change. But to date, including version 18 (which I am testing), Apple has not nor do they show any inclination to effect a change. If Apple would, I suspect we would see a resurgence in the iPad.
Once again, what it could do vs what it is allowed to do. I agree to its potential. Maybe someday Apple will allow it.
Perfect example of how simply having knowledge of the device illuminates solutions that are invisible to those who reflexively insist on Apple bolting on their favorite Frankensteinian “improvement.”
Well, I travel a lot and I bought a Surface Pro 9 last year so I don’t have to carry my MacBook Pro and iPad. I take a lot of handwritten notes and also use tablets for entertainment (flights, hotels). But I also need a real computer to do work.
Windows touch experience is not as great as iPad’s, but close enough. The virtual keyboard is actually better.
The biggest downside for me is Windows itself. I’m too deep in Apple ecosystem, so I miss deep integration with my other Apple devices and also mobile Intel processors are inferior to M-series chips, so while I like the device itself, any increase in CPU load leads to fans spinning.
I’d love to have a convertible Macbook with a touchscreen or an iPad with MacOS. Heck, I’d even go for a dual boot iPad, that could boot into MacOS and could be used either with a Magic Keyboard case or an external keyboard/mouse.
Having to swipe down instead of typing a key slows down a fast typer...
I never said they can’t sell iPads nor that they don’t operate speedily in benchmarks. But benchmarks and running hampered apps are completely different than real world usage. In the real world, the new iPad Pro can outperform any Mac in single core performance but can only run an iOS-like app. Nothing to talk about.
And Tim is absolutely bad for customers of Apple. He is great for shareholders and he truly eliminated the threats of who Steve wanted to take over within a few years. Scott Forestall. And would AAPL be doing as well, no. But Steve didn’t care about shareholders and he was the largest shareholder. He cared about innovation and taking market share from everyone else. Look, he was willing to blow through $100B to stop Google/Samsung from stealing his innovation.
He also gave car/truck analogies a lot. But the reality is the world has changed and Steve would have changed his innovative thinking over time. Tim is a moneymaker for the AAPL shareholders but anyone who thinks he cares about how AAPL will do 20 years after his reign is fooling themselves. Tim cares about stock price right now. But that’s not how companies last for centuries. It’s the long-term strategy that wins. Tim is a complete flop there. You will see in time. It’s a travesty what he has done with the most potential to get the least to customers and most to shareholders and more importantly himself. He’s an arrogant, greedy CEO who helped build China’s threat and even took 3/4 of $1B to push Chinese propaganda; that’s treason in my book. And I would happily meet with him and tell him that to his face and how many strategic blunders he has made. The iPad is only the beginning.
True but Math notes is also on Mac. At the end it doesn’t matter they all share the same kernel.
Huh? Have you actually read this? Opinions with zero factual support. Nonsensical and contradictory business commentary. Secret knowledge of Steve Jobs’s succession desires. Treason. Seriously? Your disdain for Tim Cook is clear, the reasons why are not. Don’t you find this pessimistic perspective on iPad, Tim Cook and Apple odd at a time when the iPad, Tim Cook and Apple are enjoying their highest levels of success? 🤔
Did you read or think about anything I stated?
30+ years of business strategy and invested a fortune and made many fortunes from AAPL. Tim is great for current shareholders. But he is horrible for customers. People want to act like Apple is their baby but Tim only cares about the stock price. He doesn’t give two craps to what customers should get and the value proposition. He is taking advantage of the fans and lining the pockets of billionaires. That’s just the truth. And what he has done is set back AAPL 13 years in innovation.
The only good thing for customers under his watch is the M-series SoC. Except, did the customers get any discounts when those chips cost approximately 1/4 the Intel chips cost Apple?
They can give MacBook Pro users worse port configurations to stop the dongle but who uses an SD card? And HDMI 2.0 is worse than Thunderbolt. It got better but overall it wasn’t a good situation. The displays are nice but not nearly as nice as OLED. The upgrades are all focused on making shareholders of AAPL wealthy by charging $200 or more for something that costs AAPL less than $2.47. Fact!
You can go prove anything you want on the Internet but the truth is the sheep are going to defend. I am happy for shareholders but sad for Apple lifetime fans and users who get screwed over time and again by the decisions to maximize now at the costs of the future. This happens in many companies due to the executives making bank based on current results with no regard to what happens ten years down the road (Tim’s amount $100m in stock grants annually).
You can go read the book about what Steve said about Tim and his concerns. You can read inside information about who was supposed to follow Tim within a few years. But none of that will be good for you. As you just want to act like a fan of something or like Tim’s your son and can do no wrong.
Or go read the stories about China giving Tim over $700M to promote China and make China look good.
And many CEOs have shipped a fortune to China that never comes back to the country of origin. The people are treated as slaves and the CCP grows its military on the backs of its citizens. All factual. You just have to be willing to spend time reading to learn it for yourself!
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But they NEVER use the system default text editor (except perhaps in Linux)! The system text editor NEVER has code folding or syntax highlighting, so software developers universally use programmer’s text editors. Trust me, I’m a professional developer. I’d laugh at anyone using TextEdit or Notepad for even shell scripts. Programmers almost always install a different editor, so the idea of needing to download a text editor from the App Store is just par for the course and not a ding against iPadOS.
Less? You need to get out more. I’ve used some pretty awesome keyboards that effectively do it with no “loss of our visible screen”.
Where are you getting your information from? iPad sales peaked in 2013… Apple’s car project died after over a decade… Apple is late to AI and is having to partner with a third party (ChatGPT) because they don’t have their own AI.
It’s not all roses…
Yes less. Unless we’re going to be stuck with smaller keys on the virtual keyboard to accommodate this, which would also not be as good. What’s so wrong with swiping for a number? It’s not that hard. Besides, those of you who want that can install a third party virtual keyboard.
Not saying it is wrong, just added steps with no additional added value. Besides, on the stock Apple keyboard is a lot of wasted space.
Letters on level one but you have to swipe to get basic punctuation (commas and periods) and numbers.
The most common use keystrokes should be on the main / immediate level. It baffles me that it isn’t. Apple is the only one as far as I know that does it this way. Why?
I like Apple’s touch keyboard implementation. It’s currently basically a full-sized keyboard (at least the same size as the keyboard on the Magic Keyboard Case). So for touch typing with it laying on a table, or propped at a slight angle, it’s about the ideal sizing. I don’t see why people can’t just install a third party keyboard if they prefer something different. For me at least, I’d rather have a basically full-sized keyboard without number keys exposed, than smaller and more cramped together keys with a number row.
Which apps run in the background? And if iPad OS lets them why doesn’t Apple let Final Cut do so?
I can start a render in Octane X, open a different app, and then go back and it’s still working on the render. Same with the Files app for file transfers. And other people have said this works with Lumafusion as well. I can start music playing on Spotify, and leave it in the background while I work on other things, and Spotify keeps running in the background to play the music. It works with plenty of apps. It’s just that some apps don’t make full use of the frameworks for this. If Final Cut Pro doesn’t run in the background, it’s due to an issue with that app, not a system limitation that prevents it from being able to.
So I ask my question again, if this isn’t a system limitation why would Apple limit Final Cut’s ability to do this (and give people like Federico a talking point). First party apps should be the example, I would think.
I agree with you, but also keep in mind that Final Cut Pro is still a relatively new app on the iPad. Maybe it was overlooked. Clearly others like Lumafusion can do it, so it isn’t a system limitation of iPadOS, it’s a limitation of the app. Keep in mind that V1 of Final Cut Pro couldn’t edit directly from external storage without importing onto the iPad first, while Lumafusion could edit directly from storage. V2 of Final Cut Pro is fixing that, so it may also fix running in the background as well. Lamafusion is a fairly mature software, while Final Cut Pro is still in its infancy on the iPad. And I think Apple is leading by example by porting their pro apps to the iPad. I think this is part of why we’ve seen such an influx of desktop-class pro apps lately for the iPad.
An explanation of background task limitations:
iOS Background Execution Limits | Apple Developer Forums
iOS Background Execution Limits | Apple Developer Forums
A. that is potentially outdated info because it’s from 2021, and B. I can run apps in the background while I’m doing other things, so clearly apps can run in the background. That source even references frameworks that exist for background tasks.