All iPads iPadOS Really Needs Its "Mac OS X" Release

[Lounge vibes 05]

We don’t have unit sales, just revenue, but the iPad has performed much better than the Mac since the start of the pandemic. Specially, considering that the iPad hasn’t received any major update, and the Mac has gone through a revolution that has made it a much better product. It took more than 1 year of no updates to make iPad sales plummet.

yep, and even when it “ plummeted” during the holiday season of 2023, as there were absolutely no iPads introduced that year… It’s still generated $7 billion.
Which is, about where the Mac usually hovers around every quarter.
If they could still generate $7 billion even without giving the product any updates throughout a year, clearly they’re doing something right.

 

[zkap]

I think there’s nothing wrong with being a glorified big screen iPhone. That’s how most of us use the iPad anyway and that’s all it needs to be.

I agree. It's a blown-up iPhone and I don't mind that. In fact, what makes me stick with the iPad rather than go to a Galaxy Tab that has far better specs for a smaller price is exactly that I want this to be a huge iPhone, as I enjoy having the same apps and the same experience as on my phone, just with a larger screen and better battery. My problem with the iPad is the price, as the Pro iPads are becoming more expensive than the Pro iPhones and it's very hard to justify spending so much on a watered down iPhone with a bigger screen.

Most people can already do not 90%, but 100% of the work they do on their Macs on their iPads.

I don't know if most people can, but I surely can't, and my workflow is editing Word, Excel, PowerPoint, reading PDFs etc. I do all of my work on my MBP. Whenever I tried doing it on my iPad, it was slower, more difficult and more cumbersome to do tasks that are very fast and simple on a Mac. It doesn't even begin to compare for me, and my workflow is basic office work, editing your averagely sized MS Office files with nothing special required.
So I'm not saying it cannot be done, it's that it cannot be done nearly as quickly and efficiently as on a Mac that has a fully-fledged OS that is meant for these things.
And this is not a slight on the iPad as I don't mind iPadOS being what it is, I do not consider it a serious OS for actual work so it's fine by me.
Of course there are people who actually do all of their work on the iPad, I just don't know what those workflows look like because basic MS Office operation is far from where it should be for me to consider it as a viable option.

 

[bcortens]

…and here we go again with the usual bottom line complaint, the File System.
So let me ask you, can you explain to me what can you do on a day to day basis with MacOS Finder that you cannot do with iPadOS Files?
How is Files stopping you from performing your day to day activities on the iPad?
I am genuinely curious to know why this is an issue for so many people.

I want them to rebuild Files too, but I just mostly want it to let me cache everything on device. I find that Files is unreliable because it seems to take an online first approach and doesn't cache the entire folder and file hierarchy on device so it takes time to reload that every time I try to use it.

Other than that it has no limits that are causing me problems, just that the underlying architecture is less stable and reliable than it should be.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Just within the last three years, the iPad has:
Gotten the ability to run apps in windowed mode.
Gotten the ability to attach external WebCams, microphones and capture cards.
Gotten the ability to run apps that can use up to 16 GB of RAM at once.
Gotten the ability to view and erase external drives.
Gotten the ability to attach to an external monitor, and independently run its own windows on that external monitor through stage manager.
Gotten more desktop class API’s.
Gotten the ability to run fully touchscreen optimized versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro.
Gotten the ability to run ports of games from consoles that are also available on the latest iPhone pro versions.
Gotten the ability to be a reference monitor.
Gotten the option for virtual memory swap.
Gotten the ability to change file extensions in the Files app.

And that’s just a small list.
There are definitely things that I want them to add to make it even more of a viable computer replacement for even more people, but the steady list of additions have gotten better and better.
I don’t think they need to do a reboot of anything, they just need to keep adding capabilities and features.
And given that their newest and boldest platform (visionOS) is pretty much based right off of iPadOS, I expect this to be the case.

 

[satchmo]

Instead of half-assed solutions, why not bite the bullet and put in the effort to make a MacOS user interface that works on iPad. Go all-in and unify iPadOS and MacOS under one OS.

I mean Microsoft wasn’t wrong, they just didn’t implement it too well.

Sure there will be some overlap between MacBooks and iPads, but that has never bothered Apple before. They just want to lock you into their ecosystem. Plus, the touchscreen differentiation.

 

[jonblatho]

introduced PlayGrounds (I think this gets overlooked)

It gets overlooked because it’s damn near useless.

 

[bcortens]

It gets overlooked because it’s damn near useless.

It really isn't useless. I think that if we could build UIKit apps (rather than just using UIKit inside SwiftUI apps) it would be almost perfect for most small scale development use cases.

I would love Apple to make it possible for something like the Unity editor to run on iPadOS but there is actually some experimentation with getting the Godot game engine on iPad (https://blog.la-terminal.net/igodot/) suggesting that most of the limitations are not hardware or software but developer choices.

 

[bcortens]

Instead of half-assed solutions, why not bite the bullet and put in the effort to make a MacOS user interface that works on iPad. Go all-in and unify iPadOS and MacOS under one OS.

I mean Microsoft wasn’t wrong, they just didn’t implement it too well.

Sure there will be some overlap between MacBooks and iPads, but that has never bothered Apple before. They just want to lock you into their ecosystem. Plus, the touchscreen differentiation.

No

I have an iPad because I love the UI of the iPad. If you want a Mac, buy a Mac.

 

[hagjohn]

I would love to have the option to have MacOS on an iPad. I would buy one ASAP.

 

[bcortens]

I would love to have the option to have MacOS on an iPad. I would buy one ASAP.

So what you want is a touchscreen Mac not an iPad... may as well argue for that instead

 

[turbineseaplane]

Instead of half-assed solutions, why not bite the bullet and put in the effort to make a MacOS user interface that works on iPad. Go all-in and unify iPadOS and MacOS under one OS.

I thought we'd already be there by now
Once the "iOS-ification" of macOS started I thought this was the end goal.

I have no need (or desire) for macOS to "look and feel like iOS" if we aren't going to get the benefits of that (macOS that can work with touch and cross many devic types)

 

[Digitalguy]

This is already being implemented in the EU.
It is a choice for Apple to allow it or not In the US and other markets.
No new OS required.

Nope. Only iOS, iPadOS is not affected and it's the same as in the US, at least for now...

 

[Digitalguy]

This mythical higher-end iPadOS doesn't need to be macOS, nor should it. This is still a touchscreen computer. But it ought to be powerful enough (especially on something like the larger iPad Pro) to at least be viable at replacing 90% of what a MacBook Air or Windows PC Ultrabook is capable of doing.

Improving iPadOS will not be enough to make it 90% as a MacBook or Windows ultrabook for most people, especially for work.
Simply because it would still run mobile apps.

The file app could definitely be improved, especially making it file centric and not app centric, allowing users to choose the default apps like on Android. But that's far from enough.
One key feature would be true background apps, like real time cloud syncing. Allow apps like Dropbox to run in the background 24/7 and update any change to files for immediate and offline use....

But even then, there are tons of desktop apps people use for work that have no mobile version or no full version on mobile. So other than running MacOS, maybe even including software like Parallels to run Windows apps, it will not be able to replace desktop devices for most people.

If you remove from the equation the Windows haters, who could be a majority on this forum, a Windows tablet is more versatile. Problem with those devices is X86 and its heat, noise and short battery life / stand-by time.

The new X Elite chips should address those issues. But again that would work for people who are ok with Windows like me, or actually even prefer it to iPadOS and MacOS, which you won't find many examples of on Macrumors for obvious reasons.

Currently the closest thing to what you look for is remote desktop...

 

[Shirasaki]

I thought we'd already be there by now
Once the "iOS-ification" of macOS started I thought this was the end goal.

I have no need (or desire) for macOS to "look and feel like iOS" if we aren't going to get the benefits of that (macOS that can work with touch and cross many devic types)

iOS-ification is the most likely scenario going forward with macOS having more and more iOS features but not the other way round. Some may say people buy macbook because of what macOS is. well, there’s nothing really stopping Apple from slowly nudging away users from using their macOS as macOS, but a desktop version of iOS minus touch support.

 

[satchmo]

I thought we'd already be there by now
Once the "iOS-ification" of macOS started I thought this was the end goal.

I have no need (or desire) for macOS to "look and feel like iOS" if we aren't going to get the benefits of that (macOS that can work with touch and cross many devic types)

Yeah, I always thought Apple secretly knew MS was right, but was iPadOS was so far behind MacOS at the time that they pushed the narrative that let each device be it's own.

And over the past decade, Apple has slowly walked it back making MacOS look more like iOS/iPadOS...but as you say, without the benefits.

 

[TechnoMonk]

If I wanted Mac OS I will use Mac. iPad Pro has an important place in my workflow, just like my 64 GB M1 Max MBP and my AMD/Nvidia Workstation or Cloud servers. If you give a tool to some one who is used to a hammer will want to use it as hammer, and complain why it isn’t like a hammer.

 

[UMHurricanes34]

Tim makes more money selling 2 devices, why sell one device that can do the job of both?

Steve always said to replace yourself. The iPhone consumed the iPod and they were able to charge double the price for it. If Apple released an “iBook” that was an iPad and Mac 2 in 1, they could obviously charge more for it and everyone wins. The existence of a 2 in 1 does not mean that Apple can no longer sell iPads and Macs separately.

 

[jonblatho]

It really isn't useless. I think that if we could build UIKit apps (rather than just using UIKit inside SwiftUI apps) it would be almost perfect for most small scale development use cases.

I would love Apple to make it possible for something like the Unity editor to run on iPadOS but there is actually some experimentation with getting the Godot game engine on iPad (https://blog.la-terminal.net/igodot/) suggesting that most of the limitations are not hardware or software but developer choices.

Swift Playgrounds is in fact nearly useless for real apps. We’re two years in now and how many useful, maintained Swift Playgrounds apps are on the App Store? I’m not even able to find a list.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Steve always said to replace yourself. The iPhone consumed the iPod and they were able to charge double the price for it. If Apple released an “iBook” that was an iPad and Mac 2 in 1, they could obviously charge more for it and everyone wins. The existence of a 2 in 1 does not mean that Apple can no longer sell iPads and Macs separately.

Right on

Eat your own lunch, or someone else will

 

[Siliconguy]

The main problem with this discussion is the prevalent misconception (in MR) of the iPad as a dying device that no one likes.

I certainly like mine. I spend more hours on it than any other device, but I don't do actual work on it. Light work is done on a the Air, "real" work gets done on the Linux box.

It's still far too difficult to move files between the iPad and the server. Trying to touchscreen a spreadsheet is hopeless, even editing an email is a pain, fingers are just too fat for precision. Even the Air's touch screen is too imprecise when you need to insert the parenthesis you forgot in the middle on an equation, which is why I have a mouse.

But for reading and watching how-to videos, the iPad is great. My ninth generation iPad is all I need which is probably not good for Apple's profit margin. But this is not just an iPad thing. For most things other than editing video machines from 10 years ago are still very usable. I'm sure you've noticed that MS has joined Apple with a policy of deliberate abandonment of older hardware. MS's recent demand for the POPCNT instruction was in the tech news.

 

[sparksd]

Apple would do it if they saw it as a significant overall profit generator, i.e., it wouldn't generate profit by stealing from another product line. Advocates within the company - and there likely are some - would have to provide a solid business case for doing it.

 

[iPadified]

that ridiculous "what's a computer" campaign featuring iPad.

If I recall it correctly, the punch line was "maybe your next computer is not a computer", perfectly describing a iPad. Amazing the so many Mac user have difficulties with this idea.

 

[turbineseaplane]

If I recall it correctly, the punch line was "maybe your next computer is not a computer", perfectly describing a iPad. Amazing the so many Mac user have difficulties with this idea.

...until one tries to get any number of things done in the "real work" category
(without wanting to throw the tablet against the wall out of frustration)

We aren't all magically going to just become writers, and/or whatever subset of people can do all their work on an iPad - or prefer to

 

[iPadified]

The main problem with this discussion is the prevalent misconception (in MR) of the iPad as a dying device that no one likes. We don’t have unit sales, just revenue, but the iPad has performed much better than the Mac since the start of the pandemic

At least here they expect 8.5 million OLED iPP/year: Apple to Produce 8.5 Million OLED iPad Pro Models This Year

There are estimates that 60 million iPad are sold per year and about 30 million Macs. Seems plausible given the average higher price of Macs and similar revenue of the two lines.

iPad seems pretty lively to me.

 

[Yoms]

Having macOS, exactly as it is today, on the iPad with the trade-off of having to buy a keyboard + mouse/trackpad would be absolutely OK with me. That way, (almost) no rework to be done in macOS.