iPad iPadOS14 - still no desktop mode?

[Jamie0003]

I’m in the market for a new Mac, and have been awaiting the switch to ARM.

I’m currently on the original 12 inch MacBook, 1.3ghz processor from 2015. I love it, but the sluggishness really sucks. It chugs when connected to my external display (Which I use a lot), and battery life could be better.

I don’t need the power of a MacBook Pro, which is also heavier than I’d like but the MacBook Air isn’t much better power wise than what I already have. It would be nice to get away from the butterfly keyboard though...

Imo, the iPad is *Almost* the perfect machine for what I’m looking for, and with the addition of the magic keyboard it’s almost perfect. I love the idea of a machine I can use both as a tablet and a laptop. However...

Why is iPadOS, even with iPadOS 14, still missing a full blown desktop mode? It’s just a software function and would seal the deal for me. I use my Mac around 80% of the time connected to a screen nowadays, and I don’t see the point in owning both a Mac and an iPad, I want an all in one. As I understand it, when you connect an iPad to a screen it just mirrors the display, which is useless to me. I don’t understand why it now supports any keyboard and mouse, usb c hubs etc, but has no way of actually taking advantage of this hardware. Makes no sense.

My next best thing is to wait till the arm MacBooks start to roll out, but I would be giving up the usefulness of having an all in one device. The iPad has slowly started becoming that hybrid device I’m sure most of us are looking for, especially with it’s own OS now but seems to be forever held back by software. Also, the iPad pro is currently running a 2 year old A series chip which also makes it a no go for me right now. If I was being nit picky, I would also like to have function keys with the magic keyboard.

Thoughts?

 

[Digitalguy]

As I said in another thread (by there way there are more and more threads about this subject now...):
"Apple will try to keep Macs an ipads separate for as long as possible... but integrate them as much as possible... At some point in a distant future we could imagine a "desktop" mode for ipad, that is actually macOS... but at that point it will not be as relevant as today, as by then IpadOS will have caught up with most of the desktop features it's now missing (external monitor support, better file system, proper desktop apps like Office, Final Cut, Photoshop, Première etc.). At that point having macOS will make much less of a difference..."

Remember that Apple's main objective, as any company, is maximising sales... Letting user use macOS in their ipads would hurt Mac sales. Apples wants you to have both a Mac and an Ipad, not just one device as Microsoft...
They have little competition in tablets, so why go the extra mile as soon as possible and hurt Macs in the process....

 

[Jamie0003]

As I said in another thread (by there way there are more and more threads about this subject now...):
"Apple will try to keep Macs an ipads separate for as long as possible... but integrate them as much as possible... At some point in a distant future we could imagine a "desktop" mode for ipad, that is actually macOS... but at that point it will not be as relevant as today, as by then IpadOS will have caught up with most of the desktop features it's now missing (external monitor support, better file system, proper desktop apps like Office, Final Cut, Photoshop, Première etc.). At that point having macOS will make much less of a difference..."

Remember that Apple's main objective, as any company, is maximising sales... Letting user use macOS in their ipads would hurt Mac sales. Apples wants you to have both a Mac and an Ipad, not just one device as Microsoft...
They have little competition in tablets, so why go the extra mile as soon as possible and hurt Macs in the process....

Personally I think there will always be users who will go with the Mac, and having these functions available on the iPad isn’t going to change that. Why would it matter which device users go with? Apple makes a sale either way and it can be argued that they make more on an iPad anyway due to users buying apps, subscriptions, Apple Pencil/keyboard etc.

Besides, look at MacOS Big Sur. they’re pretty much the same already looks wise, and being on ARM will mean feature parity with iOS/iPadOS.

 

[cupcakes2000]

What do you mean by ‘full blown desktop mode’? If you’re waiting for ipados to turn into macOS, then you’ll be waiting forever. It’s a totally different way of computing, and you need to change your methods and ideas/ideals to deal with it.

It’s perfectly possible to do most general computing taskes with an iPad Pro, many creative professional tasks it’s even favourable.

I 100% agree however, about the monitor support. Some apps do support it as a second monitor, at proper resolution, but yes.. it’s definitely nowhere near good enough right now.

The point about a 2 year old chip is slightly out of place, right now the IS no better chip for the ipad, and it sails through anything the ipad can offer at the moment, in which I’m including some very intensive graphic/video work loads.
If you’re in no hurry just now though, I would definitely wait for the new version to ship.

I very much want the ipad to be my only device, but because of various software unavailability and changes in workflow I’m not willing, and in somecase able, to cater for, it cant be. I do use a Mac Mini for the stuff I need. It’s basically headless, using RDP software on the ipad for access. It’s like macOS as an app, and the best of both worlds.

My ipad was about 1100, the Mac mini about 1200, plus a few hundred for peripherals etc. It’s still cheaper than a decent laptop and it’s rather more powerful and flexible.

 

[Jamie0003]

What do you mean by ‘full blown desktop mode’? If you’re waiting for ipados to turn into macOS, then you’ll be waiting forever. It’s a totally different way of computing, and you need to change your methods and ideas/ideals to deal with it.

It’s perfectly possible to do most general computing taskes with an iPad Pro, many creative professional tasks it’s even favourable.

I 100% agree however, about the monitor support. Some apps do support it as a second monitor, at proper resolution, but yes.. it’s definitely nowhere near good enough right now.

The point about a 2 year old chip is slightly out of place, right now the IS no better chip for the ipad, and it sails through anything the ipad can offer at the moment, in which I’m including some very intensive graphic/video work loads.
If you’re in no hurry just now though, I would definitely wait for the new version to ship.

I very much want the ipad to be my only device, but because of various software unavailability and changes in workflow I’m not willing, and in somecase able, to cater for, it cant be. I do use a Mac Mini for the stuff I need. It’s basically headless, using RDP software on the ipad for access. It’s like macOS as an app, and the best of both worlds.

My ipad was about 1100, the Mac mini about 1200, plus a few hundred for peripherals etc. It’s still cheaper than a decent laptop and it’s rather more powerful and flexible.

Yeah, I don’t need a full blown desktop mode, I just want an external display to work with multiple apps instead of just mirroring, which is pretty useless, and I’m happy to wait for an A13 chip to come to the iPad. I want to wait for the arm Macs too for comparison sake.

 

[Digitalguy]

Yeah, I don’t need a full blown desktop mode, I just want an external display to work with multiple apps instead of just mirroring, which is pretty useless, and I’m happy to wait for an A13 chip to come to the iPad. I want to wait for the arm Macs too for comparison sake.

As I said above, monitor support is coming to ipad, my guess is relatively soon, likely in IpadOS 15... (in another thread I said " the big let down [of ipadOS 14] is lack of external monitor support, but I guess Apple is waiting for app developers to create ARM version of macs apps and mac optimized versions of ipad apps. ")

 

[Stackin]

I think it’s entirely possible a new ARM MacBook could have the capability of detaching the screen for tablet use. Apple have said that the ARM version of MacOS will support iPhone and iPad apps, so it’s not such a leap of faith for the MacBook to become a tablet replacement.

I am similarly disappointed that Apple did nothing to improve external monitor support for the iPad. This could be in part because such a move would involve software developers to modify their Apps for different aspect ratios. Being a fairly niche requirement, it’s unlikely that many would put Much effort into this.

I have recently purchased an iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard and have sold my old Macbook and iPad. I therefore understand the limitations of having an iPad as my main PC. This transition is not for everyone. I do not require any desktop class Apps except for some photo editing software that I can use on my Windows PC. However, most of my photo editing can be done on the iPad using Pixelmator Photo.

Anyway, I’m going off topic. Suffice to say, we do not know what kind of hardware Apple will choose to produce when combined with ARM.

 

[jpadhiyar]

In our obsession with needing everything from one device, we forget that both MacBook and iPad are two distinctive devices. Yes, they are interrelated, but their needs in terms of power and performance are quite different.

Moreover, everyone has different needs with their devices and Apple would love to cater to every need. In fact, I think currently Apple wants its user own both iPad and MacBook, and by offering the different alluring features for each, they are managing to do that.

I am not saying that Apple won't combine the two devices into one someday, but I don't think this is the time yet. If you think about it the keyboard and mouse support for iPad was to test waters.

 

[AutomaticApple]

it’s not such a leap of faith for the MacBook to become a tablet replacement.

Phil Schiller has explicitly said that macOS will not have touch support.

 

[Jamie0003]

In our obsession with needing everything from one device, we forget that both MacBook and iPad are two distinctive devices. Yes, they are interrelated, but their needs in terms of power and performance are quite different.

Moreover, everyone has different needs with their devices and Apple would love to cater to every need. In fact, I think currently Apple wants its user own both iPad and MacBook, and by offering the different alluring features for each, they are managing to do that.

I am not saying that Apple won't combine the two devices into one someday, but I don't think this is the time yet. If you think about it the keyboard and mouse support for iPad was to test waters.

Still, external monitor support isn’t a lot to ask for. To me Apple decided the iPad was a laptop replacement when they released a pro version and then more recently it’s own OS. If pro users can’t even use it with big canvasses (ie screens) then what’s the point?

I wouldn’t call myself a pro user but certainly in the prosumer range, and this is kinda what the iPad pro is aiming at right? Very few pro users in the industry use an iPad as their main machine and will always choose the Mac.

 

[pdoherty]

As I said in another thread (by there way there are more and more threads about this subject now...):
"Apple will try to keep Macs an ipads separate for as long as possible... but integrate them as much as possible... At some point in a distant future we could imagine a "desktop" mode for ipad, that is actually macOS... but at that point it will not be as relevant as today, as by then IpadOS will have caught up with most of the desktop features it's now missing (external monitor support, better file system, proper desktop apps like Office, Final Cut, Photoshop, Première etc.). At that point having macOS will make much less of a difference..."

Remember that Apple's main objective, as any company, is maximising sales... Letting user use macOS in their ipads would hurt Mac sales. Apples wants you to have both a Mac and an Ipad, not just one device as Microsoft...
They have little competition in tablets, so why go the extra mile as soon as possible and hurt Macs in the process....

They need to do it already. Android has been doing it with DeX for years, allowing phones (not just tablets) to do this.

 

[ericg301]

ipad has a totally different paradigm.

 

[Bubble99]

They need to do it already. Android has been doing it with DeX for years, allowing phones (not just tablets) to do this.

Apple will not do this at all. It will eat the sales of people buying a Mac computer Looking for full desktop.

I think IPadOS will get better in the future and be more like full desktop But not like DeX.

 

[Sheppard]

Why is iPadOS, even with iPadOS 14, still missing a full blown desktop mode?

Out of curiosity, as I am in the same position; what major benefits would a ‘full blown desktop mode’ bring you?

 

[Stackin]

For me, I just want proper external monitor support. As I said earlier, it might not be an OS issue, Apps may have to be modified to accommodate different aspect ratios.

 

[Bubble99]

Also for OP I think lot of problem is app holding it back not Apple to degree.

Putting app like full Microsoft office, liberal office, photoshop or GIMP or full video editing app or full Firefox browser. This is problem with app developers not Apple.

And android is worse it suffers from lack of good quality apps.

What good is shiny full desktop like DeX with floating window and all the bells and what not but a lack of good quality android apps that support it.

 

[Jamie0003]

Out of curiosity, as I am in the same position; what major benefits would a ‘full blown desktop mode’ bring you?

Being able to use my desk setup in my home office. That's pretty much it for me really, if the iPad had this I'd upgrade in a flash.