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GMShadow

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2021
2,123
8,672
My workflow requires me to open multiple instances of Safari. The iPad Pro could easily handle it with the 8GiB M1 but iPadOS has no ability to launch multiple instances of an app.

Yes, it does.

I often wonder just how many of the complaints the 'experts' have were solved long ago, and they just never bothered to look.
 

outlawarth

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2011
555
774
I love using stage manager on the iPad and it has been a game changer for me. Is it perfect? Of course not.

I’m bracing myself for the usuals onslaught of comments that I don’t know what I’m doing and that I should run out and immediately get a Microsoft surface or a top spec MacBook. The internet is a funny beast sometimes.
 

cnnyy20p

macrumors regular
Jan 12, 2021
229
317
I already had a vision. For me done right, stage manger could replace both dock, task bar and multiple desktop function altogether on mac. It just needs a little tweaks.
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
16,263
11,764
I already had a vision. For me done right, stage manger could replace both dock, task bar and multiple desktop function altogether on mac. It just needs a little tweaks.
It would need massive overhaul if stage manager ever want to replace taskbar, multiple desktop and dock at the same time. Idk why you think tiny tweak is ok.

Also don’t forget, stage manager As-is on iPadOS still uses dock to an extent.
 
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Kierkegaarden

Cancelled
Dec 13, 2018
2,424
4,137
You’re basing the ability of the iPad to run macOS on the initial implementation of a single feature? Seems a bit presumptuous. I happen to find Stage Manager quite useful and brilliant on the iPad. I don’t have multiple windows per stage, and I’m not constantly resizing windows — I set some at the largest windowed height/width and others full screen — works perfectly with no issues. I am using an M1 12.9, so I don’t know what the experience is like on a smaller screen.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,841
5,482
The Netherlands
I think that with iPad being used with trackpads and mice now there is a need for a better UI that offers all functionality anywhere from “beginner with just fingertips” to “professional with precision tools”. It would indeed be a merged iPadOS macOS situation, just my take.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,963
5,131
Texas
You’re basing the ability of the iPad to run macOS on the initial implementation of a single feature? Seems a bit presumptuous. I happen to find Stage Manager quite useful and brilliant on the iPad. I don’t have multiple windows per stage, and I’m not constantly resizing windows — I set some at the largest windowed height/width and others full screen — works perfectly with no issues. I am using an M1 12.9, so I don’t know what the experience is like on a smaller screen.
Shhh... not supposed to delight in Stage Manager. Brilliant? Poor word choice... only criticism takes place in these forums concerning Stage Manager! /s
 

hagjohn

macrumors 68000
Aug 27, 2006
1,866
3,707
Pennsylvania
When it was introduced, I was skeptical about Stage Manager. I always thought that a classical window management system wouldn't work on a touch-based device, but I have confidence in Apple when it comes to this sort of stuff. In the end, it's been a failure.

Some people argued that this shows Apple should implement a macOS-like interface, or even macOS directly. This doesn't make any sense. Apple has adapted windows in SM so that controls (resize handle, top bar...) have the precision of a fingertip, and that they replicate the metaphors we're used to in touch-first devices (for example, dragging instead of tapping). Even then, the experience sucks.

So imagine how bad a macOS-like interface, with traffic light buttons, infinite resize and positions, etc. would be. Well, we don't even have to imagine: we have dozens of Windows 10/11 so-called tablets out there, and no one* use them as tablets.

In the end, I think the professional potential of the iPad goes in line with maximizing the iPad-like, single-window interface. There are tons of AR, illustration, video editing, etc. apps. Customers use them professionally. Some people think making the iPad a professional device means making it a subpar PC. No professional user would buy that.
Uh, no!
 

JamesTheMac

Cancelled
Mar 10, 2019
61
65
Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever see a full blown version of macOS running on an iPad. (as much as I would be over the moon if I could just run a current macOS as is on my $2000 tablet keyboard combo, and use it like I have to use Windows 10 Pro on my Surface Pro & Go) - I doubt Apple will want to lose the monopoly of the App Store on one of its mobile devices. It would allow me to be as productive in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. Even the struggle of "Files" vs macOS "Finder" is a major slowdown for me in being productive on the iPad.

I love the iPadOS UI as a touch interface for what it is, which has been the case since day one, when people would tell me "it's just a big iPhone - stupid to have", etc. But it was a major step forward in tablet UI design, being the first that didn't need a pen to operate. It's always been fast, responsive, and always something that you could just pick up and hold, and within half a dozen clicks and swipes, be where it needed to be.

But, given the choice for working and getting things done, I'm afraid the $2k tablet is still too constrained for me, and I have to revert to the Surface. I can still get a good day's use out of the Surface, which yes, is stuck with a x86 architecture. But I don't find it overheats or is the great battery eater like some have suggested. (and that's with running compliers and graphics design packages on the Surface). The main drawback is that Windows is something very different to iPadOS. But with Windows offering fully floating sizeable windows, a non-constrained file system, and the ability to run full blown desktop versions of any software I need, for productivity, it wins hands down for me.

More recently I taken a hybrid approach of taking an iPad mini and a Surface Go 3 i3 with me on my travels to get work done, which is quite effective. Even when coding.

The way things are now with Apple is that they are encouraging convergence, but through the likes of Catalyst and SwiftUI, to create "desktop class" apps. The horsepower is certainly there with the hardware, and the swap file limitation have been relaxed. But it's now incumbent on developers to bridge that gap with their new releases. Hopefully they will, and one day the iPad will become an efficient productivity powerhouse, instead of just being a very efficient utility device for me.

Failing that, please bring back a 12" MacBook with an M1/M2. The 2017 intel device was a great little device for productivity and was the same size as the regular iPad.
 
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Feyl

Cancelled
Aug 24, 2013
964
1,951
When it was introduced, I was skeptical about Stage Manager. I always thought that a classical window management system wouldn't work on a touch-based device, but I have confidence in Apple when it comes to this sort of stuff. In the end, it's been a failure.

Some people argued that this shows Apple should implement a macOS-like interface, or even macOS directly. This doesn't make any sense. Apple has adapted windows in SM so that controls (resize handle, top bar...) have the precision of a fingertip, and that they replicate the metaphors we're used to in touch-first devices (for example, dragging instead of tapping). Even then, the experience sucks.

So imagine how bad a macOS-like interface, with traffic light buttons, infinite resize and positions, etc. would be. Well, we don't even have to imagine: we have dozens of Windows 10/11 so-called tablets out there, and no one* use them as tablets.

In the end, I think the professional potential of the iPad goes in line with maximizing the iPad-like, single-window interface. There are tons of AR, illustration, video editing, etc. apps. Customers use them professionally. Some people think making the iPad a professional device means making it a subpar PC. No professional user would buy that.
It's bad simply because Apple decided to do something stupid and not making the windows management exactly like macOS, just because they don't want iPad to look like a far superior macOS. Instead they took the idea that works for decades and turned it into an unintuitive, hard to use restricted mess.
 

cupcakes2000

macrumors 601
Apr 13, 2010
4,037
5,429
It would allow me to be as productive in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc
To be frank, it's not Apples fault that certain applications are terrible and half featured on the iPad. It's the devs fault. There are plenty of desktop equivalent fully featured iPad apps - including Files replacements. It's certainly extremely possible for developers to make their apps as good or better than any desktop version. But they don't, yet. It's getting better though.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,963
5,131
Texas
Stage Manager is a touch-centric multitasking system created by Apple in a half-a** manner to appeal people demanding more capable iPadOS, and fail horribly.
Stage Manager is not only on the iPad. It's as if Stage Manager has to appeal to 100% of iPad users, of course... there is going to be some people who don't care for the feature.

People just don’t understand: iPadOS is essentially a fork from iOS, sharing most of the underline code and basic functionality. If people want a more powerful iPadOS, either bring macOS to iPad or completely rewrite iPadOS so much so that it is their own thing, giving up decades of software library and support (or add ”emulation”/virtualization).
I understand iPadOS is a fork from iOS, but it has a tablet UI. And I do not care to have macOS on an iPad nor have Apple completely rewrite iPadOS. I tell you what people cannot comprehend... that Stage Manager is this "one off" feature. I've been a beta tester from the jump and I see the improvements, at first moving windows were a chore... but that has improved.

And I believe over time... with each iPadOS release Stage Manager will receive improvements, new features, and refinements.

Apple sees that and think “hmm, not a good idea”, and just PR their way every WWDC/interview/etc as they like to do. In the end, people keep getting disappointed of iPad Pro hardware going to waste, and maybe eventually relent then realise iOS can never do desktop tasks the same manner as macOS does.
Tbh, I was doubtful in the future of the iPad platform prior to WWDC last year. But I like the direction its going in now... memory swap and Desktop Class APIs has me excited about the future. Then there's external display support and iPadOS is never meant to do tasks at the same manner as macOS. You even said it yourself... iPadOS is a fork from iOS.

When using the iPad you cannot expect it to behave like a Mac... that's where users go wrong and then the disappointments kick in.
 

MajorFubar

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2021
2,174
3,825
Lancashire UK
To be frank, it's not Apples fault that certain applications are terrible and half featured on the iPad. It's the devs fault. There are plenty of desktop equivalent fully featured iPad apps - including Files replacements. It's certainly extremely possible for developers to make their apps as good or better than any desktop version. But they don't, yet. It's getting better though.
To be frank it's mostly Apple's fault. It's only now that they have for example introduced swap memory. Before iOS16, iPads operated like a Commodore 64, and apps were pared-down to work on the lowest common denominator iPad with the least amount of onboard RAM, which IIRC was 3GB. That paltry 3GB needed to be shared between the app and any loaded files, less any RAM needed by iOS itself. You were never going to be able to run desktop-class full-fat apps on them. That might change now.
 
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Zest28

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2022
2,581
3,933
I run Mac OS and Windows all the time on my M1 12.9 iPad Pro. Why shouldn't it be allowed?
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
16,263
11,764
When using the iPad you cannot expect it to behave like a Mac... that's where users go wrong and then the disappointments kick in.
People expecting as such rightfully does so because M1 is in iPad for the first time alongside MacBook. I’d argue they frankly don’t really care how iPadOS behave, but how M1 can be utilised. And we are greeted with failure.
Stage Manager is not only on the iPad. It's as if Stage Manager has to appeal to 100% of iPad users, of course... there is going to be some people who don't care for the feature.
Yes, I know. It’s on macOS too, which is completely overshadowed by existing multitasking on macOS. Stage manager doesn’t need to appeal 100% of iPad users. But for the user base that the feature supposed to appeal, it fails.
I understand iPadOS is a fork from iOS, but it has a tablet UI.
Tablet UI has nothing to do with iPadOS being a fork of iOS, which is designed with touch in mind from the ground up also. What I want to say is because of the fundamental design in iOS (which Steve Jobs claimed was a fork of macOS, whatever that Means) allows iPadOS to run On mobile device efficiently, but not without sacrifices. Files app and no access of more comprehensive filesystem being two of them.

Had Apple forked macOS into iPadOS, we’d see something massively different from what we see today. But x86 might kill iPad way sooner than we realise, so who knows.
 

Unami

macrumors 65816
Jul 27, 2010
1,446
1,725
Austria
There are tons of AR, illustration, video editing, etc. apps.
I think you're exaggerating a little bit. There's one (1) useable video editing app on the ipad - Lumafusion - and it's only useable if you like working at a third of the (workflow) speed you're used to on the desktop and with a quarter of the functions of a typical NLE.

That's why people want osx-apps. I(pad)OS is one problem, because working with multiple apps and files is just ways slower than on a desktop, but the lack of desktop-class apps is another big factor. Really I wouldn't mind if there was just a compatibility layer that required a Keyboard and a mouse/touchpad/apple pen where one could use software like photoshop/after effects/blender/final cut pro/... just like on the desktop. That would solve half of iPad's problems.

Then add OSX dualboot support - also requiring a keyboard - with things like Finder, Terminal,... and another third is solved. Let poeple who'd like to use it, use it - just make it not installed by default.

Like the shortcuts app - interested users will find it and everyone else won't even know it exists. It doesn't have to be perfect - shortcuts is far from it and seems to get broken again with every new iOS release - it just has to be better than the current state.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,963
5,131
Texas
People expecting as such rightfully does so because M1 is in iPad for the first time alongside MacBook. I’d argue they frankly don’t really care how iPadOS behave, but how M1 can be utilised. And we are greeted with failure.
Ca'mon... seriously? Just because it has M1 doesn't mean it should act like a Mac. What I believe the M1 on the iPad does is help facilitate in bringing desktop class apps to the platform... not pushing it to be a Mac.

Yes, I know. It’s on macOS too, which is completely overshadowed by existing multitasking on macOS. Stage manager doesn’t need to appeal 100% of iPad users. But for the user base that the feature supposed to appeal, it fails.
Well, it hasn't failed in my case... I consider myself a power user, not sure what user base you are referring to. But the reason why Stage Manager isn't a big deal on the Mac is due to the fact multiple windows active on the screen already exist. Whereas it's a whole new experience on the iPad hence why the polarizing opinions of users.
 
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okkibs

macrumors 65816
Sep 17, 2022
1,070
1,005
I often wonder just how many of the complaints the 'experts' have were solved long ago, and they just never bothered to look.
Please enlighten me, and don't tell me about the split view and opening two windows of the same app - which, as limited as it is already, is not even support with every app. We have a different understanding of what multiple instances means. I'd need this to work in regular full screen to make use of the limited screen real estate of the iPad's anyways.

Here's the thing: going from macOS to iPadOS is a huge step down in terms of capability. Going from iPadOS to macOS would only make the iPad infinitely more usable.
Exactly. To some people it seems iPadOS IS the touchUI. But there is no reason that part could not be re-implemented in MacOS. And again, the iPadOS apps already work on M1/M2 Macs today. The hardware is fully capable, no reason iPads couldn't boot MacOS and launch iPad apps as well as MacOS apps. With the M1/M2 iPad Pro they could even run x86_64 binaries via Rosetta 2.

iPadOS is a touch UI.
macOS is a keyboard and mouse UI.
The UI isn't a OS. The UI is part of the OS, but they aren't the same thing. If Apple wanted to integrate the iPadOS touch UI into MacOS, they could do that. iPadOS in fact gained keyboard and mouse support which it did not have previously.

But what happens to the stuff you’re working on when you pick up your iPad and sit in the sofa? There is no way Apple would do this, and no way it would really work very well anyway.
Right, there is no way the largest tech company in the world could find an answer to that. iPadOS today supports snapshotting an app when closing it, so when you open it later it looks like it was never closed. That's an option. Giving devs an option to implement both UIs for their apps so they can seamlessly switch between UIs is also an option, for example with Photoshop you could switch to tablet mode for drawing with the pencil and then back to docked mode.

Adobe then wouldn't have to maintain two separate versions of their apps, which would overall reduce the complexity. Right now devs need to come up with two separate apps even though the hardware that actually runs them can in fact be the very same M1/M2 SoC.
 

cupcakes2000

macrumors 601
Apr 13, 2010
4,037
5,429
To be frank it's mostly Apple's fault. It's only now that they have for example introduced swap memory. Before iOS16, iPads operated like a Commodore 64, and apps were pared-down to work on the lowest common denominator iPad with the least amount of onboard RAM, which IIRC was 3GB. That paltry 3GB needed to be shared between the app and any loaded files, less any RAM needed by iOS itself. You were never going to be able to run desktop-class full-fat apps on them. That might change now.
And still we had creative devs writing excellent apps at a desktop and professional level. So, yep. It’s the developers that need to pull their fingers out. Apple too, but iPadOS is moving forwards in a positive direction. Unlike many many popular apps which are gimped due to lack of good development, and only that.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
13,290
where hip is spoken
When it was introduced, I was skeptical about Stage Manager. I always thought that a classical window management system wouldn't work on a touch-based device, but I have confidence in Apple when it comes to this sort of stuff. In the end, it's been a failure.

Some people argued that this shows Apple should implement a macOS-like interface, or even macOS directly. This doesn't make any sense. Apple has adapted windows in SM so that controls (resize handle, top bar...) have the precision of a fingertip, and that they replicate the metaphors we're used to in touch-first devices (for example, dragging instead of tapping). Even then, the experience sucks.

So imagine how bad a macOS-like interface, with traffic light buttons, infinite resize and positions, etc. would be. Well, we don't even have to imagine: we have dozens of Windows 10/11 so-called tablets out there, and no one* use them as tablets.

In the end, I think the professional potential of the iPad goes in line with maximizing the iPad-like, single-window interface. There are tons of AR, illustration, video editing, etc. apps. Customers use them professionally. Some people think making the iPad a professional device means making it a subpar PC. No professional user would buy that.
Judging the suitability of a desktop-like UI on an iPad by Stage Manager is pretty myopic, IMO. Stage Manager is typical of how Apple responds to users' requests for things that Apple is fundamentally against. A half-hearted, half-baked implementation designed to cause champions of the feature to complain... leading to the impression that those people are never satisfied.

Users: We want "x".
Apple: (half-baked implementation of "x")
Users. Not like that!

Where x = external keyboard support, mouse support, USB-C support, split window support, and now multi-window support.

Does Apple eventually refine the implementation to a point that is generally acceptable? Mostly, but not always.

Take a look at Samsung's DeX as an example of a better (but not perfect) implementation of what Stage Manager is attempting to do.
 

MajorFubar

macrumors 68020
Oct 27, 2021
2,174
3,825
Lancashire UK
And still we had creative devs writing excellent apps at a desktop and professional level.
I think we just have different definitions of desktop-grade apps. I can agree there have been great i(Pad)OS apps, especially those which uniquely benefit from the iPad-specific features, like the touch-based interface. Some of those apps have been used in professional environments. But in the grand scale of things, iPad apps were always pared-down to compensate for the platform's inherent Apple-imposed restrictions.

There are probably people out there who only use an iPad to take notes in Notepad or Pages, but that doesn't make iPad Pages a pro-grade app. Windows or even MacOS Word will p*ss all over it.
 

Rafterman

Contributor
Apr 23, 2010
7,267
8,809
I think a lot of resistance to Stage Manager is that it's new and people haven't figured out how to use it. Some things just take practice to use.
 
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