Let me dual boot my 12.9" iPad Pro to High Sierra please :)

[bscheffel]

These are the facts:

1. iPad Pro hardware is the sleekest most amazing tablet on the planet - I absolutely LOVE this hardware
2. iPad Pro hardware is more than capable of powering MacOS (4gb RAM, A11x processor)
3. iOS will never replace a desktop PC for people doing real "work". real File system, windows, multiple open docs, etc.

Solution: Port High Sierra to ARM chips and let me dual boot MacOS on my iPad Pro

Spare me the argument that MacOS isn't optimized for touchscreen - I DON'T WANT TOUCHSCREEN - I'm more than happy to use mouse only when booted into Mac OS (just like we do today on MacBooks).

I can use my iPad for about 65% of my workload. I would love to be able to add a mouse and dual boot for the remaining 35% and carry just 1 device.

MAKE IT HAPPEN APPLE!

 

[T4R06]

Its not gonna happen. Sales on macbook will go drop..

 

[Jesla]

Its not gonna happen. Sales on macbook will go drop..

non-issue... Why would apple care if you buy an $1100.00 iPad Pro, iPhone, Mac Mini or MacBook. A sale is a sale to Apple
and all are in the same price window.

 

[bscheffel]

non-issue... Why would apple care if you buy an $1100.00 iPad Pro, iPhone, Mac Mini or MacBook. A sale is a sale to Apple
and all are in the same price window.

Well I wouldn't buy a separate MacBook and iPad like I have today....

 

[rowspaxe]

Solution: Port High Sierra to ARM chips and let me dual boot MacOS on my iPad Pro

If this a consolation, I am sure some variation of this has been done in Cupertino.

 

[bscheffel]

If this a consolation, I am sure some variation of this has been done in Cupertino.

Yeah - im sure it's been done. They can just "leak it" - not as an officially supported release or feature but as a technology proof of concept - and let the geeks try it out without the mass market commitment.

 

[old-wiz]

Porting OSx to the iPhone would not be a huge problem - the code is mostly in high level language like C++ or Swift. The hardware is pretty close to enough. I think the biggest issue would be the applications - if the port doesn't support x86 code, you lose a huge market of people who have windows. Also all user apps would need to be recompiled.

 

[bscheffel]

Porting OSx to the iPhone would not be a huge problem - the code is mostly in high level language like C++ or Swift. The hardware is pretty close to enough. I think the biggest issue would be the applications - if the port doesn't support x86 code, you lose a huge market of people who have windows. Also all user apps would need to be recompiled.

Yup agree - I would really just want MS Office on top of Mac OS to be happy. Microsoft runs Office on ARM devices all the time so recompiling Mac Office for ARM shouldn't be an issue.

 

[ahostmadsen]

Porting OSx to the iPhone would not be a huge problem - the code is mostly in high level language like C++ or Swift. The hardware is pretty close to enough. I think the biggest issue would be the applications - if the port doesn't support x86 code, you lose a huge market of people who have windows. Also all user apps would need to be recompiled.

Well, Microsoft just released Windows for ARM, and they claim that should run all (32-bit) programs. So, this might not be an issue.

 

[sracer]

These are the facts:

1. iPad Pro hardware is the sleekest most amazing tablet on the planet - I absolutely LOVE this hardware
2. iPad Pro hardware is more than capable of powering MacOS (4gb RAM, A11x processor)
3. iOS will never replace a desktop PC for people doing real "work". real File system, windows, multiple open docs, etc.

Solution: Port High Sierra to ARM chips and let me dual boot MacOS on my iPad Pro

Spare me the argument that MacOS isn't optimized for touchscreen - I DON'T WANT TOUCHSCREEN - I'm more than happy to use mouse only when booted into Mac OS (just like we do today on MacBooks).

I can use my iPad for about 65% of my workload. I would love to be able to add a mouse and dual boot for the remaining 35% and carry just 1 device.

MAKE IT HAPPEN APPLE!

Nice thought. Not going to happen within the foreseeable future. The closest that I've been able to get is to use Jump Desktop and a Citrix X1 mouse on my 12.9 iPad Pro to remote into my iMac in my home office. It really shows what is possible with the iPad as a notebook replacement. But while that works in quite a few scenarios, it simply caused me to be more irritated because of this glimpse into "what could be".

I've stopped waiting for them to do it and am looking at alternatives... some of them are "better" than the iPad (for my uses).

 

[Brammy]

For me, I don't want High Sierra on an iPad. I think by the time you're done with the desires for macOS on a iPad, you're pretty much in the "Get a MacBook" space. Especially where you don't want the touchscreen and want to use a mouse and keyboard.

Now, before I sound like the iPad guy going nuts, I agree with you on the gap between what you can and can't get done on an iPad. I don't want to dual boot though. I want improvements to the iPad OS to bridge those gaps.

File system: Files is a big step from iCloud Drive. Once OneDrive fully integrates with it, we'll be pretty close. What we need though are: creating folders within folders within folders, and some way of specifying the primary "open with" of a file. Tapping on a .doc file should open Word; not some other app like iThoughts. Yes. being able to open multiple docs in the same app. I'm not sure if this is an iOS issue, and app developer issue, or both. I need to share folders and handle .zip files.

Apps: A lot of apps like Affinity Photo on iOS are near feature-complete versions of their macOS counterparts. Word and Pages need to get there. it drives me nuts on Word that I can't create a Table of Contents, edit styles, and a bunch of other things. I get Macro support might not be possible on iOS. Word for iOS is so close to being able to most of my use cases when I slam into the wall it just annoys me even more. The Photos app needs to be able to handle hidden photos, smart folders, and be pretty much feature complete with the macOS version.

We're getting closer, though. While I can't do more with iOS 11 than I could with iOS 10 (although Affinity Photo moves the bar slightly towards the more camp, I feel iOS 11 lays some frameworks. On the one hand, I wish the improvements came faster than every year. That said, iOS 11 has enough weird bugs I run into every day that I'm glad they don't.

 

[bensisko]

These are the facts:

1. iPad Pro hardware is the sleekest most amazing tablet on the planet - I absolutely LOVE this hardware

Agreed.

2. iPad Pro hardware is more than capable of powering MacOS (4gb RAM, A11x processor)

If all you’re using it for is “lite” tasks, then sure. I wouldn’t expect to do a lot of video editing or any “real” work on a Mac OS system with those specs.

3. iOS will never replace a desktop PC for people doing real "work". real File system, windows, multiple open docs, etc.

This is not a fact - people have and continue to replace their laptops and desktops with iPads. Maybe if you limited your comment to yourself, you could list this as a “fact”, but it is certainly NOT universal.

Solution: Port High Sierra to ARM chips and let me dual boot MacOS on my iPad Pro

Simple as that, eh? Even if Apple were to do something foolish like that, it wouldn’t be the iPad Pro you have now. It would also be double the price. At the current specs, people would complain about poor OS X performance.

Spare me the argument that MacOS isn't optimized for touchscreen - I DON'T WANT TOUCHSCREEN - I'm more than happy to use mouse only when booted into Mac OS (just like we do today on MacBooks).

Maybe you would be fine with that, but it would make absolutely NO SENSE to put macOS on a touchscreen device without a touchscreen. None whatsoever. Consumer complaints would be through the roof!

I can use my iPad for about 65% of my workload. I would love to be able to add a mouse and dual boot for the remaining 35% and carry just 1 device.

MAKE IT HAPPEN APPLE!

You could just get a Surface...

 

[canesalato]

If all you’re using it for is “lite” tasks, then sure. I wouldn’t expect to do a lot of video editing or any “real” work on a Mac OS system with those specs.

Whaat? =)
Unless it's moderate video editing or 3d graphics work (for which i would use a desktop, not a laptop) those specs are more than enough! The iPad pro is much more powerful than my MacBook Air and has the same amount of RAM. Yet, I can do all my "real" work on my MacBook Air and 20% on my iPad. It's about workflow and OS ecosystem, compatibility with 3rd party hardware, flexibility, expandability and versatility

 

[bensisko]

For me, I don't want High Sierra on an iPad. I think by the time you're done with the desires for macOS on a iPad, you're pretty much in the "Get a MacBook" space. Especially where you don't want the touchscreen and want to use a mouse and keyboard.

Agreed.

Now, before I sound like the iPad guy going nuts, I agree with you on the gap between what you can and can't get done on an iPad. I don't want to dual boot though. I want improvements to the iPad OS to bridge those gaps.

File system: Files is a big step from iCloud Drive. Once OneDrive fully integrates with it, we'll be pretty close. What we need though are: creating folders within folders within folders, and some way of specifying the primary "open with" of a file. Tapping on a .doc file should open Word; not some other app like iThoughts. Yes. being able to open multiple docs in the same app. I'm not sure if this is an iOS issue, and app developer issue, or both. I need to share folders and handle .zip files.

Apps: A lot of apps like Affinity Photo on iOS are near feature-complete versions of their macOS counterparts. Word and Pages need to get there. it drives me nuts on Word that I can't create a Table of Contents, edit styles, and a bunch of other things. I get Macro support might not be possible on iOS. Word for iOS is so close to being able to most of my use cases when I slam into the wall it just annoys me even more. The Photos app needs to be able to handle hidden photos, smart folders, and be pretty much feature complete with the macOS version.

We're getting closer, though. While I can't do more with iOS 11 than I could with iOS 10 (although Affinity Photo moves the bar slightly towards the more camp, I feel iOS 11 lays some frameworks. On the one hand, I wish the improvements came faster than every year. That said, iOS 11 has enough weird bugs I run into every day that I'm glad they don't.

Two things:

1. Affinity Photo makes it pretty clear that the issue is NOT iOS, but the developers. Adobe could make a “full featured” version of it’s apps for iOS.
2. The other thing made clear is the problem of transitioning a user interface from a primarily touch/keyboard interface where the user spends a lot of time in one place, to a user interface where the primary method of input is Touch (and now the Apple Pencil) where the user probably is not going to spend as much time (on average).

We have to remember that we interface with (and use) an iPad in a completely different way than a desktop or laptop or phone. Developers, after all these years, still don’t always get that and still treat the iPad as if it were “just a big phone”.

 

[bscheffel]

Agreed.



If all you’re using it for is “lite” tasks, then sure. I wouldn’t expect to do a lot of video editing or any “real” work on a Mac OS system with those specs.



This is not a fact - people have and continue to replace their laptops and desktops with iPads. Maybe if you limited your comment to yourself, you could list this as a “fact”, but it is certainly NOT universal.



Simple as that, eh? Even if Apple were to do something foolish like that, it wouldn’t be the iPad Pro you have now. It would also be double the price. At the current specs, people would complain about poor OS X performance.



Maybe you would be fine with that, but it would make absolutely NO SENSE to put macOS on a touchscreen device without a touchscreen. None whatsoever. Consumer complaints would be through the roof!



You could just get a Surface...

Well I actually have a Surface Pro 4 that work got me. It's a decent PC but is horrible as a tablet for consumption tasks. For me "real work" is not video editing. My "real" work consists of heavy MS Outlook email manipulation and lots of MS Office work. The iPad fails on the software front for both OS and Application reasons. Even if iOS looked and acted like a desktop OS and MS Office got on par for functionality (even basic stuff like multiple documents open and multi-select in Powerpoint is missing) the iPad would still not work because of lack of mouse input. Using my finger or Apple Pencil is never going to be as quick and efficient as mousing. I've tried. I've challenged myself to use my iPad like I use my MacBook and it's frustrating.

 

[Brammy]

Affinity Photo makes it pretty clear that the issue is NOT iOS, but the developers. Adobe could make a “full featured” version of it’s apps for iOS.

I agree. My iOS comment was around whether there is a limitation within iOS of an app opening multiple document.

 

[bensisko]

Well I actually have a Surface Pro 4 that work got me. It's a decent PC but is horrible as a tablet for consumption tasks. For me "real work" is not video editing. My "real" work consists of heavy MS Outlook email manipulation and lots of MS Office work. The iPad fails on the software front for both OS and Application reasons. Even if iOS looked and acted like a desktop OS and MS Office got on par for functionality (even basic stuff like multiple documents open and multi-select in Powerpoint is missing) the iPad would still not work because of lack of mouse input. Using my finger or Apple Pencil is never going to be as quick and efficient as mousing. I've tried. I've challenged myself to use my iPad like I use my MacBook and it's frustrating.

Then it sounds pretty clear that your solution should be a MacBook, not an iPad.
[doublepost=1512572322][/doublepost]

Whaat? =)
Unless it's moderate video editing or 3d graphics work (for which i would use a desktop, not a laptop) those specs are more than enough! The iPad pro is much more powerful than my Air and has the same amount of RAM but I can do all my "real" work on my air and 20% on my iPad. It's about workflow and OS ecosystem, compatibility with 3rd party hardware, flexibility, expandability and versatility

Well, that’s why I said “lite” tasks. =)

In specs, the iPad Pro (currently) has 4 GB RAM. Today’s MacBooks have 8 GB RAM. macOS would run just okay on the current iPad Pro specs. With iOS, the iPad Pro is a powerhouse - running macOS it would underperform.
[doublepost=1512572582][/doublepost]

I agree. My iOS comment was around whether there is a limitation within iOS of an app opening multiple document.

That’s still a developer issue. Pre-iOS 11, Word could have two docs open split within a single app. Post iOS 11 they could do it with Split screen and two instances of the app.

 

[DNichter]

Messy and unnecessary. iOS is the much more popular than macOS. Why waste resources in creating a dual boot solution when iOS is where the future is? Apple should continue to add desktop-like features to iOS, increasing it's capabilities and features. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple were working on a complete replacement for macOS that runs on their own chips.

 

[sracer]

Messy and unnecessary. iOS is the much more popular than macOS. Why waste resources in creating a dual boot solution when iOS is where the future is? Apple should continue to add desktop-like features to iOS, increasing it's capabilities and features. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple were working on a complete replacement for macOS that runs on their own chips.

What desktop-like features has Apple added to iOS? Due to the architectural limitations of iOS, Apple can't really add desktop-like features. iOS is app-centric whereas macOS is file-centric. Two significantly different paradigms that don't mix and match very well.

 

[DNichter]

What desktop-like features has Apple added to iOS? Due to the architectural limitations of iOS, Apple can't really add desktop-like features. iOS is app-centric whereas macOS is file-centric. Two significantly different paradigms that don't mix and match very well.

Split screen multitasking, file browser, picture in picture, drag and drop, pencil support, dock access from any app. Stuff like that. I guess desktop-like may have been the wrong wording. I more so mean macOS-like features I suppose.

 

[NoBoMac]

Simple as that, eh? Even if Apple were to do something foolish like that, it wouldn’t be the iPad Pro you have now. It would also be double the price. At the current specs, people would complain about poor OS X performance.

Jeez, YES!! And how!!

I haven't loaded anything onto it yet, and I've already lost XXGB of space!

It doesn't have a [USB|Firewire|Thunderbolt|SD Card] port? What the??? I spend over $1,000 and you are not giving me any ports? I have x-number external widgets that I need to be able to plug in and use!

This proves Apple has lost it! Fire Tim Cook! Steve would have never let this happen!

And so on, and so on.

 

[bensisko]

Jeez, YES!! And how!!

I haven't loaded anything onto it yet, and I've already lost XXGB of space!

Haha! I can imagine someone wanting to duel-boot with a 32 GB model. =)

 

[DaniJoy]

Lol, if you ported osx to iPad you would see just how slow the hardware really is. Our best bet is a monitor mode hooked up to a real computer .