Yep, I think this is exactly it. Very little to do with the power, etc. Simply because it works for them. It is possibly a worse binned version of the Mac M1 chip and so is clocked lower (likely given iPad chassis size vs MBA).
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iPad Pro M1 iPad Pro...why?
- Thread starter jclardy
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Actually, I think the iPad Pros are getting the good bins. Which they should considering the relatively premium pricing.
The $999 MacBook Air and $1299 iMac are the ones getting the lower binned 8C CPU/7C GPU M1 chips.
256GB Wi-Fi:
MacBook Air 13-inch (8C/7C): $999
MacBook Pro 13-inch (8C/8C): $1299
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (8C/8C): $1199, with MKB $1548
iPad Pro 11-inch (8C/8C): $899, with MKB $1198
yep, the iPad pro is actually better binned than the Macbook pro but clocked slightly lower because it can dissipate less
Ah, you mean in terms of the 8 core GPU? Good point. Forgot about that. Sorry, was thinking purely in terms of clockspeed
Is still think the Affinity iPadOS apps are one of the full production suite apps where I can do 100% of my design work without switching back to my macbook to finish
Apple knows that no one would pay more for the 8C chip on an iPad which is why they are just selling that option and rolling the upgrade cost into its price.
I doubt most users would have cared even if Apple used 7C GPU on the iPad Pro even with the higher prices on 12.9.
For my work as a “creative”, cloud isn’t ideal due to cost, security, and speed.
Cost-
I work with huge files and accrue huge amounts of data that is not cost effective to store in the cloud. Very inexpensive hard drives and Time Machine make it a cinch to keep my data safe and easily restorable.
Security-
The companies I work for don’t allow me to store their proprietary data in the cloud anyway. It stays on encrypted drives under my care. I also prefer not to trust companies with my personal data.
Speed-
With creative media work, speed will always be pushed, and working locally will always be faster than over network.
And I can actually go days, even weeks, without connecting my computer to the internet if I’m holed up working on my part of a project.
I don’t really need my work data on all my devices, but occasionally I do want to see certain files on different devices. It’s easy enough to airdrop, but what would actually be more helpful to me than cloud is just automatic local wireless selective sync. I just want my devices to sync certain files and folders with each other locally and automatically when they’re near each other. But Apple/companies can’t justify charging a subscription cost with that so there’s no financial motivation for that to happen.
Nextcloud or ownCloud for DIY? Synology Drive or Qsync if you have Synology or QNAP NAS respectively.
I don't use any of these. The content I need synced are relatively small so Dropbox (for files and docs) plus iCloud for photos works fine (and acts as offsite backup as well). The large media files, I just access directly from the NAS.
Yeah I get it, I work for a similar company for my day job. My day job is also enterprise storage administrator for this company.
However
- cost - you need to compare like for like. most who come out with the lower cost for on-prem aren't comparing like for like. they aren't counting access from anywhere, storage management, capital expenditure, etc.
- security - this will change as more realise that on-prem security when enabling remote work is not as simple as they think it is.
- speed - this is what your local SSD is for - as a local cache that you can sync somewhere else and work with the local copy which is transparently synchronized. Broadband speeds are approaching the speed of local off-device storage as well now. We aren't there yet, but it isn't inconceivable to see this inside 10 years vs. bulk (hard drive based) storage.
Sure icloud has had some hiccups but those are implementation hiccups, not problems with the concept. If you're not comfortable with it, get some storage in 365. triple redundant across multiple datacenters, provides litigation hold for esentially infinite retention of certain content if required, etc.
As to subscription cost for storage vs. on prem - it makes it a lot easier to get either temporary storage or incremental upgrades vs. an on-prem san. Need 1-5 more terabytes than your SAN has available in the same storage blob? New disk shelf time!
Need an incremental upgrade for a week/month/whatever via cloud? just add what you need and pay a small incremental cost.
I think the main reason people want an open file system is because sharing files from app to app and ending up with duplicates is cumbersome. But perhaps setting default apps would be enough for many of those people. What do you mean by “all file sizes”? You don’t mean “certain file types”? I agree, better external storage support would help too.
For myself, I’m mostly fine with how iPadOS is because it’s more supplementary to me, not my main device. I do end up with duplicate files that I have to clean up but it doesn’t happen often enough that it drives me crazy.
Thanks for the suggestions. I usually try to avoid third party software when it comes to my data, but I’ll check those out.
I believe I've seen some reports of problems when trying to open multi-GB files from the Files app. Possible it's trying to load the entire file into memory to send to the app and encountering out of memory errors?
NextCloud/OwnCloud works well enough for most stuff, however the big problem is that remote access to it requires you to
Not saying it can't be done - if you're stuck with on-prem its an option to look into. Just that you won't save huge amounts of money doing it, that's all - due to the management overhead and hardware costs.
- keep on top of security updates with it
- deploy TLS certificates on it - which aren't cheap/free unless you roll your own, but rolling your own CA infrastructure is not exactly intuitive or easy to manage unless its your day job
- manage the potential for device failure of the owncloud hosting hardware.
Not saying it can't be done - if you're stuck with on-prem its an option to look into. Just that you won't save huge amounts of money doing it, that's all - due to the management overhead and hardware costs.
Re cost, I‘m not entirely sure what you mean, but I’m pretty sure for my needs local storage is the most cost effective way to go. And I find rotating one onsite backup + one offsite backup very easy and more than reasonably safe.
Re security, all companies may eventually go that way, but even if so, personally, I just don’t like the idea of my data being out there if it doesn’t have to be (and it doesn’t have to be for me).
Re speed, yeah this is basically what I do. I keep files pertinent to what I’m currently working on in my working computer, and then when it’s done, I archive it to a hard drive connected to my home mac. So it’s the same idea as cache, but just keeping everything in my home rather than in a company somewhere.
I think my current system of keeping everything local is the most advantageous way for me (though it would be better with local auto selective sync). The main advantage of cloud—access to all my data from all my devices at all times—isn’t something I need. I’ve never needed access to all my files unexpectedly. When I think I might need access to all my files, I just grab my drive that has all my data as I head out the door, and even that’s very rare. Usually I have all the files I need (my working files) on my laptop already. And the other advantage of cloud, backup, is already covered as mentioned above. So paying a subscription for things I don’t really need doesn’t make sense to me.
My thing is, if I can achieve pretty much everything I want to achieve, and I find it easy, and it’s cheaper than a cloud subscription, and importantly for me—I don’t have to entrust a company with all my personal data, then why would I want to change it and go cloud?
If it works for you, keep doing the thing until it no longer makes sense.
I'm taking the viewpoint of the market as a whole though - as people start using more and more devices and work in different locations using different devices the whole universal sync thing will become more important - for most.
There's always going to be a need for on-premise storage, I do however expect that niche to shrink further and further as security becomes more difficult, internet becomes faster and the hosting companies reduce costs further via economy of scale.
Eventually the only people doing their own bulk storage will be restricted to very, very small niches like huge enterprise and/or government as it will only make sense to deal with the management overhead, etc. if you're big enough to carry the staff to deal with it.
Its also quite possible that in the future you won't be trusting a single company, but perhaps using blockchain tech for distributed file sync ala bit-torrent. People get paid to host multiple copies of fragments of your data, your tracker knows where all the bits are and pulls them as required. People hosting it get paid to host copies of it via blockchain microtransactions.
Your endpoints are the only ones with the key to decrypt...
You're probably right, but don't rule out home solutions for the Average Joe or Jane that replicate current enterprise solutions, just at a much smaller scale and automated.
Given the security track record for such devices (and the IOT market in general) and the level of care factor most home users have to keep on top of them - I'd say their trust is better placed in cloud services.
Consumer devices attempting to do this stuff have generally been pretty terrible.
I've owned multiple iPads including Pros but always with the understanding that I'm buying a nice tablet and not a laptop replacement (I really just mostly need full Firefox/Chrome and Calibre). That thinking still hasn't changed with the 2021 iPad Pro.
However, this is the first time I've thought it may actually be feasible: sufficient RAM, base storage not too tiny to implement swap, universal apps and x86-ARM translation with Rosetta 2. I still would've bought the 2021 Pro as a nice tablet regardless. It's just the first time that things have looked so promising.
It's entirely possible the 2020 iPad Pro with 6GB RAM and 128GB base storage could handle whatever changes are made to support macOS apps, too. Caveat, having 2GB less RAM means it'll need to swap more often.
Agree, not every company would be trustworthy, but I'm thinking of the defunct Apple Airport router line, but updated.
Apple has already shown they can both securely and seamlessly add any new iDevice to your network. With a new Apple Airport device, just attach storage and it formats it, encrypts it (if that's your choice), and then shows up in your Folder's App on your phones, iPads, or Macs.
On the flip side, it wasn't so long ago that the base RAM for macs was 4 GB and many of those are still supported IIRC. There's been a lot of old stuff ripped out recently, too.
Hey, that's just right for the 64-512GB 2018 iPad Pros. Caveat, 64GB already feels cramped for a lot of folks so losing space to swap could be a major bummer. Write endurance at the 64GB capacity is pretty iffy as well.
Yeah I was supposed to write “default apps for all file types and support for all file sizes”. I have found problems with moving large files in the Files app.
Either way, you can already open files that are in iCloud without moving them into the app you are using. So it is possible for them to have a local area with the same function where you do not have to copy files between apps. With default apps that would probably work very well.
Somehow, I don't think anyone is complaining about getting the M1 over an A14x.
I just think that anyone expecting WWDC to bring about significant changes to iPadOS (some are even speculating if macOS will come to the iPad) will be disappointed.