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All iPads Should the iPad become a Mac Replacement?
- Thread starter heretiq
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The M2 iPad Pro (12.9") and M2 MacBook Air (13.6") have nearly identical specs. Same CPU, same amount of RAM and same storage options. When paired with a Magic Keyboard, I see no reason why iPad Pro users shouldn't be able to run MacOS apps, if they wanted to. The only reason I see that Apple doesn't do this, is because it forces users to buy two devices when one should be sufficient. It's pure greed. I think users should have the right to decide for themselves. I can't justify buyng two devices when one will do. As a result, because the MacBook Air can run iPad apps, I have purchased my last iPad until Apple reverses their policy on this.
Greed? Hardly. They're a publicly traded company and like any other, their primary purpose is to make a profit. And you do have a right to decide for yourself - just walk away from Apple products. I continue to find this talk of Apple just being greedy to be absurd.
It’s naive and conspiracy theorist and stems from a form of entitlement.
But then again everyone has some level of greed, so maybe there is some of that. 🤷♂️
Sorry, I totally disagree with you. All they have to do is basically flip a switch and the iPad Pro could run MacOS. It's the same hardware.
Implementation difficulty is not relevant. What is relevant to Apple is the potential impact on sales, their source of profit and reason for existence.
I decided not to invest more money in iPad Pro's because of this. The only difference is no touch screen on my MacBook Air. I can live with that. Also, the possibility exists that some future version of the Vision Pro may make both the iPad Pro and MacBook obsolete. One device to rule them all.
But it also seems to me a pretty big assumption that it’s merely a flip of a switch and there are no other logistical factors. For one thing, it seems like a big difference in thermal capacity between a MacBook and an iPad, considering how thin iPads are plus the heat from the display. This may be a problem in running macOS. Then there is the UX issues of running dual OSes which is never a smooth experience. That may not matter much to the people who want it, but if Apple doesn’t believe that’s the best UX for their main user base, and the main user base doesn’t want it anyway, then it doesn’t make sense for Apple to invest any time into that.
Right. And it's a new system & product that has all the other costs associated - testing, documentation, etc. It is non-trivial.
One possibility would be to give the MacBook Air a touch screen. It can run iPad apps already, so this would make it easier for the consumer to use.
I don’t know, that might be a little more likely. I always thought it was a little odd to bring iPad apps to Mac without a touch screen. But I’ve never tried using them on Mac, maybe it’s fine with mouse/trackpad.
I think it comes down to how much Apple thinks people would use the touch screen and iPad apps. They'd probably disable touch for macOS.
I get my MacBook Air on July 3rd. I'll test a few iPad apps and report back. My only concern is that so many iPad apps only work in portrait mode. That would be a little awkward on a laptop that only does landscape mode. I'm hoping Apple has a solution for that.
Can you name some iPad apps that only work in portrait? If you can find one that's free, I'd appreciate that. The only iPad apps I use that only run in portrait are some games. But now I'm curious how MacOS handles portrait-only iPad apps.
I would also argue that giving the iPad macOS takes away incentives from Apple to improve the iPad OS experience, I have been impressed with the changes they have brought even though I have argued extensively that Stage Manager needs some pretty major improvements. Nevertheless the main limit (for me) on the iPad is that Apple continues to refuse to allow proper developer environments.
I would actually argue the App Store revenue has been a net negative from the user experience because Apple prioritizes maintaining service revenue (which mostly comes from the App Store) at the expense of building great products or incentivizing more ethical monetization strategies.
I really hope Apple never brings macOS to iPad - if people want a touch-screen Mac, advocate for that.
My banking app (US Bank), Uber and Lyft are three that I can name. I know there are many others. I'm on my way to work. I'll test some and edit this later.
A MacBook Air that looks and works like an iPad Pro when it isn't connected to a Magic Keyboard would be perfect. Also keep support for the Apple Pencil, or whatever comes next.
So you want something that changes OS on the fly? This is mostly wishful thinking on your part then, and unlikely to be a user experience enough regular people want to justify the dev costs. Windows 8 was hated, hated for this kind of transforming UI and I doubt you'd suddenly find it acceptable on macOS. What happens to each app window when you undock? What happens to things that don't have a touch analogue? I hope they never do this.
I have a keyboard case on my old iPad Air 2 and since they added BT mouse capability, it's really useful on vacation or on the go for some simple stuff and gets most things done. I'm considering this type of setup for my mom as she only uses basic functions like web browsing, emails, and Office file stuff.
On a hardware basis I don't see much difference since newer iPads have M series processors and USB C capability. This is pretty much my M1 Air which only has two USB C ports and a headphone jack. If they allowed OS X to run you just add a keyboard and mouse and external monitor adapter and it's pretty much a basic Mac. It feels like the two lines are converging.
On a hardware basis I don't see much difference since newer iPads have M series processors and USB C capability. This is pretty much my M1 Air which only has two USB C ports and a headphone jack. If they allowed OS X to run you just add a keyboard and mouse and external monitor adapter and it's pretty much a basic Mac. It feels like the two lines are converging.
I think as the ipad exists today it is already a laptop replacement for some and for others it’s a tablet and for others it’s something in between.
Like all of this isn’t wishful thinking…Apple is happy with the iPad Pro limited and the Macbook Air not having a touchscreen or a pencil.
Simply flipping a switch would lead to a poor user experience.
It might be the same hardware, but it certainly isn’t the same cooling. Even the MacBook Air has a keyboard to vent heat through; not only does the iPad have no openings, but it also has a heat generating screen on one surface. The MacPad would be good for basic Mac tasks, tasks which it can already do in iPadOS. Anything more demanding and it would likely start heat throttling.
It’s humorous how folks with no IT experience just believe EVERYTHING is a flip of a switch.
It’s humorous how folks with no IT experience just believe EVERYTHING is a flip of a switch.
I'm retired now but I spent decades as a s/w & h/w engineer, the last several years as system architect on large scale, multi-billion-dollar programs. It drove me crazy whenever some in mgmt. would talk about something being easy or trivial - even engineers would do so at times. If you look at the lifecycle costs of significant changes - and this would be significant - they add up very quickly and all sorts of unplanned complexities can pop up. And the issues of schedule and expertise availability and loading have to be taken into account.