iPad Pro The end of the iPad era for me, the dawn of M1 era

[spiderman0616]

I never tried to replace my desktop or laptop with an iPad. I bought the iPad 2 for one reason only - reading manga. I was getting neck pain looking down on the laptop screen trying to read manga in bed or the couch.

I just gravitated to using the iPad more and more as both hardware and software improved. I remember back when I had the iPad 2/3, majority of websites didn't work at all on the iPad so web browsing was primarily a laptop/desktop task. Right now, there are still some sites that don't work on iPad but they've gotten a lot fewer.

Granted, I never really gave up the laptop. I just use it a lot less than before. Not a fan of huge phones. I find them too big and awkward when trying to use as phone (hard to juggle groceries and phone) while still being too small for reading, web browsing, etc. The iPads really are my Goldilocks device.

I originally bought my first iPad for my long commutes on the train--mostly for reading and gaming. I've thought about maybe commandeering the old iPad mini 3 my son doesn't use anymore and just set it up for Books and Safari.

PS--do you have an Apple Watch? I've been using AnyList for groceries on my Apple Watch and it has been a GODSEND. I don't even need the phone with me--I can just check stuff off on my watch as I grab it and it live updates to my wife's phone too so she can see how far along into shopping I am and can reference the list when I call her wondering where things are.

 

[spiderman0616]

Great summary. This is why iPads have a place. This is actually funny enough what Steve Jobs touted when he first launched the iPad. His vision still stands today.

I think that pretty much sums up the journey I've been through with iPad, and I'm sure I'll go back to it full time someday, or at least some variant of it. Here's how it went for me:

1) Had a Windows laptop and an iPhone 4

2) Got an iPad 2 and sold the Windows laptop

3) Upgraded to an iPad 3 with Retina

4) Upgraded to an iPad Air and eventually found that I wanted it to be more of a laptop

5) Realized iOS was FAR too limited for me at the time, so I sold the iPad Air and got a 13" Macbook Pro

6) Missed the iPad after about a month because I hated how hot and slow the MBP ran when I was trying to use it in bed or on the couch, so I got a first gen 9.7" iPad Pro

7) Owned every gen of iPad Pro, and eventually ended up with a 12.9" 2020 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and Pencil

8) Realized that I had basically just turned my iPad into a laptop that wasn't as good of a laptop as a Macbook, but didn't want another loud, hot, slow Macbook

9) The M1 Macbooks launched and I just couldn't think of any reason NOT to switch back to Mac full time.

I guess that's the cool thing about being a fan about Apple products--sometimes they go one way when you think (or maybe they even said) that they're going to go another, and they wow you and make you an offer you can't refuse. This is the first time for me in a VERY long time that I've thought of the Macbook as a more exciting computer than the iPad Pro. Still feels odd to even type that.

 

[rui no onna]

PS--do you have an Apple Watch? I've been using AnyList for groceries on my Apple Watch and it has been a GODSEND. I don't even need the phone with me--I can just check stuff off on my watch as I grab it and it live updates to my wife's phone too so she can see how far along into shopping I am and can reference the list when I call her wondering where things are.

Not yet. I've found it too bulky and snags on things. I think a lot of Apple's devices are ridiculously thin but the Apple Watch is one device I wish Apple could make even thinner.

 

[rui no onna]

I think that pretty much sums up the journey I've been through with iPad, and I'm sure I'll go back to it full time someday, or at least some variant of it. Here's how it went for me:

1) Had a Windows laptop and an iPhone 4

2) Got an iPad 2 and sold the Windows laptop

3) Upgraded to an iPad 3 with Retina

4) Upgraded to an iPad Air and eventually found that I wanted it to be more of a laptop

5) Realized iOS was FAR too limited for me at the time, so I sold the iPad Air and got a 13" Macbook Pro

6) Missed the iPad after about a month because I hated how hot and slow the MBP ran when I was trying to use it in bed or on the couch, so I got a first gen 9.7" iPad Pro

7) Owned every gen of iPad Pro, and eventually ended up with a 12.9" 2020 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and Pencil

8) Realized that I had basically just turned my iPad into a laptop that wasn't as good of a laptop as a Macbook, but didn't want another loud, hot, slow Macbook

9) The M1 Macbooks launched and I just couldn't think of any reason NOT to switch back to Mac full time.

I guess that's the cool thing about being a fan about Apple products--sometimes they go one way when you think (or maybe they even said) that they're going to go another, and they wow you and make you an offer you can't refuse. This is the first time for me in a VERY long time that I've thought of the Macbook as a more exciting computer than the iPad Pro. Still feels odd to even type that.

For me, it's not so much that the M1 MacBook Air is exciting. It's just that it pretty much fixes all the gripes I had with Intel-based laptops while not being too outrageously priced. I mean, yeah, it's expensive but at least now, the MBA offers other tangible benefits apart from just running a different OS.

Thanks for sharing. Really interesting to see others' tech journeys.

I pretty much bought at least one iPad each year since 2011. I never gave up my laptop but I was still using the same one I bought from 2010/11 (Windows 7 + Sandy Bridge?). I did upgrade it to a 1TB SSD which greatly improved performance. I only recently replaced that laptop with a ThinkPad X390 with Windows 10. I pretty much delayed the Windows 10 upgrade until the deadline for Win 7 extended support cutoff.

I don't know if I'm ready to make a full household switch to Macs yet but the M1 Macs are certainly attractive enough to get me to dip my toes in the water.

 

[Astonish_IT]

Other than that though, I think they have the Mac up to par with the iPad as far as responsiveness, production of heat, portability (the Air model at least), and instant-on. Now it's time for the iPad to get an M1-style overhaul and blow me away again. Not that it necessarily needs more horsepower. I think the M1 moment for the iPad will be if they majorly overhaul iPadOS. I am not one of those people who wants iPads to run macOS--I love iPadOS--I just think it needs to move even further away from that "big iPhone" paradigm.

I think that the 2021 Ipad Pros will have a very compareable processor to the M1 Macs. In my opinion it may even be like a Macbook Aur performance (without active cooling) with 8 gb ram. So they may almost be like same devices, but one of them running Mac OS and the other one IPad Os. So people who prefer laptop use case or really need a full fledge system, will go with the Macbook line and the other ones will go with IPad Pro line. Then more powerful M2 Macbook Pros will arrive to increase the gap with the IPad Pro line for more intensive works, alongside the IMac..etc. That is my prediction, may sound dumb. I agree that iPadOS should still improve on the direction that started with the iPad OS 13.4 (it was .4 I guess where they had released the biggest innovations before iPad OS 14 right? I don’t remember )

So if it was like Dex, would that mean it’s still just ipadOS but with floating windows? Or would it completely switch to macOS?

Yes it would still mean that it is iPad OS. On Samsung Dex it is still Android but it offers more desktop like interface when you choose to use it. It could be like a “lightweight” Mac OS interface based on IPad OS. Could be Mac OS Lite ? But the interface options would not be enough, they still need to push even further the limitations that iPad OS is creating., they should improve the file management, and also more pro apps should arrive hopefully to match the improvements. So this way you have your simple tablet mode when you need it, and then a more desktop inspired interface with bigger multitasking capabilities when you need it, best of both worlds.

 

[spiderman0616]

I think that the 2021 Ipad Pros will have a very compareable processor to the M1 Macs. In my opinion it may even be like a Macbook Aur performance (without active cooling) with 8 gb ram. So they may almost be like same devices, but one of them running Mac OS and the other one IPad Os. So people who prefer laptop use case or really need a full fledge system, will go with the Macbook line and the other ones will go with IPad Pro line. Then more powerful M2 Macbook Pros will arrive to increase the gap with the IPad Pro line for more intensive works, alongside the IMac..etc. That is my prediction, may sound dumb. I agree that iPadOS should still improve on the direction that started with the iPad OS 13.4 (it was .4 I guess where they had released the biggest innovations before iPad OS 14 right? I don’t remember )



Yes it would still mean that it is iPad OS. On Samsung Dex it is still Android but it offers more desktop like interface when you choose to use it. It could be like a “lightweight” Mac OS interface based on IPad OS. Could be Mac OS Lite ? But the interface options would not be enough, they still need to push even further the limitations that iPad OS is creating., they should improve the file management, and also more pro apps should arrive hopefully to match the improvements. So this way you have your simple tablet mode when you need it, and then a more desktop inspired interface with bigger multitasking capabilities when you need it, best of both worlds.

Yeah, for sure--there will be an A14x/z or something like that incoming and it will probably at least approach what the M series chips can do if not surpass it. I may be misrepresenting myself a bit here too.....if Apple suddenly discontinued all Macs and said iPads are their PC lineup now, I'd be 100% fine operating from an iPad from now on. I still love iOS/iPadOS--I think it's a gorgeous UI and so much more fun to use than a Mac in a lot of situations. I absolutely adore my iPhone as well.

I abandoned macOS as my main productivity OS years ago (though I've been using a work Mac this entire time), but not because of the software--it was because of the hot, loud, sluggish Intel-based hardware. If I can't use a device in bed or in the living room in my lap without it melting off my leg skin or making me pour sweat, then it's not really a very good portable device. Another problem was that I was podcasting weekly at the time and the fan noise was always ruining my recordings.

So I think for me, the M1 Macs feel like they're the machine I WANTED my 13" Macbook Pro to be back in the day mixed with the performance, cool operating temperature, and portability of the iPad Pro. They're not nearly as versatile or modular as an iPad Pro, and they don't have a touch screen, but I was increasingly not using the touch screen, Apple Pencil, etc. on the iPad Pro anyway, so these aren't big losses for me. The Apple Pencil is a big thing for me to give up since I love using it so much, but 99% of the time it sat there stuck to the side of my iPad doing nothing.

 

[subjonas]

Yes it would still mean that it is iPad OS. On Samsung Dex it is still Android but it offers more desktop like interface when you choose to use it. It could be like a “lightweight” Mac OS interface based on IPad OS. Could be Mac OS Lite ? But the interface options would not be enough, they still need to push even further the limitations that iPad OS is creating., they should improve the file management, and also more pro apps should arrive hopefully to match the improvements. So this way you have your simple tablet mode when you need it, and then a more desktop inspired interface with bigger multitasking capabilities when you need it, best of both worlds.

Something like Dex could be a good way to give people the option of floating windows without compromising the standard iPad user experience, but I do wonder how ipadOS would handle all those windows people are surely to open, as far as how many windows/apps can be open and active and how often they’ll refresh. In any case, this option would of course require a higher amount of ram than iPads have, and I imagine they may need to additionally support memory swap.

These would also be required if it ran dual ipadOS/macOS of course, though I don’t think it would be sold as an iPad, or even a pro, at that point, but a completely new and more expensive product line.

As far as file management, I’ve long given up on hoping for a desktop-type implementation. People have been wanting it from the beginning, I think even way before wanting mouse support, and Apple still hasn’t really budged. The share sheet was added pretty early on which added critical functionality, and the Files app helped out quite a bit. But neither of these changed the fundamental sandboxing approach. I think it’s too fundamental to the iPad. All I hope for now is for developers to pick up their slack and fully support share sheets. There are too many inconsistencies as of now as to which apps are available to share to when and how. It can be a frustrating mess. And that’s aside from the annoying duplicate files.
And I think it was this thread I posted in recently, but I think touch UI will always be a requirement for iPad apps, which I think will always be a roadblock to a lot of pro apps, but it ultimately just depends on how much profit companies think they can make.

 

[Astonish_IT]

I think that if they bumped to 8 GB ram, iPad Pro could handle several floating windows unless that iPadOS' ram management than the one of Mac OS since there are new M1 Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros doing just fine with 8 gb ram. In case if the memory management was not as good, then they could limit the floating window app number to 4 or 5 apps at a time, but still even then, it would be much better on multi tasking compared to the actual situation that we have right now.

To be honest, today, while I was using Luma Fusion, exporting, importing..etc many files, I find that the File Management is "pretty good" even tho me too I am hoping it to improve in time but still, compared to the days with the first iPads..etc, it is much better. I agree with the pro mode, if they want to keep the iPadOS user friendly for even someone who has no interest in "power features" , then on things like user interface, file management..etc, the pro mode would be the way to go, giving best of the both worlds for the use case of the customer.

I get your concerns about Touch UI limiting Pro apps to be developped or ported to the iPad OS and I can definitely see it as a reason for some of my 3d rendering apps or 3d modelling apps such as Rhinoceros but then again, there, on those apps, you could make to interfaces/modes again like the pro mode. One could be the Only Touch mode where the app could do only basic stuff, for example if i give Rhinoceros 3d Modelling app, it could be something like this:

- Touch mode: Moving, rotating, paning the viewport to visualize/showcase the model. Changing layer names, materials and colours..etc
- Mouse mode / Trackpad mode : The real software

Since Apple released the Magic Keyboard, this shows that they are agreeing that some people use their iPads only as laptop or laptop replacements since the Magic Keyboard does not really support tablet mode. And this also is one of the reasons why today we are seeing people saying that with the arrival of the M1 Macbooks, there is no use for iPad Pro. Because such keyboards changed the style that certain people use their iPad Pro. People doing creative mode, artists..etc , I can see that they will keep using their iPads in tablet mode to draw..etc, but a user who just use the iPad for media consumption and typing..etc, I can see how easily they would hesitate between an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and a M1 Macbook.

 

[The Game 161]

I think that if they bumped to 8 GB ram, iPad Pro could handle several floating windows unless that iPadOS' ram management than the one of Mac OS since there are new M1 Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros doing just fine with 8 gb ram. In case if the memory management was not as good, then they could limit the floating window app number to 4 or 5 apps at a time, but still even then, it would be much better on multi tasking compared to the actual situation that we have right now.

To be honest, today, while I was using Luma Fusion, exporting, importing..etc many files, I find that the File Management is "pretty good" even tho me too I am hoping it to improve in time but still, compared to the days with the first iPads..etc, it is much better. I agree with the pro mode, if they want to keep the iPadOS user friendly for even someone who has no interest in "power features" , then on things like user interface, file management..etc, the pro mode would be the way to go, giving best of the both worlds for the use case of the customer.

I get your concerns about Touch UI limiting Pro apps to be developped or ported to the iPad OS and I can definitely see it as a reason for some of my 3d rendering apps or 3d modelling apps such as Rhinoceros but then again, there, on those apps, you could make to interfaces/modes again like the pro mode. One could be the Only Touch mode where the app could do only basic stuff, for example if i give Rhinoceros 3d Modelling app, it could be something like this:

- Touch mode: Moving, rotating, paning the viewport to visualize/showcase the model. Changing layer names, materials and colours..etc
- Mouse mode / Trackpad mode : The real software

Since Apple released the Magic Keyboard, this shows that they are agreeing that some people use their iPads only as laptop or laptop replacements since the Magic Keyboard does not really support tablet mode. And this also is one of the reasons why today we are seeing people saying that with the arrival of the M1 Macbooks, there is no use for iPad Pro. Because such keyboards changed the style that certain people use their iPad Pro. People doing creative mode, artists..etc , I can see that they will keep using their iPads in tablet mode to draw..etc, but a user who just use the iPad for media consumption and typing..etc, I can see how easily they would hesitate between an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and a M1 Macbook.

Honestly I hope iOS 15 brings slide over to at least 3 apps

 

[kazmac]

With my drawing less, and constant heat related touch issues, I am retreating to the cheapest iPad, a Mac, and possibly a Windows laptop for work and school content (Need Windows for a particular program).

I tried an M1 Air and loved using it, but received a lemon (flaky memory pressure etc). I will definitely try again.

The less I draw, the less I want to deal with iPads. Yes, they are helpful with signing PDFs, reading and art, I prefer Macs though.

 

[pdoherty]

What are you referring to by “flaky memory pressure”?

 

[Rla1022]

I love my 12 In 2020 IPad Pro. I dont feel like I am being held back at all by IPadOS, but I do feel like that app developers could be taking more risks. We have seen some lately being urged to re-compile for M1. I am hoping that we seem a sort of reverse Catalyst that allows M1 apps to be reverse compiled and converted to IPAD PRO apps.

 

[Deliro]

I love my 12 In 2020 IPad Pro. I dont feel like I am being held back at all by IPadOS, but I do feel like that app developers could be taking more risks. We have seen some lately being urged to re-compile for M1. I am hoping that we seem a sort of reverse Catalyst that allows M1 apps to be reverse compiled and converted to IPAD PRO apps.

The IPP limiting factor isn’t hardware. It’s the OS and the watered down apps. This is why I’m moving back to the MacBook after 8 months of trying to get my IPP with MK to do what I want, efficiently.

To be fair maybe it’s my expectations. I tried to force it to do laptop type of work and not really appreciating what is does best, being a tablet. It’s a OK laptop and an excellent tablet. I bought into the apple your next computer marketing mumbo jumbo and I knew it wasn’t. I wanted a change of pace. Now I’m contemplating to sell it all and just be without a tablet.

 

[subjonas]

I think that if they bumped to 8 GB ram, iPad Pro could handle several floating windows unless that iPadOS' ram management than the one of Mac OS since there are new M1 Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros doing just fine with 8 gb ram. In case if the memory management was not as good, then they could limit the floating window app number to 4 or 5 apps at a time, but still even then, it would be much better on multi tasking compared to the actual situation that we have right now.

8 GB ram would probably be fine, but I believe they would need to support memory swap. That’s the reason (or at least a major reason) why Macs do well with little ram. When ram runs out, Macs can move the data to the drive until it’s needed again, basically never needing to refresh. I’m not sure why iPads don’t already support it, but I’m guessing it has to do with battery life.

I agree with the pro mode, if they want to keep the iPadOS user friendly for even someone who has no interest in "power features" , then on things like user interface, file management..etc, the pro mode would be the way to go, giving best of the both worlds for the use case of the customer.

- Touch mode: Moving, rotating, paning the viewport to visualize/showcase the model. Changing layer names, materials and colours..etc
- Mouse mode / Trackpad mode : The real software

So if “the real software” is mouse UI and not sandboxed (if the iPad could somehow allow non-sandbox), it’s really just the Mac application then, right? So I think effectively this just another way of asking for macOS to run on iPad, isn’t it?

My only thoughts about that, to reiterate a post I made earlier in this thread (#101), is I think it MAY be possible that Apple could put a dual OS of sorts on the iPad, since they now run on the same chip architecture, though I don’t know how difficult this is to pull off technically and elegantly. If it does happen, it may only be on the larger 12.9” iPad, given that Apple’s smallest macOS screen is currently 13”. But in any case, this would likely be a big undertaking so there would need to be enough financial motivation for Apple, which I have no idea if there is.

 

[subjonas]

To be fair maybe it’s my expectations. I tried to force it to do laptop type of work and not really appreciating what is does best, being a tablet. It’s a OK laptop and an excellent tablet.

I think this is very true and Apple’s intention. The iPad is a great tablet first, and Apple has added as much laptop functionality as they have seen fit. To go back to the car analogy, Mac is a truck, and the iPad was at first a car, but now the iPad is like a stronger car with a little trailer hitch flatbed that can be taken off and on. Still an excellent car when one needs it to be, and now with a lot of truck functionality. But of course still not as optimized for truck duties as a dedicated truck.

 

[rui no onna]

8 GB ram would probably be fine, but I believe they would need to support memory swap. That’s the reason (or at least a major reason) why Macs do well with little ram. When ram runs out, Macs can move the data to the drive until it’s needed again, basically never needing to refresh. I’m not sure why iPads don’t already support it, but I’m guessing it has to do with battery life.

Storage size and performance. Can't be swapping GBs of virtual memory when you only have slow 16GB eMMC storage (e.g. still supported Air 2 and mini 4). At the base level of 16-64GB, not only the size but longevity plays a part.

For example, at 3,000 P/E cycles (e.g. 2x nm MLC, 3D TLC):

NAND Writes
16GB: 48 TB
32GB: 96 TB
64GB: 192 TB
128GB: 384TB
256GB : 768 TB

That's purely NAND writes. You still have to factor in write amplification so effective host writes are lower.

For endurance, apart from TBW one of the metrics SSD manufacturers use is drive writes per day (DWPD). At 0.3 DWPD for the 16GB, that's just 8.5 TBW. The boot drive on my Windows desktop already logs 11.5 TBW after 2 years of use.

My only thoughts about that, to reiterate a post I made earlier in this thread (#101), is I think it MAY be possible that Apple could put a dual OS of sorts on the iPad, since they now run on the same chip architecture, though I don’t know how difficult this is to pull off technically and elegantly. If it does happen, it may only be on the larger 12.9” iPad, given that Apple’s smallest macOS screen is currently 13”. But in any case, this would likely be a big undertaking so there would need to be enough financial motivation for Apple, which I have no idea if there is.

Technical is easy on the 2018 and newer iPad Pros (assuming minimum 128-256GB storage). It's the elegant part that's going to take a crap ton of work.

 

[subjonas]

Storage size and performance. Can't be swapping GBs of virtual memory when you only have slow 16GB eMMC storage (e.g. still supported Air 2 and mini 4). At the base level of 16-64GB, not only the size but longevity plays a part.

For example, at 3,000 P/E cycles (e.g. 2x nm MLC, 3D TLC):

NAND Writes
16GB: 48 TB
32GB: 96 TB
64GB: 192 TB
128GB: 384TB
256GB : 768 TB

That's purely NAND writes. You still have to factor in write amplification so effective host writes are lower.

For endurance, apart from TBW one of the metrics SSD manufacturers use is drive writes per day (DWPD). At 0.3 DWPD for the 16GB, that's just 8.5 TBW. The boot drive on my Windows desktop already logs 11.5 TBW after 2 years of use.




Technical is easy on the 2018 and newer iPad Pros. It's the elegant part that's going to take a crap ton of work.

Well there it is ?

 

[subjonas]

8 GB ram would probably be fine, but I believe they would need to support memory swap. That’s the reason (or at least a major reason) why Macs do well with little ram. When ram runs out, Macs can move the data to the drive until it’s needed again, basically never needing to refresh. I’m not sure why iPads don’t already support it, but I’m guessing it has to do with battery life.



So if “the real software” is mouse UI and not sandboxed (if the iPad could somehow allow non-sandbox), it’s really just the Mac application then, right? So I think effectively this just another way of asking for macOS to run on iPad, isn’t it?

My only thoughts about that, to reiterate a post I made earlier in this thread (#101), is I think it MAY be possible that Apple could put a dual OS of sorts on the iPad, since they now run on the same chip architecture, though I don’t know how difficult this is to pull off technically and elegantly. If it does happen, it may only be on the larger 12.9” iPad, given that Apple’s smallest macOS screen is currently 13”. But in any case, this would likely be a big undertaking so there would need to be enough financial motivation for Apple, which I have no idea if there is.

I forgot that I said in post #157 that I think a dual OS Apple device, if it happened, would not be an iPad/Pro but a new, more expensive product line. I do still think that. And I’m inclined to think, if it happened, it would be a convertible (around 13”), rather than a slate—because I think it would be intended to be used with the keyboard and trackpad more often than not. And by making it a convertible rather than the current slate and magic keyboard, it would cut down significantly on overall bulk and weight.

 

[Mackilroy]

I'm curious how many people clamoring for macOS on the iPad considered the Modbook when it was released.

 

[secretk]

I think this is very true and Apple’s intention. The iPad is a great tablet first, and Apple has added as much laptop functionality as they have seen fit. To go back to the car analogy, Mac is a truck, and the iPad was at first a car, but now the iPad is like a stronger car with a little trailer hitch flatbed that can be taken off and on. Still an excellent car when one needs it to be, and now with a lot of truck functionality. But of course still not as optimized for truck duties as a dedicated truck.

I like the idea of the analogy but would change some vehicles. For me the car represent something basic that works for 95 % of the people and I do not see the iPad this way. For me it is a bicycle. It is a good tablet, but when it comes to regular computing (laptop or desktop), it has a long way to go.

Why is not great tablet? RAM management. This hinders it even as a regular tablet. It is outrageous on how much apps get reloaded. Even on iPad Pro with 4 GB RAM, I experienced Books app crashing twice when reading. Granted I read for hours so imagine me using the iPP as a Kindle and basically read a book for 2-3 hours. Now that is not even laptop territory, this is tablet territory and it cannot handle it because maybe the book is bigger (around 500 pages).

Now granted I do not want the iPad to replace my laptop because it cannot. However whenever I travel, I carry only my iPad with me (lighter this way). And every time I do this I get reminded how even simple tasks can be complex for an iPad. Like accessing files, or watching movies online (in browser, not in app) or listening to YouTube music in the background (without PiP). Overall, in the end of the day it is still a tablet (which granted I am never for tablet life) but with great pencil support so awesome digital notebook.

 

[subjonas]

I'm curious how many people clamoring for macOS on the iPad considered the Modbook when it was released.

I think those might be two slightly different groups of people. The Modbook is strictly macOS and doesn’t have touch input I believe, and is really just for Mac users who need pen input. Those who want macOS on iPad seem to be mostly people who want to be able to switch between touch on iPadOS and mouse on macOS on one device.

 

[subjonas]

I like the idea of the analogy but would change some vehicles. For me the car represent something basic that works for 95 % of the people and I do not see the iPad this way. For me it is a bicycle. It is a good tablet, but when it comes to regular computing (laptop or desktop), it has a long way to go.

Why is not great tablet? RAM management. This hinders it even as a regular tablet. It is outrageous on how much apps get reloaded. Even on iPad Pro with 4 GB RAM, I experienced Books app crashing twice when reading. Granted I read for hours so imagine me using the iPP as a Kindle and basically read a book for 2-3 hours. Now that is not even laptop territory, this is tablet territory and it cannot handle it because maybe the book is bigger (around 500 pages).

Now granted I do not want the iPad to replace my laptop because it cannot. However whenever I travel, I carry only my iPad with me (lighter this way). And every time I do this I get reminded how even simple tasks can be complex for an iPad. Like accessing files, or watching movies online (in browser, not in app) or listening to YouTube music in the background (without PiP). Overall, in the end of the day it is still a tablet (which granted I am never for tablet life) but with great pencil support so awesome digital notebook.

Yeah the jury is still out on whether Steve’s car/truck analogy will hold up. Tablets certainly have not taken over in popularity yet, but we’ll see, things are still changing. A more accurate analogy of the current state of things is probably: laptops are cars, tablets are bikes/scooters/motorcycles/public transportation. And maybe desktop towers are trucks.

I agree, ram management can be a regular annoyance even for common tablet use. Maybe as rui’s post alluded to, that will improve as storage sizes increase and performance improves. Hopefully.

 

[rui no onna]

Why is not great tablet? RAM management. This hinders it even as a regular tablet. It is outrageous on how much apps get reloaded. Even on iPad Pro with 4 GB RAM, I experienced Books app crashing twice when reading. Granted I read for hours so imagine me using the iPP as a Kindle and basically read a book for 2-3 hours. Now that is not even laptop territory, this is tablet territory and it cannot handle it because maybe the book is bigger (around 500 pages).

I've never had this issue reading EPUBs on my iPads and I've got a 5000 page/1.8 million word omnibus on there. I've certainly done my share of 8-hour marathon reading sessions, too.

That said, I do force close background apps and it gets fairly frequent restarts, too, mostly because Safari starts to act funky after a while (webpage crash, screenshot doesn't show full page option, takes forever to load the fake file system when using Save to Files).

If we had swap, I'd be fine letting iOS handle memory management. As it is, it needs occasional manual intervention to get some things working again.

 

[secretk]

I've never had this issue reading EPUBs on my iPads and I've got a 5000 page/1.8 million word omnibus on there. I've certainly done my share of 8-hour marathon reading sessions, too.

That said, I do force close background apps and it gets fairly frequent restarts, too, mostly because Safari starts to act funky after a while (webpage crash, screenshot doesn't show full page option, takes forever to load the fake file system when using Save to Files).

If we had swap, I'd be fine letting iOS handle memory management. As it is, it needs occasional manual intervention to get some things working again.

I see. I do not force close background apps and do not restart so maybe this is the culprit .

 

[secretk]

Yeah the jury is still out on whether Steve’s car/truck analogy will hold up. Tablets certainly have not taken over in popularity yet, but we’ll see, things are still changing. A more accurate analogy of the current state of things is probably: laptops are cars, tablets are bikes/scooters/motorcycles/public transportation. And maybe desktop towers are trucks.

I agree, ram management can be a regular annoyance even for common tablet use. Maybe as rui’s post alluded to, that will improve as storage sizes increase and performance improves. Hopefully.

Yep I tend to see more laptops as cars and tablets as bikes/public transportation etc. I guess it also depends on price and overall culture. In my country people in general do not have that much tablets. It is just tablets are in the middle of the line. People have smartphones because that's given, they need desktop or laptop (depending on their needs) and then the tablet is seen as some luxury item that you buy if you can afford it. As a result it does not get used that much to be accepted and embraced.

And yeah I do hope that RAM management will improve but maybe it will be as you said accompanied with hardware changes so that the device has the storage to allow SWAP.