iPad The iPad’s biggest problem is Lazy App Design

[mashinhead]

So, though I have been a Mac user for years. I haven’t been an iPad user.

I had some of the earlier iPads. I bought the 1st gen and never really used it. So I kinda stopped buying them. I dropped off around the original mini. Over the years some jobs gave me iPads to use, so I had like the 3rd Gen OG and 4th Gen. I ended up buying this one only because I job I had last year had given me one, with a keyboard, and I really liked it. It was an older iPad 12.9 with the home button and a smart folio keyboard cover. I had never used an iPad with a keyboard before. So I bought this one.

I received it two days ago. And I’ve set it up and I kind of think it’s not so great. And this all comes down to app design. People either do not, or can not design for the iPad. Part of me thinks no one knows how to. I don’t even think Apple has figured it out. I’m astounded at how bad some of the app design is. For a person that hasn’t used an iPad in years, I’m seeing high level brands and apps that look like they’ve still just ported their iPhone designs as if it’s 2010. Redfin, Amex, even the NYT do not know how to properly use space. Google Docs, opens doc links from within the app in a browser, which then prompts you to download the app! WTAF.

A lot simple things you can do intuitively on a computer don’t work well on an iPad. In Google slides I wanted to batch select slides to delete them. On a desktop Shift, Select, click, delete. On an iPad individually select 74 slides. I have to go back to my computer to get work done in a timely manner.

All this is 100% correctable with design.

I think the best solution is to design certain apps like a interactive widget dashboard, that gives you an overview of lots of data quickly.

I also think Apple needs to set the tone and push developers to invest in designing apps properly and show them how.

 

[bsamcash]

Go ahead and write some apps then.

 

[mashinhead]

Go ahead and write some apps then.

Put a lot of thought into that response did you?

 

[Tsepz]

So, thought I have been a Mac user for years. I haven’t been an iPad user.

I had some of the earlier iPads. I bought the 1st gen and never really used it. So I kinda stopped buying them. Over the years some jobs gave me iPads to use, so I had like the 3rd Gen OG and 4th Gen. I ended up buying this one only because I job I had last year had given me one, with a keyboard, and I really liked it. It was an older iPad 12.9 with the home button and a smart folio keyboard cover. I had never used an iPad with a keyboard before. So I bought this one.

I received it two days ago. And I’ve set it up and I’m kind think it’s not so great. And this all comes down to design. People either do not, or can not design for the iPad. Part of me things no one knows how to. I don’t even think Apple has figured it out. I’m astounded at how bad some of the app design is. For a person that hasn’t used an iPad in years, I’m seeing high level brands and apps that look like they’ve still just ported their iPhone designs as if it’s 2010. Redfin, Amex, even the NYT doesn’t know how to properly use space. Google Docs, opens doc links from within the app in a browser, which then prompts you to download the app! WTAF.

A lot simple things you can do intuitively on a computer don’t work well on an iPad. In Google slides I wanted to batch select slides to delete them. On a desktop Shift, Select, click, delete. On an iPad individually select 74 slides. I have to go back to my computer to get work done in a timely manner.

All this is 100% correctable with design.

I think the best solution is to design certain apps like a interactive widget dashboard, that gives you an overview of lots of data quickly.

I also think Apple needs to set the tone and push developers to invest in designing apps properly and show them how.

Seems to be more of a app developer issue than an iPad issue, there is a similar situation in Android which if anything is significantly worse, developers seem to be focused on which devices bring them the greatest ROI and it seems smartphones for many of them are still the main target. For a long time tablets seemed to be losing steam until COVID-19 hit and suddenly tablets mattered again.

My current main bank here in South Africa has a fanstastic app for iPads, it works flawlessly on my iPad Pro, but the bank I have my mortgage with on the other hand is not so great on iPad. Some financial institutions I deal with for retirement and insurance don’t even have iPad apps yet they have great iPhone apps, it’s a mixed bag out there.

 

[cupcakes2000]

So, thought I have been a Mac user for years. I haven’t been an iPad user.

I had some of the earlier iPads. I bought the 1st gen and never really used it. So I kinda stopped buying them. Over the years some jobs gave me iPads to use, so I had like the 3rd Gen OG and 4th Gen. I ended up buying this one only because I job I had last year had given me one, with a keyboard, and I really liked it. It was an older iPad 12.9 with the home button and a smart folio keyboard cover. I had never used an iPad with a keyboard before. So I bought this one.

I received it two days ago. And I’ve set it up and I’m kind think it’s not so great. And this all comes down to design. People either do not, or can not design for the iPad. Part of me things no one knows how to. I don’t even think Apple has figured it out. I’m astounded at how bad some of the app design is. For a person that hasn’t used an iPad in years, I’m seeing high level brands and apps that look like they’ve still just ported their iPhone designs as if it’s 2010. Redfin, Amex, even the NYT doesn’t know how to properly use space. Google Docs, opens doc links from within the app in a browser, which then prompts you to download the app! WTAF.

A lot simple things you can do intuitively on a computer don’t work well on an iPad. In Google slides I wanted to batch select slides to delete them. On a desktop Shift, Select, click, delete. On an iPad individually select 74 slides. I have to go back to my computer to get work done in a timely manner.

All this is 100% correctable with design.

I think the best solution is to design certain apps like a interactive widget dashboard, that gives you an overview of lots of data quickly.

I also think Apple needs to set the tone and push developers to invest in designing apps properly and show them how.

I absolutely couldn’t agree more. Some apps are extremely well thought out, look at the professional creation apps. Very intuitive. most other stuff however is terrible, and as you say just a straight phone port.

The devs that concentrate on this space will reap the rewards later, that’s assured. The ones that don’t, who also perhaps don’t warrant the iPad as a true ‘computer’ or a true device to do ‘real work’, will - in all honesty - fall by the wayside as the paradigm shifts to this type of computing over the next few years.

For one example, look at the great powerhouse industry leading Adobe - leagues behind the newcomer Affinity on the iPad, precisely due to this. Now it’s not going to affect them just yet, and to be fair they’re starting to get it, but it’s a testament to what can be done if devs embrace the platform as a unique platform and think like an iPad user would think.

 

[JayMysterio]

So, thought I have been a Mac user for years. I haven’t been an iPad user.

I had some of the earlier iPads. I bought the 1st gen and never really used it. So I kinda stopped buying them. Over the years some jobs gave me iPads to use, so I had like the 3rd Gen OG and 4th Gen. I ended up buying this one only because I job I had last year had given me one, with a keyboard, and I really liked it. It was an older iPad 12.9 with the home button and a smart folio keyboard cover. I had never used an iPad with a keyboard before. So I bought this one.

I received it two days ago. And I’ve set it up and I’m kind think it’s not so great. And this all comes down to design. People either do not, or can not design for the iPad. Part of me things no one knows how to. I don’t even think Apple has figured it out. I’m astounded at how bad some of the app design is. For a person that hasn’t used an iPad in years, I’m seeing high level brands and apps that look like they’ve still just ported their iPhone designs as if it’s 2010. Redfin, Amex, even the NYT doesn’t know how to properly use space. Google Docs, opens doc links from within the app in a browser, which then prompts you to download the app! WTAF.

A lot simple things you can do intuitively on a computer don’t work well on an iPad. In Google slides I wanted to batch select slides to delete them. On a desktop Shift, Select, click, delete. On an iPad individually select 74 slides. I have to go back to my computer to get work done in a timely manner.

All this is 100% correctable with design.

I think the best solution is to design certain apps like a interactive widget dashboard, that gives you an overview of lots of data quickly.

I also think Apple needs to set the tone and push developers to invest in designing apps properly and show them how.

Isn't your title a bit off then? Your issue is with the design of Apps, which isn't an iPad itself problem, but a developer problem. Apple already gets grief for the practices in the marketplace, now you want to add them dictating more specifically what a developer should or shouldn't do?

 

[cupcakes2000]

Isn't your title a bit off then?

Agreed, when I saw the post I assumed design of the machine itself.

 

[mashinhead]

Isn't your title a bit off then? Your issue is with the design of Apps, which isn't an iPad itself problem, but a developer problem. Apple already gets grief for the practices in the marketplace, now you want to add them dictating more specifically what a developer should or shouldn't do?

Yes that is my issue, and the issue is that developer is already solving these issues on other platforms. It’s not dictation it’s solving for user experience design, which is what the industry has being doing for over 50 years. It’s standard practice that isn’t being implemented in one specific space. The same developers are doing the same thing on the same apps on on the iPhone and on the Mac.

 

[mashinhead]

Agreed, when I saw the post I assumed design of the machine itself.

Fair I didn’t specify what design, the title was getting long. It’s clearly described in the post copy.

 

[sparksd]

Apple is not going to be able to push Google on its designs.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Fair I didn’t specify what design, the title was getting long. It’s clearly described in the post copy.

Yep it became clear after reading, however just the three letter word app written before the word design would solve the issue and would actually mean what you alluded to.

 

[jsmith1]

Greatest sidepiece on the planet...unless you like android

 

[fwmireault]

I agree with some parts of your post, it’s true that some ipad apps are terrible compared to desktop versions. Google docs is a very clear example. I would not say that it’s true for everything though, I find some apps to be more intuitive than their desktop equivalent due to touch surface. Use an editing PDF software in ipad and it’s so more convenient than on mac in my opinion. But anyway this has more to do to how developers make theirs ipad apps than the ipad design or form factor itself. For too long, ipad apps and software were only the bigger version of the iphone counterparts. I think that since 3-4 years, we see a shift from apple where they want ipad apps to be more of a mac app and less of a iphone app (you can see the switch on adobe apps, for example). This mentality is slowly changing, but yeah, for some devs, iPad apps won’t be as powerful as the desktop version for many reasons (And the limitation of iPadOS itself is a big one). As long as we conceive the iPad as a baby mac, we will not get good desktop-like apps

 

[mashinhead]

Seems to be more of a app developer issue than an iPad issue, there is a similar situation in Android which if anything is significantly worse, developers seem to be focused on which devices bring them the greatest ROI and it seems smartphones for many of them are still the main target. For a long time tablets seemed to be losing steam until COVID-19 hit and suddenly tablets mattered again.

My current main bank here in South Africa has a fanstastic app for iPads, it works flawlessly on my iPad Pro, but the bank I have my mortgage with on the other hand is not so great on iPad. Some financial institutions I deal with for retirement and insurance don’t even have iPad apps yet they have great iPhone apps, it’s a mixed bag out there.

It is, but to be honest, to a lesser degree Apple to is guilty of this too. Why do pages like this exist on an iPad? I mean they are solving this on the Today page. Why does it stop there?

 

[cupcakes2000]

It is, but to be honest, to a lesser degree Apple to is guilty of this too. Why do pages like this exist on an iPad? I mean they are solving this on the Today page. Why does it stop there?


View attachment 1794957

Yes I agree. Apple are a major problem if you want to ‘follow the rules’. They don’t really design any of their iPad apps to inspire let’s be honest. Files is ok though in this respect.

 

[flottenheimer]

Copy-(cut)-Paste is still a nightmare for me on both iOS and ipadOS.

 

[bsamcash]

Put a lot of thought into that response did you?

Yes. So much thought that I actually started doing it myself. I started learning Swift and got with a friend to write an app. Is there a a reason you can’t do the same?

 

[bousozoku]

A lot of developers concentrate on the sparkly bits, not the way you use it. They don't have someone try it. If it works for those who developed it, it's finished.

I've noticed that many development teams don't have any designers but they have plenty of coders. Smaller companies often farm out their application development to the loudest/most visible, least expensive developer that they can find.

 

[LogicalApex]

I have said this many times on these forums in the last few months. The core issue is Apple lacks a vision for the iPad. This results in a muddled and poor vision translated to developers so you get a lot of half baked phone apps. Some apps are able to stand out and design for the iPad but they are in niche categories.

The iPad is still largely a larger iPhone. iPadOS is almost indistinguishable from iOS. Hell even here on an apple enthusiast forum iOS and iPadOS are lumped into the iOS forums. The limitations of the iOS roots makes developers unwilling to try and contort themselves to fit it. Especially when the tablet market is smaller than the phone one.

For instance, why does iPadOS prevent background threads just as heavy as iOS? Even though the chips have super energy efficient “little” cores as shown by M1 macs? Battery is crazy important on a phone, but less so on an iPad. Since iPadOS isn’t the same as iOS Apple could allow them here. That alone would open up a whole host of new apps for iPad. Imagine you could have persistent background threads that can guarante switching between applications or power a whole host of things. The same is true for many other iOS restrictions that hamper iPads.

Apple needs to find a vision for the iPad. One bigger than it being a pen tablet for movie watching.

But that’s the harsh truth.

 

[kristalsoldier]

I have said this many times on these forums in the last few months. The core issue is Apple lacks a vision for the iPad. This results in a muddled and poor vision translated to developers so you get a lot of half baked phone apps. Some apps are able to stand out and design for the iPad but they are in niche categories.

The iPad is still largely a larger iPhone. iPadOS is almost indistinguishable from iOS. Hell even here on an apple enthusiast forum iOS and iPadOS are lumped into the iOS forums. The limitations of the iOS roots makes developers unwilling to try and contort themselves to fit it. Especially when the tablet market is smaller than the phone one.

For instance, why does iPadOS prevent background threads just as heavy as iOS? Even though the chips have super energy efficient “little” cores as shown by M1 macs? Battery is crazy important on a phone, but less so on an iPad. Since iPadOS isn’t the same as iOS Apple could allow them here. That alone would open up a whole host of new apps for iPad. Imagine you could have persistent background threads that can guarante switching between applications or power a whole host of things. The same is true for many other iOS restrictions that hamper iPads.

Apple needs to find a vision for the iPad. One bigger than it being a pen tablet for movie watching.

But that’s the harsh truth.

I would contest that. I’d argue Apple has always had a clear vision of the iPad’s role. This has always been evident from the day they released the first iPad. What you seem to be referring to is the vision that a subset of consumers have about what the iPad should be and then measuring that up against Apple’s vision.

Even with the M1 chip. Most folks seem to think it’s a MBA chip in the iPad, when in reality, it’s an advanced iPad chip in the MBA. Why has Apple done this? Firstly, only Apple would know the real reason. But if I were to speculate, it could be the case that Apple is trying to standardise its silicon across a section of its product portfolio. It could also be the case that Apple is setting up the stage for a new device of some kind (this is at the far end of speculation, of course).

Lastly, it’s a bit presumptuous to say that Apple needs a vision for any of their products. They aren’t one of the most successful tech companies for nothing. I’d argue, despite some missteps, they know exactly what they are doing, and their performance stands testimony to that assertion.

 

[Surfman]

Yeah some dumbos think cause iPad has a M1 chip should be same as M1 in Air/MB.

 

[batmanofvietnam]

Wow so many unhelpful, nitpicky, almost hostile responses to the original poster. Just because they pointed out the fact that developers are still producing awkward iPad apps after 10 years, and the iPad is not even close to replacing an actual computer, despite Apple’s marketing claims. Let’s face it everyone it’s a giant iPhone. I love them but they’re not practical for most tasks

 

[LogicalApex]

I would contest that. I’d argue Apple has always had a clear vision of the iPad’s role. This has always been evident from the day they released the first iPad. What you seem to be referring to is the vision that a subset of consumers have about what the iPad should be and then measuring that up against Apple’s vision.

Even with the M1 chip. Most folks seem to think it’s a MBA chip in the iPad, when in reality, it’s an advanced iPad chip in the MBA. Why has Apple done this? Firstly, only Apple would know the real reason. But if I were to speculate, it could be the case that Apple is trying to standardise its silicon across a section of its product portfolio. It could also be the case that Apple is setting up the stage for a new device of some kind (this is at the far end of speculation, of course).

Lastly, it’s a bit presumptuous to say that Apple needs a vision for any of their products. They aren’t one of the most successful tech companies for nothing. I’d argue, despite some missteps, they know exactly what they are doing, and their performance stands testimony to that assertion.

I probably should remember I am on a forum so people here tend to prefer to put their brands on a pedestal more than anything…

Apple vision for iPad was a larger iPhone. The industry followed. But that has run its course. I am not, in this instance, talking about macOS on an iPad or a MacBook Air. I am talking about Apple allowing iPadOS to branch itself from iOS so that applications can be created that aren’t forced to be designed around iPhone constraints. On an iPhone I would prefer very strict limits on background processes, as I noted earlier, so I have a charge as long as possible. it is stupid that my SSH app can’t keep the connection process running for more than 30 seconds if I switch to another application unless they use the “location services” hack. There are many third party applications that would be created with iPadOS tweaking its model to align with a device with a much larger battery and different uses case.

That’s my only point. Developers see iPads as larger iPhones because that is the vision Apple has shared with them.

iPadOS has yet to become its own...

 

[batmanofvietnam]

I would contest that. I’d argue Apple has always had a clear vision of the iPad’s role. This has always been evident from the day they released the first iPad. What you seem to be referring to is the vision that a subset of consumers have about what the iPad should be and then measuring that up against Apple’s vision.

Even with the M1 chip. Most folks seem to think it’s a MBA chip in the iPad, when in reality, it’s an advanced iPad chip in the MBA. Why has Apple done this? Firstly, only Apple would know the real reason. But if I were to speculate, it could be the case that Apple is trying to standardise its silicon across a section of its product portfolio. It could also be the case that Apple is setting up the stage for a new device of some kind (this is at the far end of speculation, of course).

Lastly, it’s a bit presumptuous to say that Apple needs a vision for any of their products. They aren’t one of the most successful tech companies for nothing. I’d argue, despite some missteps, they know exactly what they are doing, and their performance stands testimony to that assertion.

Yeah sure, Apple has a vision to sell the most products possible. They don’t have one of the most successful marketing departments for nothing. They know exactly what they are doing, and their financial performance stands testimony to that assertion.

honestly they had a vision with the iPhone , it changed the world, iPad is just an accessory by comparison.

 

[Abazigal]

Copy-(cut)-Paste is still a nightmare for me on both iOS and ipadOS.

I find that clipboard manager apps have helped me a lot with repetitive copy / paste actions, as well as drag and drop on iPads (with split-screen), but I think it's more an issue with touchscreen devices in general.