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iPad Why can’t people use iPad as iPad and Computer as computer
- Thread starter LovingTeddy
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I will have to disagree.
That there are people such as Federico of Macstories being able to do the things he does on an iPad is precisely because he didn’t “accept” the limitations of the iPad and set out to solve or work around them.
And every now and then, I find a new way of performing a task on my iPad that I could do before (or not do as well). Sometimes, it’s just a matter of waiting for that magic app or for Apple to implement a certain feature.
I say it once and I will say it again - I don’t need the iPad to be a PC replacement for everyone. I just need it to be a PC replacement for me.
And I will never stop trying and striving towards this goal.
...its depressing how this thread is full of people on both sides basically saying "Works for me - sucks to be you."
Tablets are better for some uses, PCs are better for others. Its not hard - most of what I do day-to-day wouldn't work well on a tablet, but I've also worked on projects that depend on the affordances of a tablet.
However, there's a big difference: This thread is partly a response to an industry trend to focus on mobile technology at the expense of traditional PCs. That's no straw man: Tim Cook asked "Why would you buy a PC any more?"- not vice-versa.
I don't think the CEO of A Major Motor Corp has ever stood up on stage and asked "Why would anybody buy a truck any more?" Even Tesla is making a semi truck!
So I don't know where you think trucks are going - apart from "trucks" of various sizes still being an essential tool for everything from dog groomers to national shipping networks.
I cannot possibly imagine why it bothers you at all, or why it's even worth typing such a lengthy post, to complain about what other people do with their tech devices. It makes as much sense as complaining about people using relatively current-tech laptops or desktop "only" for web browsing or word processing.
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You make a good point, but I think it proves too much. At each major stage in hardware development people have asked more or less the same question. Why a super-mini instead of a mainframe? Why a PC instead of a super-mini? Why a laptop instead of a desktop? Apple's clearly out front in terms of telling us what we're supposed to want (even if they do so inconsistently): why would you want an optical drive? why would you want a card slot? why would you want an ethernet port? why would you want wired headphones, or USB-A connectivity? - and so on. For better and for worse, Apple may be off the mark in terms of timing, but is probably not off the mark in terms of overall direction. I'm not really in favor of the trend, but I do think it's a real trend.
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Mainframes, super-minis, ethernet, desktops... none of those have disappeared, although some of them may have changed beyond recognition over the years as the technology developed. In fact, "mainframes" are back - what do you think is happening when you google something or ask Siri a question? Out there somewhere is a big, air-conditioned room full of racks of humming equipment doing the heavy lifting for your phone/tablet/laptop/chromebook. OK, the "mainframe" is now a bunch of networked microprocessors and hard drives rather than a big, monolithic CPU with "cake stand" disc platters, but the server-class "PC" hardware being used is a far cry from anything justifying the tag "personal". Turns out, everybody who said that big, centralised computers were a better solution than the potential chaos of expecting lots of end-users to manage their own systems actually had a point - once you added ubiquitous internet access to the mix.
The PC/Tablet problem is a bit peculiar to Apple: first, they have the only really viable "pure tablet" platform (the Windows world seems to be making a go of the hybrid laptop/tablet idea) and when Apple takes their eye off the Mac there's no one else to quietly keep the wheels turning: Microsoft can throw its hardware development effort at the surface range, safe in the knowledge that others are keeping the more traditional laptop/WinPC flame burning (and any one of many OEMs will build you a PC mini tower "pickup truck" if that's what you need).
Case in point: those big, air-conditioned room full of racks of humming equipment running Siri and Apple Music... bet there aren't many Apple logos on those servers (unless someone's stuck them on)...
Thank you - good and interesting response. I also wanted to note that Tim Cook seems to have popped up with a new vision overnight. He's quoted in the article linked below as saying that Apple isn't considering merging iOS and MacOS because it would lead to "compromises."
To me (and this is possibly very personal - perhaps no one else feels the same way?) the thing that makes iOS on any mobile hardware platform from a 12.9" iPad Pro to an iPod Touch is the lack of mouse support. The Apple Pencil is getting closer but it's still not there in terms of how I want to use a pointing accessory. To your point about MS and the Windows world, my wife and my 30 year old son both have a Surface Pro and essentially never use the touchscreen to interact with the machine.
Here's Cook's quote:
"We don't believe in sort of watering down one for the other," said Cook, speaking with The Sydney Morning Herald's Peter Wells. "One of the reasons that both of them are incredible is because we pushed them to do what they do well. And if you begin to merge the two … you begin to make trade offs and compromises."
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/19/tim-cook-still-opposed-to-merging-mac-ipad/
I don't think this is a new vision--he's stated this before. But it also doesn't change the overarching vision. Even if you're never going to merge the two into one thing, there are still going to be people who ONLY need an iPad, and there are still going to be people who would never dream of moving to an iPad full time. (as well as people who still like using both for different things.) It doesn't change the reality that there are WAY more everyday ordinary computer users than supercomputer power users, so those numbers are going to keep shifting more toward mobile devices. The days of huge upticks of new people running to Macs or PCs are most likely over.
Even as someone who doesn't necessarily NEED a Mac or PC anymore, I'm with Tim--I still love sitting down at my desk and using my Mac for certain things. But it's a nice to have for me now, not a must have.
**To anyone about to bash me for any of the above, I did say "FOR ME". I was not implying that should be the case FOR YOU.
The only reason why there is continued debate is because for some reason, people interpret "an iPad can replace a PC" as "an iPad can replace a PC in all instances for all possible use cases". Of course the latter interpretation is not true, but it also isn't what was said. There are 7.6 billion people in the world, all with different needs and preferences. Many of those people will continue to need PCs.
However, for many others, the iPad IS a PC replacement--it is not "flat out nonsense". If you used a PC for Facebook, email, web searches, news, casual gaming, online shopping, music, weather, etc., then the iPad is absolutely a PC replacement. If your business used a laptop PC for simplified mobile data entry (picture any kind of job with people out in the field), then an iPad is a PC replacement. If your business used a PC as a point of sale machine, then the iPad is a PC replacement.
Heck, in some of those use cases, to many people, you don't even need an iPad--even a smartphone could replace their PC.
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I expect this is exactly what's happening. For some, the smartphone may even be their first "PC". Tablet sales with mobile OS outside of the iPad (and dirt-cheap models like the Kindle) are pretty down.
In this case, it's the scooter/(motor)bike with majority market share, not the truck or car.
I get it, both parts. With one huge exception, I think my ideal device would be the 11" MBA. The problem with that was that the display was (my opinion) just HORRIBLE compared to the retina displays on the rMBP and on the iPads. (Yes, I did own a 12" rMB, twice actually, but it never fit into the slot that the little 11" MBA filled exactly.)
for me laptop computers are an antiquated form factor. as a working artist, a tablet PC is much more practical and offers a better workflow. gone are the days where i want to lug around a laptop and a wacom tablet or ipad. It looks stupid and impractical.
i would rather carry one device that can do it all. Windows has been doing tablets for so long that they work great even without a keyboard. Devices like the HP zbook x2 with the removable bluetooth keyboard are the future for creative types. you get the best of both worlds.
i would rather carry one device that can do it all. Windows has been doing tablets for so long that they work great even without a keyboard. Devices like the HP zbook x2 with the removable bluetooth keyboard are the future for creative types. you get the best of both worlds.
I'm with you--I think I'm kind of a rare bird in that I have NEVER liked the laptop form factor since the beginning. Even in 2018 with all the options we have for thin, light, compact, AND powerful laptops, I still generally hate notebook computers. The MacBook Air I currently have from my employer is one of the better ones I've owned, but it still spends 99% of its time docked to my desk in clamshell mode and being used with external monitors, keyboard, and mouse.
The iPad Pro, and even just the iPad in general, is the computer I've daydreamed about since I was a kid watching Inspector Gadget on TV or reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Or maybe I should just generalize more and say "iOS" instead of any one device. Heck the iPhone+Apple Watch+AirPod combination makes me feel like I'm living in the future. The iPad is there when I need "big screen iOS". I couldn't care less about macOS most of the time for most things. It's an old paradigm to me.
Because we are brand evangelists with nothing better to do than try to replace laptops with tablets.
That's always been Apple's line (the "gorilla arms" syndrome) - and I agree to a point - but its a separate issue from the relative priorities of Mac and iOS development. Also, it suggests Apple isn't thinking beyond the "slap a touch screen on a Macbook" idea of a "hybrid".
The MS Surface, Surface Book and Surface studio are interesting ideas - the Surface seems to have shown a measure of success, the other two are a bit hard to judge because the Studio is eye-wateringly expensive for what you get power-wise and the Surface book has been beset with technical problems (I had a Surface book for a month, and liked it until it got to the point that you couldn't detach the tablet without the system locking up...). If anybody could persuade their developers to produce "dual identity" Apps with seamless switching desktop and tablet mode interfaces , its Apple.
Last I looked, schools (for example) were showing a lot of interest in Chromebooks rather than iPads (may have been what prompted the latest education event).
Except Tim Cook's words in 2015 were: "I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?" ...he went on to elaborate a bit, but those were the headline words that really sparked this debate.
I think its a no-brainer that people who rely on Wacom tablets for their day-to-day work are going to be at the front of the queue when it comes to switching to iPad+Pencil. (ISTR someone else in this thread mentioned music notation?) However, there are others for whom the idea of a tablet (with a $100 stylus) is equally impractical.
Like text editing. I often browse MacRumors on my iPad, but if I want to post something I switch to the Mac, because otherwise trying to compose anything longer than a tweet risks shouted profanities and a ballistic iPad... and when I put my iPad in a keyboard case I found that it destroyed the portability and ease of hand-held use.
The point isn't that trucks are going away, but that unless you have a specific use for it (eg: you run your own business), most people will just go with a car instead. And for the rare occasion that I need a truck, I could always just rent one or outsource it to movers, therefore doing away with the need to own one altogether.
If we extend this analogy to the Mac, iPads could eventually get useful enough to replace a computer for the average consumer. Sure, there are things you can't do on an iPad, like coding, video editing or complex simulations, but these are niche markets and the Mac will still be around for people who need the extra horsepower. They just won't be the majority. The rest simply won't miss the added functionality which they don't need.
This is why I love the apple smart keyboard. Super convenient without bulk.
I don't think I've seen anyone who owns a Surface Pro actually use it as a tablet. It's typically used more like touchscreen laptop. I've tried a Surface and a Yoga but switching device orientation, lack of tablet-optimized apps, etc. on Windows 10 make it frustrating for me when I just want to use a simple tablet.
Neither my wife (not surprising, we're "old") nor my older son (30) use their Surface Pro machines like a tablet, FWIW.
Me neither. I certainly bought it with that intent, but Windows is just not suited to that. Too often an app will fail to bring up the soft keyboard, or will require precision touch of a button because the app is expecting a mouse.
If you’re in a zone - eg using clip paint for a long session, then you can probably remove the keyboard and use it like a tablet - but it isn’t a tablet
My brother in law is a huge Microsoft fanboy, and even he admits that the Surface is pretty bad as a tablet.
At least the Surface Pro is thin and light... and you can remove the keyboard to make it into something that resembles an actual tablet.
On the other hand... the foldable 2-in-1 devices are kinda silly in my opinion. I still get a chuckle out of their "laptop and tablet in one!" claims.
That's great... except this thing they're calling a "tablet" has a 13" screen, is rather thick, and is about 3 pounds. It's not exactly something you want to curl up on the couch and read with.
Personally... I'd stick to a traditional laptop... and also get an iPad. Yeah it's two devices... but at least they're both ideal at what they're supposed to be.
I still feel like the iPad Pro is way better at being a laptop than laptops are at being tablets, and since I mostly don't need a laptop in my life in general, that works out well for me. I do like having my Macbook Air, and there are a couple of things for my job that require it, but I now think of laptop and desktop computers as "that thing my company makes me use" rather than the device I go to when I want to general computing in my personal life. And if I have to do stuff for my job on the go, I still only take the iPad with me.At least the Surface Pro is thin and light... and you can remove the keyboard to make it into something that resembles an actual tablet.
On the other hand... the foldable 2-in-1 devices are kinda silly in my opinion. I still get a chuckle out of their "laptop and tablet in one!" claims.
That's great... except this thing they're calling a "tablet" has a 13" screen, is rather thick, and is about 3 pounds. It's not exactly something you want to curl up on the couch and read with.
Personally... I'd stick to a traditional laptop... and also get an iPad. Yeah it's two devices... but at least they're both ideal at what they're supposed to be.
At least the Surface Pro is thin and light... and you can remove the keyboard to make it into something that resembles an actual tablet.
On the other hand... the foldable 2-in-1 devices are kinda silly in my opinion. I still get a chuckle out of their "laptop and tablet in one!" claims.
That's great... except this thing they're calling a "tablet" has a 13" screen, is rather thick, and is about 3 pounds. It's not exactly something you want to curl up on the couch and read with.
Personally... I'd stick to a traditional laptop... and also get an iPad. Yeah it's two devices... but at least they're both ideal at what they're supposed to be.
Agree on every point. My firm issues Lenovo Yogas. I have a very high-end model that is a passable laptop, but folded over as a "tablet" - OMG, it's enough to make you want to bang your head on the wall. Or maybe just the laptop.
A couple of edge cases aside, I think a mouse is my only missing thing. Doesn’t mean I want it to be OSX, it’s just th beets tool for quickly selecting precise sections of text or other things. Selecting text area with a finger is horrible, and a pencil is so unfamiliar. Also a mouse would be great not just for iOS apps but also for Remote Desktop
Did Apple say that the iPad will be a 24/7 replacement for your computer?
Ofc the iPad can replace your computer when traveling, being cozy on the couch or when you want to use a stylus a.k.a. Apple pencil.
Tim Cook uses a Mac in his office but when traveling he has his iPad and it replaces his need for a pc during this time.
I do think this is the same thing for me. The iPad can replace my pc for like 80% of my time, for the other 20% of my time I'm thankful that I can use a desktop pc or laptop.
Ofc the iPad can replace your computer when traveling, being cozy on the couch or when you want to use a stylus a.k.a. Apple pencil.
Tim Cook uses a Mac in his office but when traveling he has his iPad and it replaces his need for a pc during this time.
I do think this is the same thing for me. The iPad can replace my pc for like 80% of my time, for the other 20% of my time I'm thankful that I can use a desktop pc or laptop.