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mclld

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 6, 2012
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I read a headline in a news feed that was suggesting ipad pro might get a chip like the m1 and possibly be able to run Mac apps. This would be the perfect computer replacement forme if I could easily connect to a monitor, is there a serious chance of this happening? And if so would it have the same performance as the m chip?
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,921
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I doubt convergence will happen anytime soon.

Performance, yes, albeit possibly lacking in bandwidth to support Thunderbolt or multi-monitor.
 
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Dave245

macrumors G3
Sep 15, 2013
9,856
8,082
are you asking if Apple will put MacOS on the iPad? If so then no I don't think they will. If that were Apple’s intentions, I don‘t think they would of made iPadOS.

i think the iPad Pro will get a fast chip (A14 or 15) but it won’t be the same as the Mac.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,921
13,272
are you asking if Apple will put MacOS on the iPad? If so then no I don't think they will. If that were Apple’s intentions, I don‘t think they would of made iPadOS.

i think the iPad Pro will get a fast chip (A14 or 15) but it won’t be the same as the Mac.

The A14 on iPhones and Air 4 almost matches single-core performance on the M1.

Going by historical differences (A8 vs A8X, A9 vs A9X, A10 vs A10X, A12 vs A12X/Z), the iPad Pro is very likely getting a chip (A14X?) with similar burst performance as the M1 Macs. As mentioned, it's the features that may be lacking.
 

Seanm87

macrumors 68020
Oct 10, 2014
2,211
4,421
I actually think this may happen but only on the pro models. The new iPad Pro looks to be only 12.9 inch so they will drop the 11 inch and upgrade the iPad Air to match what the 11 inch was like. Then the non pro iPads would have iPadOS.

Then macOS will only be on the pro. Just a theory.
 

pmiles

macrumors 6502a
Dec 12, 2013
812
678
I saw that commercial from Microsoft comparing the Surface Pro to a MacBook Pro again last night. The usual, hey look, I am a tablet that is also a computer commercial.

Reminded me of one time in college where a kid had one of those Surface computers (one of the very early ones). He had it on it's little kickstand on his desk. He proceeded to use the touch screen with his finger, it fell over and right off the desk. I thought to myself, why in the hell would you want a touch screen on a computer?

That's the image I see every time that Microsoft Surface commercial plays. I laugh out loud just as I did when it happened to that poor kid in college.

Remember, the new Mars Rover is using an old PowerPC chip in 2021 and doing just fine... not everything needs to be a suped-up race car to get the job done. You build a device for what it is meant to be. Tablets with keyboards attached to them trying to be a computer is a tablet that doesn't know what it is. You're either touch screen or your not. The moment you try to be both is the moment you fall over off the desk and get laughed at.
 
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one more

macrumors 603
Aug 6, 2015
5,158
6,574
Earth
I actually think this may happen but only on the pro models. The new iPad Pro looks to be only 12.9 inch so they will drop the 11 inch and upgrade the iPad Air to match what the 11 inch was like. Then the non pro iPads would have iPadOS.

Then macOS will only be on the pro. Just a theory.

Quite unlikely, IMO, as the iPad lineup will then get very confusing for many people. Also optimising macOS interface for touch-based input could be quite a task. ??‍♂️
 

muzzy996

macrumors 65816
Feb 16, 2018
1,119
1,068
I saw that commercial from Microsoft comparing the Surface Pro to a MacBook Pro again last night. The usual, hey look, I am a tablet that is also a computer commercial.

Reminded me of one time in college where a kid had one of those Surface computers (one of the very early ones). He had it on it's little kickstand on his desk. He proceeded to use the touch screen with his finger, it fell over and right off the desk. I thought to myself, why in the hell would you want a touch screen on a computer?

That's the image I see every time that Microsoft Surface commercial plays. I laugh out loud just as I did when it happened to that poor kid in college.

Remember, the new Mars Rover is using an old PowerPC chip in 2021 and doing just fine... not everything needs to be a suped-up race car to get the job done. You build a device for what it is meant to be. Tablets with keyboards attached to them trying to be a computer is a tablet that doesn't know what it is. You're either touch screen or your not. The moment you try to be both is the moment you fall over off the desk and get laughed at.

I can certainly understand a strong preference for one form factor or another but just because one can't personally relate to a particular form factor doesn't mean it doesn't have merit or should be laughed at. The fact of the matter is whichever camp any of us are in there clearly is a market for pure tablets, 2-in-1's, and clamshell laptops.

With Apple returning to their own silicon and the ability to run iOS apps on them in MacOS I would hope that sometime in the future Apple will explore the 2-in-1 market. Despite the fact that I'm not a fan of the Surface Pro lineup, I'd be interested in a MacOS device that. In the case of an Apple 2-in-1 where I think Apple can beat Microsoft is in the fact that they can leverage a huge library of applications that are designed for touch, despite the fact that the base operating system was not. That's really where I don't care for the Surface Pro lineup - there's a touch screen but I'm not necessarily going to use it a lot.

How Apple goes about it should they choose to do so I dont know. Personally I'm not interested in any wholesale change in UI of MacOS to support this although I do recognize that adjustment is inevitable.

I guess for me, I wouldn't want to see a merging, I'd like to see a bridging device. We're all different though.
 

ProgRocker

macrumors member
Apr 24, 2018
91
37
Coming from a non-user what has always held me back from purchasing is that iPad apps that I would want to use are not in the same class as the desk top programs. For example music production apps.
It would be very appealing to have the more powerful desk top programs running on such a user friendly form like an iPad. I did read the following which indicated it might be a possibility. Though not quite sure how legit these claims are ?

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro Could Soon Be Coming To The iPad Pro

iPad Pro With M1-Like Chipset Could Be Launching This Year


This new chipset is said to introduce improved performance in the iPads, and could potentially allow the iPad Pro to run macOS apps in addition to iOS apps.
Apple has been slowly trying to turn the iPad Pro into a pseudo laptop for years, so this could be what helps it transition into more of a full-fledged laptop replacement.


 

AutomaticApple

Suspended
Nov 28, 2018
7,401
3,378
Massachusetts
I read a headline in a news feed that was suggesting ipad pro might get a chip like the m1 and possibly be able to run Mac apps. This would be the perfect computer replacement forme if I could easily connect to a monitor, is there a serious chance of this happening? And if so would it have the same performance as the m chip?
macOS is for Macs. iPadOS is for iPads. What do people not understand about that?

The "M" series of chips is for Macs. That's where the "M" comes from.
 

Starfia

macrumors 65816
Apr 11, 2011
1,020
853
So far, this remains true:


iPadOS and iOS share a lot of code, but they began from a true mobile-first philosophy with thorough and comprehensive resource management meant to do things like truly optimizing battery life and prioritizing the performance of the foreground app.

Apple has done a lot in terms of casual overlap and integration between macOS and iOS, but I really don't think there's any reason to expect an iPad to run macOS – they're still truly different things, and they both have their strengths and enduring history. If it ever happens, I don't believe it will happen for years.
 
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The Samurai

macrumors 68020
Dec 29, 2007
2,055
750
Glasgow
If this convergence were to happen soon, Apple would have demonstrated this when they launched the M1 chips... it doesnt make sense to have a blockbuster Mac M1 launch and then to immediately have an iPad of any sort be able to run Mac OS.

Im not saying it won't happen but the farmer [Apple] will want to milk and drain every ounce of milk before convergence.
 
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Seanm87

macrumors 68020
Oct 10, 2014
2,211
4,421
What about the iPad being able to run mac apps in the same way the mac can now run iOS apps?
 
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ericwn

macrumors G5
Apr 24, 2016
12,119
10,912
I can certainly understand a strong preference for one form factor or another but just because one can't personally relate to a particular form factor doesn't mean it doesn't have merit or should be laughed at. The fact of the matter is whichever camp any of us are in there clearly is a market for pure tablets, 2-in-1's, and clamshell laptops.

With Apple returning to their own silicon and the ability to run iOS apps on them in MacOS I would hope that sometime in the future Apple will explore the 2-in-1 market. Despite the fact that I'm not a fan of the Surface Pro lineup, I'd be interested in a MacOS device that. In the case of an Apple 2-in-1 where I think Apple can beat Microsoft is in the fact that they can leverage a huge library of applications that are designed for touch, despite the fact that the base operating system was not. That's really where I don't care for the Surface Pro lineup - there's a touch screen but I'm not necessarily going to use it a lot.

How Apple goes about it should they choose to do so I dont know. Personally I'm not interested in any wholesale change in UI of MacOS to support this although I do recognize that adjustment is inevitable.

I guess for me, I wouldn't want to see a merging, I'd like to see a bridging device. We're all different though.

I also think there is a market for all these different devices but at the same time neither company, MS nor Apple, seem interested in covering all segments.
 

ericwn

macrumors G5
Apr 24, 2016
12,119
10,912
I read a headline in a news feed that was suggesting ipad pro might get a chip like the m1 and possibly be able to run Mac apps. This would be the perfect computer replacement forme if I could easily connect to a monitor, is there a serious chance of this happening? And if so would it have the same performance as the m chip?

After nine years of forum membership and over 2000 posts have you not known for years how powerful the iPad line already was, CPU-wise?

What makes you believe that all of a sudden they decide to merge?
 

mclld

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 6, 2012
2,658
2,127
I don't mean now I'm.talking about eventually. I am looking to buy the new mini to replace my old desktop, mainly for photo and video editing but now I am wondering if maybe a new ipad pro with one of these high end chips might be a better solution for my uses. I'm having second thoughts on the new Mac's due to hearing about excessive ssd wear
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,921
13,272
I don't mean now I'm.talking about eventually. I am looking to buy the new mini to replace my old desktop, mainly for photo and video editing but now I am wondering if maybe a new ipad pro with one of these high end chips might be a better solution for my uses. I'm having second thoughts on the new Mac's due to hearing about excessive ssd wear

Worth pointing out, the iPad's a black box. The chipset that the Macs currently have their origins from iPhone/iPad chipsets.

Of course, as far as I'm aware, there's no swap on iPad so less wear and tear from that (at the expense of reloads/losing current state). However, writes due to spotlight indexing, etc. could very well be similar to M1 Macs. We just don't have tools available to investigate.
 

ericwn

macrumors G5
Apr 24, 2016
12,119
10,912
I don't mean now I'm.talking about eventually. I am looking to buy the new mini to replace my old desktop, mainly for photo and video editing but now I am wondering if maybe a new ipad pro with one of these high end chips might be a better solution for my uses. I'm having second thoughts on the new Mac's due to hearing about excessive ssd wear

At least on the Mac you’d have tools to measure the wear I guess. Take that as a plus.

On the other hand, since you already have a computer that works right now (I hope) - you could just get an iPad and try it out during the return period. If it does all you need, perfect, otherwise return and get a M1.
 
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VaruLV

macrumors 6502a
Mar 25, 2019
636
561
I would love the ability to run arm macos apps on ipad pro, tho it should come with beefier cpu and 8gb of ram.
If they stay with 6gb, they will have to convince me hard to make me uprade from my 10.5 to latest 12.9 imho.
If they cant, Ill get 2020 model instead, perhaps even used 2018 model assuming that perhaps 2022 will see 8gb of ram if they dont upgrade it this year.
 
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Surne

macrumors member
Sep 27, 2020
76
57
I think they would be smart to do that. The way I see things from my perspective is that I would love to be able to have an iPad with that powerful M1 chip, that I can run Ableton and produce music on as well as run Windows on with Parallels but also be able to just use as a tablet. If Apple did make an iPad that runs full MacOS they would most likely poach a large swath of Windows/Surface users as it would render Surface redundant to a lot of people.
 
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