iPad already has a desktop for your apps, a place to locally store your files (the Files app is the equivalent of using a Finder window instead of the desktop), a version of Launchpad with App Library, support for removable storage, and a windowing system. Stage Manager will evolve in the same way that SlideOver and Split-Screen evolved over the years, and at some point we will get a hybrid device which is more Mac like.
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All iPads Would you like the iPad to receive a desktop environment and merge with macOS (à la Windows 8)?
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And these better apps already exist in a hardware compatible ARM64 version. They're the regular MacOS desktop apps. All the iPad needs is a desktop mode to run them. Then once you attach the keyboard cover the iPad would turn into a Macbook. That way nobody has to go out of their way to program new apps from scratch. The iPad though would need to be switched over to MacOS, which is perfectly doable given the iPad Pros already use nearly the same hardware as Macs. And the regular iPad touchscreen iPadOS mode needs to be ported to MacOS.
Improvements in software is the key to unlocking the iPad's potential. But as far as a hybrid device goes, I hope the iPad becomes that hybrid device rather than the MacBook. MacBooks are fine the way they are, and even if they receive touchscreens I want them to stay as laptops.
What it actually needs is the developers allowing you to run them, and based on how few let you run iPad apps on your Mac I’m guessing not many will because doing so requires bug-testing and development costs of their apps on a different OS. Failing to do so means one star reviews when it doesn’t work well.
But how well will the existing fan-less iPads run desktop apps? MacBook Airs have vents and a keyboard to passively vent heat while the iPad is sealed, with no open internal space, and a heat generating screen covering one face.
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I think a hybrid device wont be an iPad, but rather a MacPad. It will be designed with passive cooling and vents to at least match the M2 Air.
No, since this would require the iPad to run MacOS anyways, these apps would then run on an iPad in desktop mode as if it were a desktop Mac. The apps wouldn't even need to know that they're not being opened on a Mac.
Developers didn’t need to change their apps to run on MacOS, but still very few supported it. I think that a few more would support this than iPad apps on the Mac, you aren’t going to get close to universal support.
That being said, I think that as word comes out of zero issues, assuming there aren’t any, support would probably grow.
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Both the M1 iPad Pro and M1 MacBook Air use the same chip without any thermal throttling issues. If lower-power A-series iPads can't handle a desktop environment, surely the M-series iPad Pros can.
However those computers have vents on the bottom and a hinge/keyboard openings which also passively vent heat.
And because of this distinction you've pointed out, an iPad Pro may be able to do one of two things:
- Run apps designed for macOS. But if not...
- Run iPadOS apps on a version of iPadOS that has been enhanced to feature a desktop environment.
Would being able to put document next to app icons, instead of in a folder, really make much of a change?
I chose no because I think a smarter approach is to allow a macOS VM environment that runs under iPadOS. Best of both worlds. The user gets to decide if they want to run the Mac environment or leave iPadOS to the simplified environment most people expect.
Absolutely awful, terrible idea. This is what the Mac is for. The iPad was great at being an iPad until it started to become a bastardized Mac. Just leave the iPad alone. It's a $40 billion a year product without needing to be morphed into another product.
Documents on the iPad's dock sounds like a marvelous idea that I'm sure few would turn down.
Gradual? No. I do think it IS happening gradually, though.
As for my wish list? I'm honestly unsure. Better Window management would be great. A revamped Files app (and the ability to actually see the true contents of the data (as opposed to the system) partition would be killer too. No more of the suspending of apps when minimized (I know that M1 iPads are already starting to head in this direction with iPadOS 16, but it needs to be expanded). I don't know that I yet have a handle on what else I want.
iPadOS (at least on larger iPad models) doesn't need to be macOS. Nor should it. But it needs to be just as capable.
I can understand the desire of MacOS on iPads because the ipad, keyboard and pencil is an attractive, modern and modular mix as compared to the rigid and very old clamshell Macbook Air.
How difficult would it be to allow pencil input in MacOS? With the hovering function, precision input would be possible.
However, the iPad is popular because it is not MacOS and in many professional settings, MacOS is cluttered, convoluted and slow to interact with. So I can also see the point of not having MacOS on iPad.
Better apps please but do not just port desktop apps.
How difficult would it be to allow pencil input in MacOS? With the hovering function, precision input would be possible.
However, the iPad is popular because it is not MacOS and in many professional settings, MacOS is cluttered, convoluted and slow to interact with. So I can also see the point of not having MacOS on iPad.
Better apps please but do not just port desktop apps.
I wouldn’t mind more features from macOS to come to iPadOS, but the reason I bought and use my iPad as my main computer is because it’s simpler than a Mac. My Mac mini is pretty much just a development machine, something I’d much rather do at a desk anyway.
I wouldn’t mind a desktop like mode a la Samsung DEX. However, it should be optional and I would not like it to run MacOS or any hydrid OS.
Exactly. Nobody would dislike more consistency in operation when switching platforms.
I don’t understand these arguments. In every app I use on iPadOS (I use an iPad as my primary computer) I can save files or access files from the Files app. When I click save or open in an app, it brings up a little Files app window just like macOS would in the same situations. Sandboxing makes the system way more secure from malware, and I don’t see how Files is much different from Finder except opening apps from it or whatever…. I know, cue people upset at me for comparing the Files app to Finder, but I seriously don’t see much in a way of difference aside from a few minor things, but maybe that’s just because of my use case.
You are correct... it is because of your use case. It's good that the current method works for you.
No, you're correct. While Files is an app, in use it is the same as opening a new Finder window on the Mac. You can even access your recent files from the iPad's Desktop/Homescreen widget. Apple needs to make widgets interactive, instead of display/app-launcher only to make the Files Widget really useful.
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I don't think Apple would go through the trouble of adding touch-support to MacOS if they didn't also plan on having a MacConvertible or MacTablet in addition to Touchscreen MacBook.
Personally, I voted no because I think iPadOS should remain distinct in certain UI aspects compared to macOS. macOS was designed for cursor/keyboard input, iPadOS was designed for touch-first input. This difference becomes very clear when you connect to a Mac via VNC from an iPad. The system simply isn’t optimized for touch input, and I wouldn’t really want to use macOS on the iPad for the majority of the things that I do. Now, that said, I do think the functionalities of the two softwares could merge. And iPadOS 16 seems to indicate that that is already happening. I think iPadOS should remain a distinct, touch-first OS, but gain more macOS functionality. I wouldn’t necessarily oppose a way of porting mac apps over to the iPad. I actually kind of think the chances of this happening might be pretty good. Apple could create a sort of reverse Catalyst 2.0 that allows developers to readily port their mac apps over to the iPad. I think one thing is for sure, now that both platforms can run the same apps, any new software will probably be written to run on both. It just makes sense. If you’re a software developer and you have the choice of writing one app that can run on two platforms or 2 separate apps, which would you be more likely to pick? Also, with sideloading becoming required on iPadOS, I could see Apple working to make cross-platform App Store apps to unify their systems and strengthen the appeal of the App Store. Maybe Catalyst 2.0 is attached to the new App Store submission system, so the only way to reap the benefits of the system is to publish in the App Store and the system then automatically adjusts the UI of your app for each Apple platform. Apple is already making big strides in this area with Swift Code, so I think that’s not to unlikely. Besides, eventually, even if Apple hasn’t implemented a system like that, AI coding softwares will be able to automatically alter your Mac app to a form that could run on the iPad. Or, alternatively, more of these desktop apps could become web-hosted progressive web apps as that technology matures, and then you could create one app that could run on any platform. Personally, I think the signs are already there that Apple wants a unified App Store experience across their platforms, it just might be hard to get some developers to play nice. Also, if iPadOS supports sideloading, there’s not necessarily a reason a third party couldn’t make some type of emulation app that could run Mac apps on iPad, though maybe that would run afoul of some licensing or something. Of course I don’t know for sure if any of these things are going to happen, but that is my hunch, and I could be wrong, but I think the foundation is already in place, and I think I see signs that this is what Apple wants to do with the two platforms, keep macOS a desktop OS with a little more familiarity for iOS and iPadOS users, and give iPadOS (Apple’s modular/modern software solution) most or all of MacOS capabilities in a way that makes sense for touch-first input. And this idea even makes sense when you look at the hardware. The iPad now has hardware that could just about replace the low-end MacBook line, while the MacBook Pros and the Mac Desktops will always have an advantage in how much computing power they’re able to pack. Even if the software was nearly identical, the iPad wouldn’t completely kill the Mac, the Mac would just become a bit more niche, being used predominantly by professionals who need more computing power. And I think we’re almost there already. Sorry for the long comment, but these are the things I’ve been considering about this debate lately.
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