One of the things that popped into my head reading this is wondering what kind of software layer Apple could implement that would allow iPad to run native Mac apps. I’m no where near an expert, but is there a way that iPad could run Mac apps via emulation like Rosetta on the Mac letting them run Intel-based apps on Apple Silicon?
Is this just a pipe dream?
It should in theory be possible, some form of emulation layer.
It’d be a massive job to build for apple though as they’d need to accommodate all Mac and iOS APIs.
They could probably leverage the hypervisor support already in the M-series chips to run the virtual macOS underneath, exposing only the Mac apps’ windows. But lots of issues and questions here as well, of course.
Gurman doesn’t say anying about apps. Just that it will focus on “multitasking and app window management“ more like macOS. This could be a major overhaul or “Stage Manager 2”. In recent years the Mac and IPad have produced similar amounts of revenue for Apple, so I would think the iPad will retain a mode that works much like it does today.
While my dream device would be a M Series iPad that when docked into a keyboard is a MacBook and when off a keyboard is an iPad. That is a pipe dream that is a long ways off if ever.
If the iPad is just going to be a giant iPhone with a stylus, than at the very least lean into that and open up functionality like Watch Integration.
From that perspective, I’d guess that Apple Watch being a standalone device is far more likely than it working directly with the iPad.
I’d assume once the watch becomes truly stand alone then the watch app would be there to have a larger screen for maintenance.
Eh functionally the same thing. But I’ve dealt with laptops in tablet mode before and its easy for the keyboard to take damage.
So not standalone then!
I consider this to be the usual pre-WWDC “Same procedure as every year, James” as in https://youtu.be/Nysm_ErwdFE.
There are fundamental points that need to be addressed in order to really change the iPad.
Just released:
I enjoyed Stephen’s write up. It strikes me the quick jump to iPadOS19 won’t satisfy people seems a little too fast. But then also, Stephen has years of history to back up that stance. So he’ll probably be right, haha.
From Federico Viticci last year:
You see, I’d been thinking about creating a headless MacBook Air and relying on Universal Control, but I was only considering one side of the story – the Mac-to-Vision Pro side. It was only when I remembered that Mac-to-iPad Universal Control and Sidecar also existed that everything clicked:
I didn’t just want to make a headless MacBook anymore. I had to figure out how to combine the MacBook Air and iPad Pro into a single machine.
For the past three weeks, I’ve been using something I call a “MacPad” as my new laptop. The MacPad is a hybrid device that serves multiple purposes:
- It’s a keyboard and trackpad for my Vision Pro;
- It’s a Mac with a detachable display;
- It’s an iPad Pro with an external keyboard and trackpad.
You know where this is going. These aren’t three separate devices: it’s one computer made of, well, two computers working together thanks to the magic of Apple’s ecosystem. It’s a Mac with an iPad display that I can detach and use as a tablet whenever I want; it’s an iPad that transforms into a Mac when docked. And, it’s the ideal keyboard and trackpad accessory for the Vision Pro.
In researching keyboard options for the Vision Pro, I ended up building the convertible Apple laptop-tablet that I so desperately want the company to make.
