Will Apple Fix the Problems with iPadOS?

Software
42

These conversations boil down to the usual impasses, in the end.

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43

Well, then you may have just given me the excuse I need to purchase a new iPad. :rofl:

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No, Apple has made too locked into their entire ecosystem.

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45

But it doesn’t allow one to detach the screen and hold it in one’s lap for note taking, annotating, and reading. Those are some of the advantages of the table form factor.

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46

My usual excuse is to pass my current one to my significant other, but as it turns out this time she’s happy with her ancient iPad Air 2, that damn thing still holds itself!

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47

Just to add one thing to your nice list:

I really would like the option to have files open on both my Mac and the iPad (in iCloud Drive) and have apps notify me when it detects any changes made to that file. The default option for me would be to just reload the most recent version.

48

I stumbled across this article this morning. It is an interesting take on the question I posed.

49

The awkwardness of iOS is acceptable to me on the little tiny iPhone that is always in my pocket. I don’t care for iOS on an iPad-sized device. I really want a macPad but I’m afraid that if I get a macPad some day, it’ll be a Frankenstein device that I won’t like. I can see why Apple has not made one so far. :slightly_frowning_face:

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50

I don’t know if it’s really that useful for those categories. I can’t actually record audio with the iPad because it doesn’t support my interface. And even if it did, it doesn’t support a bunch of the plugins I use in Logic.

I know videographers still use the Mac because the iPad is limited. Some of that is editing speed with a mouse vs touchscreen, some of it is power, and a lot of it is file management.

So Apple does parade it to these markets, but I think they’re still mostly attracting consumers — not pros. Students might be the target market, because truthfully, iPads are sort of perfect for their workloads and their interests, particularly if they’re in college/university.

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51

Great article. That’s precisely where I land on the spectrum. Let’s push iPad to enable and accomplish powerful things equivalent to the Mac by improving iPadOS. Let iPad be iPad.

@cornchip can you please assess what quadrant that puts me in? I need to know which support group to join. I can send you a portfolio of recent posts if you need more data to conduct an accurate evaluation.

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52

How useful would a macPad be if you couldn’t run Backblaze or Arqbackup? If Apple doesn’t allow apps like this on the iPad what chance is there that you could install Keyboard Maestro? I am 100% certain that an iPad running macOS would be as locked down as iPadOS.

The only way I can use an iPad as a general purpose computer is to rely on web based apps and services.

53

Probably. That’s why I called it a macPad. I want the form factor of the iPad but not any of the iPad’s legacy. I want a macPad to be built on the Mac and to leave any and all limitation of iOS and iPadOS behind!

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54

But we both know that deep in the bowels of ringworld such a beast exits …

Someday …

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55

I’m not even sure that the Mac will always be as open as it is today.

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56

I agree. Just sayin’ what I want. Not sayin’ I know how to build it or that it actually lies in my future. But I am in good company as Apple does not know how to build a macPad that they are willing to release. :slightly_smiling_face:

EDIT TO ADD: But when they do, we’ll wonder why we never saw it coming. It was so obvious! (It always is after the fact!)

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57

I think I would want a fork of macOS to become iPadOS. One that has all the power of macOS but with touch controls. But personally, I don’t want touch screens or touch controls on Macs, so I wouldn’t want them to overlap. Basically, don’t do what MS tried to do with the Surface.

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58

Because of the wider spacing and longer reaches, I find touch gestures and taps more awkward and slower on a tablet than on a phone, regardless of the OS.

59

I was an avid iPad user for years while I was compelled to have a PC at work. The iPad’s cellular, light weight, battery life, less expensive app ecosystem, tablet capabilities all made it quite compelling.

Two things have changed:

  1. The smart keyboard folio has gone away, removing the slim/lightweight keyboard option. (I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I really liked the typing feel of that keyboard, but more than anything, it was spill/dust/crumb proof)

  2. I get to use a Mac as my main work computer. Now instead of dealing with whatever crappy Windows tools my office provided, I get to use the Mac in all its glory—including things like Alfred, Hazel, and MailMate.

These two things have conspired to make the iPad far less compelling as a work device for me. I’ve been questioning whether/how to update my 2018 12.9" Pro. I think the iPad still has a place in my work, and I’m hopeful that avoiding the magic keyboard will bring back much of the joy of using this remarkable device.

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You’re not the only one Goodbye to Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio, the best iPad Pro accessory - The Verge

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I also miss the Smart Keyboard Folio as an option, and am kind of resigned to getting the Magic Keyboard, even if I think the whole thing is mildly ridiculous.