iPad An OS X tablet

[sjleworthy]

Hi guys, dont shoot me here for going over the same ground, only i thought it be nice to get some figures to the arguments.

In my opinion, sooner or later Apple will produce an OSX based tablet. If there's money in it they'll produce it. How IOS/OSX portable devices will develop isnt known. Infact, nothing is known, but far from hearing people's complaints about having no OSX run tablets i'm hearing equal opposite arguments for not having OSX run tablets.

Personally, especially being a Windows man and a non-OSX user (because i just dont like it) i do love my IOS iPad and Touch. Completely awesome. Replaces any laptops i might want in all respects.

I do not want an OSX run tablet. Why? i think the high cost would put it into laptop territory where a laptop would be far more cost effective, productive and versatile.

But what if an OSX tablet was a lot more powerful than a laptop and just as versatile? not against all realms of course. is this the way it's going maybe? Then what? ok, might be a long way down the line, but all is possible even now. perhaps the question might more be -

Would you prefer an equally capable tablet or laptop?

 

[ZBoater]

I do. It's called a VNC client.

 

[4004786]

I don't want OS X on a tablet. Instead, i want two things:

1. the ability to use my iPad Pro as a second monitor without using huge amounts of CPU
2. the ability to use my iPad Pro as an input device for my Mac (mostly for illustrating with the Pencil)

I know that apps exist to do both of these things, but they're limited; Duet is a CPU hog, and Astropad is too laggy. Maybe the USB-3 connector will fix those problems and make my wishes a reality?

 

[Abazigal]

I believe iOS will eventually evolve to the point where it is every bit as capable as a desktop OS, while keeping to its core strengths of better security, ease of use and lesser maintenance. That will be the OSX on a tablet you have wanted all along.

And I am glad Apple is going this route, rather than just slapping OSX on an iPad and calling it a day.

 

[sracer]

I voted, no.

I wonder if people who advocate wanting OSX on a tablet have ever used a Windows tablet for any length of time, if at all. Having a tablet run a desktop OS is one of those things that sounds great on paper but horrible in practice.

There's more to the total picture than "oooh, I can run the full version of Photoshop!" (as if everyone on the planet runs photoshop).

iOS excels at managing battery life while allowing for notifications. OSX does a great job for a desktop OS, but not for mobile devices. Microsoft has struggled for years (and continues to do so) with how to allow an enterprise quality OS to have power management that is similar to a mobile device. It's a pretty convoluted approach that doesn't always work.

Once powered up, the iPad is "instant on". In standby mode, it can sit for days, even weeks before the battery is drained. At any point during that time, opening the smart cover or tapping the power button results in the iPad waking instantly.

That is not true of Windows tablets... it wouldn't be true of OSX either.

That's just one element.

There are just a few simple things that Apple can do to iOS that will greatly increase the usefulness of iOS for more "productive" workflows and use cases. I was hoping that the introduction of the iPad Pro would've ushered those changes in, but unfortunately it didn't.

 

[Lesser Evets]

OSX is now at an apogee, I believe. It will be phased down, and then out in the next decade.

Apple wants to untether itself from other CPU makers, wants to create a "walled garden" for quality and profit, and they want to take over the field. iPhones (and other iDevices) are doing that. The Windows paradigm must change by 2020 or it will become a clunky dinosaur in the computing world.

Apple is probably going to expand the iOS and then make low-end laptops and Macs into Axx chip machines once they can get software makers to leap over. Adobe is already sliding more to iOS and others have as well.

Intel Macs will still be here through 2025, most likely, with the MacPros and iMacs probably staying for the next 10 years to accommodate video pros and graphic pros, etc. That 2% of the market will cling on, unless Apple does something drastically different, sooner, and makes high-end CPUs and reworks their software suites.

Apple should switch to iOS in 5 years and use their own chips, making multi-CPU machines for "Pro" desktop stuff. The iOS software should onionskin down into iDevices while giving a "Pro" side for developers and professional data shovelers.

 

[sonicrobby]

I support OS X on a tablet. That is because I love OS X, I love the iPad, and iOS is lacking what I need.

Tablet vs laptop
I love tablets! A physical keyboard and trackpad is something I don't personally need. I'm happy with virtual ones. As a minimalist, for me it seems like a hindrance to have things I don't need. The only room for improvement on the tablet side would have to be a usb-c port and a file system where I could dump files onto a flash drive or external harddrive. Add a user-accessible file system to iOS, I will be happier with it. (I currently use ifile, but I really do hate having to jailbreak my device to get these features)

Multitasking
iOS has improved with the ability to split screen multitask. But it's still not quite perfect yet for me. I tend to have at least 3-4 windows open at a time (on a single monitor as 4 quadrants of the screen) and sometimes it is 2 sessions of the same program. If iOS had the ability to essentially "pip" apps (even as the iPhone sized versions on the iPad) that would be a huge plus. And of course allow us to open two sessions of the same apps at once.

Resolution
Straight up, the retina resolutions are gorgeous! But I feel like there is always room for more. The ability to change the resolution of the iPad's to take up more real estate would be a big help for me. Since ios7 it seems like everything grew a bit in size, less information was on the screen. I'd sacrifice the retina resolution on occasions to get the iPad pro resolution on the air for example. If they had a resolution adjustability on iOS, I'll be happy with that.

Primary device vs Auxiliary device
I'm still facing scenarios where I need to hook up my iPad to my MacBook to do things for my iPad (iTunes sync, backups, jailbreaks, bricked restore, etc.) where as on the Mac, I never have to connect it to anything to fix it. It's got it's recovery built in to the system. So I can never really get rid of my computer, because as long as I have the iPad, I'll need a device that can repair it.

Also there is the thing where I don't get all (or any) of my music and videos from Apple Music or iTunes. But I still use iTunes as my music database for both music an movies on my Mac. On OS X, I can add whatever songs and videos I want to iTunes and enjoy my content from there; on iOS, there is no option to "open in music" or "open in videos". So the only way I can get my media into those two apps is either purchasing them through iTunes, or syncing them through OS X. There are 3rd party alternatives such as VLC, but I use Siri in my car to dictate songs to play, and she only plays what's in the music app.

Overall, I just think iOS needs to do a lot more to get to the functionality of OS X. And I'm not Apple, so my easiest solution would be "put an OS that already does all of that on a tablet".

 

[Badrottie]

Surface RT was a laughingstock so Microsoft killed it Surface Pro with Windows 10 is a hot selling so iPad Pro should run OS X.

 

[whtrbt7]

Modbooks have been around for some time now. If you really want a MacBook Pro with a Wacom digitizer, it's basically the same as a Surface Pro running OSX.

 

[haruhiko]

I think Apple is testing the waters here. First they released a powered down retina MacBook this year which is in terms of performance very similar to the iPad Air 2, sans the touchscreen, but with a keyboard and OS X. Then in this month they released the iPad Pro, a powerful iPad with higher performance than the MacBook but runs only iOS with expensive keyboard and styl...pencil add-on - which makes the total pricing of the iPad Pro to be similar to the retina MacBook.

The sales figures of these two products will probably tell Apple what to do with the iPad pro and MacBook.


Personally, I would like iOS to be more like a desktop environment on the iPad Pro, but it doesn't need to run OS X.

Came across this great piece for how Apple can "revive" the iPad: http://tmblr.co/Zg9tPy1y2CjjY

 

[2128506]

I voted, no.

I wonder if people who advocate wanting OSX on a tablet have ever used a Windows tablet for any length of time, if at all. Having a tablet run a desktop OS is one of those things that sounds great on paper but horrible in practice.

There's more to the total picture than "oooh, I can run the full version of Photoshop!" (as if everyone on the planet runs photoshop).

I used to work on Toshiba convertible laptop/tablet half a decade ago. Amazingly good for meetings and such, with OneNote and stylus input. Guess things improved even more since then.

Had it quirks but was rather useful. iPad Pro with proper OSX would be nice - iOS is still a smartphone/tablet OS and will stay that way.

 

[KPOM]

Surface RT was a laughingstock so Microsoft killed it Surface Pro with Windows 10 is a hot selling so iPad Pro should run OS X.

Surface with Windows 10 is only a comparative success. iPad still outsells it by a wide margin. Windows RT was a flop because there were no good apps and it didn't run Win32 apps. There is a huge base of iOS apps out there that wouldn't run properly on an OS X tablet.

 

[chasonstone]

I voted "won't happen" but I would like to clarify that I just don't think OS X in its current form will ever be on the iPad. With that being said I do think that they will likely beef up iOS to a point where it is comparable to a desktop OS in function, but most similar to iOS in design and input. iOS as of now largely works the same on an iPhone as it does on an iPad and that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, the larger screen should change the way iOS works and lets you work with it. I keep thinking of how the larger iPhone + models gain landscape, split pane, and other software enhancements over the smaller versions but all can perform the same tasks just a little differently. The even larger iPads should gain other enhancements for being even larger.

To be honest, I don't know what the perfect solution here is. I think the iPad is really good at being a tablet and I think MacBooks are really good at being laptops. I don't know how to converge and get one device to be really good at both without unappealing compromises.

 

[sjleworthy]

Good replies

As i say, i think eventually Apple will produce an OSX tablet, purely because they can, and there's a high stream of revenue in it. This over rides all ideals and road maps imo. They're loaded. Why wouldn,t they?

Would OSX work on a tablet? Eventually probably.

Personally i think it will happen, but i'm not a fan. I wouldn't consider buying.

I LOVE a tablet with IOS. I'm enjoying its constant development and evolution. I think the hardware is there now.
My ongoing wish - better software. It is happening and will happen. Hurry up devs!

 

[sracer]

Surface RT was a laughingstock so Microsoft killed it Surface Pro with Windows 10 is a hot selling so iPad Pro should run OS X.

You would be mistaken if the take-away from the Surface RT situation was that "pro" tablets must run desktop OSes.

There are a variety of reasons for why the Surface RT didn't take off. Two main reasons come to mind: First, naming confusion between the RT and the Pro incorrectly set customer expectations. If they called it the "Zune Tablet" it would've been received far differently. The second reason: the price. The initial price of the Surface RT was higher than an iPad.

The thing that many don't realize is that Windows RT on the Surface was virtually a full function equivalent to Windows x86. It runs all of the same system services that Windows on the desktop runs. The greatest limitation was Microsoft preventing desktop apps (that were recompiled for ARM) from being install on the Surface RT.

A third reason, touch-optimized modern UI apps. They never really did materialize to the point of reaching critical mass. And since these are the only types of apps that the RT could run, it severely hampered it as a tablet. Having said that, it makes a terrific MS Office appliance (Office RT is nearly full-function) and in some scenarios is far more of a "pro" tablet than the iPad Pro.

So yes, in a sense, the Surface RT proves that a pro tablet needs a desktop-level OS (Windows RT pretty much is one)...not because it was a failure but because of what it can do. But it also proves that a pro tablet running a desktop-level OS isn't enough, it requires apps. Which is why the Surface Pro makes a poor tablet. (there are those who claim that the Surface Pro is fine for them, but their needs are so basic that a cheap $50 Android tablet could fit the bill too)

Surface Pro users "make do" by using desktop apps in touch mode. Not a very pleasant experience. Without apps optimized for touch, an iPad Pro running OSX would not fare any better. There's more to making an OS optimized for touch than simply magnifying the user interface controls.

Apple is smarter than that. I continue to believe that they will inch iOS closer to that point of convergence without compromising the touch experience.

 

[chasonstone]

Surface Pro users "make do" by using desktop apps in touch mode. Not a very pleasant experience. Without apps optimized for touch, an iPad Pro running OSX would not fare any better. There's more to making an OS optimized for touch than simply magnifying the user interface controls.

Apple is smarter than that. I continue to believe that they will inch iOS closer to that point of convergence without compromising the touch experience.

This. I think the future of the iPad still lies in an enhanced iOS rather than OSX retroactively modified to 'sort of' work on a touch screen. I could see iOS matching the power and functionality of OSX one day, but in order for a tablet to be a good tablet it has to first and foremost employ a consistent, reliable, and elegant touch interface.

 

[KOZmac]

One word:

PadOS

 

[Ghost31]

It's...amazing to see how many people cling to old paradigms just because they're familiar. It's pretty obvious what's going to happen. Apple has made their logic on this clear. They are building off of steves car vs truck analogy right now and will be continuing to advance iOS to the point where you won't give a damn about the Mac. Because whatever feature you want, you'll have it on your iPad.

Remember....tablets have only been around for 5 years and in the beginning, were only seen as consumption devices. They've gotten better over time, but until the iPad pro there was never a big push to try to replace your laptop with one. The iPad pro has changed people's thinking. I'm sure macs will be around for a long time....but iOS is going to be a majority in computing

 

[rkuo]

Fact is if the iPad Pro ran OS X it would be a much more useful device for me. I would be able to stop carrying my Macbook with me when I travel. The fact that it doesn't is a missed opportunity. I appreciate the touch focused apps of iOS and I would be happy to switch modes to use either as needed. With a Microsoft like type cover, I would at least have the option of doing real work on OS X and could care less if the touch experience was not optimal in that context.

 

[Piggie]

What I find funny and also puzzling that most people can't seem to grasp is that we ALREADY have an OSX Tablet pretty much.

And this also makes me smile at the HATERS.

It's a MacBook.

Yes, a MacBook. All a MacBook is, is a tablet with a keyboard permanently attached, that is all is it folks.

Think about how crazy the haters are.

They love a MacBook, but, allow the keyboard to be disconnected from this current device, and they now will instantly Hate it.
Does that even begin to make any logical sense whatsoever?

And yes, I am deliberately leaving aside things like power, battery size/life as that is just "tech" and has nothing to do with the haters here.

I'm baffled.

We actually have humans on this forum that are saying that if they were given a MacBook from the future that works exactly like a MacBook does now, today. And then you showed them you could pull off the screen and that screen portion would then flip into iOS mode and be usable in the exact same way an iPad works today.

They would hate it.....

How does that line of thinking make any logical sense whatsoever?

The side issues of weight, battery, speed are just tech issues that will simply be solved with time, and has nothing to do with the concept of such a physical device.

So weird.

 

[2128506]

Yes, a MacBook. All a MacBook is, is a tablet with a keyboard permanently attached, that is all is it folks.

Ah, I LOVE touchscreen input in my MacBook.

 

[maflynn]

I don't think it will happen, mostly because it will negatively impact both iPad sales which are not all that great at the moment and MBP sales.

There's that whole discussion point of OS X not being touch enabled, so we'd need to see an update/upgrade from apple as well.

I think overall, the iPad Pro could have been more powerful and a better tablet had it been running OS X, but I understand the logic behind it running iOS even if I don't agree with the decision

 

[upritbass]

It won't happen. iOS is still in its infancy and the A9X chip and 4GB RAM is finally enough to support serious software. Give the developers time, it will come.

Many of you are too young or have short memories. At the beginnig of the PC era (which started several years before the IBM PC) all you had was a command line interface. Word processing was a PITA but it was a lot better than a typewriter. Processing a 64x64 image was an amazing feat. Then came the Macintosh with a GUI interface. You should have heard the cries of outrage. "It's just a toy!" and, "How horrible, I have to move my hand off of the keyboard to reach the mouse!" Now there is the iPad. "It's just a toy!" and, "How horrible, I have to move my hand off of the keyboard to reach the screen!"

 

[Piggie]

I feel we need to be honest with another aspect here, and one that's pretty well hidden and more the REAL reason.
The Arm chips in the iPad are simply too slow for OSX.

At the moment they can "Look" fast simply because they are only running iOS and cut down apps, with features specially coded in to be quick at something.

Load up OSX as it stands today, and then try and run some full/proper software and the real truth would become apparent VERY quickly indeed.

Above all else, that's probably more the real reason it's not been done yet.

 

[VesselA]

I am hoping apple are developing a stripped down version of osx yosemite which can be installed as an option on the ipad pro, (even instead of ios) which has a much more usable screen real estate for it. Also the pencil would remove any issues with some desktop apps not being optimised for touch, with its precision.

Apple are in the process of merging ios and osx just like windows have done with allowing both tablet and desktop options in one os. This is clear from recent additions to osx like "launchpad" which basically turns osx into an ipad interface, and the working in of touch gestures on the trackpad. It may take a few more years for apple to develop the synthesised OS,

but Im hoping they will offer a modded version of osx to install on ipad pro sooner as it would be amazing to use real pro apps like logic pro, photoshop on the ipad pro, and to be able to access and control your files properly