Folks SAY that, but Apple ARE selling twice as many iPads as Macs. If it supported more powerful workloads, it MIGHT sell a few million more units? Maybe?
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Apple Aiming to Make iPad More Mac-Like With iPadOS 16 Multitasking Changes
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Think about how popular the blackberry keyboards were though. I could touch type 5x faster on one than on the current iPhone screen.
I think a Dex-like system would be awesome. Imagine your entire computer fitting into your pocket and not have to carry around 3 different devices (like I do now to conduct daily business). Connect it to a dock and it runs like a full Mac. The interface could change from iOS to MacOS on the screen when it detects the connected hardware.
Apple would not likely go for this as they want you to buy multiple devices. However, if they wanted to focus on the success of their cell phones (which isn't much of a stretch) this might not be a bad route to go down and would bring incredible value to the device.
Dex isn’t cool, though. The idea of what Dex is supposed to represent is, but Dex, in practice, is very limited.
I think this is a very intriguing idea.
Switch the interface based on the connected hardware or the size of the screen. This is precedented by responsive web design where the website interface changes based on detected screen size etc.
Developers can make an iPad version first, then progressively enhance the UI to work with larger screens, keyboard and mouse.
Heck, you could theoretically make one app that runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac this way. Think of the redundancy from developing multiple OSes in parallel (iOS, iPadOS, MacOS, tvOS?, RealityOS?). Merge them into a unifying OS called ...
Apple OS.
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There were a lot of complaints about the early iPads being just giant iPhones rather than their own device category like how Steve Jobs hyped it. I remember that even by the time I got my iPad Air 2, though more apps were optimized for the larger screen, still no significant features were offered over iOS on iPhone.
When Apple decided to go a different direction with “iPadOS” and introduce advanced multitasking, that finally made the iPad feel like more than just a giant iPhone.
There’s still a lot more improvement that can be made in that regard. While iPad hardware used to always be closer to iPhone than Mac, it’s now closer to Mac than iPhone, so the software needs to catch up and get there as well. And once it does we may finally see that promised middle ground.
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I think that by taking a way the restrictions that actually matter (USB port use, app-app communication, more powerful plugins, etc… would make it more useful to everyone .. people struggle with things on the iPad (even people who only want it to be simple) because of the restrictions. I’ve had multiple experiences where the inability to plug in a printer has hurt the iPad (we ended up fighting with the wireless options for an hour before giving up and getting a Mac)
The USB port should be better about copying in files, file transfer generally needs to be better even for people who don’t need power user features.
The iPads limitations aren’t primarily windowing based, and removing some restrictions would likely make it better for power users without making it worse for everyone else who wants it to stay simple (from a UI perspective).
This is a terrible idea. Redrawing the UI whenever I stick it in and take out of the Magic Keyboard is exactly the opposite of what I want from my devices…
Following up again, I think the iPad is fantastic - there are ways they restrict it that make it worse because they make it frustrating - I want to see them keep the UX of the current system but remove some of the restrictions that make some apps impossible. I want to use a touch based OS with the really easy drag and drop multitasking UI they currently have. I don’t want to go back to being a window janitor.
I tend to agree having spent a long time trying to make DEX "work" as my main system its just not possible - too many apps don't work properly (or at all), there are things which haven't been fixed for what feels like years and really there's been very little "new" in DEX for some time now.
Its also quite limited - with 3x apps open in a box-like layout although you can also have more minimised.
That said except for on the S8 Ultra the other tablets aren't really big enough to use more than 2x apps at a time anyway.
Personally I like the way that iPad lets you have 2x apps and then slide-over, although I'd like to see more adjustment of those apps (for example split the screen top/bottom if in portrait) and of course external screen support would be excellent.
I kind of get around that by using a Chromecast to stream to either another desktop monitor or a portable monitor when I'm travelling, its basically what I would be doing with a 2x screen DEX setup as I tended to have media (YouTube/Netflix, etc) playing on the tablet screen while working off the other.
It already does this to a degree. For example, you connect a bluetooth keyboard to an iPad the on screen keyboard goes away or vice versa. It's not like you'll be doing this constantly.
Your browser does this as you resize the window. I doubt it's really noticed or cared about. Certain iPad apps do this based on portrait or landscape orientation.
The fact that we have to use multiple "devices" to get our daily work done somewhat implies that our devices don't have the flexibility to do what we really want them to do. I'm probably being idealistic, but we're all kinda dreaming out loud here anyway.
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I do this constantly - when I’m using my iPad I’m often quickly docking and undocking it to quickly enter text then get back to drawing or diagraming - it’s super convenient and the animation of the keyboard disappearing is no where near as disruptive as a complete windowing environment change would be.
Fair enough. Out of curiosity what hardware are you docking it to? An external monitor is almost pointless given the fixed aspect ratio, and a keyboard and mouse is often wireless anyway.
I use my iPad strictly for the Apple Pencil (and typing documents while in remote places). I'm a complete minimalist and it bugs me to use two devices as it interrupts my creative flow when I have to alternate back and forth for Photoshop etc.
Yes, the concept is, but as you say, the implementation only went so far. There was also Microsoft Continuum. It's too bad Microsoft gave up on their Phone OS as it would be nice to have options other than iOS and Android.
I mostly just use the magic keyboard, I like that when I am working I can have the keyboard beside me open and ready to accept the iPad. Place iPad in dock, type what needs typing, tear it away and place it back flat on the desk for drawing or hold it in my hands with the pencil if reading and annotating something.
I briefly tried an external display with a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad but the mirroring display was just too ugly and pointless to help.
This is true but perhaps Apple can do a much better execution of their version of Dex.
Even Microsoft Continuum didn’t work for every app, only specific ones. I think there’s a very good reason why this cool concept has never come to fruition. The difficulty required (AND getting all the third party developers to go with it) is not worth the minor sales increase of doing it.
Right now, every iPad app could run on the Mac. If developers were completely on board and were making those updates to make their apps more effective on the Mac, then maybe we’d be closer to “there”. As it is, without third party support, any Apple solution would be a “just a few productivity apps” curiosity that other solutions of this type has ended up being.
I really hope not. I have an iPad Pro (A12Z) an I really hope Apple does not limit this iPad just because it does not have an M1…
The line is oddly ambiguous between them.
Maybe allow switching between iPad OS and a proper MacOS experience.
Maybe allow switching between iPad OS and a proper MacOS experience.
Wrong. Not just here I’m talking. Hunting and trying to cover up bases and being vague while still mentioning is mentioning.
I'd expect Apple to produce certainly a version of "DEX" which is more stable and consistent (all apps working in the mode, etc)
Add a keyboard and a mouse to an iPad and you have a Mac. Add a touch screen to a Mac and you have an iPad. There is no good reason not to do this. In fact, the only reason ever given for not doing is that "Steve doesn't think it would work ."
Luckily, Microsoft and other have shown that doing these things work just fine and the sky doesn't fall down.