Well, there you go. It’s according to how I want to use iPadOS which makes it limited. I think you are taking the approach as if I strictly use it as a tablet... limitation doesn’t exist. But if I choose to go out of those parameters… then limitation does present itself. Granted, the iPad is designed for touch... but Apple has provided mouse/trackpad support to give users options.
Mouse doesn't exist on an iPad. It is a finger cursor that has very little precision. They are not the same thing. That particular distinction makes a big difference and is one of the reasons Stage Manager moves apps around. If Apple allowed apps to be hidden or an app has just a tiny sliver showing behind another app, using a finger to try pulling it out is quite difficult. This is an example of how macOS is not optimized for tablets. It would be a frustrating experience.
I personally don’t see an issue with Windows 11 on the desktop or as a tablet. Not entirely sure how you come up with the conclusion that it sucks? At this point, they lack developer support when it comes to tablet optimized apps… but Windows 11 has optimized their interface for touch.
People in this very forum have mentioned how frustrating Windows 11 is because they changed it completely to be more touch friendly, a recognition their Surface Pros were an utter failure. This creates problems with apps that aren't sized properly or aren't set for larger touch points. This fusion makes both more difficult for developers and for users. For instance, try slapping Luma Fusion on a Mac or Final Cut Pro on an iPad. One would waste a tremendous amount of space and be limited in functionality while the other would be an exercise in frustration trying to actually manipulate the controls because they're too small. Wonder why Final Cut isn't on the iPad yet? It takes a LOT of time to completely rewrite a UI from scratch, assuming Apple is even trying to port it. They may see no point in doing so.
Bottom line is UI's for apps are optimized for one or the other. They can't be optimized for both. That is why Surface Pros fail.
Huh? Why would someone want to pigeonhole a device or limit it’s functionality… that makes no sense. If a tablet is capable of doing more… why should someone limit its functionality. I understand both operating system have their strengths and weakness, but if I can use a tablet as a laptop and successful complete a task in that form factor... I don’t see how that’s a problem.
If you try to stick laptop functionality into a tablet, you get a very bad tablet, that's why. You need completely different software for both. Using one for both devices is horrible for UI experience. When I say functionality is limited to what you want to do with it, here's an example. I want to take my iMac on a plane flight and use it on the fold out table in my airplane seat. Not very practical, is it? That iMac is pretty darned limited. It does everything I want it to do, but someone like MKBHD carted around his iMac Pro onto planes before the new MBP's came out. The Mac is capable of what he wanted to do, but it was sure inconvenient. He even had a video showing him towing his iMac Pro in his luggage at the airport. There's no difference in what you want to do on an iPad. You can do it, but it might be more convenient on a Mac. So why make the iPad a Mac when it isn't? Why aren't people clamoring for an iPhone to replace their desktop? It can edit videos, create documents, etc.
See what I mean when I say it's not limited for a tablet, but is limited for what some people might want it to do. I want my tablet to fly me to Mars. Darn, it won't? It's too limited. Try a rocket ship instead. It'll work better. Use the proper tool for the proper job.
For those who complain the iPad isn't pro enough, there's plenty of software on the iPad. Just check out Christopher Lawley's videos on professional apps for 30 different professions. There are a ton of people who would say the iPad can do everything they want. Just because you want it to do something it can't do easily doesn't mean it's lacking something. No one item is ever optimized for every task. Macs are just as limited in that sense because they can't do touch. I want to do some art on my Mac. I can, but the experience sucks. But they are not limited in any way for what they're designed for.
Put it this way. Why aren't people screaming for Procreate to be on a Mac? Because the experience would be terrible. You can do it with Side Car or some Wacom tablet, but it would be inconvenient and irritating compared to doing the same task on an iPad. So why do people want the reverse? The experience would be equally inconvenient. There is no class of device that can do everything equally well as other devices in every task. If you try to push the iPad onto the same tier as a laptop, it's not an iPad anymore. This is why I say doing what some edge case users want would end up killing the iPad.
You can do almost anything on an iPad that you can do on a laptop and vice versa. One is going to be a lot easier than the other in specific tasks. So really, you can replace a laptop with an iPad right now, with or without Stage Manager. It just isn't always going to work out as well as you'd like. You can also replace a tablet with a desktop. It won't be convenient some of the time. So exactly how is an iPad limited? It can do accounting. It can edit video. It can create music. It can word process. It can do almost anything. So can a Mac. But which would you prefer to use for the various tasks?
Stage Manager isn't going to solve anything because it's part of the OS. It's the apps that are the productivity tools, not the OS. The OS can make thing easier, but up to a point. Running eight apps at a time isn't going to solve anyone's problems. But when it comes to functionality, there is an app for just about anything you want to do. I would ask those who want the iPad to be a laptop, what is it the iPad can't do that a laptop can without taking ease of use into consideration? Don't give me something esoteric like monitor support. That's an OS feature, not a productivity task. Nobody's work task is to have a second monitor (unless your job is IT). While an external monitor can make a task easier, the task can still be done without it, but always at a cost. The cost is that the iPad is now forced to tether to a monitor and a keyboard/pointing device. Now it's not a tablet anymore. It's a desktop. When I'm asking what an iPad can't do, I'm talking about actual tasks like drawing, documentation, editing, watching videos, etc. It can do everything a laptop can do already.
Not sure what this has to do with anything. I never had a problem with calling an iPad a computer, but I never put two and two together as far as comparing the iPad and MacBook.. I’m fully aware they are two separate devices. One has a vast array of application support and a well established operating system whereas iPad hasn’t reached that level of development.
This advertising campaign is why people started expecting the iPad to be a laptop. It is the most cited reason why people are disappointed each time the iPad isn't a Mac. Just reading these forums, they feel Apple broke a promise they never made.
Huh? That’s a broad statement. But plenty of people use their laptops as desktop. I’d wager there’s more people using their laptop as a desktop than buying a standalone desktop. Why would I buy a standalone desktop when the laptop is capable of successfully completing the task? It’s a cost saving aspect to it.
Yes, a laptop can act as a desktop. But you don't understand the point I'm trying to make. Desktops are more expandable and can have a lot more power. Sure you can use a laptop, but you're limited in what some people want to do with it. Maybe not you, but for others a laptop is too limiting. The screen is too tiny or they need the power of an Ultra or Mac Pro. You see how laptop does not equal a desktop? It's exactly the same reason a tablet is not a laptop. It is in a different tier. Desktops are at the top in terms of power and expandability. Laptops come next in terms of power and expandability, but you get more portability at the cost of less power and expandability. Tablets come next with slightly less power and expandability, but you get even more portability. Phones are the most portable but are the least powerful and not at all expandable. Each device has its task. To try to stick a tablet onto the same tier as a laptop is a fool's errand.
People who live in the overlap between the devices are quite content with how the iPad is. Those who really want a laptop can't live with the scope of the iPad. So move up the tier and get a MacBook Air. It's lighter than an iPad plus keyboard, has a bigger screen, and can do everything an iPad can do. Why make iPads suck just to make it a laptop when a perfectly good laptop is already there? The problem is that people want the tablet to be on both tiers when its touch-first interface and form factor make that an impossibility.
