Apple Highlights Five Reasons the iPad Pro Can Be Your Next Computer

[tromboneaholic]

Don’t like change ?
I am trying to use my iPad as a Mac for 5/6 years now and gave up.

Once you start using it as an iPad, you'll be a much happier person.

 

[StyxMaker]

Give iPad the below features the competition has forever:
- A real operating system, with file system etc.
- A mouse and cursor option
- A real keyboard with trackpad and backlit keyboard (no faulty mechanism this time, if possible)

...and then we talk.

You’re saying ‘turn it into a laptop and it can replace my laptop’.

 

[rom3o]

While I think that even the old iPad was sufficient for many people to get most of their daily tasks done, since the limiting factor here always has been and still is the software, I don’t understand Apple’s ambition to promote an iPad with an attached keyboard as a computer replacement.

Federighi told us just earlier this year that there won’t be touchscreens on MacBooks due to the bad ergonomics, because “lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do”. But lifting your arms up to poke the computer-replacing iPad screen even more often because of its lack of mouse/trackpad support, won’t be fatiguing at all?! Double standards.

 

[Bacillus]

Once you start using it as an iPad, you'll be a much happier person.

Great advice to someone who supposedly “resisted change”
Apparently your concentration span didn’t last more than the first sentence

 

[DNichter]

Don’t like change ?
I ‘ve been trying to use my iPad as a Mac for 5/6 years now and gave up.
It just doesn’t work and iPad Pro doesn’t change that (apart to closing the price gap)
The faster CPU is the improvement of what didn’t need to be improved.
Whatever Cook seeks to supplete or substitute - it’s still an oversized phone (i.e. with a phoneOS) that isn’t even a phone. Why an 8 core A12 and 512Gb if even text selection tools do not work ?
Apparently, the great influencers never used the device itself.

I think that’s where your issue lies, trying to use an iPad as a Mac. They are very different and have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. If it doesn’t work well for the tasks you need to accomplish with a computer, then it doesn’t make much sense trying to force it.

 

[StyxMaker]

More powerful than most computers? HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH good one, Apple.
Can I run my own software on it, or just stuff you "approve"? Then it's already not a real computer. Can it use a mouse? NO? Again, not a real computer. Does it have a headphone jack, so I can use any of my 50 pairs of headphones, wired speakers, etc.? No? Does it use the Lightning jack that's compatible with all the 10 or so cables I have already, or the USB-C crap that I don't have ANY of, because I'm not buying all that stuff ALL OVER AGAIN? Oh, USB-C. Of course. It's simply not a real computer. It's a tablet, and that's it.

I could go on but there's little point. I won't even bother pointing out how badly Apple has screwed up again, in making a portable electronic device that doesn't resist bending easily, leading to catastrophic failure and the destruction of another overpriced Apple toy.

Rated: DO *NOT* BUY. Overpriced, defective-by-design junk.

I love all these ‘It doesn’t do X, it’s not a real computer.” The first time I professionally (as in ‘got paid’) to work on a computer DOS wasn’t even a thing yet. When I first saw an article about mouses for computers I thought it was ridiculous. My attitude was, anyone who can’t type commands shouldn’t be using a computer.

I witnessed the operators control over what the machine was doing decrease with each iteration of Windows and the software made to run on it. But the people using the computers were doing more and being more creative with the computers they were using.

None of the ‘it doesn’t do X so it’s not a computer’ are valid. It is valid to say if it doesn’t do X, it’s not a computer I want to use.

As I said before there are two things my laptop can do that I can’t do on my iPad Pro. So I still own both.

 

[tromboneaholic]

Great advice to someone who supposedly “resisted change”
Apparently your concentration span ended before the first sentence

.

 

[Bacillus]

I think that’s where your issue lies, trying to use an iPad as a Mac. They are very different and have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. If it doesn’t work well for the tasks you need to accomplish with a computer, then it doesn’t make much sense trying to force it.

Great, but that’s the only thing I did learn myself though. Tell Tim.
[doublepost=1542755253][/doublepost]

.

I am afraid you have similar problems with iPad productivity.

 

[tromboneaholic]

I witnessed the operators control over what the machine was doing decrease with each iteration of Windows and the software made to run on it. But the people using the computers were doing more and being more creative with the computers they were using.

I would be one of those people who was able to work in a field I couldn't have before mice and GUIs came along, which is why I am not afraid to see new technologies actually empower people, regardless of the company creating the tech.
[doublepost=1542755422][/doublepost]

[doublepost=1542755253][/doublepost]
I am afraid you have similar problems with iPad productivity.

You left a period off your sentence, so I left an extra one for you.

 

[StyxMaker]

You guys forget that 99% of people don't use a computer for anything more than browsing the internet, sharing photos, and maybe printing a school paper.

Kids. Old people. Etc.

My sister teaches English at two different colleges. Papers are turned in over the internet. No printing involved.

 

[Abazigal]

I do find it amusing that as the iPad gains more and more functionality, the goalposts of what constitutes a computer (or even real work) keep shifting.

Not too long ago, the phrase “you can’t do real work on an iPad” was thrown around a lot, but as more people have shown that they totally can do their work on iPads, the PC defenders have had to become more specific in their criticisms. Arguments for the continued dominance of the PC have been reduced to “you need it for sharing documents” or “you can’t do development on iOS or Android.” or some other niche use case.

The trend towards eliminating things iOS and Android devices can’t do is marching on and there’s no reason to think it will stop. With each passing day, people are changing their workflows in ways that make PCs less relevant, while iOS and Android are making changes to fill the gaps that are still there.

PCs will exist for a long time, and I have no doubt that they will remain relevant for many people, but it continues to become more and more clear that the future is not macOS or Windows, but iOS and Android. As such, I am neither surprised nor dismayed that Apple continues to favour development of iOS over the Mac.

We really should be beyond debating whether the iPad can be used for content creation. That discussion is over and those still arguing that it cannot are saying more about themselves than about the iPad with every passing day.

 

[charlituna]

Computer users who think their choices are everyone's choices are annoying, aren't they?

Yep. Although you can simplify it as ‘people who think their thoughts are everyone’s thoughts are annoying’ whether its about computers, books, tv shows, politics
[doublepost=1542756978][/doublepost]

The Pencil is not a mouse, nor can it take the place of a mouse entirely. Try working with the iPad as a "laptop" with a keyboard attached (document editing, remote work, etc...). Reaching over to the screen is annoying enough, the Pencil does not make it any better, just more cumbersome.

I edit documents and do remote connections all the time on my iPad. Using my finger or my pencil isn’t at all cumbersome to me.

So this is merely YOUR issue and that’s fine. You don’t have to use an iPad, use a traditional computer all you want. And I and those like me that don’t have your issue will continue to use our iPads, our Surface, our Galaxy tablets etc
[doublepost=1542757459][/doublepost]

Then it's already not a real computer.

Seems your issue is that you have a very specific definition of what a computer is. For you ‘a computer’ means a keyboard with a mouse/trackpad, a headphone jack etc so you don’t have to buy new stuff and total control. Which is fine for you but isn’t actually the definition of a computer.

Let’s actually look at what the definition of a computer is according to some acknowledged authoritative sources.

Oxford English Dictionary: An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program.

Merriam Webster Dictionary: a programmable usually electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data

Encyclopedia Brittanica: Computer, a programmable device for processing, storing, and displaying information

I could keep going but they are all going to be the same. And the iPad certainly fits the actual definition of a computer regardless of your opinion about the device.

 

[DNichter]

Great, but that’s the only thing I did learn myself though. Tell Tim.
[doublepost=1542755253][/doublepost]
I am afraid you have similar problems with iPad productivity.

I’ve only seen Apple state that an iPad can replace a laptop for a lot of people. Not everyone and ever use case. That’s still true. The vast majority of reasons people own a computer today are to browse, email, photos, video, stuff like that. The iPad can easily replace a laptop for people that need it for such uses. It’s grown over the years and has now replaced traditional PC’s for some people in the work environment. That will only continue as Apple develops and adds more productivity features. I’d suggest trying again at some point, but not forcing it if it doesn’t make sense for your workflow.
[doublepost=1542759539][/doublepost]

I do find it amusing that as the iPad gains more and more functionality, the goalposts of what constitutes a computer (or even real work) keep shifting.

Not too long ago, the phrase “you can’t do real work on an iPad” was thrown around a lot, but as more people have shown that they totally can do their work on iPads, the PC defenders have had to become more specific in their criticisms. Arguments for the continued dominance of the PC have been reduced to “you need it for sharing documents” or “you can’t do development on iOS or Android.” or some other niche use case.

The trend towards eliminating things iOS and Android devices can’t do is marching on and there’s no reason to think it will stop. With each passing day, people are changing their workflows in ways that make PCs less relevant, while iOS and Android are making changes to fill the gaps that are still there.

PCs will exist for a long time, and I have no doubt that they will remain relevant for many people, but it continues to become more and more clear that the future is not macOS or Windows, but iOS and Android. As such, I am neither surprised nor dismayed that Apple continues to favour development of iOS over the Mac.

We really should be beyond debating whether the iPad can be used for content creation. That discussion is over and those still arguing that it cannot are saying more about themselves than about the iPad with every passing day.

Notice how all the “Apple will never replace Intel chips with ARM” comments have stopped as well? Apple is moving the iPad forward into a territory that’s completely new. It’s exciting, reminds me of the early OS X days.

 

[Amazontabletsftw]

They sell good $200 Android phones, people. $200
Apple is doooomed with Timmy at the helm. Doomed.

Timmy wants you to spend $1500 on a CRIPPLED iPad, $2000 on a Mac, and $1200 on a phone. Enough.

Prices will keep rising until people stop spending. Send apple a message this holiday if you want change.
If enough people speak with their wallets, Timmy will be gone and prices will be lowered.

 

[The Game 161]

Mine will be my laptop replacement when my Smart Keyboard finally arrives

 

[StyxMaker]

So true! Sending patient info to a wrong fax number is scary. Big HIPPA violation these days. I always triple check the fax number before hitting the send button.

Before I retired I was working IT for an organization that was 3 years into the change over to computerized progress notes. But they have 40+ years of handwritten and typed progress notes in files. They woun’t be able to give up their fax machines for a long time.

 

[Abazigal]

They sell good $200 Android phones, people. $200
Apple is doooomed with Timmy at the helm. Doomed.

Timmy wants you to spend $1500 on a CRIPPLED iPad, $2000 on a Mac, and $1200 on a phone. Enough.

Prices will keep rising until people stop spending. Send apple a message this holiday if you want change.
If enough people speak with their wallets, Timmy will be gone and prices will be lowered.

I just bought a 12.9” iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

 

[zhenya]

I could even largely get over the lack of a trackpad when trying to use the iPad to do even light spreadsheet and document work, but I can’t get past the fact that simple things like text selection are still fundamentally broken. They just don’t work consistently or reliably. Or that I have to rely on 3rd party apps to be constantly updating their software just to have reliable access to files (using iCloud and the Files app is not possible in a world where you have to collaborate with other people).

I have the new iPad Pro. I’ve had virtually every iPad since the original. It’s my favorite computing device ever made. But there is simply no excuse for how difficult Apple continues to make doing even simple tasks.

One personal example from this week. I simply needed to fill out an expense report. This means filling in an Excel spreadsheet, comparing this sheet to a reference sheet (can’t have two sheets open side by side). Downloading receipts from my email (was on an airplane when I tried to start this. My emails were on the iPad, but attachments don’t get downloaded automatically or stored offline - couldn’t do my work). When I do have access to the attachments and want to save them to the folder in my cloud provider, every single time I have a new receipt to save, I have to use the Share sheet, and navigate down a long list of apps, 90% of which I never use, to find the app I need (no way to customize this list), open the other app, navigate about 8 layers deep to my folder level where the receipt needs to go, and save it). Each time I have to repeat this ridiculously long process. On a laptop it’s simply a copy/paste operation with two windows side by side.

The iPad does win because I can scan my receipts right there in the field without a scanner and that works great (although with the same ridiculous contortions as above to actually get to the folder location I want to store my receipts).

Filling out an expense report is about as basic an exercise as you could expect to do. It’s somewhere between downright impossible to do on an iPad and simply maddening. Neither is a good place for a tool of this caliber to be positioning itself, and it is sad that Apple continues to make something that should be so simple so difficult. Exactly the opposite of what Apple is supposed to excel at.

 

[Mac 128]

The Pencil is not a mouse, nor can it take the place of a mouse entirely. Try working with the iPad as a "laptop" with a keyboard attached (document editing, remote work, etc...). Reaching over to the screen is annoying enough, the Pencil does not make it any better, just more cumbersome. A mouse is great at being a mouse, the Pencil is great at what it does. The Pencil could never replace a real mouse. In the past Apple has argued against touch on their laptops because of reaching over to the screen. Yet now they push keyboards and you have to reach over to the screen due to the lack of a mouse. Odd, no ?

iCloud is not the same thing as being connected via a really long cable. I can carry around a 2TB ssd in my pocket and connect it to my laptop and use it at speed, without having to be connected to a network. iCloud has a purpose, generic external storage it is not.

While I think that even the old iPad was sufficient for many people to get most of their daily tasks done, since the limiting factor here always has been and still is the software, I don’t understand Apple’s ambition to promote an iPad with an attached keyboard as a computer replacement.

Federighi told us just earlier this year that there won’t be touchscreens on MacBooks due to the bad ergonomics, because “lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do”. But lifting your arms up to poke the computer-replacing iPad screen even more often because of its lack of mouse/trackpad support, won’t be fatiguing at all?! Double standards.

It would seem that had Apple just left keyboards to third parties, this would not be a problem for them. Then, other people would provide an option that Apple doesn't have to directly address. Much less market and tout as a feature!

No one says it doesn't matter. They're saying that the display itself acts as a trackpad. That is absolutely true. It's a different paradigm. And to the people these ads, and that marketing, is targeted to, will get it, and to them it isn't inconsistent or confusing. The problem here is people are trying to project their preconceive notions onto Apple's direction.

The real issue here is Apple isn't talking to us long time computer users who are set in our ways. Apple is talking to everyone else. And those people understand and appreciate it, and buy the products, because they solve their problems.

And do you really think someone is going to buy the keyboard folio without actually looking at it? One cursory glance shows it obviously doesn't include a trackpad. And the marketing very clearly says the display acts as the trackpad. The only reason you don't get it, is because you're projecting your old school notions into it. But normal people without those notions won't read it the way you are, and won't be confused.

You see the absence of a trackpad as a deficiency, because you're used to a trackpad (or mouse) and can't do without one. It's reasonable that you can't do without one because of your use case. It's unreasonable to describe the absence of a trackpad/mouse as a deficiency for all use cases, when there are plenty of people that don't have your background etc. and would find this new paradigm much more natural than the old school paradigm you're used to.

I stand by my point that the problem here is not Tim, or Apple, or these ads, or the marketing. The problem is all the people who these ads are not targeted to, coming here and complaining about how these ads don't fit their paradigms, when there are still plenty of people around for whom these new paradigms fit much better than the old ones.

That is NOT what Apple is stating. Apple is stating that in addition to an onscreen keyboard, the keyboard also acts as a trackpad. It's very clear, unambiguous English. They are marketing the fact that the onscreen keyboard has a track pad incorporated into it, presumably because they think this is important to some significant group of customers in order to take up space in print to promote it.

And who are you to tell me what I "don't get"? The point is that Apple thinks it's important enough to market an onscreen keyboard as having a trackpad, but the trackpad is not important enough to add to the attached keyboard when the onscreen display is removed from the iPad while the physical keyboard is in use with it. Period. Why advertise the presence of a trackpad in a virtual situation, yet not address the issue in a physical one? You can cling to whatever points you think are relevant, it certainly doesn't make them correct. There is a clear discrepancy in Apple's intent, and marketing, and serious contradictions between their iPad and MacBook messaging.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Again not FOR YOU. You are not everyone, your needs and wants are not everyone’s. If something doesn’t work for you, don’t use it. But lose the attitude it really tired.

Speaking of attitudes........

 

[ipponrg]

Yea, people seem to get pretty triggered when it comes to whether or not an iPad is a computer. People don't like change and change is coming faster than they would like.

It's more the arrogance of ignorance demonstrated by people such as yourself that keeps baiting people to respond, myself included.

It's also fun too.

 

[ValO]

Meh. There's no technical reason why those soft features can't be added to iPhone other than upselling to iPad because they're common on Android phones.

Yeah, but that is like saying that the iPad Pro can be a “ real” pc, because there are no technical reason that these features couldn’ T be implemented. You should remain consistent...

 

[iMEric984]

Some companies hire PR firms that post on forums as regular users and talk trash about the competition. It makes you wonder how much of the outrage is authentic.

I'm certainly not implying everyone debating if the iPad is a computer is astroturfing, but it would explain some of the newer accounts that pop up and only have negative input.

I know that ive heard Samsung does this!!!

 

[robbyx]

What's so bad about it becoming a surface? Why not best of both worlds, require developers to support both touch screen and mouse pointer input? Similar to what they require of developers regarding mifi support.

If there was money to be made in mouse support, I'd guess apple would be all over it. i.e. selling some sort of proprietory mouse. Similar to their pencil.

No they wouldn't. You, and the other two people quoted below, are missing the point completely. Personally, I don't think there's anything bad about Surface or Apple moving in that direction. I'm expressing my opinion on why Apple will not add mouse/trackpad support to the iPad. I'm not saying they shouldn't, or that they can't, just that I don't believe they will for a very obvious reason. It is contrary to their overall vision for the product. The pencil is a natural extension of that vision. A mouse/trackpad and a cursor on the screen is not. Period. End of story. They can add mouse support no problem - anytime. They just won't do it.

But Apple did add PENCIL SUPPORT because peoples fingers were just too damn big to draw with. So, it's not so far fetched to add POINTER SUPPORT. It'd actually be pretty easy. Android did it, so Apple can't?

I never said they can't. I said they won't. You completely miss the point. The iPhone and iPad are devices we touch directly. The computer disappears and we just carry this thin little sheet of glass around. There's no keyboard. No mouse. This has been the philosophy from day one and I don't think that will change.

Certain things make sense. A physical keyboard, for example. It's not necessary, but if you type a lot, it's nice to have. And it doesn't fundamentally change the iPad experience. The same goes for the Pencil. You're still touching the screen directly, not controlling a pointer on the screen. Apple could add mouse support anytime, but I don't think they will. As I've said before, if Apple added mouse support, the iPad would be no different from the Surface and Apple has made it very clear that they don't believe in such a device.

You are right if we follow the narrow mindset Apple has right now. But that mindset is what's limiting iOS and if Apple doesn't break the mold, it will continue to be limited, and all the raw power will continue going to waste. It's been 6-7 years already of iPads in this world, and iOS keeps being severely limited in so many ways.

If this platform is truly to move outside of the walled garden and be truly versatile, it has to open up and expand to many different things, including maybe mouse support. There are many use cases where a mouse is just superior to touch, period.

No argument on the mouse being superior. That's why I still have a MacBook. There are things I prefer to do on my iPad. I love Good Notes, for example. Writing, sketching, brainstorming. I'd much rather do that on the iPad. But when it comes to other tasks, I prefer a Mac and a mouse. Different use cases. Apple has made it pretty clear that they don't believe in converging the two.

Also, who said anything about Apple wanting to move outside the walled garden? They don't want that. It sounds like you and certain other folks just want them to turn the iPad into a Mac. The iPad isn't meant to replace the Mac for people who REALLY need a computer. Not even close. I make my living on a Mac and I could NEVER do what I do on an iPad. Adding mouse support wouldn't magically turn the iPad into a "real" computer for me. By the time they got through my list of needs, the iPad would just be a Mac.

But the iPad does replace the computer for many people and those are the people Apple is trying to reach with this kind of marketing. That's pretty much no one who reads this site. Adding mouse support isn't going to sell more iPads. It would just compromise the user experience.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

As the iPad becomes more powerful, why is it so inconceivable that it couldn't be used for CAD? Even today I can think of uses where it could be utilized in a mixed environment when working with clients in the field at remote locations.

It should be used for CAD. Use AutoDesk Inventor Professional for five minutes and you can see it’s a perfect CAD & Modeling application for a tablet. No CLI in sight, you can do everything on it in a couple taps and an on-screen ten-key keyboard. Unfortunately for the world, CAD software is not new. These are giant, old programs hogging the best IP everyone else needs to infringe upon to build new CAD systems. A few companies have had CAD software pretty well tied up for half a century. Hoping for some new upstart to come along and compete against their mature products right out of the gate is unlikely enough, but forget development costs, you’ll never get enough legal capital to defend your company from AutoDesk & Dassault. And both of those companies have looked long and hard at Apples platform, their fickle nature, their tiny user base, the App Stores pricing expectations, and added up the cost of rewriting 60 years worth of CAD development for a new Apple platform (in one case, after having attempted it and regretted it long ago already), and realized a vanilla AutoCad, useful as a simple dwg viewer, and a web app of the beginners Inventor Fusion 360, are as far as it makes sense to go. Dassault bought & made a limited & unstable acad dwg competitor for Mac as a side project over a number of years, but just gave it away free with an explanation that that’s it, and that the experience taught them it makes no sense to attempt recreating industry behemoths Solidworks & Catia to Mac. That leaves what, entry level Rhino as iOSs only hope of getting a decent local modeler, and I don’t even think that was parametric, and then Siemens NX if your pockets are lined with gold, but I’ll belive they’ll rewrite NX and put a $20,000 program on the App Store when I see it.

Then there’s the matter of CADs tie-in to CAM systems, machining software, and automation software, and PLM software, plus an entire world of machines running on their own proprietary windows or unix software that’s customized for every other job. These are enormous programs we rely on, with clear roadmaps years ahead preparing us for Surface ui’s etc, and the big change in human creativity, upcoming design assistance from machine learning.

If Apple wants the iPad to be a creative device that finally makes 3D printers and AR worth their weight in gold, they and they alone will have to do a total 180, and put their resources into creating a CAD app that democratizes design, viz, and manufacturing, or it will continue to not happen. And I don’t see Apple getting more into pro apps at this point, sadly.