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

[tromboneaholic]

I can accept not being “the audience” of those ads.
I can accept not being the Cookette “Pro” that is actually a cappuchino pro (streetguy being flattered)
I can accept luxury and greed to some agree.
I cannot accept the overcapitalist craze, and agnostic selfadmiration with Apple’s leadership while they lose cutting edge.
Look at the S10 design - I know it’s just a rumor yet - but just look at it.
And there are so many examples where they gave away their leadership, and lamented b/c of being distracted with what Steve called the wrong things.

That's the thing about Capitalism, cappuccino-drinking pencil artists can make a decent living with a pro tool like iPad Pro. That's why I bought one.

You're not going to influence people who can afford Apple products with your socialistic slant.
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The people in the ads are generic “pretty people” doing “interesting things” and having a great time with their happy, healthy, smiley friends. Aspirational models of what we think we are or want to be. Just the same as in car ads or perfume ads or alcohol ads, etc. Apple doesn’t care if you yourself are a nerd or creative or anything, it just want you to think that buying their stuff is a ticket to the lifestyle portrayed in the adverts.

You might see them as generic people doing interesting things, but the specifics of their look and what they are doing is the point.

The Marlboro Man image was appealing to men who wanted to be rugged manly men and Virginia Slim ads appealed to women who wanted to be slim virgins.

With that in mind:
Was anybody working on a spreadsheet or doing any of the repetitive tasks that people are complaining iPad can't do?
Did any of these scenes show office workers chained to an office desk where a mouse is useful?

The commercial shows us exactly who and what iPad is for.

 

[ipponrg]

As a nerd who has been an Apple customer since 1996, I will tell you nerds were never Apple's customer base.

An Apple customer has always been someone who wanted to use their device to do something else with it, something more important than the device.

Tech enthusiasts are like music, art, and movie critics. Sometimes they just don't understand they are not the audience.

It's like this video in the article: "5 reasons the iPad Pro can be your next computer."
Look at the visuals in the ad.
Look at the people.
Look at what they are doing.
Look at where they are.

These are Apple's customers. That is who Apple is talking to when they say "your" computer.

You should bold this and unbold the rest: "5 reasons the iPad Pro can be your next computer." The audience is one thing, but some of the more opinionated anti-camps are reading the above as "5 reasons the iPad Pro WILL be your next computer".

On a side note, if nerds were never a part of Apple's customer base, then you wouldn't have the slew of software engineers using Macs to develop on. You can thank Unix.

 

[Bacillus]

That's the thing about Capitalism, cappuccino-drinking pencil artists can make a decent living with a pro tool like iPad Pro. That's why I bought one.
You're not going to influence people who can afford Apple products with your socialistic slant.

Something tells me you want to end this topic - by lack of counter-arguments (again)
I can live on as a liar, socialist slanter (the first who doesn’t begrunt) or whatever, but maybe you should diagnose yourself.

 

[Vjosullivan]

The Marlboro Man image was appealing to men who wanted to be rugged manly men...

The commercial shows us exactly who and what iPad is for.

As you say, Marlboro adverts showed cowboys but cowboys were not the target market. Ditto, Apple adverts show pretty people having fun but that is not the target market. The actual target market is anyone who just wants something that can handle a game of candy swipe and answer emails.

 

[tromboneaholic]

As you say, Marlboro adverts showed cowboys but cowboys were not the target market. Ditto, Apple adverts show pretty people having fun but that is not the target market. The actual target market is anyone who just wants something that can handle a game of candy swipe and answer emails.

That's an oversimplification of the audience, but nevertheless millions of people buy a computer to do that every week judging by iPad sales.

 

[Big Stevie]

I can see myself switching from my aged 2012 MacBook Pro to an iPad Pro one day, but not until they are compatible with external USB hard drives.

Also, how comfortable are the iPad Pros to use when sat in an armchair using the Apple Smart Folio keyboard?

 

[Veriformis]

it's more like a computer because it's not an ipad anymore without a split keyboard.

 

[Mac 128]

The people in the ads are generic “pretty people” doing “interesting things” and having a great time with their happy, healthy, smiley friends. Aspirational models of what we think we are or want to be. Just the same as in car ads or perfume ads or alcohol ads, etc. Apple doesn’t care if you yourself are a nerd or creative or anything, it just want you to think that buying their stuff is a ticket to the lifestyle portrayed in the adverts.

IDK. In those ads I see people using their iPads like a laptop (but without a trackpad), and asking "what's a computer".

I can see myself switching from my aged 2012 MacBook Pro to an iPad Pro one day, but not until they are compatible with external USB hard drives.

Also, how comfortable are the iPad Pros to use when sat in an armchair using the Apple Smart Folio keyboard?

I would think more awkward. I haven't tried the new keyboards in my lap, but the old ones were too pliable, and lacked rigidity to make them a good typing surface (even new out of the box they didn't sit flush on flat surfaces). Also, since you still have to touch the screen at an awkward angle to edit anything (as there's no trackpad), combined with the downward angle on a lap, kind of makes the whole thing unsteady as the setup is obviously top heavy. Plus, I'm not sure where you're going to stow anything more than a flash drive on that setup. If you do a lot of lap computing, I'm not sure that's the best option for you.

 

[tromboneaholic]

IDK. In those ads I see people using their iPads like a laptop (but without a trackpad), and asking "what's a computer".

That's not the 5 reasons ad we are discussing.

 

[Bacillus]

That's the thing about Capitalism, cappuccino-drinking pencil artists can make a decent living with a pro tool like iPad Pro. That's why I bought one.

You're not going to influence people who can afford Apple products with your socialistic slant.

I still suspect Tim to have devaluated the “Pro” moniker as part of a marketing tactic to flatter the bottom of the pyramid - more than anything else.
Now, as the better “influencer”, please show us some of your mere fruitful Pro-level creations made with a Pencil, to demonstrate otherwise.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Yeah? So try to write a text that is formatted and make corrections. It takes 3x the time as compared to 100USD laptop...

Although I agree that iOS' text-selection methods could use some love, I would like to know where you are buying these USD$100 laptops... ;-)

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

I wouldn't call this upgrade effort as a signal of their long term commitment to the Mac.

So, just what WOULD "signal" this "commitment" to YOUR satisfaction?

For example: Over the past month, I have see MANY more MacBook Air commercials on TV than iPhone or iPad commercials. I'd call that "Putting your money where your mouth is".
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You are missing an important aspect to wired headphones, speakers, etc.--they never run out of battery and they never need anything other than the port connection to function (i.e. no wireless network, no BT connection which further drains the battery).

Look, I use wireless headphones and a wireless speaker when doing yard work because it is safer, but it is not difficult to run out of battery on wireless devices if you don't charge after EVERY use. Wired connections, while more messy, are more convenient and always work.

But this was for an AT-HOME (read "AC Power Available") device to hook to a home entertainment system. Battery power (other than the iPad's battery) is simply not a factor.
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Why should I? Doesn’t Apple display a nagging prompt asking you to update iOS, displaying it again everyweek if you choose “No”? If you argue that we should jump into the bandwagon with Apple no matter what they do, why don’t you like to follow the Apple style now?

Nice strawman there, scarecrow!

 

[Bacillus]

That's the thing about Capitalism, cappuccino-drinking pencil artists can make a decent living with a pro tool like iPad Pro. That's why I bought one.

You're not going to influence people who can afford Apple products with your socialistic slant.

This makes for such an inspiring Pro story with Apple Pencil.
Now that Hillenburg (the SpongBob creator) died there is this huge void in the creative world.
Please show us how you fill that up
Share some creations with us. Show us what Pro life is about - since Apple Pencil 2 it must have changed so much - kudo’s for Tim for creating the generation of New Pro’s

 

[drsox]

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.

When you are an old person (anyone over 50 ?). you will think differently. Now who said that ? I forget.

 

[Abazigal]

I still suspect Tim to have devaluated the “Pro” moniker as part of a marketing tactic to flatter the bottom of the pyramid - more than anything else.
Now, as the better “influencer”, please show us some of your mere fruitful Pro-level creations made with a Pencil, to demonstrate otherwise.

Well, the iPad Pro certainly made a difference for this 17-year-old girl, who used it to illustrate a book. She even lists what she loves about the iPad Pro, citing how it is so light and portable, that the Apple Pencil is extremely comfortable, prefers procreate over photoshop, and how it has replaced her laptop and most of her art materials.

https://the-ipad-artist.com/dear-tim-cook-abc3fbffba1b

This is the beauty of ios - to equip your everyday man (and woman) with the tools they need to be productive, while making technology more personal, and at the same time abstracting the complexity of legacy desktop operating systems and bloated desktop software.

Maybe Apple should have used her for the iPad commercials, but given how toxic the community is towards the slightest notion that the iPad could (gasp) actually be used for creating content, I guess it's just as well that they didn't.

 

[I7guy]

This makes for such an inspiring Pro story with Apple Pencil.
Now that Hillenburg (the SpongBob creator) died there is this huge void in the creative world.
Please show us how you fill that up
Share some creations with us. Show us what Pro life is about - since Apple Pencil 2 it must have changed so much - kudo’s for Tim for creating the generation of New Pro’s

Not sure who will fill that void. But it seems one can buy $50K of specialized equipment or just spend $1000 on an ipad + apple pencil.

 

[Brammy]

Fraser Speirs, who famously was one of the first iPad-only people, has switched away from iPad and Mac to Chromebook. In fairness, a lot of this is driven by his job changing to require using the Gsuite more. Gsuite on iOS doesn't fit his need.

His kicker line, though, is this:
Notice that the premise of this article is how I came to switch from a 12.9” iPad Pro and a 2015 MacBook to a Chromebook. It honestly seems to me that Apple might seriously expect people to own more than one £1000+ computing device just to get the benefits of both a laptop and a touch screen. Macs can do some things that an iPad can’t do - like access the full GSuite - and an iPad can do some things that a Mac can’t do. Should people really have to buy two computers from Apple to get the best of both worlds?

That is where I am at. I love my iPad. I love editing photos on it. Affinity Photo is a near-feature complete version of the macOS version. The only thing I can't do is use my beloved Topaz filters. However, I also realize I use them as a crutch and am working on understanding the app better so I can try and mimic some of those effects right in the iPad. Editing on the screen is a dream. It feels more personal just moving a curser on the screen.

The other problem is iPad iOS features are currently on a two-year release cycle. I do think they wanted to do more With iOS 12, and working on stability over new features was the correct move, but we are still two years away from seeing if Apple will do at least a yearly iOS update.

I can handle Apple raising prices, and some of the reasons may be changing global economics, and some of it is Apple just trying to get more money since growth is stagnant. However, right now I need a decent MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro to get what I consider the ideal computing setup. I am thankful I am several years away from needing an upgrade. I have a 2016 15" MBP that I expect to get another 3-4 years from, and my first gen 12.9 is going strong.

 

[dk001]

Well, the iPad Pro certainly made a difference for this 17-year-old girl, who used it to illustrate a book. She even lists what she loves about the iPad Pro, citing how it is so light and portable, that the Apple Pencil is extremely comfortable, prefers procreate over photoshop, and how it has replaced her laptop and most of her art materials.

https://the-ipad-artist.com/dear-tim-cook-abc3fbffba1b

This is the beauty of ios - to equip your everyday man (and woman) with the tools they need to be productive, while making technology more personal, and at the same time abstracting the complexity of legacy desktop operating systems and bloated desktop software.

Maybe Apple should have used her for the iPad commercials, but given how toxic the community is towards the slightest notion that the iPad could (gasp) actually be used for creating content, I guess it's just as well that they didn't.

Nice. The problem with this is that is an exception or reflects a small volume of users.
Want to see the iPad Pro really take off? Give it some basic MacOS functionality.

 

[Abazigal]

Nice. The problem with this is that is an exception or reflects a small volume of users.
Want to see the iPad Pro really take off? Give it some basic MacOS functionality.

But at what cost?

If you look at the reasons why these users love the iPad, it’s precisely because they offer a user experience that is completely unlike that of a conventional Mac (or a PC, for that matter).

This is like saying that in order to make a car appeal more to truck lovers, we need to make it more like a truck. Is this forum even the best source of advice on how to improve certain Apple products, given their track record of preferring only old-school Macs and basically refusing to adapt to anything else?

I suppose adding other stuff like external drive support can’t hurt. But I don’t think the future of the iPad is to become another Mac.

 

[dk001]

But at what cost?

If you look at the reasons why these users love the iPad, it’s precisely because they offer a user experience that is completely unlike that of a conventional Mac (or a PC, for that matter).

This is like saying that in order to make a car appeal more to truck lovers, we need to make it more like a truck. Is this forum even the best source of advice on how to improve certain Apple products, given their track record of preferring only old-school Macs and basically refusing to adapt to anything else?

I suppose adding other stuff like external drive support can’t hurt. But I don’t think the future of the iPad is to become another Mac.

You are overthinking it.

• Give it cursor control when connected to an external display
• Give it a basic file system
• Adjustable split screen size
• With USB-C, ability to connect to external storage; in and out
• Ability to select alternative default apps
• Probably a couple I missed

All of these are software driven. Nothing hardware specific. Nothing earthshaking.
You car / truck analogy is incorrect. You are talking hardware.

Personally, I would rather see Apple add touchscreen capability to a MB. Just another method of input.

 

[Abazigal]

You are overthinking it.

• Give it cursor control when connected to an external display
• Give it a basic file system
• Adjustable split screen size
• With USB-C, ability to connect to external storage; in and out
• Ability to select alternative default apps
• Probably a couple I missed

All of these are software driven. Nothing hardware specific. Nothing earthshaking.
You car / truck analogy is incorrect. You are talking hardware.

Personally, I would rather see Apple add touchscreen capability to a MB. Just another method of input.

Those are generic improvements which users have been asking for for a long time, except maybe cursor support. They aren’t ipad-specific.

I am referring to people commenting on how the iPad ought to run some flavour of macOS (or at least switch to macOS when docked to a keyboard or external monitor). Basically a Mac version of the surface pro.

 

[tromboneaholic]

You are overthinking it.

• Give it cursor control when connected to an external display
• Give it a basic file system
• Adjustable split screen size
• With USB-C, ability to connect to external storage; in and out
• Ability to select alternative default apps
• Probably a couple I missed

All of these are software driven. Nothing hardware specific. Nothing earthshaking.
You car / truck analogy is incorrect. You are talking hardware.

Personally, I would rather see Apple add touchscreen capability to a MB. Just another method of input.

My fear is last developers who port apps to iPad that are unusable with touch alone.

 

[dk001]

Those are generic improvements which users have been asking for for a long time, except maybe cursor support. They aren’t ipad-specific.

I am referring to people commenting on how the iPad ought to run some flavour of macOS (or at least switch to macOS when docked to a keyboard or external monitor). Basically a Mac version of the surface pro.

I personally don't see the need for that.
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My fear is last developers who port apps to iPad that are unusable with touch alone.

Those would die pretty quick I would think.

 

[Abazigal]

I personally don't see the need for that.
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Those would die pretty quick I would think.

To add on, none of your proposed changes would have had any noticeable improvement to the workflow of girls like Zoe. Reading her medium posts, she cites reasons such as the procreate app sporting a more minimalist interface compared to their desktop counterparts (the desktop version of Photoshop had more than half of the screen taken up with menus and controls!), which made it more conducive and less distracting for people who wish to do just that - draw.

In short, people like her prefer ios precisely because it doesn’t come with any of the baggage that a legacy desktop computing system brings with it. The heaviness of macOS is what allows iOS to be as light as it is. The Mac takes on the burden of desktop computing so that the iPhone and the iPad don’t have to.

It’s a breath of fresh air, and something you don’t ever hear the critics here acknowledge. It’s possible mainly because Apple and these developers know exactly what to not include in their products, rather than blindly cram everything in.

We already see instances where people find the concept of manually saving files so foreign because google docs automatically handles all this in the background. Perhaps that’s where and how change will be effected. Not by trying to convert the old guard, but by appealing to a new and younger generation of users who aren’t so married to windows or macOS, and instead are more amenable to using iOS and android for productivity.

Won’t that be a glorious sight to behold, were this to ever become reality one day?

 

[dk001]

To add on, none of your proposed changes would have had any noticeable improvement to the workflow of girls like Zoe. Reading her medium posts, she cites reasons such as the procreate app sporting a more minimalist interface compared to their desktop counterparts (the desktop version of Photoshop had more than half of the screen taken up with menus and controls!), which made it more conducive and less distracting for people who wish to do just that - draw.

In short, people like her prefer ios precisely because it doesn’t come with any of the baggage that a legacy desktop computing system brings with it. The heaviness of macOS is what allows iOS to be as light as it is. The Mac takes on the burden of desktop computing so that the iPhone and the iPad don’t have to.

It’s a breath of fresh air, and something you don’t ever hear the critics here acknowledge. It’s possible mainly because Apple and these developers know exactly what to not include in their products, rather than blindly cram everything in.

We already see instances where people find the concept of manually saving files so foreign because google docs automatically handles all this in the background. Perhaps that’s where and how change will be effected. Not by trying to convert the old guard, but by appealing to a new and younger generation of users who aren’t so married to windows or macOS, and instead are more amenable to using iOS and android for productivity.

Won’t that be a glorious sight to behold, were this to ever become reality one day?

Well and good however I am looking at it from a productivity aspect. I do not do drawing (other than IE or PF maps). You want a "draw" or "artsy" productivity device? Great. Market it as such. The items I listed are areas I ran into personally or at work that precluded the use of the iPad as a laptop replacement.
I should have added a better browser. Safari still has issues with many websites. Still another software update.
Everything I listed would either benefit or have no effect on Zoe's workflow. It would also have little to no impact on any other aspect of the iPad functionality.

I see iOS as having great potential deliberately crippled yet marketed as a laptop replacement/alternative.