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LionTeeth

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 8, 2022
251
516
Just thinking about the crazy horsepower these devices come with these days. I’ve got an iPhone 15 pro, I can already use it as a console. Connect a controller to it, HDMI out to a tv, boom I’m playing call of duty or resident evil with Xbox quality graphics.

Apple should sell some sort of adapter whereby you plug it in, and it sends full macOS desktop environment to your monitor. Imagine this device becoming the only device you need.

Full macOS at your desk, mobile phone on the go.

What about thermals you say? Well this adapter could come with a fan in it, just like a-

Submarine, Mr. Wayne. Just like a submarine.

But no just like a.. desktop computer. This adapter could also have your ports etc.
I mean I know why they don’t. Because they’d lose a lot of sales in desktops. But I understand Samsung already does this, and windows was doing this back in like 2016 or something. It would be an innovation if done right would really push these phones to the next level.
 
I can already use it as a console. Connect a controller to it, HDMI out to a tv, boom I’m playing call of duty or resident evil with Xbox quality graphics.

* = not actually console quality graphics (not even close) and throttles after 10 minutes.

One: You vastly over-estimate the power of the A-series chips. Not because they're not powerful, they are. But they are tuned for the mobile form factor and mobile-oriented, highly bursty workloads. The sustained workloads of desktop machines are already a challenge for the much larger physical envelope of the M-class chips in an iPad, much less the constrained space of an iPhone. Although, the vapor channel cooling system rumored to come to the iPhone 17 lineup would help with this, but not solve it.

Secondly: Jack of all trades, master of none. The idea of a single device able to chameleon into a variety of use-cases is not new, and we're certainly closer to that ideal than we've ever been before (consider how performant a MacBook Pro can be at tasks that once required a desktop Mac). But it is not without tradeoffs, which (again) become more present the more that the form factor of the host becomes compromised to serve mobility.

Thirdly: You already spoke to this, but, Apple wants to sell you an iPhone, an iPad, and a Mac. Maybe even two Macs, a laptop and a desktop. There is no planet in the current universe where the profit-voracious Apple is going to give up their talent for lining people up and selling them multiple devices. None. Apple won't even put MacOS on an iPad where there's an argument it might kinda-sorta work. On an iPhone? Never. Never.

So the theory of what you suggest is interesting, and Samsung has sort of limped around it with its Dex system for sometime, but practically it is unworkable.
 
This is something many have LONG desired

They will never do this as they'd rather profit off selling everyone multiple devices
Yeah in hindsight I suppose it’s not a new thought by any means. Every year though the chips in these phones seem to almost match desktops. It’s already there with M chips in iPads I suppose
 
I'm a Pro Max user. Even that large screen isn't big enough for a desktop OS. It's not just the processing power and ports. It's having a screen big enough for multiple windows, toolbars, and menus. The iOS UI is optimized for a mobile device. The way it handles multiple apps, menus, and controls makes sense for a small device you carry in your pocket. Having a full macOS UI on my iPhone along with the keyboard and adapters to make it work doesn't make sense. It's easy enough to share files through iCloud and AirDrop, and I can use apps on both devices. So, I don't need a macOS on my iPhone.
 
So, my boilerplate question every time this topic pops up…"How many displays can I connect to an iPhone/iPad?"

I have six connected to my MacPro, with the ability to use 10. I don't think I can do that with an iPhone.
 
There is another use case that no one seems to be paying attention to. Doing ANYTHING that is better on a larger screen AND that takes significant data. Most of us that have unlimited phone data do NOT have unlimited hotspot data so simply using the hotspot with an iPad or PC is not an option if you use more than your allotted hotspot data in a month.
 
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Apple won't do this because they build custom hardware and software, then sell it as a perfect solution. They don't believe in half-assing it.

Apple TV could run macOS any day. It has HDMI and Ethernet. But they won't let it happen because Apple doesn't believe it's good enough.
 
You should get an Android phone. Samsung DeX among others have had this feature for years now.

When you venture outside of Apple's ecosystem you realize just how far behind Apple is in a lot of ways.
 
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Apple won't do this because they build custom hardware and software, then sell it as a perfect solution. They don't believe in half-assing it.

Apple TV could run macOS any day. It has HDMI and Ethernet. But they won't let it happen because Apple doesn't believe it's good enough.
This is why I'm thinking of getting an M4 Mini as my HTPC. I used to use a 2014 base Mini but we got the AppleTV 4K and moved the Mini into a server role only. If I had more power, I could go back to something similar!
 
So, my boilerplate question every time this topic pops up…"How many displays can I connect to an iPhone/iPad?"

I have six connected to my MacPro, with the ability to use 10. I don't think I can do that with an iPhone.
Couple of these would solve the problem. Just need a vga dongle.
IMG_8865.jpeg
 
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When you venture outside of Apple's ecosystem you realize just how far behind Apple is in a lot of ways.
I went 'outside' of Apple's ecosystem once, from May 2020 to February 2021. Had a Pixel 3a XL (still have the phone, good phone). It just made we appreciate iOS even more, so I paid the phone off three months early and got my current phone, the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

That said…I'm not really in the ecosystem anyway. I use Google's services on all my devices and have done so since September 2012. And I also use Dropbox (since 2009). There are a few of Apple's services I use (like iMessage), but I'm not chained to them.

The thing is, neither Google nor Apple really encourage you to use services outside their ecosystem, but they don't stop you. I've have a Yahoo email account since 1999. I could convert entirely to Yahoo if I wanted. Both Yahoo and Google work cross platform and considering my youngest Mac is a 2011 MBA, it all still works.

PS. This messaged typed in on an Early 2009 MacPro running Sonoma. Through which I do use some Apple services.
 
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I would like my M4 iPad Pro 1TB to have macOS on it. It’s currently my daily driver as my daughter has my MacBook Air for school
 
Just thinking about the crazy horsepower these devices come with these days. I’ve got an iPhone 15 pro, I can already use it as a console. Connect a controller to it, HDMI out to a tv, boom I’m playing call of duty or resident evil with Xbox quality graphics.

Apple should sell some sort of adapter whereby you plug it in, and it sends full macOS desktop environment to your monitor. Imagine this device becoming the only device you need.

Full macOS at your desk, mobile phone on the go.

... just like a.. desktop computer. This adapter could also have your ports etc.

Motorola already tried to do this with the Atrix back in 2011. They sold a lapdock so that your phone could become your laptop, and a desktop dock with USB ports, HDMI and audio out so it could also become your desktop too. Then Asus tried it with the Padphone X in 2014. Then there was the HP Elite X3 in 2016.

Granted, the major issues with the Atrix and the Padfone were arguably lousy software and subpar hardware; with the Elite X3 it shipped with an OS that was effectively a dead platform. But that all aside, much like folding phones, it's an idea that seems good on paper but in practice is really more of a solution in search of a problem.
 
There is another use case that no one seems to be paying attention to. Doing ANYTHING that is better on a larger screen AND that takes significant data. Most of us that have unlimited phone data do NOT have unlimited hotspot data so simply using the hotspot with an iPad or PC is not an option if you use more than your allotted hotspot data in a month.
Maybe im misunderstanding what you’re saying. Why would the fact that you’re running macOS on a phone have anything to do with hotspot data? When I’m at home or at work I’m on WiFi on my phone.

Eyoungren
It’s also silly to say that if it can’t run 6 screens (or 10) it shouldn’t run MacOS. My M1 Max laptop can’t run 10 screens either but it runs the OS and most of the software I throw at it just fine.
 
I think the idea of a phone that transforms into a completely different product only when connecting a cable, mouse and keyboard sounds like a strange concept, which should already raise alarms even before getting into specific problems.

The main issue is: when will you have all the required hardware with you, but not a computer (which will do a much better job) as well? It’s a very niche, close to nonexistent use case, that would carry a lot of tradeoffs. Not a good deal.

Some obvious problems: how to handle a partition of macOS/iOS, how to handle the reboot to switch between OS, how to handle the secure enclave (FaceID), how to handle the iPhone’s hardware — can you use its camera? Can you use its LiDAR (then you need a new API)? — etc.
 
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It is way more useful to be able to easily share the data between your devices. Which is the direction Apple chose. Also: Apple wants to sell specialized devices as opposed to all-in-ones, and make more money. They're a commercial company after all 🤓
 
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