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Are we looking at the same Apple right now? The M1 iPad Pro reveal was ALL about cpu and chips and all that jazz, and nothing about the user experience.

Yea, we know very well old man Tim is all about the margins, to the point of releasing increasingly nonsensical product configurations that need a ton of peripherals and 3rd party solutions to "just work".
Yeah I remember up until recently apple actually used to do iPad reveals and show off all sorts of new software that took advantage of the hardware. Now they make it and the iPhone all about speeds that willl never be utilized even 5 years from now.
 
Just hoping at the end of the day the iPad is heading towards being a laptop replacement. I'd love to be able to choose between an MBP MBA iPP just based on the form factor that I want and the price point that works for me and not the OS.
 
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How are those two not the same point?

They didn't really talk about user experience, because they have barely answered "OK, the 2018 iPad Pro is wicked fast… what does that actually do for me?", and they certainly haven't answered it for the much-faster-yet 2021 iPad Pro.

What's the killer app?

The killer app for the Mac appeared after a year and a half in mid-1985: desktop publishing. Software drove hardware and hardware drove software. Color in the Macintosh II was huge. Larger displays were (well, literally) huge. Performance improvements actually helped tremendously, cutting workflows from hours to minutes to seconds.

11 and a half years after the iPad and 5 and a half after the iPad Pro, what's the killer app for the iPad? Drawing? Painting? Maybe, but even those barely seem to max out the CPU.

It's a valid question to ask and doesn't mean the iPad sucks or Apple is doomed.



Yes, I think adding mini-LED is a good choice, but I think "user experience" there, too, is a stretch. It's mostly a major spec bump. It doesn't really enable anything you couldn't previously do.
Apple doesn't talk techno-babble. We do know there are always innovations and technical improvements. Not all technical improvements translate into a user experience granted, but some do. XDR is one that does; just as OLED also translates into a user experience from LCD.

Nor do we know if a "killer app" is in the works or if one is even needed. I suspect Apple will use ML capabilities of the M1 to showcase some "killer" features in ios 15.
 
Just hoping at the end of the day the iPad is heading towards being a laptop replacement. I'd love to be able to choose between an MBP MBA iPP just based on the form factor that I want and the price point that works for me and not the OS.
Should have happened already because in case you haven't noticed it's already being marketed as one for years.
 
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Hopefully this visibility will force Apple to make MacOS on M1 iPad Pro finally happen instead of dragging their feet and making customers buy two half complete products, M1 Macbook that can run iPadOS apps but without touch and pen inputs and M1 iPad with overkill specs that's gimped by iPadOS.
 
The M1 iPad is really powerful but it's being held back so much by the current OS. It's like running modern high end multi core CPUs tons of RAM and very high end GPUs on an OS as limited as Windows XP so all that power is absolutely useless as you just can't use it. The hardware isn't even breaking a sweat with OS 14.

iPadOS 15 can't come soon enough and it really has to be a massive overhaul, the biggest that Apple has ever done since the first iPad.

Still have a 2TB iPad 12.9 on order and I still can't wait to get it anyway 😄
 
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I think this limit will stay at least a few years regardless of SoCs with more RAM.

They want to build a baseline for generations of iPad Pros and users with less storage needs shouldn’t feel as second class citizens.

The additional RAM ist for addressing the higher storage tiers and of course keeping more apps in the background.

That’s also a good way of separating the iPad from their entry level MacBooks.
 
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Apple doesn't talk techno-babble. We do know there are always innovations and technical improvements. Not all technical improvements translate into a user experience granted, but some do. XDR is one that does; just as OLED also translates into a user experience from LCD.

XDR only improves the user experience the way any spec bump does.

Nor do we know if a "killer app" is in the works or if one is even needed.

When a ton of reviews, including from iPad fans, mention that the software side is lacking, maybe the software is lacking. Just guessing.
 
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Yeah I remember up until recently apple actually used to do iPad reveals and show off all sorts of new software that took advantage of the hardware. Now they make it and the iPhone all about speeds that willl never be utilized even 5 years from now.
Since 2018 - when iPadOS came into existence - each new iPad has been released well before the software, actually the same timescale as we’re seeing with this one. Before this, iPads ran on iOS and had no real differences with iPhones. So I don’t know what you’re remembering, but it’s not anything about iPad reveals and showing off accompanying software.

Hopefully this visibility will force Apple to make MacOS on M1 iPad Pro finally happen instead of dragging their feet and making customers buy two half complete products, M1 Macbook that can run iPadOS apps but without touch and pen inputs and M1 iPad with overkill specs that's gimped by iPadOS.
macOS on the iPad. It’s not going to happen.

iPadOS needs much refining, and that’s what will happen. It’s a new fork, it will take time.

Bloated legacy macOS is not what the iPad needs. The iPad needs iPadOS to come into its own. Which it will. But the way forward is definitely NOT macOS. It’s a horrible idea that only a few vocal diehards want.

What people really want, but can’t envisage because they’re stuck in their ways, is iPadOS to be as powerful as macOS. But that’s a massive difference over the constant and pointless hankering for macOS as the native os for the iPad.
 
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At least with the large amount of RAM that shouldn't be much of an issue for many years as Apple has always been stingy with RAM in the past and the biggest reason for dropping device support has been the crappy RAM amount.
 
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They should just let Big Sur run on it. iPadOS os a joke.
Works fine actually, not a joke even slightly. Needs improving, for sure, but perfectly easy to operate and perform normal peoples regular daily tasks on. After all, the iPad is app centric, not os centric.
 
XDR only improves the user experience the way any spec bump does.
So we're in agreement that Apple generally doesn't espouse specifications?
When a ton of reviews, including from iPad fans, mention that the software side is lacking, maybe the software is lacking. Just guessing.
I like ipados. I want to point out (as you already know) there is also much criticism directed toward ios as well. Not to say ios and ipados can't be improved, but the other side of the coin, is because there are negative reviews doesn't mean it's not meeting the purpose that Apple thinks it should.
 
This RAM limitation is one of the most important reasons that iPad Apps in general are not as good as desktop apps. Microsoft Office, Photoshop and many others are much better on macOS..I understand why Apple has this limitation, and it's obvious that the iPad was never really meant to be marketed as a device for productivity. That changed over the course of years, but Apple still needs to think about where the iPad should be. Another think to keep in mind also is that iPads do not have an SSD disk. They don't swap Memory, so Apple must be very careful that the OS has enough RAM to operate and remain fast, whatever happens. It's also important to prioritize battery life over power apps. These are decisions Apple made from the beginning and will never change.
 
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Just hoping at the end of the day the iPad is heading towards being a laptop replacement. I'd love to be able to choose between an MBP MBA iPP just based on the form factor that I want and the price point that works for me and not the OS.
I’ve been using my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9” as my everyday device for work (and play) since iPadOS allowed for trackpad use, and just upgraded to the M1 iPad Pro 12.9”. The only negative I see in normal daily use is multitasking is still clunky to use. But it’s not enough of an issue for the handful of times a day I need it, to keep me from loving the iPad Pro.
 
So we're in agreement that Apple generally doesn't espouse specifications?

Generally? Of course. But this time, that's basically all they did.

I like ipados. I want to point out (as you already know) there is also much criticism directed toward ios as well. Not to say ios and ipados can't be improved, but the other side of the coin, is because there are negative reviews doesn't mean it's not meeting the purpose that Apple thinks it should.

To be clear:

  • the 2021 iPad Pro is a fantastic device
  • people complaining that it's not enough of an upgrade over the 2020 or 2018 iPad Pro are missing the point: it doesn't need to be, because those were already fantastic
  • iPadOS is, IMO, not fantastic. It's good in many places and not that good in some key areas.
 
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Generally? Of course. But this time, that's basically all they did.
It depends if you consider what they did specs or features. If the ipad pro was a car:
- 525 horsepower, zero lag dual turbo 0 to 60 in 3 seconds
- ceramic brakes offering 60-0 in 100 ft.
- super bright led headlights offering 150 ft down the road
- etc

Are the above specs or features? Do the above translate into a user experience?

To be clear:

  • the 2021 iPad Pro is a fantastic device
  • people complaining that it's not enough of an upgrade over the 2020 or 2018 iPad Pro are missing the point: it doesn't need to be, because those were already fantastic
  • iPadOS is, IMO, not fantastic. It's good in many places and not that good in some key areas.
 
It depends if you consider what they did specs or features. If the ipad pro was a car:
- 525 horsepower, zero lag dual turbo 0 to 60 in 3 seconds
- ceramic brakes offering 60-0 in 100 ft.
- super bright led headlights offering 150 ft down the road
- etc

Are the above specs or features? Do the above translate into a user experience?

I'm not a car person, but… they're specs.

There's a threshold below which the user experience is bad. For the CPU and GPU, the iPad Pro has been way above that threshold for years. The mini-LED display now also moves the screen above the threshold.

They really need to find other ways to make the product better, and I think most of those involve software. Personally, I was quite excited (in theory) by the addition of a Lidar. But then what did that do in practice? A year later, the answer seems to be: not much.
 
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Wtf always car analogies 😂

It's a fit analogy why many aren't tempted by powerful gas guzzling new car (M1) to be limited by gridlock traffic (iPadOS). Best approach is just wait to see what's announced at WWDC on 6/7.
 
It's a fit analogy why many aren't tempted by powerful gas guzzling new car (M1) to be limited by gridlock traffic (iPadOS). Best approach is just wait to see what's announced at WWDC on 6/7.
Funny you quote this post and not the numerous other topics I confront you about!

I like iPadOS. It’s very usable with a few niggles and some missing features (though not so much for ‘average users’). It’s getting better and as it’s a new fork, just a few years old, it’s going to get even better.

It lacks the legacy bloat of traditional os’ like macOS. I’m excited for the future of it.
 
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