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Do you want DEX like interface (by Apple) for iPhone

  • Hell yeah! I am waiting for it several years

    Votes: 46 59.7%
  • Maybe I would use it...

    Votes: 11 14.3%
  • Nope - it is gimmick

    Votes: 13 16.9%
  • I dont care - I will buy another ipad/iphone/mac combo

    Votes: 7 9.1%

  • Total voters
    77

majkom

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 3, 2011
1,994
1,329
Been watching note10 event recently and really like idea of DEX. Actually, me as I iphone only user (dont use any other computer at home) DEX is only thing I really need to completely cover all my computer needs - some desktop like gui with browser, decent office package, decent file manager and decent photo editor - after connecting iphone to display - with mouse and keyboard support, that sounds like a dream - all content im my iphone and pc like environment when (occasionally needed). I know, this is nothing for heavy users, but for averega users, I say please apple, pleaaase
 
I don’t think that satisfies average user either. If DEX was a hit we would see it in everyone’s hands but we don’t. A lot of these things sound good as a concept and for demo but in real life more hassle than being really useful.
 
Not to mention anything from Samsung is bloatware for its bloatware phone.

Couldn’t agree more. Like the whole debacle with foldable phones.

Don’t get me wrong. I actually like the fact that Samsung is trying new things and trying to give us something different to Slabs made of glass as the modern smartphone trend has become. But at the same time their products aren’t ready for prime time and they’re making themselves look like a fool by trying to show these half baked products as consumer ready.
 
DEX isn’t even popular enough to draw Android fans to Samsung, and Apple won’t do anything like that as people wouldn’t then buy iPads or Macs.
 
But thats the point, i dont want dex port, i want apple solution based on dex idea:)

I’m almost certain that Apple wants to make iPhone the entry point to the ecosystem but offer some extended features of a desktop setup via the iPad and then there’s macs for people who really need the full experience. It’s pretty obvious that they have clear user types in their strategic priorities.

Many other manufacturers have tried one device to rule all strategy before but it never works out well because the entire system becomes too complicated to work harmoniously. Apple is definitely not thinking about that given the release of iPad OS and personally I feel like that’s the correct strategy.

DEX isn’t even popular enough to draw Android fans to Samsung, and Apple won’t do anything like that as people wouldn’t then buy iPads or Macs.

I think it’s more dependent on user base segregation rather than trying to get more people to buy iPads and Macs. Apple knows hardware business is not going to make them more money going forward and that’s why they’re focusing on services more.

Also, let’s not forget they’re the only company that supports their hardware for over 5 years on average. If hardware sales was their main goal then they’d not do that. They have the numbers and I’m sure they know what they’re doing with these long lasting hardwares.
 
I don’t think that satisfies average user either. If DEX was a hit we would see it in everyone’s hands but we don’t. A lot of these things sound good as a concept and for demo but in real life more hassle than being really useful.

If you never used one, you don’t judge. I have once used the Windows Phone which turns the entire phone to GUI when I connected to the connector.

It is great that I don’t have to carry iPad with me.
 
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If you never used one, you don’t judge. I have once used the Windows Phone which turns the entire phone to GUI when I connected to the connector.

It is great that I don’t have to carry iPad with me.
This! I want it so badly:)
 
This! I want it so badly:)

Well. This is not happening anytime soon. Not until Apple has enable true mouse suppose (not the iOS 13 implementation) and floating windows support with iPad.

Apple is all in with talking how powerful with their A chips, yet they still limit you on iPad. Not until desktop style multitasking on iPad happens, you won’t get anything remotely close to DEX on iPhone m.

Sigh. Apple is way behind on software features.
 
Apple has a solution to counter that. It's called Handoff. That's Apple's strategy-- instead of having one device to rule them all, have different devices with unique strengths (portability vs power for eg.) and instead make things work so that you can switch from one to the other without much hassle. Browsing something on your iPhone but want to read better? Switch to iPad and handoff suggests you to open the same page there. Boom! Writing an email on the iPad and realise in the middle of it that you should better do it on your computer? Open MBP and it suggests that email, opens it and even puts cursor at the point where it was in the middle of the email text. Boom! It works with a lot of third-party apps too now for eg. chrome. And it's all wireless, seamless without having to mess with any settings or dongles or hubs, etc. It has it's limitations sure (Music!!!) but for what it does, it works usually quite elegantly. That's the Apple way. When things just get out of the way and work as opposed to clunky solutions that you'd need to learn to incorporate in your workflow. It should just go-- Boom!
 
But thats the point, i dont want dex port, i want apple solution based on dex idea:)

Don’t get me wrong I like the idea of dex. Id also want Apple integration whenever possible. But in the Android and windows world that has to come from google and MS.

Android is google just as iOS is Apple. Not Samsung. I love the looks of Samsung’s hardware. I’m just not a fan of anything they do to screw with android.
 
Having an Samsung Galaxy S10 and a Galaxy Tab S5e which can both run DEX I have to say that I've only used it once on both. Its definitely cute and I can see the potential in it. But the reason that I'll never use it is that there's no real avenue for it given I have an iMac 5K, a MacBook Pro 2018, tablet and phone where I can always choose the best and/or most convenient device to do something. That choice will never DEX… especially given the display I need for it is already connected to my iMac and I just have to push to on button rather then mess about.

That said, I can definitely see a target market for it. Take my mother for instance, she's got an iPhone X, iPad Air 2 and an iMac 27" (pre-5K). The only reason she's got the iMac is that she wants to see certain things at a certain side that her iPad cannot offer. 99% of that is web browsing. Having DEX (or Apple "equivalent") would enable her to do away with the iMac, and hence having to maintain it and its software, and instead have a display, keyboard and mouse. DEX would be perfect for her.

Apple's Handoff is not really a replacement as Handoff still has the requirement of another device you're handing off to.

Coming back to DEX, the fact of its existence and the form in which is works means that I can simply buy myself a USB-C hub (I already have a Satechi multi-port adapter) and I can connect up not only a display, wired keyboard and mouse but also ethernet, SD cards, external USB storage and all sorts of other stuff really easily. Things that make moving things around quite simple that cannot be so easily done with Apple.

Where DEX really isn't going to do as well as it could is really going to be down to developer support.

PS While many will go on about Samsung "bloatware" there really isn't a lot that comes on top of the OneUI these days. While true of the past its hardly the truth today. On top of that much of the bloat comes from the carrier rather than from Samsung. Hanging on to the past like this serves no purpose just like of an Android person we to go on about iPhones dropping cellular coverage if you "held it wrong".
 
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DEX isn’t even popular enough to draw Android fans to Samsung, and Apple won’t do anything like that as people wouldn’t then buy iPads or Macs.
Well Google have added a desktop mode to android 10/Q so I think the concept of using your phone as a desktop computer is going to be a thing for android going forward.
 
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Ofcourse I am going to bag on the DEX as long as Apple is not the one doing it. But let me tell you a secret - as soon as Apple does its own version, I will instantly change my mind, claim that Apple actually invented it and make up any number of reasons why Apple always does it best. la-la-la-la....

/s
 
Ofcourse I am going to bag on the DEX as long as Apple is not the one doing it. But let me tell you a secret - as soon as Apple does its own version, I will instantly change my mind, claim that Apple actually invented it and make up any number of reasons why Apple always does it best. la-la-la-la....

/s
You missed out: Samsung rushed their version out because they heard Apple were going to do it.
 
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If you never used one, you don’t judge. I have once used the Windows Phone which turns the entire phone to GUI when I connected to the connector.

It is great that I don’t have to carry iPad with me.

Using once and using never are exactly the same. You know only if you’ve used it for an extended period. This is the same thing as touch screen laptops. In theory it sounds good but actually using a touch screen laptop where you have to lift your arm every time to navigate around the UI is a nightmare in terms of usability. You won’t know that until you use it regularly.
 
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Well. This is not happening anytime soon. Not until Apple has enable true mouse suppose (not the iOS 13 implementation) and floating windows support with iPad.

Apple is all in with talking how powerful with their A chips, yet they still limit you on iPad. Not until desktop style multitasking on iPad happens, you won’t get anything remotely close to DEX on iPhone m.

Sigh. Apple is way behind on software features.

I feel like it’s a deliberate strategy to keep certain devices for certain use-case. This Swiss knife type utopian devices always turns out to be horrible.
 
I feel like it’s a deliberate strategy to keep certain devices for certain use-case. This Swiss knife type utopian devices always turns out to be horrible.
I agree that it’s always better to have more devices than less. However I can see this being more useful in developing countries where people might not be able to afford multiple devices.
 
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I would definitely want this. I’m waiting for the day where my phone is also my computer and can be docked when I’m at home to give me access to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Apple processors keep getting more powerful so I’m hoping someday Apple will support this.
 
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I would definitely want this. I’m waiting for the day where my phone is also my computer and can be docked when I’m at home to give me access to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Apple processors keep getting more powerful so I’m hoping someday Apple will support this.
I will probably always have more than one device but the geek in me would like a galaxy fold type device with Dex built it. It would be a phone, tablet and computer all in one.

Even now my phone is my most used device by far despite having a computer and tablets. So having an all in one device would be awesome.
 
Well. This is not happening anytime soon. Not until Apple has enable true mouse suppose (not the iOS 13 implementation) and floating windows support with iPad.

Apple is all in with talking how powerful with their A chips, yet they still limit you on iPad. Not until desktop style multitasking on iPad happens, you won’t get anything remotely close to DEX on iPhone m.

Sigh. Apple is way behind on software features.
This is t a knock against you so hopefully you don’t take it that way.

Apple isn’t working the iPad backwards into a desktop paradigm. It is explicitly a mobile focused UI and UX. There may be overlap but there will never be a day where you’re going to have a desktop interaction with the iPad.


It’s a fundamentally forward facing paradigm.
 
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I would definitely want this. I’m waiting for the day where my phone is also my computer and can be docked when I’m at home to give me access to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Apple processors keep getting more powerful so I’m hoping someday Apple will support this.

This is exactly what I want as well. I'd even go so far as to pay MORE for the iPhone to be the "Pro" version to have the processor and software capabilities for this. Not that it would feasible yet for the phone to be able to run MacOS but to have iOS when undocked and MacOS when docked is pretty much my dream device.

I probably would've jumped ship for Ubuntu's implementation had it ever become a polished product a few years back.
 
I agree that it’s always better to have more devices than less. However I can see this being more useful in developing countries where people might not be able to afford multiple devices.

But developing countries don’t really bring in that much profit from hardware sales. This is one of the reasons why apple has failed in India and China. The requirements for these countries are really based on affordable hardware which is not what apple caters for.

I think in terms of strategy it’s better to cater for a higher profitable sector to make more on per unit rather than try to sell volumes because a local android manufacturer will always tip an external company. Hardware business in itself is really not that profitable anymore. That’s why software and services is what apple is focussing on at present.
 
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