All iPads Do you feel the iPad is the future ?

[sracer]

On the iPad 4, iOS 6. My wife has an iPhone 6s+ running iOS 10 which I play with from time to time. I'll take a look at what you said, I'm not clear on the share icon, but I imagine it won't be hard to figure out with the phone in my hand, so thank you for that at least.

I see. You're one of those people who believes you should only hear opinions you agree with and any dissenting opinions belong somewhere else. Every idea should be isolated so you only hear ideas you want to hear. Any idea you don't agree with is offensive to you and you shouldn't have to hear it.

That is one way to interpret his comment.

Another way to interpret it is that it is not productive to dialog with someone who has drawn a firm conclusion based on a lack of knowledge of what the iPad is capable of doing. You're using a 4+ yr old version of the operating system. And you're "not clear" on the share function. Not surprising since the Share function was introduced in iOS 7.

I suggest educating yourself as to what the latest version of iOS is capable of with the latest generations of iPads. You might be surprised what has been done since iOS 6. Yes, many of us are a bit irritated by the lack of advancement in iOS recently, but there is still quite a bit added since then.

 

[Beavix]

No, tablets are not the future. They will slowly become a niche, just like the PCs. The future belongs to the smartphones. A lot of people I know use only a smartphone for all their computing needs (some still use a computer at their workplace). I have two tablets (iPad Pro and Surface Pro) and I do use them for work in addition to my MBP, but for everything else I actually use my iPhone 6+ the most. I even prefer watching movies on it in bed and if I want a larger screen I beam the movie to my TV.

Soon we'll be able to hook up a smartphone to a large display and do everything on it.

 

[sracer]

No, tablets are not the future. They will slowly become a niche, just like the PCs. The future belongs to the smartphones. A lot of people I know use only a smartphone for all their computing needs (some still use a computer at their workplace). I have two tablets (iPad Pro and Surface Pro) and I do use them for work in addition to my MBP, but for everything else I actually use my iPhone 6+ the most. I even prefer watching movies on it in bed and if I want a larger screen I beam the movie to my TV.

Soon we'll be able to hook up a smartphone to a large display and do everything on it.

That is one of those things that sounds good in the theoretical but will fall short in the practical.

 

[stevemiller]

can't it just be like... a nice gadget that works well for some things and not so great for other things? do we really need to fight over it being someone's fault if they prefer one device over another for certain things?

 

[Brammy]

Interesting. When I'm laying down to read in bed or on a couch, I find the laptop more comfortable because I open the hinge all the way, rest the bottom edge on my chest (on a pillow if it gets too heavy), and it is easy to balance it with the screen up to my face at a perfect level. With the tablet, I have to hold the whole device up, so the weight is uncomfortable and I can't hold it for long. I also can't hold it as steady without resting it so my eyes get fatigued faster from trying to read a moving target.


On the iPad 4, iOS 6. My wife has an iPhone 6s+ running iOS 10 which I play with from time to time. I'll take a look at what you said, I'm not clear on the share icon, but I imagine it won't be hard to figure out with the phone in my hand, so thank you for that at least.

Faster, I disagree with, I'll put the entry level 2012 cMBP up against the newer and more expensive entry level 2016 or high end against high end. And don't forget it takes a lot more work to push that retina screen around with a computer that doesn't have a lot more power.

Better screens you're right and also faster ports, faster ssd, longer battery life. But the older machines don't look or feel dated, they still have a sleek look and feel, and imo the cMBP and rMBP represent the ideal thickness range with the emojiBook looking and feeling awkward.

In bed, I find my IPP more comfortable than a laptop. I prop it on my knees, or I roll on my side.

At this point, I would strongly suggest reading "A Year with the iPad Pro", by Federicoo Viticci. He does a good job at showing the power of the iOS operating system for creators. As mentioned, if the bulk of your experience using an iPad is a 4-year old version of the system, this is like complaining about a limitation in OS X Tiger still having relevance today. The iOS operating system has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four years. There is a great app called Workflow which allows one to do some pretty serious automation and extends iOS interaction with other apps. I use OneNote to take notes on my iPad during meetings. I use a workflow to automatically add action items to my Todoist to-do list immediately after making the entry in the meeting notes. I don't even need to leave OneNote to do this.

In terms of speed as it relates to the 2011-era series, here are the raw numbers (I have the base model early 2011 15", and the i5 2014 11" Air:
My 2011's Geekbench single and multicore: 2512\7487
The 11" Airs single\multi: 2621\4974
The Geekbench for the baseline models of the 15" 2016 on display at the Apple Store: 4011\14,413.

The 2016 isn't slightly faster than my beloved 2011. It's twice as fast. Even between the I5 and the i7 in my two MacBooks the speed difference is negligible. Handbrake rips are a couple minutes faster on the i7, but if a 3d game is optimized for Metal, the Air runs it much better than the 2011 Pro.

I'm not saying iOS is the perfect solution for everyone, or that there will not be Macs 5 years from now, but the creative power for people like myself, Federico, or Ben Brooks who prefer using iPads to Mac OS is undeniable. It may not be the platform for everyone but it is for us. I've put some links to how I'm using the iPad Pro earlier in this article as well.

 

[Smeaton1724]

I used to think in a same way. However, recently I noticed that things have changed.
1. With wireless, USB doesn't matter much more. Everything is synced through iCloud and Dropbox for me. With bluetooth, u don't need USB for sound. The only situation when you need USB is for using peripherals. But if they are iPad compatible, such as microphones, or keyboards, they already have Lightning.

2. File system app. Documents app and iCloud, plus Dropbox and OneDrive already have file system and I am sure that this enough. I don't need to go to system or library files. I would imagine there are times I need to edit music or photo files, but all music and photo apps do have access to my music and photo libraries.

3. For navigation, mouse is not needed. My iPad Pro has Pencil, which is good enough for drawing. I don't need mouse anymore. When typing, I guess the new navigation with double fingers is good enough.

I agree to some extent.

My 3 criteria are coming at it from 3D content creation, 50-60 hours a week I live in Revit, 3DS Max, Sketchup, Vray and occasionally Autocad. I'm working on a file but linking to others, within that file, I'm referencing files, linking, binding, unattaching and checking between Architects, Mechanical and old survey data. For me a local way of managing files and also say plugging in a USB-C drive would remove a barrier to actually say autodesk developing the software.

Same with mouse, I'd love to use touch, but the mouse is better than touch, the form factor of tablet isn't limiting software being developed, it's no mouse support.

Simple limitations completely stop pro apps being ported over to ARM, it is not the power of the iPad Pro 12.9 limiting anything but small limitations in implementation of iOS. It is a self imposed "being different for difference sake", iOS isn't growing in terms of software, its stagnated. Encourage major developers to bring software across to the iPad, give them something to work with.

 

[StoneJack]

I agree to some extent.

My 3 criteria are coming at it from 3D content creation, 50-60 hours a week I live in Revit, 3DS Max, Sketchup, Vray and occasionally Autocad. I'm working on a file but linking to others, within that file, I'm referencing files, linking, binding, unattaching and checking between Architects, Mechanical and old survey data. For me a local way of managing files and also say plugging in a USB-C drive would remove a barrier to actually say autodesk developing the software.

Same with mouse, I'd love to use touch, but the mouse is better than touch, the form factor of tablet isn't limiting software being developed, it's no mouse support.

Simple limitations completely stop pro apps being ported over to ARM, it is not the power of the iPad Pro 12.9 limiting anything but small limitations in implementation of iOS. It is a self imposed "being different for difference sake", iOS isn't growing in terms of software, its stagnated. Encourage major developers to bring software across to the iPad, give them something to work with.

Well, thats' true. Even extended typing and word processing are better done on desktops.
Having said that, not everyone works on 3D professionally of course.
I think that when we talking about future iPads, we don't know what capabilities it may have.
It reminds me of old Macs of 1995, when limited hardware and memory of MacOS 7.5.3 truly limited Macs of that time and multitasking was not so much available, as Macs would easily crash.

But in 10 years, Macs got new CPU (Intel), OS (OS X) and GUI (Aqua) and now we have best OS in the world, MacOS. It was a great leap and you would never guess it will become someday such a great system.

What I am implying that with the great evolution of ARM chips and speed someday they may exceed in their capacity Intel chips, and true Pro iOS will be developed. That will be a truly killer combination. But it is in future.

 

[Brammy]

Well, thats' true. Even extended typing and word processing are better done on desktops.
Having said that, not everyone works on 3D professionally of course.
I think that when we talking about future iPads, we don't know what capabilities it may have.
It reminds me of old Macs of 1995, when limited hardware and memory of MacOS 7.5.3 truly limited Macs of that time and multitasking was not so much available, as Macs would easily crash.

But in 10 years, Macs got new CPU (Intel), OS (OS X) and GUI (Aqua) and now we have best OS in the world, MacOS. It was a great leap and you would never guess it will become someday such a great system.

What I am implying that with the great evolution of ARM chips and speed someday they may exceed in their capacity Intel chips, and true Pro iOS will be developed. That will be a truly killer combination. But it is in future.

With the Apple Smart Keyboard it is very easy and comfortable to type on the iPad Pro.

 

[bensisko]

No, tablets are not the future. They will slowly become a niche, just like the PCs. The future belongs to the smartphones. A lot of people I know use only a smartphone for all their computing needs (some still use a computer at their workplace). I have two tablets (iPad Pro and Surface Pro) and I do use them for work in addition to my MBP, but for everything else I actually use my iPhone 6+ the most. I even prefer watching movies on it in bed and if I want a larger screen I beam the movie to my TV.

Soon we'll be able to hook up a smartphone to a large display and do everything on it.

That is one of those things that sounds good in the theoretical but will fall short in the practical.

Well...

I'm actually kind of swaying on this at the moment. I used to think it was a nice but impractical dream, but Microsoft has made some very nice progress with Windows 10 and Continuum. They have a very nice "consumer prototype" in the HP phone. There are some BIG gaps yet to fill, but the progress is pretty impressive. At this moment in history, the computing power exists to put into a mobile device, with sufficient storage, to make such a device a reality and useful. True, you're not going to be doing CAD or Heavy Video editing, but it's certainly one or two steps from being practical for many business people to travel very lightly.

Right now, the biggest issues I see (at least on the HP Windows Phone) have to do with connecting the device to an external display. Right now it requires a bulky dock - it should be just a single cable. Ideally, make everything wireless and connect an adapter to the TV and use Miracast (though Miracast needs some serious work to be reliable).

Having said that, I don't think the future "belongs" to any one device (or even OS). If the future has shown me anything, it's all about multiple devices, multiple OSes, and multiple form factors. (Though that's the perspective from a gadget nerd, so take with a heavy grain of salt...)
[doublepost=1484512219][/doublepost]

In bed, I find my IPP more comfortable than a laptop. I prop it on my knees, or I roll on my side.

At this point, I would strongly suggest reading "A Year with the iPad Pro", by Federicoo Viticci. He does a good job at showing the power of the iOS operating system for creators. As mentioned, if the bulk of your experience using an iPad is a 4-year old version of the system, this is like complaining about a limitation in OS X Tiger still having relevance today. The iOS operating system has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four years. There is a great app called Workflow which allows one to do some pretty serious automation and extends iOS interaction with other apps. I use OneNote to take notes on my iPad during meetings. I use a workflow to automatically add action items to my Todoist to-do list immediately after making the entry in the meeting notes. I don't even need to leave OneNote to do this.

In terms of speed as it relates to the 2011-era series, here are the raw numbers (I have the base model early 2011 15", and the i5 2014 11" Air:
My 2011's Geekbench single and multicore: 2512\7487
The 11" Airs single\multi: 2621\4974
The Geekbench for the baseline models of the 15" 2016 on display at the Apple Store: 4011\14,413.

The 2016 isn't slightly faster than my beloved 2011. It's twice as fast. Even between the I5 and the i7 in my two MacBooks the speed difference is negligible. Handbrake rips are a couple minutes faster on the i7, but if a 3d game is optimized for Metal, the Air runs it much better than the 2011 Pro.

I'm not saying iOS is the perfect solution for everyone, or that there will not be Macs 5 years from now, but the creative power for people like myself, Federico, or Ben Brooks who prefer using iPads to Mac OS is undeniable. It may not be the platform for everyone but it is for us. I've put some links to how I'm using the iPad Pro earlier in this article as well.

Thanks for the read suggestion! Looks interesting!

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Basically meaning the main device people use to do simple tasks as surfing the web, playing a mobile game, checking bank statement, writing product reviews, and emailing?

Let's say, "near-term future." Nothing is forever.

First off, even in these relatively down days, iPad outsells Mac (in unit sales) by nearly 2:1, so one could say iPad is the present as well as the future.

But the question also assumes an ongoing demand for larger-screen devices for doing those "simple tasks." Smaller screens are already the dominant personal computing platform. For many people (whether for personal use or at work), small mobile devices are their primary computing platform, while larger screens get less frequent use. As photographers sometimes say, "The best camera is the one you have with you."

Mobile devices (regardless of display size), do everything many people need a personal (or work) computer to do. There are no "simple tasks" for these users, there are just "tasks." They don't make heavy demands of their desktops (if they have them). For them, iOS means getting the same stuff done as always, with less complexity and a shorter learning curve. And that simplification, coupled with tighter integration than ever offered on a PC, means they are likely doing far more tasks with computer support than they ever did when they were PC-only.

If the display size/virtual desktop of an iPad is large enough to be your "big screen," and the OS delivers all you need, what's the point of learning two operating systems?

The real divide is mobile vs. desktop, and that divide largely boils down to two ergonomic factors - large screens and large gestures.

Truly large screens (20" or more) bring real ergonomic and productivity benefits, but those benefits are limited to desk-bound users. I spend most of my time in the office. There, my productivity is helped by having a large desktop space, with many open windows. With my eyes, 2560 x 1600 on a 15" display just doesn't work. And when working for hours on end, my neck and shoulders are much happier when I can look straight ahead at the display, rather than look down at either a laptop or tablet. But the number of people who truly benefit from large screens is a fraction of the total computer-using population.

Small gestures nearly always win ergonomically, whether via touch screen on small screens, or indirect control like mouse/trackpad/eyeball tracking on larger screens. Moving your arm from one end of a 27" display to another all day is physically taxing. However, direct control (touchscreen) is easier to learn than indirect control. At what point do people sacrifice the benefits of a larger screen for the simplicity of touchscreen/single OS?