Hands-On With Apple's New iPadOS Software

[FairlyKors]

This is what consumers never open their eyes to, just like Apple wants you to believe you need 2 devices, a macbook and an ipad.

The form factor is quite different as is, so I would definitely prefer both, ideally anyway.

The current MacBook Pro chassis is arguably not big enough (or designed well enough) to make use of the high end processors in it. It is amazing how well they do when you look at the size of PC laptops with 6 or 8 core CPUs in them—but the idea that the iPad can do everything that a high end laptop can do just doesn’t make sense.

If you want to compare a MacBook, MacBook Air or similar, there’s absolutely a point to be made however. And I’m not sure how long customers will be okay having features not accessible to them on their ~$1K iPad Pro that exist on their ~$1K MacBook Air.

If Apple were to be brave here they could potentially make a big leap beyond Microsoft and their sorta compromised “PC as a tablet” that’s found in the Surface. But if Apple drags their feet then the Surface could really make the iPad look like a horribly hobbled device with the potential to be so much more.

 

[Viking2]

This transition of the iPad from being a consumption device to a content creation device is taking FOREVER. All the iPad needs now is multi-user sign on. I know why they don't want to add it but it's inevitable at this point.

Yes true. I have been wanting this for years. As for now I don't want others to use my iPad.

I think there is only one reason. Apple don't want to sell one iPad to a family. They want to sell one to each family member. They are even working on a solution so they can sell one to the dog.

For me it is pure business/greed.

 

[sickoagb]

Apple software engineers have been diligently hard at work, and it’s clear now with multitasking that’s been revamped, split view is much more user-friendly and finally I can see to Safari pages together side-by-side, especially for comparisons for reading in between websites.

You’ve been able to have two Safari pages side to side since iOS 12! In fact I’m doing it right now

 

[ericwn]

I’m definitely looking forward to the new features in iPadOS, but wonder how well it’s going to run on a mini 4. I guess it’ll be adequate or Apple would have raised the cutoff.

First few users on the forum I think report that it’s running very well - same for the Air 2. Not surprisingly as it doesn’t change the interface a great deal and iOS 12 already did a great job for those devices.

 

[ericwn]

This transition of the iPad from being a consumption device to a content creation device is taking FOREVER. All the iPad needs now is multi-user sign on. I know why they don't want to add it but it's inevitable at this point.

Do you know that many cases where a device is being shared in a productive environment that multiple users would make sense? I’m thinking the demand for the feature is rather minimal as the device is mostly used by one person - a good problem to have from a manufacturer standpoint of course.

 

[derekamoss]

Apple software engineers have been diligently hard at work, and it’s clear now with multitasking that’s been revamped, split view is much more user-friendly and finally I can see to Safari pages together side-by-side, especially for comparisons for reading in between websites.

Hard at work for the past five years. All of this should have already implemented a long time ago.
[doublepost=1560427110][/doublepost]

I'm amazed how Apple is dividing us into the rich who will be content creators with $15k machines, and the rest of the poor people who can pretend to create, but will only be consumers with $1k iPads and iPhones.
Thanks Tim Apple!

Right on the mark!

 

[ericwn]

Why does every review I’ve seen say that mouse usage isn’t a standard feature? It let’s really takes 3 swipes to get to the button to turn on.

I think if you need to dive into the Settings it’s not a standard feature, it’s an addition. Besides, this really isn’t a review in any form.

 

[ericwn]

I'm amazed how Apple is dividing us into the rich who will be content creators with $15k machines, and the rest of the poor people who can pretend to create, but will only be consumers with $1k iPads and iPhones.
Thanks Tim Apple!

Last time I checked I was able to create content on any iPad or Mac. But sure, as a shareholder I applaud you for getting the 15k things thinking otherwise!

 

[theOmega]

Yey, they brought the ruller back for Apple Pencil

 

[Bistroengine]

Do you know that many cases where a device is being shared in a productive environment that multiple users would make sense? I’m thinking the demand for the feature is rather minimal as the device is mostly used by one person - a good problem to have from a manufacturer standpoint of course.

How about when you have 3 or 4 kids in the house that you share an iPad with and you don’t want to see your screen cluttered with their apps or have access to your personal email, messages, etc. Sounds like a perfectly good use case to me.
[doublepost=1560428816][/doublepost]

iPads have had Multi-user sign on since iOS 9.3. It's just they don't allow consumers access to this feature, you need the device to be in DEP and use Apple School Manager.

Yes, I realize that but I don’t manage a school. I manage 4 kids who all share the same iPad and I don’t have the cash flow to buy one for them all.
[doublepost=1560429224][/doublepost]

I honestly don’t see this happening anytime soon. The TV makes sense since people obviously are going to want their own content on the Family TV. iPads are likely to get passed down to family members while the family TV gets replaced. Laptops in general are cheap these days and homes stopped having a family computer at a desk a while ago. Also most people’s computer is a smartphone these days anyways and everyone already has one. Wanting an iPad is more of a personal choice. People aren’t buying a single family iPad.

Why does it not make sense for a family that shares an iPad to each have their own login with their own content, emails and messages separate from everyone else’s? I think it makes perfect sense. And you’re wrong about families buying a single iPad and sharing it. I can’t be the only one. Apple loves to think we’re all loaded with so much cash that we can just buy iPads like they’re candy but sadly that’s not the case (at least not in my household).

 

[TomOSeven]

Does anyone have any details about improved keyboard integration?
Native WhatsApp support?
XCode support?

 

[Supermacguy]

We were all worried that MacOS would turn into crappy iOS -- but instead iOS is becoming more like MacOS! YAY!

 

[derekamoss]

I think if you need to dive into the Settings it’s not a standard feature, it’s an addition. Besides, this really isn’t a review in any form.

I think if you need to dive into the Settings it’s not a standard feature, it’s an addition. Besides, this really isn’t a review in any form.

Mouse support is not really at all mouse support. There isnt any real contextual menu. You can't really right click. It allows you to assign a command to the right mouse button, IE. when you click the right mouse button after selecting text a popup saying copy will appear and you can click on it, now when you go to the place where you would like to insert the copied text and right click, the only thing that will appear is the pop up saying copy you can click, you cant paste. Now if you wanted to you could open settings and go to assistance, assign right click to copy, select text and copy, then reopen setting and go to assistance and then assign the right click button for paste, then flip back to the app you were wanting to paste in, right click and then click paste.... I don't see many people being happy with that at all really though.

 

[Richdmoore]

How about when you have 3 or 4 kids in the house that you share an iPad with and you don’t want to see your screen cluttered with their apps or have access to your personal email, messages, etc. Sounds like a perfectly good use case to me.
[doublepost=1560428816][/doublepost]

Yes, I realize that but I don’t manage a school. I manage 4 kids who all share the same iPad and I don’t have the cash flow to buy one for them all.
[doublepost=1560429224][/doublepost]

Why does it not make sense for a family that shares an iPad to each have their own login with their own content, emails and messages separate from everyone else’s? I think it makes perfect sense. And you’re wrong about families buying a single iPad and sharing it. I can’t be the only one. Apple loves to think we’re all loaded with so much cash that we can just buy iPads like they’re candy but sadly that’s not the case (at least not in my household).

Right now the solution for many is to buy a $50/$100 amazon fire tablet for the kids.

I had an old phone I would sometimes give to my child (she is young, so limited screen time) but the third party battery expanded and broke the display. I don’t want to learn fire/android just for a cheap kids device, but Apple doesn’t have low cost devices currently (new iPod touch would be the cheapest.)

I wonder if this will encourage the young generation growing up with amazon fire now to stick with amazon/android in the future, even when they will be able to afford Apple ecosystem devices?

 

[ericwn]

How about when you have 3 or 4 kids in the house that you share an iPad with and you don’t want to see your screen cluttered with their apps or have access to your personal email, messages, etc. Sounds like a perfectly good use case to me.
[doublepost=1560428816][/doublepost]

Yes, I realize that but I don’t manage a school. I manage 4 kids who all share the same iPad and I don’t have the cash flow to buy one for them all.
[doublepost=1560429224][/doublepost]

Why does it not make sense for a family that shares an iPad to each have their own login with their own content, emails and messages separate from everyone else’s? I think it makes perfect sense. And you’re wrong about families buying a single iPad and sharing it. I can’t be the only one. Apple loves to think we’re all loaded with so much cash that we can just buy iPads like they’re candy but sadly that’s not the case (at least not in my household).

I am aware what potential use cases are for user switching, it’s the same on any computer platform. I’m simply thinking this is probably a less pressing issue to fix as it sounds less common. A lot of families that I know already have iPads for the individual or pass their older iPads down to their children or grandchildren. A family that only has one iPad and shares it with 3-5 users I find likely less common.

 

[Fixey]

Guess iOS returns to it’s original name for iPhones, iPhoneOS would simplify everything macOS, iPhoneOS, iPadOS, tvOS

iPhoneOS was renamed to iOS as it was now being used for iPad then AppleTV then they gives TV it’s own tvOS, now iPad so iOS only on iPhone it should be renamed back to iPhoneOS

 

[darngooddesign]

I'm amazed how Apple is dividing us into the rich who will be content creators with $15k machines, and the rest of the poor people who can pretend to create, but will only be consumers with $1k iPads and iPhones.
Thanks Tim Apple!

Yeah it’s almost as if MacBook Pros and iMacs don’t exist.

 

[derekamoss]

I'm amazed how Apple is dividing us into the rich who will be content creators with $15k machines, and the rest of the poor people who can pretend to create, but will only be consumers with $1k iPads and iPhones.
Thanks Tim Apple!

Last time I checked I was able to create content on any iPad or Mac. But sure, as a shareholder I applaud you for getting the 15k things thinking otherwise!

Consumers have become Prosumers, not Professionals which they like to think.

 

[darngooddesign]

Internet: The iPad needs more computer-like features and iPad-specific features.

Also Internet: Dude, my computer has had these features for a long time and iPad OS is bad because of fragmentation.

 

[Bistroengine]

Right now the solution for many is to buy a $50/$100 amazon fire tablet for the kids.

I had an old phone I would sometimes give to my child (she is young, so limited screen time) but the third party battery expanded and broke the display. I don’t want to learn fire/android just for a cheap kids device, but Apple doesn’t have low cost devices currently (new iPod touch would be the cheapest.)

I wonder if this will encourage the young generation growing up with amazon fire now to stick with amazon/android in the future, even when they will be able to afford Apple ecosystem devices?

Been there, done that. However, a couple of my younger ones started showing some skills at drawing and I felt they would benefit from learning to draw on one of the new iPads with pencil support. My wallet felt they could share the device and both benefit from it

 

[coachgq]

Unlike Desktop OS like macOS and windows, which you plug your mouse and use it, you cannot simply plug your mouse and expect the cursor to show up. Hence “not a standard feature”.

Ok, that makes a little sense, but I think they are really digging into the word "standard" if this is it's definition. So when I have a radio in my car, but I have to turn the volume knob up to use it for the first time, does that make my radio non-standard? Or to keep it in iOS terms, is battery percentage on my iphone not a standard feature since I had to go turn on that option?

I'm not trying to argue, just looking for more clarity.

 

[kissmo]

I know they don’t plan to turn the iPad into a laptop but for the mouse support, I pray theyhave some nice features for the Magic Mouse since I own an extra one which I could pair with my iPad Pro - Same goes for the TrackPad.

The general idea having support for these peripherals is awesome because sooner or later these devices tend to have hybrid usage.

I wonder thouhg, at that point if the MacBook would still make sense considering the power of the iPad?
Personally I use 1 MBP 15 inch TB 2018 and a iPad pro 11.
I would never consider a MB Air or MB simply because with iOS13 whatever MB and MB Air can do, an iPad can do the same.
This is an interesting line which MB and MB Air fit into... kinda blurry...


Nevertheless, I am looking foward to iPadOS for the USB drives and mouse support.

 

[Bistroengine]

I am aware what potential use cases are for user switching, it’s the same on any computer platform. I’m simply thinking this is probably a less pressing issue to fix as it sounds less common. A lot of families that I know already have iPads for the individual or pass their older iPads down to their children or grandchildren. A family that only has one iPad and shares it with 3-5 users I find likely less common.

I don't think it's less common at all and I realize that Apple is not motivated to add this feature because they would prefer everyone buy their own individual iPad but, as I stated, this scenario is not always financially feasible for many families.

 

[Shirasaki]

Ok, that makes a little sense, but I think they are really digging into the word "standard" if this is it's definition. So when I have a radio in my car, but I have to turn the volume knob up to use it for the first time, does that make my radio non-standard? Or to keep it in iOS terms, is battery percentage on my iphone not a standard feature since I had to go turn on that option?

I'm not trying to argue, just looking for more clarity.

The term “standard” here is more of a sense or design concept revolving around the touch and touch based control. “Displaying battery percentage or not” is an option, not really a “design choice” or concept, since having battery percentage visible or not does not define anything. Whereas “using a mouse with an iPad” is not part of a usual “touch control”, including taps and moving on-screen elements around. What iOS 13 do right now is displaying a circle on the screen, letting user know when they press the mouse button, assuming that mouse button is defined to perform a touch action, that circle will “touch” that element as if the user is using finger (or Apple Pencil lol) to touch the screen. Since Apple expects most users can use iPad without the need of “mouse support”, they decide to put “mouse support” under Accessibility menu, even referring the mouse as “Pointing Device”.

But I get it as I did not use the word “standard” in a concise and unambiguous fashion in my previous post. Sorry for that. Sadly not a native speaker.

 

[urnotl33t]

I thought this thread would be full of nothing but praise. Still the negativity.

You must be new here.
(obligatory. please don't kill me.)