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If this trend continues I wonder if they'll pull some resources out of iOS. If they can't sell hardware, why continue to push the boundaries of the software?
So I guess Apple should pull resources from OS X too since the Mac sells less than iPad?

This is just silly. iPad was Apple's fastest selling product. Both iPhone and iPod were a slow ramp. iPad took off immediately. Essentially it's just coming back down to earth as we're finding out the upgrade cycle is similar to PCs not iPhones.
 
Also it's funny how people say 'the Apple Watch proves that without Steve, Apple can't invent new things, only upgrade existing products.' Then you come to this thread and see all the iPad hate.
Apple can't win. One minute people are dissing these things as "iToys" that you can't do real work on, crippled by the software. Then when Apple starts to make iOS more robust another crowd swoops in complaining that things are getting too complicated longing for a time when iOS was 'simple and elegant'.
 
It's easy to show growth starting from nothing. Let's see where Surface sales are 5 years from now.

First launched in 2012, and growing every year while the product has improved. In 2 years I can see the surface sales only going up, while the rally models sucked, the 3 is very good. 4 should prove to be even better
 
Apple can't win. One minute people are dissing these things as "iToys" that you can't do real work on, crippled by the software. Then when Apple starts to make iOS more robust another crowd swoops in complaining that things are getting too complicated longing for a time when iOS was 'simple and elegant'.

No different to any other company out there. apple just does not care about those whinging on forums.
 
did that help Samsungs tablets? Or is it just a random "that needs to be improved" thing, while others are saying that tablets in general aren't the ideal thing anyway?
Do you share a tables with others? If not, you won't think it's a big deal. If you did, you could at least see where it would be useful.
 
Surface Pro 3 w/ i7 and HD5000 (a decent integrated graphics chip, does the job).

Also, I don't have any heat issues with the i7 (which was also in the press...). Completely cool using Photoshop, slightly warm using ZBrush. Although it can heat up while streaming hd video, but that's when it's on the kickstand anyway.
Thanks for the answer. My interest in the Surface/Pro would be the pen input in Photoshop - if it works well, that would be really useful for photo retouching work. I know that an i7 (and discrete graphics) would do just fine with Photoshop (that's what I'm using on my Macs) - but what about the Atom models and the HD5000 or whatever is in-built to the Surface models? It used to be that you couldn't even use Photoshop without a discrete graphics chip. My problem with the Pro models is that you're in decent quality laptop range in terms of price...and yet still limited to a relatively small screen. And I don't need another laptop or another tablet -- unless the tablet was spectacularly better than either in some respect.
 
We are entering the post tablet era.

...And entering the holographic era (http://holo-tv.com/) and hopefully the virtual reality era with full suits with tactile feedback (imagine playing a Test Drive Unlimited type game with a full immersive 3D virtual reality environment with suit and goggles and perhaps a virtual cockpit to sit in with car controls that overlay into the game. "Laser Tag" could be played in a mostly empty warehouse that makes its players think they're in a desert or a jungle or some Area 51 base while you actually move through real space with the onl boundaries being the ultimate size of the warehouse. Arcades could make a sudden comeback if holographic games are priced out of the home market viability point (as early video games of the best quality were incomparable to a cheap Atari 2600 or Intellivision experience). Current games would be primitive by comparison in terms of immersion. Follow this up with a "Matrix" type virtual reality and you won't even have to get out of bed anymore to go on vacation. People will wonder how anyone could ever think it was fun to play Super Mario Brothers with a bunch of pixels smashing buttons on some flat controller when they can actually live it.

In many ways, the iPad and smart phones are a massive step backward into the 1980s and early '90s type gaming experiences. The Internet keeps making web pages more massive with more junk and more crap to load to the point where early smart phones, iPod Touches and iPads simply can't handle it without bogging down or outright crashing. Not good for something that costs as much as a low priced PC, IMO. Apple Watch? WTF is that for? No thanks.
 
Well, I don't see the iPad as a personal device. (That's my iPhone) I see it as a household appliance, like a toaster.. It's the itunes/spotify player, the second screen when we don't want to watch the same thing, something guests can use and so on.. It would be a great device for iMessage, FaceTime, social media and email but now we almost never use it for any of that because it's only one person who can be logged in to all of it and logging in and out all the time sucks.. I understand that Apple want us to buy several iPads but I think a lot of people don't use them enough to motivate the cost just to save a minute on logging in to stuff every time you pick it up. So, with multiple account we would be 2x happy, use it 2x as much and probably replace it 2x as fast.. Win/win

Again, an appliance doesn't hold private data, whereas once you're sharing iMessage, email and social media, then that has to actually be secured. Considering how much email used to access real things, like resetting passwords for banking and mortgage websites...

Do you leave access to your online banking on a device, even if it has multiple user accounts, where your password might be guessable from finger prints on the screen? Even Touch ID requires entering the password after reboot.

And now we have multiple users, where likely parents will want access to children's account data, while keeping theirs inaccessible to others. How many security holes will there be once they create this whole security issue that previously never even existed? How many edge cases in the sandboxing model will have to be sorted out?

Each account's data is tied to Apple ID / iCloud accounts. Including the guests? Children, who aren't old enough to legally have an account?

When you backup the device to your computer, then you're backing up everyone else's data, or just your account's? Does it separately download separately encrypted account files, so you can't actually sync others' data, just back it up? Either it's again insecure, or now you can make a backup, and then someone else backs it up to their computer, but syncs their data, but now you restore the device from your backup and you've corrupted everyone else's data except your own? Maybe you stick with iCloud backup, to solve this, but now you need to use N times the amount of data to do backups. Assuming your kids can have iCloud accounts.

Who is allowed to do app updates? Anyone, or just one special user, like the main user in Family Sharing? Maybe it just auto-updates. Oh you want to hold off on that new iOS update for now? Previous version bricked devices or iCloud data required a matching OS X update for iCloud data access. Hopefully the guest or non-tech partner won't update it then...

Who gets to delete whose data when the device is full? Like movies or photos. Will that sync back and remove them from that user's other devices? Did you know they needed that movie or photo for something, I mean there are so many people using that device, how is everyone else supposed to know?

This is a feature request for those who haven't thought through or don't understand the implications.

And it would reduce security for those who do understand, and choose iOS over Android, for its better security.

A phone is a luxury in my world. I keep a regular old plain vanilla cell phone with a pre-paid plan and spend about $8 a month total ($100 a year renewable for 1000 minutes with rollover). Spending $70+ a month for something that is 100% unnecessary (i.e. you don't NEED to read email and surf the web while at McDonalds or at work and heaven forbid while driving). People that think they NEED to do that or even "text" (waste of time/money) are ADDICTED to that crap. I'm not someone who barely uses the Internet either. But it's not much fun doing it on a tiny touchscreen, IMO and I sure as hell don't need to get fired over it (or in an accident). It can damn well WAIT. Texting is the scourge of the 21st Century, IMO. A bunch of worthless talk about NOTHING. Worse yet, it's incredibly distracting and cars are weaving all over the road with people trying to text while driving (apparently people don't want to actually "talk" today, just ask each other what they're doing). But basically, I have better things I could do with $70 a month including buying a new Macbook Pro about every other year instead.

A laptop may or may not be a luxury depending on whether you need it for a job. If you just want it to surf while slurping lattes at Starbucks, I'd call it a luxury. Personally, I prefer surfing at home with a 27" monitor, full size keyboard and 5-button mouse with a scroll wheel over some tiny 15" screen and a miserable trackpad (they're HARD and cause finger/wrist pain over long periods of time IMO) and undersized keyboard.

Yeah sure, it's all expensive and anti-social. But, not everyone has a static day-to-day routine of commuting between fixed place of work and home. Many people work at customer sites, bounce between 5+ daily lectures and labs at school, run deliveries all day, sell door to door, etc.
 
Again, an appliance doesn't hold private data, whereas once you're sharing iMessage, email and social media, then that has to actually be secured. Considering how much email used to access real things, like resetting passwords for banking and mortgage websites...

Do you leave access to your online banking on a device, even if it has multiple user accounts, where your password might be guessable from finger prints on the screen? Even Touch ID requires entering the password after reboot.

And now we have multiple users, where likely parents will want access to children's account data, while keeping theirs inaccessible to others. How many security holes will there be once they create this whole security issue that previously never even existed? How many edge cases in the sandboxing model will have to be sorted out?

Each account's data is tied to Apple ID / iCloud accounts. Including the guests? Children, who aren't old enough to legally have an account?

When you backup the device to your computer, then you're backing up everyone else's data, or just your account's? Does it separately download separately encrypted account files, so you can't actually sync others' data, just back it up? Either it's again insecure, or now you can make a backup, and then someone else backs it up to their computer, but syncs their data, but now you restore the device from your backup and you've corrupted everyone else's data except your own? Maybe you stick with iCloud backup, to solve this, but now you need to use N times the amount of data to do backups. Assuming your kids can have iCloud accounts.

Who is allowed to do app updates? Anyone, or just one special user, like the main user in Family Sharing? Maybe it just auto-updates. Oh you want to hold off on that new iOS update for now? Previous version bricked devices or iCloud data required a matching OS X update for iCloud data access. Hopefully the guest or non-tech partner won't update it then...

Who gets to delete whose data when the device is full? Like movies or photos. Will that sync back and remove them from that user's other devices? Did you know they needed that movie or photo for something, I mean there are so many people using that device, how is everyone else supposed to know?

This is a feature request for those who haven't thought through or don't understand the implications.

And it would reduce security for those who do understand, and choose iOS over Android, for its better security.

I understand that It's more than just flipping a switch to make this work. But I still think there should be at least a main + guest/open account..

Perhaps this could be slowed by a mode where you can disable the main login but assign fingerprint locks to individual apps instead. Then anyone can pick up my iPad to use safari but if they try to access my email the iPad will ask for password/fingerprint..
 
We're now in the post-iPad era with Galaxy Note phablets complementing Surface Pro pen based tablets.
 
Thanks for the answer. My interest in the Surface/Pro would be the pen input in Photoshop - if it works well, that would be really useful for photo retouching work. I know that an i7 (and discrete graphics) would do just fine with Photoshop (that's what I'm using on my Macs) - but what about the Atom models and the HD5000 or whatever is in-built to the Surface models? It used to be that you couldn't even use Photoshop without a discrete graphics chip. My problem with the Pro models is that you're in decent quality laptop range in terms of price...and yet still limited to a relatively small screen. And I don't need another laptop or another tablet -- unless the tablet was spectacularly better than either in some respect.
I don't know about Photoshop on the non-pro Surface 3... I know that the i3, i5, and i7 all have different integrated graphics. (only i7 is 5000)

I much prefer working direct on screen vs. a graphics tablet such as Wacom Intuos, which is what you would need with a laptop. So for me, a laptop is simply not in the cards. If you do light Photoshop, but mainly laptop stuff (keyboard and trackpad) then Surface Pro might not be the best. It is top heavy and needs the kickstand for typing, so it's not as nice on your lap (in type cover / laptop mode). I use a Sophia and Sam lap desk on the couch, which is great, but a bottom heavy laptop is still more sturdy for typing.

In tablet mode, there's no comparison. So definitely get it (or SP4!) if you do a lot of work direct on screen, or just want a super tablet.

For me, it's an obvious purchase over a laptop. The less convenient lap usage is hugely outweighed by the superior pen/tablet usage.
 
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People upgrade their phones every two years because they have a 2 year contract with their carrier. There's no 3rd party contract with an ipad or mac so there's no "forced" upgrade cycle.

I think a lot of people bought tablets because they are cheaper than laptops even though they have to sacrifice the power of a full OS. The people who run these numbers never seem to mention that the economy might be a factor in what people buy.

My ipad was great for playing games, but never was as essential as my laptop. When I sold the ipad I missed it for a very short time and quickly realized that I really didn't need it. I can play games on my ipod touch and OS X is a far superior OS IMO. iOS is locked down and that really limits its use.

To do any real work with a tablet you need to add a keyboard. That pretty much makes it a smaller, less powerful laptop for almost the same money.

The number-crunchers that think they can predict trends will always miss the mark if they fail to consider the economic factors of real people. The iPhone is set for a stumble now that the carriers are doing away with subsidies and 2 year contracts. That's my prediction.
 
ButButButBut... it's the "post-PC era"

:rolleyes:

Now it's the post-tablet era as well. We're now into the "Ancient texting just flat out will never die die die like it should" era. :D

Hopefully we'll enter next into the "Let's all go get a real honest to good life in the real world with real people and real friends and to hell with all that social networking garbage" era.
 
I understand that It's more than just flipping a switch to make this work. But I still think there should be at least a main + guest/open account..

Perhaps this could be slowed by a mode where you can disable the main login but assign fingerprint locks to individual apps instead. Then anyone can pick up my iPad to use safari but if they try to access my email the iPad will ask for password/fingerprint..

I'm glad you mentioned this, because I vaguely remembered the feature existing, but hadn't yet enabled it on my device myself. Guided Access will lock a user into an app, so they can't get out without using Touch ID or a code. This way you could keep users in Safari. I haven't tested what happens if they click on a web link that would ordinarily launch another app. Worth testing first.

Settings - General - Accessibility - Guided Access

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/disable-certain-area-screen-guided-access-ios-devices/

It would be nice if something like Guided Access would turn on and off Restrictions, which is a broader way of disabling functionality on the device. With: Settings - General - Restrictions, it's possible to make it so users, like children, can have a limited run of the device, without just being locked into a single app, like Guided Access does. But there's no super quick shortcut to enable/disable it, for when you want to use the device fully yourself. But, just a couple menus deep in Settings isn't too bad.
 
Trying to replace a laptop with a tablet is just frustrating. I tried replacing my personal laptop with a tablet for a few days, even used the bluetooth keyboard I have for work. It was just a frustrating experience, it's jut so much easier to do basically everything on a laptop than a tablet, and it has nothing to do with the OS either.


I have replaced/ditched my laptop with tablets, a very powerful 11.6 inch Windows 8 tablet Acer Iconia W700(I5 Core) and high end Android tablet Samaung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and i did not have any problem using my tablets as my main computer and replacing/ditching my laptop and have been using tablets as my main and only computer for over a year and it is AWESOME!!! :)

I will NEVER ever go back to using laptops unless it is a 2-1 in one/hybrid!!!

I LOVE tablets!!!! :) :) :)
 
Tablets are the future and have replaced netbooks.

Definitely agree! :)

Thank god we don't have those "garbage" netbooks anymore, they were sooo sooo underpowered and soo slow even for very basic tasks like web browsing or playing flash web games it would lag very badly!!!!!

Netbooks are basically very cheap(and soo underpowered mini laptops) when you look at tablets they are completely different computers!!


I am soo glad and happy that tablets have killed and replaced netbooks!!!!! :) :) :)


Tablets are getting a lot more powerful and more advanced every year and are definitely here to stay and are the future! :)
 
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Tablets are amazing devices. My tablet has been very useful to me for the past 4 years. Carrying documents, PDF files, storing movies to watch on airplane, browsing, YouTube, streaming, movies, etc. But.... I do not feel the need to upgrade to the newer ones. Even though my tablet is 4 years old, it is still very usable. Sure, it is sluggish at times, but I can live with it. I have to admit I use my tablet more often than my MBP due to its portability. But if I were to upgrade, I'd get a new MBP.


What tablet do you have?? :)
 
iWork and iLife have come to iOS. When the iPad 2 was announced and Apple demoed PhotoBooth, and then iPad 3 with iPhoto... It felt like it was picking up momentum and by now we'd have FCP X for iPad.

This hasn't happened... The iPad 4 onwards seem to be hardware updates only.

Don't forget Apple demoed photo editing app called Pixelmator on the Ipad Air 2 when they announced the Ipad Air 2 in October last year.

Pixelmator is similar to Photoshop on ipads!!
 
They are, Just not in IOS form.

Yes still in IOS form as well!

Mobile OSs(IOS/Android) are getting more advanced(look at IOS 9) every year so i can't find any reason that IOS and Android should disappear of tablets in favour of not soo touch friendy and not so fun to use desktop OSs like Windows!

IOS and Android makes a way way better OS for tablets than Windows because it is very touch friendy unlike Windows and is much less of a hassle to use and Android/IOS are very easy and fun to use on tablets.


I still want IOS and Android to exist on tablets in the future(10 years) along side Windows!!
 
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