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Here's another headline: iPad pros launching in 2021. Pretty much offers the same level of information with all the leakers now back tracking on march in favour of April
 
Presently, support for external display in iPadOS was kinda limited (black stripes).
So is this rumour somehow implying that the limited support was only due because of the nature of the port (USB instead of TB3)?
I’m sure Apple would love for people to believe that. It’s the easiest way to get people to upgrade then 🙃
 
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Basically, that would kill a whole laptop lineup.
I’ve never understood this logic. They are very different form factors.

Sure you could turn your more expensive iPad Pro into a similar form factor as a laptop by spending more money on additional accessories. But then you have spent almost twice the price of a MBA. If people really wanted a laptop, they would choose the cheapest option. If they wanted a more flexible product, then they would spend more on that product.

It baffles me how there are some people that think allowing the iPad Pro to be productive would kill their laptop business, whilst in another corner there are people that seemingly think it would never work and is the worst idea ever.

The only reason at this point not to have different form factors for the Mac or to allow the iPad pro to be more productive when the user needs/wants it to be is because Apple wants you to buy two separate products. There’s no technical reason for it anymore.

It’s for that exact reason that I won’t be buying another iPad Pro or MacBook. I don’t want to carry a laptop around with me all the time when I have the identical hardware with me already in an iPad. And there’s no point getting a faster iPad if whenever I need to be productive on it I have to remote into an actual computer with a mouse and keyboard attached.

Apple will get there eventually I guess, I’ll just wait. I expect because of the corner they’ve shoved themselves in, it’ll end up being neither a Mac or an iPad.
 
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What would one need thunderbolt for on an iPad?
1616070165972.png
 
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Right so Mark Gurman first says there won’t end up being a March 16th event, and clarified that he only meant an event on March 16th... but did not discount March entirely....

So I am thinking just like last year when an event was rumoured and it ended up just being an invite to an event, we are seeing history repeating itself...

23rd March - Invites
30th March - Event
2nd April - iPad Pro Starts Shipping
Or, there is no event, just released through press release and demo video on the 23rd.
 
Are your plans to replace or supplement the iPP with the M1 MBA? Just curious as to what you may be looking to upgrade or improve upon after coming from the iPP.

I have an M1 MBA. Absolutely love it. Best computer I have ever owned. But I am thinking of going the opposite direction and picking up an 11" iPP for specialized work that requires a pencil (and for content consumption).
It’s funny that we are both looking at flipping opposite directions. I’ve been using my iPP for the past couple of years as my daily and I’ve considered it one of the best Apple products I’ve ever owned. Before I got it, the 2011 MBA was similarly at the top of my list.
The iPP has been awesome, especially after the update to iPadOS with trackpad support. I do use the Pencil as well, but it’s not a daily thing.
What I do love about it is it can go from my work device to a consumption entertainment device and actually act and feel different just by not using the keyboard case.
But the issue that is now making me want to switch is the lackluster battery life. Not that I won’t continue to use it, if I end up getting a new MBA, but it will become a mostly consumption device if I do switch.
 
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I, for one, can't wait to hook my iPad up to a thunderbolt eGPU and play Candycrush in 120 fps in 4K with some hardcore raytracing going on.
 
You must work in sales

I’m the Creative Director for a popular skincare brand. I edit all my photography in Lightroom and Photoshop on a 12.9”iPad Pro. Not only does it match what I can do on a Mac, it’s far better because creative design lends itself to direct manipulation. Editing on an iPad + Pencil is like holding a large 8 x 10 print in your hands and magically transforming it directly on the print. I would never go back to sitting at a desk and indirect manipulation.

Lately I’ve been using Illustrator for iPad and after 5 months of using it, I prefer it to the Mac version that I’ve used and become accustomed to for 20 years. I still need my Mac when doing video in Final Cut Pro and for file management. That’s why I said I could switch if iPad OS were to support FCP.

Now spare us your sense of superiority and tell us all what you do for a living that can’t be done on an iPad Pro and can’t be remedied with better external hard drive support and Mac apps being released on the platform.
 
I edit all my photography in Lightroom and Photoshop on a 12.9”iPad Pro. Not only does it match what I can do on a Mac, it’s far better because creative design lends itself to direct manipulation. Editing on an iPad + Pencil is like holding a large 8 x 10 print in your hands and magically transforming it directly on the print. I would never go back to sitting at a desk and indirect manipulation.

Lately I’ve been using Illustrator for iPad and after 5 months of using it, I prefer it to the Mac version that I’ve used and become accustomed to for 20 years. I still need my Mac when doing video in Final Cut Pro and for file management. That’s why I said I could switch if iPad OS were to support FCP.
Totally agree! I greatly prefer photo editing on an ipad to using a desktop, mac or pc. And I have zero need for a laptop. Though I do have to use a desktop, 2018 mac mini in my case as well as a PC, for certain other tasks such as video encoding, plex server, file management and some gaming(though I'm doing more of that on my series X now)
 
This is exactly my usage scenario. At home, my surface sits in a docking station connected to my 43” curved monitor, (BT mouse & KB) then when I travel, I use it as a tablet (media consumption) and connect a surface keyboard when working at a clients address. Probably not the place to find agreement, but my surface is without doubt the best “laptop” I have ever owned and the form factor perfect for my needs. Slotting a tablet into a docking station to create a desktop is so convenient.

Also, when working remotely I use an iPad as a second screen with duet.
Having a desktop OS like Windows vs a mobile OS makes all the difference.
 
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Caveat: I don't have much experience with iPads (there are a couple in the house that are the kids'). I have even less (read: zero) experience with their Pro line.
Honest question here: Are you saying the iPad Pro is so capable, that you're just an iOS version of FPC away from ditching your Mac entirely? If true, that statement both staggers and interests me.
Are iPad Pros capable fo running massive A/V files off an external drive?

Dear internet...

To be honest I use my iPad Pro as my main computer because it can do the majority of what I used my MacBook for.

With that said I still don’t think it’s suitable (for me anyways) as a complete replacement. For one, even with the pro keyboard accessory the weight is top heavy so it can feel awkward when typing on your lap.

The biggest issue for me though is that ipad can have two apps open side by side but navigating between multiple apps or windows is a pain. Particularly when needing to look at several apps at once (pages, multiple safari windows, PDFs) like when doing a research project it’s really not usable for me. I can make it work, but it’s a pain.
 
Don't look at it that way. Only one decision that matters => Do you much prefer iPadOS or macOS?
I’m pretty sure that if A14x has 8 gigs RAM that you’ll be able to run macOS on the iPad Pro. There’s videos showing older versions of OS X running on them. So then it actually comes down to touch screen (pencil) or not.
 
I’m the Creative Director for a popular skincare brand. I edit all my photography in Lightroom and Photoshop on a 12.9”iPad Pro. Not only does it match what I can do on a Mac, it’s far better because creative design lends itself to direct manipulation. Editing on an iPad + Pencil is like holding a large 8 x 10 print in your hands and magically transforming it directly on the print. I would never go back to sitting at a desk and indirect manipulation.

Lately I’ve been using Illustrator for iPad and after 5 months of using it, I prefer it to the Mac version that I’ve used and become accustomed to for 20 years. I still need my Mac when doing video in Final Cut Pro and for file management. That’s why I said I could switch if iPad OS were to support FCP.

Now spare us your sense of superiority and tell us all what you do for a living that can’t be done on an iPad Pro and can’t be remedied with better external hard drive support and Mac apps being released on the platform.

Not trolling at all, but I just gave an exact situation where a desktop OS is superior for me. The ipad is great if you’re doing a single app/task at once. But to give a more clear example - If I am working on a presentation I need to have Keynote open.

I am looking at a journal article in PDF form to obtain information for my presentation so that is either in a safari tab or a PDF reader. At the same time I am comparing that to information from another article or guidelines which is again open in another safari window.

Can it work? Yes of course. Is it cumbersome to switch between multiple apps or windows as compared to having everything open at once in front of me? Absolutely.

That doesn’t mean an iPad Pro is useless. But my scenario above isn’t that unusual for people to find themselves in. Everything has its place and ideal use
 
this sucks, if mass produce in April, then delivery will most likely be in May or June. Last day to return my 2020 iPad Pro 11 to Costco is end of April😣
 
To be honest I use my iPad Pro as my main computer because it can do the majority of what I used my MacBook for.

With that said I still don’t think it’s suitable (for me anyways) as a complete replacement. For one, even with the pro keyboard accessory the weight is top heavy so it can feel awkward when typing on your lap.

The biggest issue for me though is that ipad can have two apps open side by side but navigating between multiple apps or windows is a pain. Particularly when needing to look at several apps at once (pages, multiple safari windows, PDFs) like when doing a research project it’s really not usable for me. I can make it work, but it’s a pain.
totally agree. I think it's mostly an issue of screen real estate. If I need to use a lot of windows i'll use my desktop. I have a 34" ultrawide monitor and it's just easier to work with in those cases.
So for me it's not a complete desktop replacement. But it can fill in for most of what I need. I can use the ipad for the vast majority of the week, only using my desktop for certain things.
Of course it really depends on what a person needs.
 
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I’m pretty sure that if A14x has 8 gigs RAM that you’ll be able to run macOS on the iPad Pro. There’s videos showing older versions of OS X running on them. So then it actually comes down to touch screen (pencil) or not.
I'm assuming the person that I was replying to is not going to jailbreak their iPad Pro. If (or until) Apple officially supports macOS on iPad Pro, that person is going to have to choose between iPadOS and macOS.
 
This would be my dream, I fear I can’t yet... sometimes I have seen myself pushing 64GB of ram even, however not because final cut, FCP is a damn fine citizen on that front. 5 big libraries open, 10GB Max is what I have seen, besides it seems to me that iPadOS is way way more efficient at handling memory.

Final Cut Pro runs fantastic on an M1 chip with 8GB of RAM. It’s not about the total RAM, it’s about how Apple silicon manages memory.
 
Where? When?
Just keep an eye on macrumors posts as the event gets closer/ once it happens. Even scrolling through posts from this week shows posts for MacBooks and iPads about $50-100 off retail. When the new iPad is announced, these sales will be around, and perhaps slightly more discounted. Just don’t expect anything crazy like a clearance sale.
 
totally agree. I think it's mostly an issue of screen real estate. If I need to use a lot of windows i'll use my desktop. I have a 34" ultrawide monitor and it's just easier to work with in those cases.
So for me it's not a complete desktop replacement. But it can fill in for most of what I need. I can use the ipad for the vast majority of the week, only using my desktop for certain things.
Of course it really depends on what a person needs.
Yep - everyone's use case is different. Mine actually varies based on what I am doing. There are a lot of single app tasks that I do that my iPad is superb for. But at times I need to bounce back and forth between many apps and documents and there the iPadOS multitasking shows its limitations. Adding better support for an external monitor (i.e. extended desktop) would help tremendously here and perhaps adding Thunderbolt is a clue that it will evolve.
 
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