Is it time for a iPhone workpad dock?

[Der Keyser]

Given the horsepower the new iPhones have - they are now comparable to the iPad Pro - don’t you think it’s time for a workpad dock? Something like Windows Continuum, where you dock your iphone in a custom designed and extremely nice dock with a ~20” monitor, and IOS is switched to Ipad desktop working mode on the docks touchscreen/keyboard setup?
That way the more simple company workers and homeusers could ditch the PC and just use their iPhone. It would also finally give IOS the much needed workstation usage that Apple is hoping for. I know - it would probably cut into ipad sales - but what would it do for iphone sales, and the premium custom dock? I’m guessing it would be a MAJOR hit
A dock is not something i’d haul around with me, and it would still not replace my ipad for media consumption and such, so maybe it would not harm ipad sales too much?

In my opinion this is what apple should release to get IOS (and the iphone) to the next level of incredible sales.

 

[M. Gustave]

You’re still thinking in a legacy desktop computing mindset. I think we’ve moved on from that, and Apple knows it.

Use a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPhone, I do it when I need to type a lot. But if it isn’t mobile, it doesn’t get bought by me.

 

[maflynn]

Something like Windows Continuum,

This works because Windows Mobile executes the same universal (I think that's what they call them) apps as the desktop. For the iPhone/iPad, iOS is a completely different animal. You cannot use a iphone as a desktop computer, unlike a windows phone. Of course who uses a windows phone in 2017

 

[Der Keyser]

You’re still thinking in a legacy desktop computing mindset. I think we’ve moved on from that, and Apple knows it.

Use a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPhone, I do it when I need to type a lot. But if it isn’t mobile, it doesn’t get bought by me.

Well good for you - but i assure you there are millions and millions of users out there that does not find the small screen of a phone or an ipad a usable tool for 8 hours desktop work a day. So legacy desktop or not, your comment does not just remove the need for all these people.
I think there’s a huge opportunity here to “harvest” a large part of these users by a simple stroke of releasing an add-on and extending IOS a bit.

 

[M. Gustave]

Well good for you - but i assure you there are millions and millions of users out there that does not find the small screen of a phone or an ipad a usable tool for 8 hours desktop work a day. So legacy desktop or not, your comment does not just remove the need for all these people.
I think there’s a huge opportunity here to “harvest” a large part of these users by a simple stroke of releasing an add-on and extending IOS a bit.

Why would somebody buy a dock, mouse/trackpad, keyboard, and monitor, in order to turn their iPhone (which doesn’t run a desktop OS) into a desktop computer?

Maybe you’re unaware, but Apple makes MacBooks and iMacs for just this purpose.

 

[Der Keyser]

This works because Windows Mobile executes the same universal (I think that's what they call them) apps as the desktop. For the iPhone/iPad, iOS is a completely different animal. You cannot use a iphone as a desktop computer, unlike a windows phone. Of course who uses a windows phone in 2017

Yes I know - but that’s because windows desktop has all these legacy apps that MS is hoping devs would port to the universal model. They need this because otherwise it won’t work for the ARM cpu architecture that phones use.
Apple with IOS does not have this problem. All apps for IOS has always been for ARM, and has always had the Ipad layout feature. So releasing this does not need any additional app support or change in app store options.
I specifically said simple users because I know it will be a while before the really heavy desktop apps from MAcOS gets ported to IOS - but apple has specifically tried to make the Ipad a 2in1 product for laptop replacement. This would help immensly as IOS would then also become a desktop replacement.
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Why would somebody buy a dock, mouse/trackpad, keyboard, and monitor, in order to turn their iPhone (which doesn’t run a desktop OS) into a desktop computer?

Maybe you’re unaware, but Apple makes MacBooks and iMacs for just this purpose.

Because a really large part of us does not need a fully fledged computer to solve our needs. And I for one would much prefer to always bring my computer with me and be able to use it everywhere as well as docked for longer worksessions (at home, in hotels and so on)
And why would mr. And ms. Average user want to learn two OS’es and their quirks along with all the problems of datasharing if it could just always be “the one you already have”?
[doublepost=1506166454][/doublepost]Funny how I’m the one that supposedly is thinking backwards and oldschool, when in fact a lot of the big problems we have with IT would be solved by this way of working.

We have spent the last 20 years moving things online to make it available - we have embraced mobile computing because of the flexibility and productivity it gives. The major problems with traditional computing have been adapting each computer to the users that uses it now - thats why we started using webinterfaces for even standard software. But this brought a lot of security issues with data left behind on each computer.
The major problem with current mobile computing is portability, data security and data mobility.

A truely PERSONAL computer you bring along for everything is the answer to all the problems listed above - and a lot of our current security issues - but i’m the one thinking backwards??? Hmmmmm funny how my solution is more mobile and more secure and more simple than your solutions, and yet you claim I’m thinking oldschool.

 

[M. Gustave]

I can see you’re really emotionally invested in this idea, but have you considered that iOS is designed from the ground up for touch input, and that your docking concept would by necessity replace that with a pointer device? Something Apple has resisted for 10 years, for good reasons IMO.

But seriously, why don’t you use your iPhone’s AirPlay with an AppleTV hooked up to a monitor, and use a Bluetooth keyboard? Or the Lightning AVI cable. I think you’ll be as disappointed in the experience as I was.

 

[Der Keyser]

I can see you’re really emotionally invested in this idea, but have you considered that iOS is designed from the ground up for touch input, and that your docking concept would by necessity replace that with a pointer device? Something Apple has resisted for 10 years, for good reasons IMO.

But seriously, why don’t you use your iPhone’s AirPlay with an AppleTV hooked up to a monitor, and use a Bluetooth keyboard? Or the Lightning AVI cable. I think you’ll be as disappointed in the experience as I was.

I completely agree with you on this one - it would require apple to allow for a mouse pointer in IOS. The current state of IOS is not enough to really make the dock (or your appleTV suggestion) a GReAT idea. I’m sure it would be okay for personal use in its current state, but to really take over the world you need a mouse pointer as well

But just think of the posibilities... as a company, all you do is issue a iphone to your workers. From then on they can use your software (running securely in your datacenter) from all over the world. No other can use it as it is only available to a single user from his/hers personal device. No longer do you need to worry about desktop maintenance, unauthorized access (since biometrics and two factor now identifies that one user/device combo, and maybe the best part: no worries about eavesdropping, keyloggers, leftover data on untrusted devices and so on. Heck even your intire officespace is secure because no access can be gained from using network wall sockets, more priviliged wireless networks and so on.
[doublepost=1506169052][/doublepost]I think Apple in one simple stroke could conquer a HUGE part of the coporate windows desktop workspace by allowing mouse pointers in IOS to microsoft’s RDP client. This way large parts of desktops could be replaced by personal IOS devices and companies would just use terminal servers which is infinitely much easier to make secure and maintain.
[doublepost=1506169779][/doublepost]On a side note... Why is someone else not winning over the world with this simple concept?
Well microsoft could have if they saw the mobile revolution 15 years ago and had a large marked share in mobile today.
Android will never realise this potential because of the appaling state of security, maintenance and diversity in devices.
Only apple has the markedshare, the security and the device control needed to make this REALLY good.
There’s no room for a new player as the mobile world is all about the apps and ecosystem. Something that has now been narrowed down to only two players - Android and IOS (with Microsoft having a very slim to none chance of reentering this race again)

 

[M. Gustave]

I completely agree with you on this one - it would require apple to allow for a mouse pointer in IOS. The current state of IOS is not enough to really make the dock (or your appleTV suggestion) a GReAT idea. I’m sure it would be okay for personal use in its current state, but to really take over the world you need a mouse pointer as well

But just think of the posibilities... as a company, all you do is issue a iphone to your workers. From then on they can use your software (running securely in your datacenter) from all over the world. No other can use it as it is only available to a single user from his/hers personal device. No longer do you need to worry about desktop maintenance, unauthorized access (since biometrics and two factor now identifies that one user/device combo, and maybe the best part: no worries about eavesdropping, keyloggers, leftover data on untrusted devices and so on. Heck even your intire officespace is secure because no access can be gained from using network wall sockets, more priviliged wireless networks and so on.
[doublepost=1506169052][/doublepost]I think Apple in one simple stroke could conquer a HUGE part of the coporate windows desktop workspace by allowing mouse pointers in IOS to microsoft’s RDP client. This way large parts of desktops could be replaced by personal IOS devices and companies would just use terminal servers which is infinitely much easier to make secure and maintain.

Enterprise environments like banks and big corporations run lots of in-house legacy desktop software, and their purchasing and IT timelines are in terms of years. Many large companies are still on Win 7 which they just moved to recently. iOS won’t meet their needs.

But many smaller startups and nonprofits already use iPads or Chromebooks quite successfully. Slack for example, and Google’s office suite are built for team sharing. I think what you’re dreaming of is largely already being done, just not usually on an iPhone. But I know several realtors who work 100% on their iPhone now. The idea of a dock wouldn’t appeal to them as their “office” is in their car, or coffee shop, sidewalks, etc.

 

[zhenya]

Phones are fast for phone tasks but would quickly show their limits if they needed sustained performance. They can't do much more than burst activity because they have virtually no cooling system.

The world is still a long, long ways from the point where everyone can work from a datacenter all the time. That requires incredibly fast networks with very low latency and much, much better coverage than the world has today. Even still, remote access on a local gigabit LAN with 1ms of latency is still not the same as working on a local machine.

Further, companies are a long ways from rebuilding huge legacy applications that are in no way shape or form iOS compatible. Nor are most of them interested in building applications that conform to the restrictions of the iOS model.

Last and most important, why would Apple do this when the alternative is they get to sell you an iPad and a Mac in addition to your phone?

 

[Der Keyser]

Enterprise environments like banks and big corporations run lots of in-house legacy desktop software, and their purchasing and IT timelines are in terms of years. Many large companies are still on Win 7 which they just moved to recently. iOS won’t meet their needs.

But many smaller startups and nonprofits already use iPads or Chromebooks quite successfully. Slack for example, and Google’s office suite are built for team sharing. I think what you’re dreaming of is largely already being done, just not usually on an iPhone. But I know several realtors who work 100% on their iPhone now. The idea of a dock wouldn’t appeal to them as their “office” is in their car, or coffee shop, sidewalks, etc.

In know, that’s exactly why apple could open up for eating the marked at both ends with same device if only these enterprises could purchase a proper dockingstation for these device and giving them terminalserver access to the infrastructure with it.

I would never expect any of the other companies you mention (the startups) to show any large scale interest in a dock. They are way pass that kind of legacy need. But there is the occational spreadsheet/wordprocessing/image-manipulation need that could see them have a benefit from the larger screen and keyboard on the dock in the corner of the office.
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Phones are fast for phone tasks but would quickly show their limits if they needed sustained performance. They can't do much more than burst activity because they have virtually no cooling system.

The world is still a long, long ways from the point where everyone can work from a datacenter all the time. That requires incredibly fast networks with very low latency and much, much better coverage than the world has today. Even still, remote access on a local gigabit LAN with 1ms of latency is still not the same as working on a local machine.

Further, companies are a long ways from rebuilding huge legacy applications that are in no way shape or form iOS compatible. Nor are most of them interested in building applications that conform to the restrictions of the iOS model.

Last and most important, why would Apple do this when the alternative is they get to sell you an iPad and a Mac in addition to your phone?

Well a few years ago I would agree completely. But to be honest terminal services has come A LONG way towards making this possible for lots of scenarios - far from all of them, but lots of them.
It’s not geared for truely mobile access by a long shot yet, but like I said - it’s a possible markedshare - not the entire marked they could capture

Your last point however, is valid although i see no conflict with the iPad - but the question is, which is worth the most? The Mac markedshare or capturing a much bigger part of the enterprise, homePC and mobilephone marked (and ecosystem)?