Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

satchmo

macrumors 601
Aug 6, 2008
4,973
5,627
Canada
If this question was asked between 2012 and 2015 I might answer "Maybe". Recently (esp. since iPadOS was released) my answer is a firm "No". There is still some way to go in terms of app availability etc. but I find iPad an increasingly attractive device (and iPadOS a platform) to do "real work" e.g. coding and editing photos. The integration between iPadOS and MacOS means you can easily use the iPad as a sandbox for coding, then transfer the code to MacOS simply to execute. Not to mention SideCar is very useful esp. when out and about with a Mac. As long as one treat iPad as a platform and form factor of its own (instead of expect it to behave like an iPhone/iOS or Mac/MacOS), I think the future seems bright and without limit.


IMHO that is a poor choice. Intel-equipped Mac produces much more warmth.
Agreed. Apple really stepped it up especially with the 3rd gen iPad Pros. But honestly, they had to.
The distinction between the baseline iPad and the Pro was not simply not enough. Heck, the 7th gen iPad still is a killer value product.

But adding iPadOS, a file system, better pencil, keyboard and mouse support was necessary and has made all the difference.
 

spook

macrumors regular
Jan 3, 2004
179
192
I reckon that depends on which country you have lived in. Or how many schools in any of those countries you’ve lived in that you’ve been to... no? Unless you’ve been to ‘all the schools’ it’s not a very realistic statement.

personally I think chrome books are more suited to schools. Google have done something very clever and released a load of cheap devices but not only that, the google web apps integrate perfectly for school work
 

WilliamDu

macrumors 6502
May 22, 2012
267
98
Wasted time thread. iPads and Macs are for different communities. I've been in IT for forty years. I have an iMac, an iPad, and an iPod Touch 256GB to Bluetooth 160GB of iTunes to my Alexas scattered around the house.
All of them have their uses and do not compete.
None of them are going away.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chengengaun

dumastudetto

macrumors 603
Aug 28, 2013
5,017
7,140
Los Angeles, USA
I've been saying this for ages - the future of mac is iPad Pro. Nothing that was announced at WWDC has changed my mind. The transition to ARM is all about transitioning people away from the legacy platform eventually.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marlon DLTH :)

K1221n

macrumors member
Feb 20, 2017
46
15
apple owns the tablet market, no way is the iPad dying.

I think the iPad is lost between the iPhone (mobility+power) and the new Macs (real pro apps, usability and productivity). If Apple launch a MacBook Pro with 5G, Catalyst may be the salvation for the iPad app developers.


I use iPad as a big clock.
 

Mark_EL

macrumors member
Mar 20, 2019
54
54
Netherlands
For me, the iPad is the ultimate consuming device. Reading a book occasionally, scrolling through stuff like forums and Facebook (and writing on the smart keyboard folio like I am doing right now), watching Youtube/ Netflix/ AppleTV+/ F1TV Pro for example while sitting in the garden or in laying in bed) are all things I love to do on the iPad, and for which an iPhone is simply too small and my MBP too cumbersome.

However if I want to get work done like photo/ video editing, building/ updating my portfolio websites or doing my accountancy (I use and Excel based program with macros which don’t work on iPadOS version of Excel), thats where I absolutely need to use my Macbook Pro. I‘ve tried Photo editing on My iPad Air 3 with Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and Affinity Photo (all with the Apple Pencil too) but I have come to the conclusion that its not for me. Sure, I could edit an image in a pinch if needed, but I can work a lot faster and more efficient with my MBP, combined with my Wacom Intuos Pro tablet. The iPad is just too small. Of course I could upgrade to an 12.9” iPad Pro, but I still think thats rather small for photo editing (I usually edit my images on a 27” Eizo display) and for consuming I find the 12.9” to be too large for comfort...
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2006
4,243
4,105
Down south
It’s definitely not dying for me. I’ve happily reached a point where my iPP is all the “computer” I need. Don’t get me wrong - a large screen iMac is a beautiful device, but at the end of the day, I rarely turned mine on. So I sold it, passed my Air 3 to my granddaughter, and got another 11” iPP with a Magic Keyboard. I absolutely love having all the computing power I need in a compact package that can go just about anywhere.

Granted, my needs aren’t as involved as most people here, and the iPP is likely more powerful than what I need, but the MK really sealed the deal for it to really replace my iMac.

I love having a device that is always on, holds a charge at least all day, if not 2 days, uses cellular if I’m traveling and not near WiFi, and can be thrown in my purse if needed.
 

ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,827
10,409
I think the iPad is lost between the iPhone (mobility+power) and the new Macs (real pro apps, usability and productivity). If Apple launch a MacBook Pro with 5G, Catalyst may be the salvation for the iPad app developers.


I use iPad as a big clock.

Ah I see, an intentional provocative post.
To me the best Apple device type in ages.
 

ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,827
10,409
Maybe it will survive as an educational tool and/or a complement for the Big Macs with power to create content, movies, complex advertising campaigns and even apps for iOS and iPadOS.

There’s probably way more iPads out there than Macs that are in use.
Education market? Seriously?
 

ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,827
10,409
Smartphones will inevitably replace tablets in the future. It's not difficult to think when you see the pandemic situation, the need fot big screens, redundancy of mobile gadgets and the fact of the new Macs coming. Why will you need this large iPod touch when your iPhone will connect directly to your big screen?

• Mac Pro
• Next-gen iMac
• MacBooks ARM 5G
• Apple Glasses

Apple wouldn't develop expensive projects like the new Macs for nothing. Think different.

I see no logic in your post. So all these iPad users are going to buy Macs in the future?
Smartphones haven’t replaced in the last decade and there is zero on the horizon that this will change. In fact smartphones have already mostly plateaued and there’s no growth in that sector to speak of. Updates are often incremental between late generations of devices.

iPads are here to stay. Catalyst will help bring the Mac some more apps from that space.
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2006
4,243
4,105
Down south
Yup that’s also what I’m seeing in the edu sector. Rather sellout to the ad company than get iPads.

My sister is a teacher, and has used both in the classroom. They used chromebooks at the last school she taught at a few years ago before she retired in that state, and her current school uses iPads.

I remember my aunt teaching in a high-end all girls’ school a lot of years ago, and Apple laptops were required. It’s what ultimately turned her into an Apple fan, although her husband had used Mac computers for years.
 

ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,827
10,409
My sister is a teacher, and has used both in the classroom. They used chromebooks at the last school she taught at a few years ago before she retired in that state, and her current school uses iPads.

I remember my aunt teaching in a high-end all girls’ school a lot of years ago, and Apple laptops were required. It’s what ultimately turned her into an Apple fan, although her husband had used Mac computers for years.

Special schools I can see that happen easier if their target audience is willing to pay for this stuff. I don’t have representative numbers but from the few teachers I met in different countries it seems many schools are with the ad company for good.

iPads are of course much cheaper than Macs so maybe that sector is going to grow at some stage.
 

ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,827
10,409
It’s not dying but their vision for the product is terrible. They tried to have it replace laptops instead of innovating the tablet so that you would rather use it than a laptop. Then they gave up and slapped on the keyboard/trackpad. So it’s not dying, it’s merging with laptops which I think is a mistake.

It is providing additional options at the high end. Hardly a lack of vision.
 

d.best.5205622

macrumors member
Jul 27, 2014
46
28
I think the iPad is lost between the iPhone (mobility+power) and the new Macs (real pro apps, usability and productivity). If Apple launch a MacBook Pro with 5G, Catalyst may be the salvation for the iPad app developers.


I use iPad as a big clock.

Just your opinion
The retirement community (of which you will be a member of in the future) loves the simplicity of the iPad in our less complicated lives. And it helps us exercise the cognitive side of our brain and helps us navigate better through life easier
You will eventually see it. Sell your clock...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ungibbed

Ungibbed

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2010
765
198
USA
I seriously don’t see the iPad/iPad Pro going anywhere soon, it a truly viable platform on its own merits.

Still, there are situations where I use my old Mac for things that just are just not possible to do on my newer iPP.
 

ApfelKuchen

macrumors 601
Aug 28, 2012
4,334
3,011
Between the coasts
I think the iPad is lost between the iPhone (mobility+power) and the new Macs (real pro apps, usability and productivity). If Apple launch a MacBook Pro with 5G, Catalyst may be the salvation for the iPad app developers.


I use iPad as a big clock.

If you believe that people who want larger displays automatically want greater complexity, a starting price around $999, and a keyboard/mouse/touchpad interface, you're greatly mistaken.
 

Jonathantuba

macrumors 6502
Oct 6, 2017
423
393
UK
It is providing additional options at the high end. Hardly a lack of vision.
The iPad Pro is the ultimate multi-use device; with magic keyboard it is a virtual laptop replacement (for most tasks), with Apple Pencil it is note taking, sketching and drawing device, Linked to Mac it is second screen, just on a stand it is a great media consumption device With quad speakers, with its excellent camera it is a scanner (And better than the iPhone as can see if image is sharp), on a tripod it is a great video camera, with its good front camera the ideal device for video conferencing, in portrait on music stand it is electronic music manuscript, as tablet in bed it is an electronic book. Just some of the ways I use mine.

The great thing is it will adapt into whatever device is required, which is why 95% of my screen time in on my iPad Pro.
 

dmccloud

macrumors 68030
Sep 7, 2009
2,976
1,701
Anchorage, AK
The iPad isn't going anywhere except as a bigger focus for Apple. iPad sales dwarf everything except for the iPhone, and the momentum has only grown since the iPad Pro was first released.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0128672
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.