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

Is there a technical reason ipad isn't for programming/dev?

Ghost31

Ghost31

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 9, 2015
3,607
5,763
I mean...it's getting to the point where the power is definitely there with "desktop class" cpu and an operating system that adds more and more usability every year. So is there a reason why we can't get pro level apps on here? And being able to do programming? web dev?

I was just attempting to program with an app called pythonista and it made me think about all this. Pro apps that aren't watered down + being able to use a force touch trackpad would make this thing pretty sweet for creation
 
Ghost31 said:
I mean...it's getting to the point where the power is definitely there with "desktop class" cpu and an operating system that adds more and more usability every year. So is there a reason why we can't get pro level apps on here? And being able to do programming? web dev?

I was just attempting to program with an app called pythonista and it made me think about all this. Pro apps that aren't watered down + being able to use a force touch trackpad would make this thing pretty sweet for creation
Click to expand...

Definitely agree with you. It's a very strange irony. At the moment we've got phones and tablets with console-grade graphics and desktop-level CPUs.

However the vast majority of games on the App Store are freemium shovelware. It's a big fault of the developers but partly Apple's fault with them pushing iAds. By trying to get developers into the ecosystem by motivating them with money from ads was a bad idea IMHO - attracts the wrong kind of developers.

If you remember apps when the App Store was first released, it was something new and powerful, and people were really coming up with some great apps and games. I think the Flappy Bird revenue and the following influx of clones really cemented the issue.

I wish Apple had the fruits (pardon the expression) to completely kill in-app purchases and iAds. It shouldn't be up to them to shape up the industry - I wish larger developers were more motivated to make good apps and games because they're good - but try explain that to a money-hungry CEO of a development company? "Oh, we can spend x amount of money and x amount of resources and x amount of time making a really, really good game that makes the most of the hardware and blows people's minds. Or we can spend a tenth of that to make some addictive shovelware that will give us ten times the profit." :(
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghost31
iOS is fairly locked down/in, and there's no fully accessible file system. The hardware isn't the limiting factor, though it could benefit from better physical connectivity. Even if some "desktop class programs" (I have some trouble with that phrase) would not be affected by this, these limitations determine the user base of the device, and the target audience.

That aside, I believe the AppStore culture doesn't lend itself well to expensive apps. People don't mind spending a couple dollars on an app, and plenty are okay with $20 products as well, but already start grumbling and hesitating at that price point. But how many, on iOS, would be willing to spend hundreds on an app? This might in part be a chicken-egg problem, too. No market because of no products, no products because of no market for them.

Just speculating.
 
keysofanxiety said:
If you remember apps when the App Store was first released, it was something new and powerful, and people were really coming up with some great apps and games. I think the Flappy Bird revenue and the following influx of clones really cemented the issue.
Click to expand...

Oh my, yes. I agree whole heartedly. Things were so exciting back then - I remember so many unique and innovative apps fondly. RJDJ, Touch Grind, Samurai, Spider, and many other quality games pushing the envelope as far as what touch screen controls could mean. And then the first round of productivity apps like the original Brushes - wow what a great app that was (and to an extent still is).

As it is now, I rarely even go on the app store at all. Sometimes I wish Apple had a more strict approval process and really curated what got released on their platform. That might not be a good solution though, I admit.

That said, I'm excited to see if the iPad Pro can shake things up a bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: keysofanxiety
I think that they are coming. I am encouraged by the iPad Pro and the Adobe's and Microsoft's apps. Having Cisco on board is good as well. I do think that Apple needs to redesign the App Store and to give key developers some incentives if they want to move iPad away from being a consumer content device.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghost31
This thread reminds me how much I miss the early days of iOS, before freemium and IAP came along and ruined things, and there were so many fun, inventive games. Remember "Lite" versions to demo a 99 cent app before committing that big wad of pennies? LOL!

*sigh*
 
Not too many Pro apps. Panic has been coming out with some excellent Pro apps. like Coda and Prompt.
 
Epiphron said:
Not too many Pro apps. Panic has been coming out with some excellent Pro apps. like Coda and Prompt.
Click to expand...
I like prompt - I can use it to ssh into a server or a cloud-based dev environment, like Nitrous. Great for things like Ruby and Go, but not so much for Swift and Objective C. I kind of need an IDE to be useful.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back