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Mac With Apple-Designed Arm Processor Coming in First Half of 2021
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Software development isn't all about Mac or iOS applications and remain popular for web app / server side development. The iPad isn't capable of supporting such development due to OS, software, and hardware limitations.
Lack of RAM. I need 16gb to be comfortable, 8GB is hard going for my daily workflow.
I think you're making assumptions there based on existing massive IDEs. (And I use multiple VS 2019 instances in a 6 GB VM. It's limited, but it does work.)
It’s not just about IDEs, it’s my entire workflow that requires the RAM - considering different tools need to run concurrently.
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Again, that assumes you'd be using the same kind of workflow on an iPad.
Right now, I'm not convinced a Visual Studio for iPad wouldn't run just fine on 6 GB.
http://continuous.codes, https://omz-software.com/pythonista/, https://workingcopyapp.com come to mind.
It's not something I'd personally do (I do have Working Copy, though, for the occasional peek at source code). I have my MBP for that.
I would need the same kind of workflow, these tools need to run concurrently, there's little option. Tools aren't necessarily apps with UI, but executed from command line because that's what our project and other daily needs require.
That IDE looks interesting, but it's not going to do the job - looking at the feature list, it's too limited. For starters, it's limited to what Python version it ships with.. it only supports up to Python 3.61. It just doesn't compare to a desktop Python IDE and certainly doesn't fulfill day to day needs.
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Well, the Mac isn't going away any time soon. Almost certainly not for a decade.
Well, where there's demand, there's a way.
As for tools executed from the command line: yes, that, too, can be done. For example, https://github.com/ColdGrub1384/LibTerm has a sandboxed Unix with Python built in.
There isn't anything preventing a 16GB iPad, but there isn't one, and probably not for a while. Related to this particular thread, which is 'lack of RAM is a hardware issue'.
No, they will be around for a while, thankfully, and unlike what some say, Xcode won't be the killer app iPad app that 'dooms' the Mac.
All these tools are good, but they still won't work: They are isolated via the sandboxing, and my workflow demands interaction between IDE / command line / and other tools - and there is't an iOS app that could satisfy this.
All this is trying to shoehorn development into an iPad, which really isn't practical for me today, or for the foreseeable future. iPads are good for some things, but not for others. A Mac is a great development platform, the iPad not so much. I'm not going to change my workflow to one that is less than what I'm do today. I want to improve my workflow not regress.
Still, after all this, RAM is an issue. 6GB? Forget it.
Use the best tool for the task as required, which is why I'm using a Mac, not an iPad or anything else.
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Well, maybe, I‘m not expecting an 16 GB iPad either. But this thread is talking mostly ARM based Macs, in particular the possibility of an ARM based Macbook (Pro).
An ARMbook featuring 16 GB+ I can imagine, easily
OK, but you were specifically quoting a response to "What is the hardware limitation preventing using an iPad Pro for web dev?", and "lack of RAM" in @Stella's use case is quite a valid answer.
Many Mac users would be bitterly and utterly disgusted if any "ARMbook" didn't come with 16 GB! I could imagine the forums right now.. utter carnage!
No problem
There's no reason why an iPad couldn't support 16gb, it's just Apple hasn't shipped one yet... yet.
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