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

iPad Pro Name One reason you need MacOS on a tablet ?

Lounge vibes 05 said:
The point is, the iPad is not supposed to be a laptop replacement. Even with the magic keyboard, it’s not supposed to be a laptop replacement. It *can* be under specific circumstances, but it’s pretty clear that it’s meant to be a tablet first and foremost, and that the magic keyboard is basically an optional add-on for occasional use, it’s not meant to be the permanent attachment people keep trying to turn it into.

I feel like this entire idea of the iPad being a laptop replacement is something that made a lot more sense 10 years ago when the iPad was making absolute leaps and bounds in efficiency and power and Apple’s entire Mac line was slow, bloated and clunky. Now that the Mac is ahead in most of these categories, the entire idea that laptops are on the way out has kind of been disregarded.
Click to expand...
The issue to me isn’t “why won’t my iPad act like a laptop?” - I don’t want it to, in the sense you’re talking about.

My issue is, “why am I stuck with the inconvenient form factor of a laptop when the software I want to run would work fine on a tablet?” I don’t use a Magic Keyboard and don’t want one. Heck, I’m typing this post on an iPad on-screen keyboard.

The obvious solution is for the devs of the software to make an iPad app. Which would be awesome, and I’ve certainly suggested it to them. But for one reason or another (usually some combo of time, resources, skill, etc) they aren’t doing that. So now my options are:
  • Remotely accessing a Mac from my iPad
    • which “works” but isn’t ideal (resolution, responsiveness, the requirement to actually HAVE a Mac to remote into, etc.)
  • Carrying a laptop with me
    • FAR less convenient than carrying an iPad, and not easily compatible with “walk-and-work”
  • Going to a computer when I want to use those apps
    • Which, of course, may not be where I’m working.
 
I don't really want macOS on the iPad, but I’d like to see the iPadOS get some more features.

DVD/Blue-ray support, I have a very large library of DVDs just sitting around and a USB DVD drive that works fine on an Apple Silicon Mac. Would be nice if I can use that on my iPad instead. When I had my MacBook, I was playing around with uploading them on a plex server. That worked fine, but the first chapter didn’t work on my test movie, so I gave up.

Third Party External Monitor brightness and volume adjustment. The Mac has this with third party apps, but there's no way to do it from an iPad.

In a future where they do decide to end the iPad (https://apple.news/AyYJ2jWHWTz-UZy7exISjaw) and then decide to just port macOS to all current iPads, I think I’d be okay with it as long as its still touch friendly. I like the fun, dynamic bouncy effects the iPhone and iPad have, so I'd hope they keep that too.
 
xxFoxtail said:
I don't really want macOS on the iPad, but I’d like to see the iPadOS get some more features.

DVD/Blue-ray support, I have a very large library of DVDs just sitting around and a USB DVD drive that works fine on an Apple Silicon Mac. Would be nice if I can use that on my iPad instead. When I had my MacBook, I was playing around with uploading them on a plex server. That worked fine, but the first chapter didn’t work on my test movie, so I gave up.

Third Party External Monitor brightness and volume adjustment. The Mac has this with third party apps, but there's no way to do it from an iPad.

In a future where they do decide to end the iPad (https://apple.news/AyYJ2jWHWTz-UZy7exISjaw) and then decide to just port macOS to all current iPads, I think I’d be okay with it as long as its still touch friendly. I like the fun, dynamic bouncy effects the iPhone and iPad have, so I'd hope they keep that too.
Click to expand...
The big problem is how will Apple be compensated for the millions of £££ that they will lose from App store sales if the iPad is cancelled or converged into the Macbook. The only solution is that Mac OS itself becomes locked to the App store, meaning no more side loading etc.
 
When I plug my iPad Pro into my monitor and use a mouse and keyboard it’s very much like a using a desktop. For my use and after a learning period.

Only thing I’d like is for the back button to work on my mouse, but I wouldn’t install macOS just to achieve that.
I like how tidy and stable iOS is compared to what I remember of MacOS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cape Dave
I just prefer the form factor and toughness of the iPad over a MacBook. I’m always on eggshells over keeping my MacBook screen mint and they easily pick Little marks… my ipad never does!
 
Slightly OT but I'd like to see both or a mix of both OS in one unit. They are slowly getting there with a quite good desktop experience today on the iPad. But if it could be even more "MacOS" in a docked mode it would be even better.
Both iPhone and iPad should have a mode similar to Samsung DeX/MS Lumia Continuum. Looking from it from a business perspective it could potentially be one device less to support. Some users could potentially be aldright with only one device.

I'm sure Apple has it all figured out and what I suggest above is just a few iOS releases away. Maybe the iFold will be the device that will replace all three, an iPhabook.
 
I personally want the real Logic Pro on it. I dont like the IPadOS version and dont want to pay a subscription since i already have a Logic one time purchase.

My beef with all this is Apples own marketing and limitations. They said the new Logic Pro was only going to be available for ipad devices and Macs with a M series chip and now, lo and behold, no longer a limitation . People have been running on the Macbook Neo, not an Mchip Apple!
 
TheRealAlex said:
Ok everyone’s been thinking about it. Now it’s time to put up or shut up.

Why do you need MacOS on a tablet ?
Click to expand...
Because it seems to be the only way to get full-versions of apps on a tablet. MS office apps on iPad have only a fraction of the features that a full version has. Same with apples own apps. Smart albums in photos, smart contacts, showing hidden files/folder. I’d like the iPad to be my main device for portability, but I have to travel with both my Mac and iPad just to get full functionality for what I need. I’d be ok with iPad OS if it’s apps had 100% of the features that the MacOS versions have.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ctg7w6
For me, iPadOS would be almost fine if it would offer desktop-style multitasking as an option. Where I could flip a switch that would enable swap and wouldn't unload apps or web pages until I explicitly close them.

Default behavior could be the way iOS is now. This would be an option. That would get me 90% there and that 90% might be enough.

But it would also be nice if they would offer a MacOS container. Could transparently integrate with iPadOS while offering some separation / security between iPadOS and MacOS processes. This would also be an option. Those who are adamantly opposed to MacOS on their tablet could forever leave this option disabled.

This is what I would want. I doubt Apple will give this to me in exactly this way. But I do think they'll take further baby steps towards a more flexible multitasking.
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: hovscorpion12 and ctg7w6
It’s not necessarily that I want MacOS, but moreso that I want more capabilities out of iPadOS. There have been some major improvements over the years. Honesly, at this point, there are only three things that keep my MBA around. If iPad had Finder and full file access, desktop-level browsers, and PIV certificate passthrough in remote desktop, I’d give my Mac up and go full on iPad.
 
  • Love
Reactions: hovscorpion12
I don’t want MacOS on an iPad, it would take away from the features, etc., that are unique to the iPad. I do like MacOS and I am looking forward to MacBook Ultra and other future releases. If I want a homogenized OS on one device then I will look to Dell, etc.; Viva la Difference!
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: snipr125, hovscorpion12 and throAU
Not macOS on a tablet per se, but I want a convertible MacBook with stylus input to use Mac-only drawing applications. macOS only, no iPadOS. I might even not want touch input, just stylus, because touch only gets in the way for me when I'm using a desktop OS. I use the stylus and keyboard shortcuts instead. But I suppose there might be situations where I need to draw in full tablet mode without the keyboard, then I'd want only multitouch gesture input, so that there is less occurrences of accidental touches.

I only want full touch in a small tablet or a phone. I find larger tablets only good for use with a Pencil, ie. a large canvas. Otherwise, a large tablet stays on the keyboard stand 100% of the time for me, where touch is not as useful, so it might as well be a clamshell laptop form factor with better base stability, better display angles, and probably better thermals without the display being adjacent to the internal components (and possibly lighter and thinner than an 13" iPad with Magic Keyboard). I have a 13" iPad with MK, but if it wasn't for needing to use the Pencil, it would be a 13" MBA. iPadOS is a bit easier to use for light laptop tasks, but far from a necessity. If I had a dual boot device, I definitely would not actively switch to iPadOS--it would stay on macOS all the time. Unless of course I wanted to pick up the device to use as a tablet with touch, but as I said, I don't want to pick up a 13" device unless it's to draw with a stylus, and the stylus also works well for general navigation in macOS. I don't even really want to pick up an 11" device for regular touch tablet use, at least not for any extended period. I strongly prefer an iPad Mini or smaller, which I have as well. And of course iPadOS with the Mini is a great UX.

Right now I use the 13" iPad with MK and iPad Mini, and it works pretty well except the huge disadvantage of not being able to use desktop drawing applications, so I also have to bring my Surface Laptop Studio (SLS). I'll always have a beefier device like the SLS for heavier work (would prefer it was Mac), but for trips where I don't need to work, my ideal device setup would be to leave the SLS at home and just bring a 13" convertible MacBook with stylus input (for productivity, lighter/personal work, and larger screen consumption), and an iPad Mini (for relaxed consumption)--this would cover everything I need/want and each device would uniquely excel at what they do. "One device to rule them all" sounds good but wouldn't work for me. I'd find an iPad with dual boot to have too many compromises. It would either be too big for me to use comfortably as a touch tablet, or too small to get work done. Plus to me, the MK is already the second "device" to carry around. It doesn't have a chip, but it adds significant weight and bulk and it's something I have to keep track of. Also the dual boot UX doesn't sound appealing to me.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Luftkopf
While I don't think it will happen any time soon if ever, for me the answer is simple - I could use one device instead of two. There are some things I just cannot do on my iPad that I can on my Mac, as well as something that are not as smooth or polished.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sonicrobby, whg and jk111
I’d love macOS for the iPad because I never had a Mac in my life after having windows PC’s until a few years ago.

I also believe macOS should only be available for the Mini 7/Air 3/M4 Pro and later because of the A17 Pro/M3’s architecture ( and A17 Pros ANE) and the fact that they’re USB C Ports support 10Gb.
 
If you are working on a company network there may well be a lot of things you can't do.
One of the annoying ones is just simply moving files around.
Excel, another one. You may be able to do simple editing but full editing of files like on MacOS No you can't
Smart card tokens. The ipadOS just isn't made to handle them. You might be lucky
Another big problem is printer drivers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaniTheFox and Happy_John
I don't need MacOs on an iPad

But, to answer the thread question, I can give a couple; of reasons / use-cases

1) Multiple user accounts
2) A terminal app and root access to the OS through the terminal app
3) Finder rather than Files, especially with server-side storage + the ability to set a folder "In" the iPad to be a Sharepoint on a network
4) Time Machine (or other incremental backup tool)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zazoh
For me, the top hassle is not being able to edit TextEdit files, which I save often for various documentation reasons. The yellow Notes app is OK, but it’s not super reliable and it’s way too easy to lose data. I’ve tried other third-party apps that are supposed to let you edit TextEdit files, but they are pretty bad.

So for me that’s a huge one, simply being able to edit files on my iPad, that I can edit and update on my MacBook only.

And Firefox browser, for sure, as others mentioned.
 
My only burning desire for it is an odd case - I have an iPad Pro M2 that I got from a friend with a shattered screen. I don’t really need another iPad, so it’s not worth a couple hundred dollars to get a new display and install it, but the hardware otherwise works fine. I’ve been using it with an external display, keyboards and mouse. It would be lovely to be able to throw macOS on here and use the machine as a simple little home server. But unfortunately, being stuck with iPadOS, that’s not an option. I just wish I could make better use of this otherwise largely disabled hardware.
 
I could run tons more games, windows programs, handbrake, real web browsers, etc.

Would love a real app for checking processes too.

I’m conversely a bit annoyed that 26 has worse multitasking as a tablet, and yet the multitasking as a pc didn’t seem that great either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hovscorpion12
I actually prefer iPad OS, but with the serious price increases of the iPads, i think there is now a genuine urge to have Mac OS on the M powered ipads, especially the Pro models.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hovscorpion12
Sitting at my desk for long periods of time writing code on my Mac is very hard on the back, even in my custom chair. I’m not in my 30’s any more. Or 40’s, etc etc. I would love to sit comfortably in my recliner to do my work. I’ve been tempted to get one of those PC’s that would let me do just that. Or Apple could come out with a Mac tablet, which I would buy.
 
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