Phil Schiller Says iPad Pro Can Both Supplement and Replace the Mac

[naujoks]

Totally deluded and demented. Who is he trying to kid?
No mouse
No useable file system
Browser only works as iOS browser

How can you do work with that?

 

[gobikerider]

Phil, seriously? When I can't even open a webpage like on a computer while I have already requested the desktop site?

This is something that continually bugs me. That and the Inability to program on iPad I will have to eventually throw more money at Apple for a MacBook of some sort. I love Apple but my wallet is getting tired of the continuous emptying.

 

[Crosscreek]

The lack of a pointer interface on iPad means that it will never replace a computer for me.

Yet you can’t develop iOS apps on it...

Would buy an iPad if i could also connect a mouse.

The most amazing thing would be if the iPad could display a Mac OS X light kind of interface optimized for use at a desk with mouse and keyboard.

Mouse or trackpad and App development would ace the iPad Pro.

 

[RemE]

I think the last advice I'd take is from Phil.

 

[Wags]

Surprised Apple has not released an ARM in laptop form.

 

[jayducharme]

For some people, I guess, old habits die hard. I'm the editor for a monthly newsletter that's pretty heavy on graphics and layout, and last month I challenged myself to create the entire issue (10 pages plus a full color cover) -- start to finish -- on my iPad Pro. It took me a couple weeks to adapt to the new workflow. Once I got used to it, the process wasn't all that different from on a desktop. I was able to output it on schedule and get it to the printer. And none of the subscribers could tell the difference (which is a good thing).

 

[2807]

I wish they would just make a nice iPad Pro that runs MacOs.
A tablet computer, like that Surface thing.

It could have a bootcamp-like option where it is iOS or MacOS depending on need.

Apple must be headed this way, but they will milk the iPad v. Mac market for as long as possible.
Then a hybrid for a few years.
Then, finally, a Tablet Mac.
Then a "pro" version.
Then a hardware update once we all buy the above.
And, of course, lest we forget, ... watch bands.

Apple lost me when they pushed the watchbands.
They tipped their hand and showed the nonsense snake-oil marketing on that one.
I am shocked there is not a pro version of a watchband.
Extra bandy.

They could make a tablet Mac today, but this is a business-model-driven decision to milk the consumer.
I don't blame them. It is highly profitable.
But they do risk being behind the curve.
They know that. They did the math.
It still favors them.

What a drag.

 

[H2SO4]

An iPad will never run the multitude of apps that are windows only. Phil is so full of crap.

 

[Hattig]

Yes, there is a whole class of computer usage that can be done equally well on an iPad (or iPad + keyboard).

However, unless all of your apps are in this category, you will need the real computer anyway. I certainly need a real computer for work.

It's the Why Do People Use Excel problem. Other spreadsheets offered 80% of the functionality, surely 80% of people could have used them instead? No, because everyone needs the odd features in that missing 20% at some point. So they use Excel.

Luckily the iPad has some great features too for other uses that computers aren't ideal - portability, weight, great video playback life, often get a great screen at the price of a midrange laptop, and so on.

 

[mrzz]

with iOS? Really? Definitely not for those who are dependent on desktop level apps.

 

[Brammy]

That is certainly a more sound argument. It depends on the user. For some, it's their primary computer. For others, including myself, it compliments the Mac. This is the slant I hope they continue to take: Primary for some, secondary for others.

That won't stop people from still thinking Apple will phase out the Mac for iOS.

I can do a lot of things on my iPad. Some of them I prefer doing on my iPad. I find writing and some creation tasks it's more distraction-free than my MBP.

However, there are tasks I need a Mac for.

It's all about the correct tool for the job.

 

[macTW]

He describes it well. For many, it becomes their primary computing device.

As has phones, but not many actually see that.

 

[Brammy]

An iPad will never run the multitude of apps that are windows only.

To be fair, macOS won't run Windows-only app.

 

[kazmac]

That won't stop people from still thinking Apple will phase out the Mac for iOS.

I can do a lot of things on my iPad. Some of them I prefer doing on my iPad. I find writing and some creation tasks it's more distraction-free than my MBP.

However, there are tasks I need a Mac for.

It's all about the correct tool for the job.

True on all counts. I use my Mac for just about everything except drawing.

 

[macTW]

I have a handful of apps which will not work in iOS 11. I don't know why and I don't care, If I downloaded them and paid for them I should be able to use them.

So it’s Apple’s fault the developers get lazy?

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I love my iPad Pro and I use it a lot. Having said this - I cannot get a lot of work done on the iPad besides reading pdfs for which it is great.

 

[PizzaBoxStyle]

I still do not understand why they want to replace the Mac so badly.

 

[L-U-R-C-H]

Yeah okay... then why not just drop the entire Mac line altogether Phil. Which is what made Apple what it is today. Time to retire! Get some real professionals in there. Oh wait, you're too busy working on the next line of emojis...

 

[Gorms]

I use both for work related tasks. Be they graphical in nature or code based. Depends on the task and what I’m doing at the time. Hell, I’ve even prototyped some Swift code in Swift Playgrounds and then moved it to the Mac/Xcode, just because that’s how I roll.

Deal with that, mouse nerds!!!

 

[rrayborn38]

For software development, Excel, Photoshop - the MacBook Pro is vastly superior. I could survive and even thrive if the MacBook Pro was the sole computing device I was allowed to own, but I couldn't even do my daily work with just the iPad Pro.

Now, if your job is based on consuming, communicating, and sharing information, that may be a different story. I don't doubt there are categories of work for which an iPad Pro would be more than adequate to cover all needs. Just not mine.

 

[VPrime]

Yet you can’t develop iOS apps on it...

Neither would you want to, today. It would be a horrid experience.

If I had xCode on my iPad I probably wouldn’t touch my MBP again.

Mouse or trackpad and App development would ace the iPad Pro.

You can use the iPad for developing apps! My company creates an iPad app called hyperPad (https://www.hyperpad.com), where its a full development suite designed for the iPad. It's primarily for interactive apps like mobile games. But it's really powerful. There are already games in the app store that have been developed using our platform.

And we're not alone! There are others out there as well. Like Codea which focuses more on the coding side of developments (where we're a completely visual node based development suite).

The iPad has always been capable (we've been around since iPad 1). It's just now that apple is really pushing its marketing efforts to bring this attention to the rest of the world.

 

[heynsmd2]

Love my 12.9 iPad pro. It replaced a Macbook for me.

I still run a 2017 iMac as 'main' machine at my home office, but for all 'mobile' computing my iPad Pro is now sufficient.

It took a while before I worked out new routines to be reasonably efficient with iOS for productivity, but with time it came more naturally . I created a couple of my own "apps" in Filemaker to bridge the gap to what I could do with my Mac 'on the road'.

I often use proprietary industry software running on a Windows server via MS Remote Desktop, and really, with Apple Pencil I don't need a mouse at all...

The inbuilt Cellular modem is a bonus for a mobile computer. Great overall battery life and very lightweight.

My main gripe with the 12.9 is that it is a bit 'fragile' for a mobile computer, mine has several non-critical cracks in glass around perimeter even while pampering the device for most of its use. The Macbook is definately a more durable design with its clamshell. I love the smart keyboard feel. I briefly owned both Macbook 12" and iPad pro. The macbook is a better overall device, but in conjunction with the iMac at home, I'd rather have the iPad Pro as my mobile device.

I can kind of see the point of the iPad Pro as main 'mobile' computer (for my workflow at least), but not without the backup of a proper computer somewhere... It takes time to adjust though! The fact that we spend so much time in iOS on our phones definitely helps.

 

[Ankaa]

For some people, I guess, old habits die hard. I'm the editor for a monthly newsletter that's pretty heavy on graphics and layout, and last month I challenged myself to create the entire issue (10 pages plus a full color cover) -- start to finish -- on my iPad Pro. It took me a couple weeks to adapt to the new workflow. Once I got used to it, the process wasn't all that different from on a desktop. I was able to output it on schedule and get it to the printer. And none of the subscribers could tell the difference (which is a good thing).

This argument has been made in the other thread when the commercial came out and again, it is just not about old habits dying hard. It works for you and that's great, but there are PLENTY of use cases out there that just don't work on an iPad. You know, there are different niches of "pro" usage.

Matlab
Endnote with proper text editing software integration, excel, ...databases
Fully functional adobe suite
Parallels (for ArcGIS, amongst others)
...

and not to forget computing power for at least some of the above mentioned cases.

I can see and understand and agree that for many common users (email, web surfing, light photo and video editing,...) and quite a few pro users (like editors), it's more than sufficient. But for many, especially in the sciences, it's just not. It would be great that can be accepted and I'm actually glad to see that Apple at least acknowledges that for some an iPad can only complimentary (as it is for me. I love my iPad and use it - even in the field - but only in addition to my Macbook and iMac)

 

[xflashx]

Statements like this are just insane... there must be at least 100 reasons alone why iOS can't and won't replace an Mac (or any other PC) anytime soon (for the majority of people). Apple just released a $5000 iMac Pro, and this is the best first thing he can come up with.. IMO he's absolutely delusional

 

[mi7chy]

An iPad can replace a computer only for non-tech savvy grandfathers like Phil Schiller, Tim Cook, etc. For other people it can't. iPad is even inadequate for children that work on Raspberry Pis since it doesn't support basic background multitasking that has been around since 1995 or earlier. If you leave a connected SSH session in the background on iPad or iPhone it gets killed after a few minutes while it runs indefinitely on desktop/laptop/Android. An iPad is just a blown up iPod with limitations and does maybe 10% of a laptop/desktop.