Tim Cook: iPad Pro Will Replace Notebooks and Desktops for 'Many, Many People'

[shaunp]

*sigh* What is he smoking?

My thoughts exactly. Lets see what Apple do with the next rMBP - take advantage of mobile Xeon and bump up the specs like Dell and Lenovo are doing (64GB Ram and 2TB SSD), or go lighter and thinner.

As much as I like OS X and iCloud the hardware choices are becoming a joke. I know most people don't need a high-end machine, but assuming most people can make do with an iPad is criminal.

 

[Blackstick]

People's first mistake at MacRumors is to think of themselves when they consider new Apple gear. I think of my mom, who doesn't concern herself with traditional file systems, peripherals, USB ports etc... her enjoyment of a device is always-on web browser, Facebook and Pages which prints to AirPrint... and that's who Apple goes after as well.

 

[oldmacs]

Moreover, they write essays and can make presentations using exclusively their phones. All important files are stored online (icloud, dropbox, MS onedrive), this is new generations which was educated on iPhones and iPod touches since 2007 and iPads since 2010. They just DON'T need notebooks as much as we do. If they have, its something almost like an afterthought. For them iPad Pro IS THE notebook they always wanted. For 1% of those who work on large graphics, music files,etc, Macs will remain relevant, but for 99% of population (okey 90%) iPad or iPhone Plus is just everything they need for living and their computing needs. Watch movies, chat, play games, call and connect, you name it - everything can be done mobile. And will be even more as iPhones and iPads become more and more sophisticated. iOS already does multitasking, split screens, 3D Touch, pen note taking, drawing and sketching - last things much better than any mac - plus you zillions of cheap apps. Its a match made in heaven for young generation.

With respect, I'm at uni and in almost every lecture there are hoards of MacBooks, Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs - Most of my friends have moved away from their iPads and back to laptops. I do see some laptops at uni, but the majority are still on laptops. In tutorials for example there will be 5 or so (including myself) on iPads, but 15 with laptops - In my IT classes there is barely an iPad in sight, but in my arts classes there are more iPad. Though I take my iPad to uni, I don't use it for much more than my readings, textbooks, research etc. I don't ever write my essays on it, as having the number of tabs + research pages open on it is not really that practical, even with split screen multitasking - the laptop always comes out if I'm doing an assignment.

I actually have a family member who is a uni tutor - that uni gives students free iPads, and apparently a large number of them a) sell them b) never bring them, preferring laptops

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Don't really understand the market niche for this device. I feel like Sir Ive and the Industrial Design arm have completely taken over at Apple. It as though they are pushing full steam on the edge of the design envelope with no vision whatsoever on how the heck these things will be used. If their products (Apple Watch, new MacBook, iPad Pro) are just going to be boutique for the sake of high culture, then to me they are no longer refined tools, they are just expensive clutter.

That's Tim's fault. He's the CEO and should've put his foot down with Ive. The buck stops with the top boss, not departmental heads. Here's an interesting thing. I know Steve Jobs is not around anymore but he had a creative background and studied Calligraphy ( and other courses I'm sure ) while Tim Cook studied Industrial Engineering and also earned a Masters in Business Administration. And then you have Satya Nadella ( Microsoft ) who studied Computer Science with a Masters and eventually worked with the Cloud engineers and other projects.

This should clearly tell you who's a creative visionary, a numbers guy, and a 'hands on' engineer with experience.

Cook is a ' hands off ' type of guy who says " Do your thing " without kicking the rears of people and tapping into their talents. Steve, on the other hand, made them work for it and knew how to find talent and tap into it ( like he did with Jony Ive in the early years ).

 

[dk001]

Tim Cook isn't wrong, per se -- but we have also to maintain some perspective. The audience here on MacRumors isn't the majority of Apple's sales (or a model of a typical consumer), we're an enthusiast group that an iPad Pro probably can't replace our primary device now, if ever. However, if you think about the number of people you probably know that a traditional PC is overkill for (and there are more of them than there are of us), it starts to make sense.

....

That same audience you allude to isn't shopping for an iPad Pro. They may be shopping for an iPad but sales show that is a market in decline. More like TC is looking to drum up a bit of support for an item that should have launched a couple of years ago.

 

[Zmmyt]

If there wasn't android the only reason I would want a pc is for torrenting.

Everything else I could easily do on an iPad.

 

[EvilEvil]

I hope Apple doesn't discontinue the Macbook Pro line

 

[cocacolakid]

Then the iPad Pro needs at least 256gb hard drive, minimum, to be a replacement for a laptop or desktop. And adding the SD card slot Apple has always refused to do would be a huge plus.

 

[Tiger8]

Years? I don't think so... I think they could pull that trigger fairly fast. But I don't see that happening anytime soon.

My point is a laptop is good for one thing and a tablet is good for another thing... some people (which is still a large number) the tablet can be a total replacement as Tim Cook says... but I'm not as convinced the hybrid device like the Surface Book is the way to go. Seems you have to compromise on both sides with a device like that — bad battery as a tablet, flimsy as a laptop. The concept is cool, but the execution has yet to be perfected.

Surface Pro 3 is an ultra-ultraportable laptop that borrows best features of a professional tablet (Touch, high res, pen, and yes, battery life (8 hours is nothing to frown upon) ).

To your point though, the original 2-in-1 category hasn't done too well as they keyboard made the tablet bulky, the touch screen functionality took away from laptop power, it had some showstopping compromises. But it seemns third time is the charm for Microsoft, Surface Pro 3 (and now 4) have hit the spot in terms of screen size, ratio, keyboard, and size. There are compromises, yes, but the surface is holding its own.

Afterall, iPad pro does take a lot from the Surface Pro 3, whether we want to admit it or not so the fact the Apple is paying attention to this form factor shows that MS is on to something

 

[ominx]

I would believe Mr. Cook if Apple said they created that new commercial using an iPad Pro, without any use of a desktop.

 

[AppleNewton]

its only going to "replace" a desktop/notebook for some people, because its the same price as a notebook/desktop and they can't always have both. but realistically until their are more productive scalable apps (photoshop, illustrator, coding, etc) - no way.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

That same audience you allude to isn't shopping for an iPad Pro. They may be shopping for an iPad but sales show that is a market in decline. More like TC is looking to drum up a bit of support for an item that should have launched a couple of years ago.

Bingo. That's exactly why TC screwed the pooch. It was so dead obvious that they would go for a larger iPad, no matter how hard they tried to be coy or secretive about it. Even when he said " Oh, the wrist is an interesting place " a few years ago, he was NOT even fooling me at all.

I've been saying for a long time that he needs to step down or be removed from his position. Especially Cue and Ive ( I'm sorry but this guy, I think, is creatively burnt out and should go independent away from Apple, doing his own projects with new clientele. I think he's making a huge mistake in staying with Apple when he can grow creatively. ).

Cook, Cue, Ive and Schiller need to go. It needs a massive shakeup and a kick in the a$$.

 

[citysnaps]

Stereo sound is innovative? Sad to see that Apple is becoming a real joke. Microsoft on the other hand is becoming innovative. Welcome to Bizzaro world.

Really? Within the last year or so Apple introduced underlying technologies such as Force Touch, Haptic Feedback, Touch ID, ApplePay, terraced batteries, to name a few. What underlying technology has Microsoft developed and introduced to the mobile/computing world recently that's similarly innovative?

 

[StoneJack]

its only going to "replace" a desktop/notebook for some people, because its the same price as a notebook/desktop and they can't always have both. but realistically until their are more productive scalable apps (photoshop, illustrator, coding, etc) - no way.

This is because you can't get away from the desktop's paradigm of Photoshop and Microsoft Office. Truth is that mobile doesn't need both

 

[sofila]

To add to the earlier truck analogy. "Many" people don't have to buy trucks anymore because an "application developer" created easy to use rack systems for cars.

This means that "many" people can carry their bike/skis/etc without a truck.

Leaving the lumber hauling trucks to the "pros".

Yes, but this bike's is not going to cost a third of a truck.

 

[StoneJack]

Really? Within the last year or so Apple introduced underlying technologies such as Force Touch, Haptic Feedback, Touch ID, ApplePay, terraced batteries, to name a few. What underlying technology has Microsoft developed and introduced to the mobile/computing world recently that's similarly innovative?

There is nothing innovative in Surface except that they added again Start button to Windows menu.

 

[manu chao]

In related news: iPad Pro Will Not Replace Notebooks and Desktops for 'Many, Many People' until it runs full OS X.

You mean: iPad Pro will not replace laptops until it becomes a laptop itself? Or a bicycle will not replace a motorbike until it gets a motor.

 

[smokesletsgo]

This was obvious the day they introduced iPad Pro. A lot of people already don't need PC's and it's a matter of time before pro apps will be available on iPad Pro (logic, final cut pro, etc. or equivalents).

 

[StoneJack]

Yes, but this bike's is not going to cost a third of a truck.

But it does 80% of computing at 1/3rd of cost and you actually don't need 256 gb of hard drive.
Files are mostly online, now even the photo library can be online.

 

[dk001]

Really? Within the last year or so Apple introduced underlying technologies such as Force Touch, Haptic Feedback, Touch ID, ApplePay, terraced batteries, to name a few. What underlying technology has Microsoft developed and introduced to the mobile/computing world recently that's similarly innovative?

Wrong scale.
Apple may have come up with bits of this and pieces of that while MS came up with an overall form factor that is pretty much spot on.
That's the piece that Apple has become stagnant with. Not behind the scenes, rather the scene itself.

 

[oldmacs]

But it does 80% of computing at 1/3rd of cost and you actually don't need 256 gb of hard drive.
Files are mostly online, now even the photo library can be online.

The iPad Pro is around the same price (I think a little more) than the Macbook Air in my country - and the Macbook Air has more storage (yes a lot of people still use storage) Even 256 GB of HDD is quite small. Sure iPads do a lot of what Macs do, but its so complex and annoying to do so much of it as iOS still has a way to go for it to be great for productivity.

Not to mention that iOS devices never last as long as Macs. The iPad 2 has been the longest lasting device so far, but its only 4.5 years old and it started getting slow when it was about 3.5, where as you have Macs lasting 8 years, and with SSDs in the old ones they're still fast.

 

[manu chao]

Someone should ask Cook when Xcode is coming to iPad Pro.

I guess the iPad is not a serious computing device until it crosses the threshold of catering to 99.9% of all computer users.

 

[AppleWarMachine]

"I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?"

Because a MacBook runs OSX

 

[citysnaps]

Wrong scale.
Apple may have come up with bits of this and pieces of that while MS came up with an overall form factor that is pretty much spot on.
That's the piece that Apple has become stagnant with. Not behind the scenes, rather the scene itself.

Are you serious? MS did not come up with that form factor. Look to Logitech and a dozens of clones coming up with a magnetic hinged slim keyboard that mated and formed a cover with the early iPad, 4-5 years ago.

Real innovation is not about form factors, screen sizes, etc. It's about coming up with, investing in, and developing underlying technology that can be used in products. Ion strengthened glass is an example of innovation developed by Corning, with assistance from Apple. Mag-Safe power connection is another one.

 

[koigirl]

If I was in the market for a tablet to replace my MBA right now, I would be looking at the Surface, not an IPad Pro. MS seem to be much further along in the concept. I'm not a true techie as many of you are but there are still many things I need to get done with my laptop that are not feasible or just a hassle to try and accomplish on an iPad with iOS. I say this as a person fully immersed in the Apple integration sphere with my iPhone, iPad, and MBA.

I think what Tim Cook needs to re-concentrate on is the quality of the user experience. If Apple wants to charge exorbitant prices for their hardware, they need to provide a close-to-perfect experience with their software. This has not been the case for a number of years. And quality control on the hardware. Each year as I upgrade, I increasingly ask myself why the quality of both the hardware and software continue to decline.