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

[dk001]

I would argue that most workplaces expect/need to run MS Office...and to be honest all the really need is a productivity suite. There are capable MS and Apple version on iOS.

Unless you need Project and Visio and interconnectivity between these and other programs, and ....
For basic needs you are correct. For more in depth needs, especially for most businesses, what is offered on iOS isn't enough.
Just a thought ... if tablets can replace computers (PC) why are iPad sales on a decline trend?

Tim Cook is right, what people don't realize is how capable the iPad actually is.
If the CEO of Apple just uses an iPad pro and his phone, well then I think it will work for the majority of us.
I switched from a notebook to a iPad a couple of years ago. Never looked back.
Sure I don't do serious video editing or coding, but I am the GM of a company and it works superbly for me!

It is a great consumptive device and works well for reports, email, and similar activities. However, for lab folks, tech folks, marketing, sales, production, finance, and many others it does not do as well and is not the optimal tool for the job. BTDT, scaled the tablet way back.

 

[Flow39]

That's just nonsense. The majority of people uses computers for a few basic things:

• Browsing the web
• Reading and writing emails
• Watching photos
• Videochat

And all of the points above are a better experience when using an iPad compared to a desktop computer.

So, could you please elaborate your statement why the majority needs Mac OS on an iPad?

On a Pro device, one would think that it will do more than the standard version. This is being marketed as a Pro device, so why do people keep bringing up the "average consumer?" This obviously isn't meant as an average consumer device based on its name.

 

[diegogaja]

Lie I said, I use it a lot. Typing and then reaching over to move the mouse is not really different than reaching forward to mouse the keyboard. Remember, the iPad isn't very far away like a regular screen would be.

Problem is: trackpad mode is a very good idea, BUT if you use an external keyboard (like the new smart keyboard) with the screen in a vertical position, well...it's not so nice anymore.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

I personally know teachers, sales professionals, company directors, one lawyer and several medical professionals who use Tablets in their work, all day long....they don't really need file systems beyond something like Dropbox or iCloud Drive, and they definitely don't need a mouse, and they don't develop programs.

Some of those professionals you speak of probably have very sensitive documents that should NOT be in Dropbox or iCloud Drive. Therefore, I find it rare or almost never happens.

What most Apple or Cook defenders say here is full of ignorance. I'm NOT even seeing a tablet domination at all. Where I live at is a college town and " many, many people "'use laptops at a cafe I hang at. Yes, I see tablets but the students use Bluetooth keyboards to type in for long form writing.

Even if you go to a bank, they're not gonna touch an iPad with a ten foot pole for their work. They use a desktop for that.

When I got hospitalized last month for an illness, all the nurses that came to check in with me every couple hours or so used a laptop ( for security and sensitive reasons ) to track medicine, blood work, antibiotics or whatnot, and they used a barcode reader to scan my wrist bracelet ( ID ). This was news to me.

I didn't see any tablet in there. But for sales or education, I could see that for simple tasks and administration.

But an iPad pro will NOT replace a laptop or desktop for such heavy duty processing or work. For that to happen, the iPad needs more than 4 GB of RAM and tons of storage to handle the large files and applications, and iOS on top of that.

And no, huge file sizes will take a long time to upload or download via a cloud engine. it should be localized with an internal or external wireless HD ( I know they exist and are already out in the market ). And that's just for starters.

I think 10 years from now desktop computers will come down to this form factor similar to the Surface but with a larger screen.

But until then, Tim and Cue need to lay off the Apple Booze.

 

[citysnaps]

Absolutely serious.
You find me another package out there that looks like, runs like, and can perform like the Surface Pro that isn't a copy. Right now Apple has nothing like this.
Your items point to objects within a system, not the system itself. There is a difference.

That's fine if you want that "package." Many don't. But the discussion was something you brought up, innovation. Again, what has MS innovated lately? What are some of the underlying technologies that they've researched, invested in, patented, developed, and brought to their products?

 

[vkd]

When people are tired of wading through the copious amounts of smeg on the internet, they may wanna do gaming, for that you need a console or a PC, neither of which Apple allows you to connect to your Apple device (iMac, etc.) to use it as a monitor. Nor do they show any sign of seriously providing an OS for gamers.

 

[H2SO4]

Well he’s trying to promote the iPad pro as a device for anybody on the go except no. It works for him in that instance and for many others but for the rest of us, I suspect that they just need a real computer with a real file system.
I’d much rather have a laptop or desktop and iPhone 6S or 6S plus, (if they weren’t so ugly). That way anything quick I could do on the phone and anything serious I could do on the computer. Unless you are a creative type, (sketching/drawing), it’s a device looking for a reason to be.

Even tho I don’t need an iPad pro I still actually want to buy one but, only IF,I could use it as a dumb terminal for my Mac. Are you listening Tim nice but Dim? I would spend £800 that I don’t need to spend for that functionality alone.

 

[Flow39]

What most Apple or Cook defenders say here is full of ignorance. I'm NOT even seeing a tablet domination at all. Where I live at is a college town and " many, many people "'use laptops at a cafe I hang at. Yes, I see tablets but the students use Bluetooth keyboards to type in for long form writing.

Exactly what I see. Maybe 1 student out of 50 I see has a tablet on campus. I have both a laptop and tablet, but most only have one of the two, and 98% of the time they will choose a laptop over a tablet. You just can't get as much done (or stuff done efficiently) on a tablet compared to a laptop for most jobs/tasks.

 

[canesalato]

Lie I said, I use it a lot. Typing and then reaching over to move the mouse is not really different than reaching forward to mouse the keyboard. Remember, the iPad isn't very far away like a regular screen would be.

It's a the vertical position of the screen that makes it unconfortable to me. Also, with an external keyboard, the onscreen keybord disappears. On some apps the trackpad will still work, in others it won't, unless you manually make the keyboard reappear. Anyway, i respect the fact that you are confortable with the trackpad mode even when the screen is vertical. I would really prefer to have magic trackpad support for these situations.

 

[Ries]

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?

* Force Touch, is not an Apple invention, huawei has one too.
* Haptic feedback, samsung has had devices with that since 2007
* Apple Pay, thats NFC payments, apple just added a bit more secure stuff on top.
* Terraced batteries, nothing new, it just custom formed battery, the LG G2 had that in 2013.
* Touch ID, Not an Apple invention, the motorola Atrix was the first, it used technology from the same company that delivers apples sensor.

Apple innovative? All I see is copying and doing it somewhat better than the competition.

 

[rizzo41999]

Personally, I'm getting a little tired of how Tim Cook promotes products. "I only use my iPhone and iPad Pro." Like duh buddy, what are you gonna say, I use Lenovo? My iPad did replace my notebook, but in regards to desktops, I will always have one. I need the power and performance that only desktops deliver. Thus, I have an iPad and a desktop. Still have a Macbook Pro but honestly don't use it much anymore.

 

[canesalato]

I don't think that's possible since you need a computer to manage your files. Could you explain me how to copy a 4k video from my iphone to an iPad pro without a computer? Let's see how absurd the answer is.

Airdrop?
(Seems it has been fixed after years, in iOS 9.1)

 

[peterdevries]

For all the people think iPad can replace laptop for many light computer users, here are somethig I want you guys to consider:

1. Yes, I know iOS can do AirPrint. I also know people need print double sided, sometimes they want customizing their printing, sometimes they need choose black and white or color, sometimes they need choose the PPI it prints. How in the earth could you do this with iPad Pro. As far as I know, these are impossible for AirPrint. And don't tell printing are professional activities.

2. Lets say, I have folder of documents with different document types. Let's say, I have pdf, docx, pptx, hmtl and txt files. And I want access them offline. What do I do? Fire up iTunes, upload to each individual apps. And I have to hunt each individual apps for my files, I cannot access all my file on one spot.

3. Yes, I will motion again, iOS does not have file browers. I realized that file browser is not necesaary, but file browser provides convince for people to access and organize their files on spot.

4. People will need find job for time to time. Tell me how exactly I can upload my resume to companies' website? For job seekers, these are real challenges.

There are many more things you can do on PC/ OS X but you cannot do or you cannot do easily with iOS. Until iOS solve these problems, I found no way iOS will replace PC entirely. For all the poster claiming that people using tablet more often, it is probably true. Because I don't touch my computer that often anymore. But that does not mean I don't need my PC and Mac anymore.

1. I agree that printing services need to get better, but there is no reason why Apple cannot do that. In fact in professional environments such as the one where I work, it works absolutely fine.

2. I guess you haven't tried iCloud Drive, because it provides all the functionality you talk about here. You can do this NOW on your iPad.

3. iCloud Drive.

4. iCloud Drive. again. You can attach any kind of file to an email sent from your iPad.

You might want to consider your knowledge about the system.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Exactly what I see. Maybe 1 student out of 50 I see has a tablet on campus. I have both a laptop and tablet, but most only have one of the two, and 98% of the time they will choose a laptop over a tablet. You just can't get as much done (or stuff done efficiently) on a tablet compared to a laptop for most jobs/tasks.

Right. Some local professors, lawyers, book authors ( there are a couple of them who are published ) and such use laptops.

Some use an iPad for casual browsing. Even students do that but they use their phones most of the time. The cafe owner has an iPad as an point of purchase to simplify operations but also to track tabs.

But a majority of people that come in the cafe use laptops. If they use an iPad for writing long form, they're going to use a BT keyboard. I see this a lot.

Even a couple of graduates who used to hang there built their own 3D business using their laptop and partnered with Oculus as a consultancy for interior or exterior 3D views of models or constructs using that goggle.

They moved to NYC recently anyway.

EDIT: also in my fencing class, I see parents bring their own laptops or tablets to stay put and wait. It's a mix.

 

[peterdevries]

That's fine if you want that "package." Many don't. But the discussion was something you brought up, innovation. Again, what has MS innovated lately? What are some of the underlying technologies that they've researched, invested in, patented, developed, and brought to their products?

Please, don't even try to discuss innovation. Most people here (and elsewhere) do not know what innovation is and how it is done. They think the only innovation that is real innovation is features that no-one else has.

 

[Sabretooth78]

I was late to the mobile device game, only having owned a tablet or smartphone for the past 3 years or so. They have their uses, but if I'm being perfectly honest I realize more and more often how when you have something that needs to be done, you need a "real" computer to do it. So much so, that in my case, I'm seeing the phone as redundant and seriously considering a move back to a flip phone for actual communication needs (of which my former did a much better job) and hanging onto the smartphone for wi-fi app use and as a glorified calculator. All-in-ones are great in theory, but in practice it's a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none situation. There's still a place in the world for dedicated equipment.

For instance, how often does it happen where you open a browser on your phone only to not be able to fill out the web form or whatever because you're running some crippled browser?

 

[cwedl]

I think he's right. Many people do consume more than they create, a lot of people have a desktop or a laptops for work and at home people watch films, listen to music, browse the web and buy things. People may occasionally want to edit or create documents for home hold admin but thats about it. My Fiancee and my sister have been using iPads for pretty much all of their computing needs for years now.

 

[peterdevries]

* Force Touch, is not an Apple invention, huawei has one too.
* Haptic feedback, samsung has had devices with that since 2007
* Apple Pay, thats NFC payments, apple just added a bit more secure stuff on top.
* Terraced batteries, nothing new, it just custom formed battery, the LG G2 had that in 2013.
* Touch ID, Not an Apple invention, the motorola Atrix was the first, it used technology from the same company that delivers apples sensor.

Apple innovative? All I see is copying and doing it somewhat better than the competition.

Sigh. The telephone was invented before Alexander Graham Bell made it successful etc etc. To be successful in innovation is to make something work and be useful. Samsung devices had haptic feedback but it sucked and was discarded by Samsung themselves. That is not innovation, that is failed development. The same goes for the Motorola Atrix.

It doesn't matter who had it first. What matters is who gets it right so people can use it.

 

[HansumKingtut]

I see what Tim Cook is getting at. Tablets are the future.

With that being said, it will be a while before tablets become powerful enough to adequately replace notebooks and desktops. And it is not about processing power, it is all about the OS. It does not have to run Mac OS X, apps just need some massive updating. Apps like Pages, Keynote, and Numbers (iWork) need to be updated to be more like they are on Mac OS X. Same with Photo's, it needs to become more like it is on Mac OS X. Photo's on IOS needs features like RAW image processing and editing, as well as the full suite of tools it has on Mac OS X. Mobile apps shouldn't and do not need to be stripped down, dumbed down versions of desktop software.

Also 'PRO' Apps are needed to really call this a professional tool. Build Final Cut Pro X, Motion, Compressor, Logic Pro X, MainStage and not just dumbed down versions, but fully functional and capable versions.

Besides the OS, there are three really important things that need to happen hardware wise. First is more internal storage, like 256GB, 512GB, or even a 1TB storage option. Also replace the Lightning Cable with a USB 3.1 Type-C Port, and give it the ability to use external hard drives for storage and backup, as well as other abilities that USB 3.1 Type-C bring. Lastly, the Apple Watch and iPhone both have 3D touch and Force Touch, that seems like a major omission from the iPad Pro.

With the inclusion of these features and changes, I would be extremely interested in the iPad Pro. In fact I would probably buy a 1TB Cellular iPad Pro in Space Grey if these changes were made. I would replace my 15" Retina MacBook Pro, Samsung S34E790C Ultrawide Curved Monitor, Harmond/Kardon Sound Sticks, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2 with this. I would probably even go for a 1TB iCloud Storage Plan with this. I would even repurchase Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Motion on IOS.

But until these changes are made, this is not the iPad 'Pro' its just the 12.9" iPad. I am excited to see what the future holds for this device, but until then I am happy with my 15" Retina MacBook Pro. Here's to hoping for future version with Apple A10X Processor, 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR4 RAM, up to 1TB of Internal Storage, and 3D Touch. As well as updated suite of apps, and the addition of 'Pro' Apps.

Apps that need to be updated:
-Pages
-Keynote
-Numbers
-iMovie
-GarageBand
-Photo's
Apps that need to be made:
-Final Cut Pro X
-Motion
-Compressor
-Logic Pro X
-MainStage
-Xcode
-iBook Author

 

[Razeus]

Well, accountants like my self aren't one of those many many people.

 

[peterdevries]

Unless you need Project and Visio and interconnectivity between these and other programs, and ....
For basic needs you are correct. For more in depth needs, especially for most businesses, what is offered on iOS isn't enough.

You are dead wrong about this. For most businesses iOS offers enough functionality. Exceptions are graphics design studios or business that require powerful bespoke software. But most companies use the basic set of office without interconnectivity etc. In the past 8 years I have worked as a consultant in a major bank, government and now in Pharma and the absolute majority of workers and managers just use Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel, Word and a few bespoke applications for timecards, expenses, supply chain management, CRM etc and all of the major packages are now on iOS. Why do you think suddenly Microsoft, Adobe and IBM are pushing iOS so hard? -> cheap, easy to service, lower helpdesk tickets, easy app management, good security etc etc.

 

[canesalato]

I see what Tim Cook is getting at. Tablets are the future.

With that being said, it will be a while before tablets become powerful enough to adequately replace notebooks and desktops. And it is not about processing power, it is all about the OS. It does not have to run Mac OS X, apps just need some massive updating. Apps like Pages, Keynote, and Numbers (iWork) need to be updated to be more like they are on Mac OS X. Same with Photo's, it needs to become more like it is on Mac OS X. Photo's on IOS needs features like RAW image processing and editing, as well as the full suite of tools it has on Mac OS X. Mobile apps shouldn't and do not need to be stripped down, dumbed down versions of desktop software.

Also 'PRO' Apps are needed to really call this a professional tool. Build Final Cut Pro X, Motion, Compressor, Logic Pro X, MainStage and not just dumbed down versions, but fully functional and capable versions.

Besides the OS, there are three really important things that need to happen hardware wise. First is more internal storage, like 256GB, 512GB, or even a 1TB storage option. Also replace the Lightning Cable with a USB 3.1 Type-C Port, and give it the ability to use external hard drives for storage and backup, as well as other abilities that USB 3.1 Type-C bring. Lastly, the Apple Watch and iPhone both have 3D touch and Force Touch, that seems like a major omission from the iPad Pro.

With the inclusion of these features and change, I would be extremely interested in the iPad Pro. In fact I would probably buy a 1TB Cellular iPad Pro in Space Grey if these changes were made. I would replace my 15" Retina MacBook Pro, Samsung S34E790C Ultrawide Curved Monitor, Harmond/Kardon Sound Sticks, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2 with this. I would probably even go for a 1TB iCloud Storage Plan with this. I would even repurchase Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Motion on IOS.

But until these changes are made, this is not the iPad 'Pro' its just the 12.9" iPad. I am excited to see what the future holds for this device, but until then I am happy with my 15" Retina MacBook Pro. Here's to hoping for future version with Apple A10X Processor, 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR4 RAM, up to 1TB of Internal Storage, and 3D Touch. As well as updated suite of apps, and the addition of 'Pro' Apps.

Apps that need to be updated:
-Pages
-Keynote
-Numbers
-iMovie
-GarageBand
-Photo's
Apps that need to be made:
-Final Cut Pro X
-Motion
-Compressor
-Logic Pro X
-MainStage
-Xcode
-iBook Author

Yes, yes, yes, apple needs to push the app game forward.

 

[driftless]

I don't think that's possible since you need a computer to manage your files. Could you explain me how to copy a 4k video from my iphone to an iPad pro without a computer? Let's see how absurd the answer is.

Photos will do that for you. That is a non-issue.

 

[peterdevries]

I don't think that's possible since you need a computer to manage your files. Could you explain me how to copy a 4k video from my iphone to an iPad pro without a computer? Let's see how absurd the answer is.

Save to iCloud drive. Wait a little bit. And use it.

Apologies if this does not meet your desire for absurdity.

 

[bjet767]

I use my iPad(s) for many things, it's a very good tool.

Cook is correct, "many" people will drop using their laptop for the bigger iPad, but is will not replace other needs and that is why Apple makes other computers.