Tim Cook Says Apple Won't Create 'Converged' Mac and iPad

[MacRumors]

While the iPad Pro further bridges the gap between iOS and OS X, and notebooks and tablets as a whole, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told the Irish Independent that Apple is not interested in creating a "converged Mac and iPad."

"We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad," said Cook. "Because what that would wind up doing, or what we're worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants. So we want to make the best tablet in the world and the best Mac in the world. And putting those two together would not achieve either. You'd begin to compromise in different ways."

Instead, Cook said Apple wants to create the best possible Mac and iPad, suggesting that both products have a strong future. The chief executive is "bullish" about the reverse of declining iPad sales in recent quarters.

"It's true that the difference between the X86 [personal computer] and the A-series [Apple iPad architecture] is much less than it's ever been," says Cook. "That said, what we've tried to do is to recognize that people use both iOS and Mac devices. So we've taken certain features and made them more seamless across the devices. So with things like Handoff we just made it really simple to work on one of our products and pick it up and work on the next product."

Last week, Cook rhetorically questioned why anyone would buy a PC anymore -- excluding the Mac, which he says is not the "same" -- and said the iPad Pro will serve as a replacement for a notebook or desktop computer for "many, many people."

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

"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones."

Many early iPad Pro reviews described the tablet as a powerful creative canvas, but not quite a true PC replacement. Benchmarks found the iPad Pro delivers MacBook Air-class CPU performance and MacBook Pro-class GPU performance.

MacStories editor Federico Viticci, as someone who uses iOS as his main computing platform, felt otherwise. "I don't see myself using a Mac as my primary computer ever again," he wrote in his iPad Pro review.

Cook also provided a non-comment about Apple's rumored electric vehicle plans, emphasizing "a need for a focus on user interface."

"I don't have anything to announce about our plans," he says. "But I think there's some significant changes in the automobile industry over the next several years with electrification and autonomous driving. And there's a need for a focus on user interface. And so I think there's a lot of changes that will go on there."

Follow our iPad Pro and Apple Car roundups for the latest news about each topic.

Article Link: Tim Cook Says Apple Won't Create 'Converged' Mac and iPad

 

[penajmz]

Basically why would they make it so people would stop buying MacBooks. Not really a great business decision.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

"We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad," said Cook.

Complete BS. Plenty of us want that.

 

[Sirious]

They will do it.
It's gonna be one of those things that Apple likes to hold on to before releasing.

 

[Fzang]

Two devices for the price of one? Not on Apple's turf!

 

[shanson27]

iPad is iPad and Mac is Mac

 

[b0nd18t]

This have everything to do with making more money by selling two products, and nothing to do with what people want.

 

[Solomani]

"We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad," said Cook. "Because what that would wind up doing, or what we're worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants. So we want to make the best tablet in the world and the best Mac in the world. And putting those two together would not achieve either. You'd begin to compromise in different ways."

Wow, you really do listen to us sometimes, Cookie Boy! Good to hear.

 

[navaira]

Complete BS. Plenty of us want that.

They will be absolutely not planning it, no interest, customers don't want it, until one day they release it all of a sudden and then it will be a magical experience, absolutely best in the market, revolutionary, life-changing, nobody has ever done this before, etc.

 

[o9ski]

"Customers do not want bigger then 3 inch iPhone" - Tim Cook (2013)

 

[Crosscreek]

ARM just doesn't have the power of X86 to do heavy lifting.

Yeah you can port it to ARM but it probably wouldn't be very satisfying.

 

[Popeye206]

Complete BS. Plenty of us want that.

And plenty of us don't care about this feature too.

Maybe I'm the minority, but I do think what you do on a PC or Laptop is not something you'd do on a touch based tablet.... as well, the tablet is made for consumption with some authoring.

Let me put it this way... if my MacBook Pro screen could just come off and I could move to the couch and continue to work... I wouldn't. Nothing I do on my MacBook would I want to do on a Tablet.

 

[Fuchal]

It makes sense, because by the time they will be able to build a product like this, they'll have enhanced iOS enough for large displays and keyboards and have run Mac OS X and the Mac business into the ground. Apple is heavily hedging their bets on touch and iOS for the long haul.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

They will be absolutely not planning it, no interest, customers don't want it, until one day they release it all of a sudden and then it will be a magical experience, absolutely best in the market, revolutionary, life-changing, nobody has ever done this before, etc.

LOL ... Exactly. Apple's just buying time with that statement.

 

[Popeye206]

ARM just doesn't have the power of X86 to do heavy lifting.

Why? If I remember right the A9 has caught up to the i5 processor. It's all the other things around the main processor that make a workstation so powerful.... not just the processor.

 

[Solomani]

This have everything to do with making more money by selling two products, and nothing to do with what people want.

Actually, keeping iOS and OSX separate is exactly what customers (especially us Mac users) have wanted. Exactly like Cook says.

Apple could actually squeeze more profits if they did streamline all their products into a single monolithic jack-of-all-trades-OS. That might be profitable for Apple (possibly) but certainly not optimal for end users who need dedicated OS for the respective devices.

 

[bobob]

iPad is iPad and Mac is Mac

Too many people seem to believe that iOS is just a mistake Apple made when trying to create a second operating system, whereas it was actually a very deliberate and forward-looking technical choice.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

And plenty of us don't care about this feature too.

Maybe I'm the minority, but I do think what you do on a PC or Laptop is not something you'd do on a touch based tablet.... as well, the tablet is made for consumption with some authoring.

Let me put it this way... if my MacBook Pro screen could just come off and I could move to the couch and continue to work... I wouldn't. Nothing I do on my MacBook would I want to do on a Tablet.

But many would like an Apple version of the Surface Pro.

 

[dvdlovr24]

"Customers do not want bigger then 3 inch iPhone" - Tim Cook (2013)

That makes no sense since the 4" iPhone 5 came out in 2012.

 

[jpgr15]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I agree with Cook - some OSX/iOS hybrid probably would be nasty.

That being said, iOS on iPad could use some work. Multiple user accounts, a more versatile desktop, better use of screen real estate, etc. and I'd be set.

Tl;dr put iOS on steroids rather than some Frankenstein hybrid.

 

[Precision Gem]

If you want to run OS X on a light mobile device, than why not get a Mac Book. You are going to want the keyboard anyway. I don't want OS X on my iPad, it defeats the purpose of an iPad. I don't want to log onto Delta's web site to check in my flight or change a seat. I want to run IO S apps on the iPad. You guys who think Tim is wrong, are wrong.

 

[iZac]

It's a compromise until it isn't, and until Apples homegrown architecture can compete with x86. Then we get an OSX macbook that can also run iOS apps.

Then the sky falls.

Maybe i'm just desperate for Apple to re-introduce the iBook

EDIT:

In all seriousness, even if Apple had some grand plan to replace OSX with iOS(I'm not saying they do) they would never announce it as a roadmap, it would alienate an entire industry of consumers and developers buying and coding for OSX. What would more likely happen is they just watch the market and deliver on what people want to buy.

It's also much easier to add features to iOS - a rapidly expanding market than to re-tool OSX in a matured market.

 

[kazmac]

Well that confirms the Mac isn't going anywhere anyway. Apple can create the hardware, we know that. Now please Apple, fix the damn software on both platforms.

 

[danakin]

These CEOs have become like politicians.

1. Nothing they say can be taken at face value
2. They, like diapers, need to be changed periodically and usually for the same reason

 

[jpgr15]

"Customers do not want bigger then 3 inch iPhone" - Tim Cook (2013)

That makes no sense since the 4" iPhone 5 came out in 2012.

That and the original iPhone's screen size was 3.5"