What would take the iPad to the next level for me?

[CAWjr]

There are posts all over here about what the iPad needs to have next. 1GB RAM, retina display, better cameras, etc. All of those are well & good, but they are not true game changers for the iPad, just like making it thinner & faster was not really a game changer.

To me, the iPad will enter the next level when it can run a slim version of OSX. Think MacBook Air without the keyboard. It breaks the reliance on the App Store, gives you access to the file system, and eliminates most of the other things that differentiate the MacBook line from the iOS devices.

I know this is not going to happen anytime soon, and the logistics of doing it are crazy, but to me, it is probably my biggest wish list item for Apple.

 

[WhySoSerious]

There are posts all over here about what the iPad needs to have next. 1GB RAM, retina display, better cameras, etc. All of those are well & good, but they are not true game changers for the iPad, just like making it thinner & faster was not really a game changer.

To me, the iPad will enter the next level when it can run a slim version of OSX. Think MacBook Air without the keyboard. It breaks the reliance on the App Store, gives you access to the file system, and eliminates most of the other things that differentiate the MacBook line from the iOS devices.

I know this is not going to happen anytime soon, and the logistics of doing it are crazy, but to me, it is probably my biggest wish list item for Apple.

will never happen.

reason being, it would pull sales away from their laptops. the whole point of crippling the iPad is so you have a reason to buy a phone, tablet and full blown computer (macbook/mac).

if you make a tablet that is just as functional as a computer is, then it will start cannibalizing sales of apples other products. no bueno

you will never, EVER see the ipad run as much as their laptops. ever. not even close.

 

[dgree03]

will never happen.

reason being, it would pull sales away from their laptops. the whole point of crippling the iPad is so you have a reason to buy a phone, tablet and full blown computer (macbook/mac).

if you make a tablet that is just as functional as a computer is, then it will start cannibalizing sales of apples other products. no bueno

you will never, EVER see the ipad run as much as their laptops. ever. not even close.

truth, and it is sad really.

 

[CAWjr]

will never happen.

reason being, it would pull sales away from their laptops. the whole point of crippling the iPad is so you have a reason to buy a phone, tablet and full blown computer (macbook/mac).

if you make a tablet that is just as functional as a computer is, then it will start cannibalizing sales of apples other products. no bueno

you will never, EVER see the ipad run as much as their laptops. ever. not even close.

But that's why I said a "slim version of OSX." Maybe it will lack some of the full capabilities of a laptop. Maybe the only real thing it gains is the ability to access the file system & 3rd party apps that don't require the App Store. Dangle the carrots that people have been asking for, but don't give them a full blown laptop experience. Hell, call it an iPad Pro & charge a premium price for it like the MBP line does.

Don't get me wrong, I hear what you are saying & I agree that it would blur the lines for Apple that they have clearly drawn, but I actually see this as a possible replacement for the Air one day. One day WAY down the road mind you.

 

[TheDoct0r]

It breaks the reliance on the App Store

This is the last thing Apple wants.

 

[Skika]

Osx is not made for touch interface so it would need a total gui overhaul to be of any use.

 

[CAWjr]

Osx is not made for touch interface so it would need a total gui overhaul to be of any use.

To me, that's the biggest obstacle. They would have to have a parallel team working on it while they were working on a new version of OSX. It woudl have to be something that they would not bastardize Lion for. It would be something that they would have to have the 10.8 team start working on which means it would not even see the light of day for a few years.

 

[XvMMvX]

Until tablets (all of them) run a full operational version of Windows/OS X with great battery life then i just do not see a use for them in my world.

I love iOS on my iphone and think that it is PERFECT, but I had an ipad and tried an ipad 2 with hopes that maybe that expanded the OS to be more suitable. Nope, still feels like I am just using a large phone, so in turn makes me feel like I have wasted money as I still have a need for a laptop (which I have a macbook pro).

I want a full (or maybe slightly gimp) version of OS X, so i can install, multitask and use it the way I want to. I understand how the iphone works like this, but I just can't accept a table "computer" working like this.

Unfortunatly this will never happen on the mac end because of the profitability of the App Store. Maybe they could combine the ipad and macapp store together or something.

My only hope are these guys that are developing some of these windows tablets, unfortunatly on that end they do not have the engineering prowness that apple has.

 

[guitardogcar]

Until tablets (all of them) run a full operational version of Windows/OS X with great battery life then i just do not see a use for them in my world.

Try splashtop remote:

4.99

Virtualizes you desktop. All applications work...I use Aperure and Logic Express on the local network. You can even play touchscreen online cards...lol...

Sure it is just a slave to a computer, but I don't find myself moving my 27" monitor more than on its swivel...

 

[poloponies]

will never happen.

reason being, it would pull sales away from their laptops. the whole point of crippling the iPad is so you have a reason to buy a phone, tablet and full blown computer (macbook/mac).

if you make a tablet that is just as functional as a computer is, then it will start cannibalizing sales of apples other products. no bueno

you will never, EVER see the ipad run as much as their laptops. ever. not even close.

The "never, EVER" is a little Jobs-ian, no?

Of course we will some day see an OSX tablet. That's certainly the long-term objective. It will not cannibalize anything because the lines will blur. Apple will always have "Pro" notebooks but the MBA is not long for this world. When they can get MBA functionality into a tablet with decent battery life then it will be a product in Apple's line-up (and the MBA will be gone). There's room for a "limited" iPad and a "full-OS" tablet in this world.

Oh, and lest anyone escape reality for another moment, it would be priced well above current iPads.

 

[thedon1]

Well iOS and Mac OS X are certainly converging, especially with the introduction of Lion.

With the introduction of the Mac App store, they are trying to make people more reliant on a store.

Pretty soon there will be a lot of overlap between the two and it will interesting to see what they do to differentiate between tablets and computers.

Here's a really good article on the situation. Link

 

[KittyKatta]

To me, the iPad will enter the next level when it can run a slim version of OSX. Think MacBook Air without the keyboard. It breaks the reliance on the App Store, gives you access to the file system, and eliminates most of the other things that differentiate the MacBook line from the iOS devices.

Isn't that the direction Lion is taking us? It's not about differentiating anymore, it's about taking the best of both worlds and combining them.

Despite what Jobs says, I believe that one day the Air will have a touchscreen and run some form of iOS because I see the Air and iPad converging into a single model where the Air monitor IS a detachable iPad.

 

[Fliesen]

The "never, EVER" is a little Jobs-ian, no?

Of course we will some day see an OSX tablet. That's certainly the long-term objective. It will not cannibalize anything because the lines will blur. Apple will always have "Pro" notebooks but the MBA is not long for this world. When they can get MBA functionality into a tablet with decent battery life then it will be a product in Apple's line-up (and the MBA will be gone). There's room for a "limited" iPad and a "full-OS" tablet in this world.

Oh, and lest anyone escape reality for another moment, it would be priced well above current iPads.

nah, we won't see an OSX tablet.
if OSX ever goes as far as to being perfectly adapted for tablets, it won't be OSX anymore. of course iOS will receive more and more features, but the iPad won't receive a full blown desktop OS.
They're even making OSX more iOS like.
So indeed, the 'never ever' is far more likely than your 'of course'

whatever OS Apple tablets will have in 5 years, it will not be a descendant of OS X

 

[poloponies]

They're even making OSX more iOS like.

My point exactly. (And a little nit-picky of you to fixate on nomenclature). Okay, it may not be called OSX, but it will be a full-featured OS.

 

[thelookingglass]

My point exactly. (And a little nit-picky of you to fixate on nomenclature). Okay, it may not be called OSX, but it will be a full-featured OS.

Agreed. We're just arguing semantics here. Even if Apple tried with all its might to indefinitely cripple tablets for the sake of maintaining this "tweener" category sandwiched between phones and laptops, the competition wouldn't let them. Part of the reason the iPad is the way it is today is in part because Apple wants to use it as a way to build a vibrant ecosystem. Pull people into an ecosystem, have one-click access to their credit cards and you've got pretty much a license to print money. But the other reason the iPad isn't more than it could be is simply because the technology ain't there yet for these things to be full-fledged, standalone devices. And by "technology", I mean both the hardware and the software. We are in the midst of a transition from PC to post-PC devices which means that the entire concept is still in its infancy. 4-5 years down the line, I have no doubt that we will see people use tablets for almost all of their computing needs because technologies and habits will both have developed in ways that make it possible.

 

[Fliesen]

My point exactly. (And a little nit-picky of you to fixate on nomenclature). Okay, it may not be called OSX, but it will be a full-featured OS.

of course, but it will be a descendant of iOS, not OS X.

And it's kind of a no-brainer that they're gonna implement more and more features into iOS ...

 

[master-ceo]

Being able to install iFile without worrying about Jailbreaking.

 

[reputationZed]

Why would Apple break our reiance on the App Store?

I'm more concerned with the potential iOSification of OSX. As someone else has already stated the direction Apple is headed in looks to be driving towards iOS not OSX. Its not unthinkable that somewhere down the post Lion road all software for Apple products will only be available through the App Store.

 

[XvMMvX]

I guess what i mean by a full functional OS is access to the file system. The interface could stay the same as it is for iOS (get true multitasking), but let anyone develop and release anything they want however they want. It will never happen on Apple's side I know, in fact I would not be surprise if they lock down OS X and make all purchases go through the Mac App Store.

For instance, I will never get a poker app (pstars or FT) that is designed to run on these tablets....they won't get approved to be in the store so they would have to be able to just allow people go to their website and download the program to the tablet.

This is what I mean by fully functional. Emulators is another thing that comes to mind.

Android even made Fulltilt remove their Rush Poker app from the andoid market place. This is the kind of crap that I am talking about.

How it interfaces is up for debate, but once the device moves past my phone that goes in my pocket....then I need access to the file system. Only then will it be called a tablet computer.

 

[XvMMvX]

I'm more concerned with the potential iOSification of OSX. As someone else has already stated the direction Apple is headed in looks to be driving towards iOS not OSX. Its not unthinkable that somewhere down the post Lion road all software for Apple products will only be available through the App Store.

Read my mind.

 

[Consultant]

Obviously you don't understand the tablet market at all.

Desktop os =/= touch usability