{"id":30869,"date":"2020-11-27T14:44:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T19:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=30869"},"modified":"2020-11-30T09:00:32","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T14:00:32","slug":"your-move-ipad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/27\/your-move-ipad\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Move, iPad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Becky Hansmeyer<\/a> (Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Power and performance aren’t the bottleneck for iPad, and haven’t been for some time. So if raw power isn’t enough, and new display tech isn’t enough, where does the iPad go from here? Will it be abandoned once more, lagging behind the Mac in terms of innovation, or will Apple continue to debut its latest tech in this form factor? Is it headed toward functional parity with the Mac or will it always be hamstrung by Apple’s strict App Store policies and seemingly inconsistent investment in iPadOS?<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

It’s clear that Apple wants<\/em> the iPad Pro to be a device that a wide variety of professionals can use to get work done. And since so many people use web apps for their work, the introduction of “desktop” Safari for iPad was an important step toward that goal. The Magic Keyboard and trackpad was another step.<\/p>\n

Here are ten more steps I believe Apple could and should take to help nudge the iPad into this exciting next era of computing.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The new M1 Macs should give iPad fans reason to be excited; now that we’ve seen hints of what future Macs can be, it’s time for the iPad to reassert itself—to remind us once again who it’s for, and what makes it special.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Matt Birchler<\/a>:<\/p>\n

As an iPad user, the new M1 Macs don’t make me want to trade in my iPad Pro since basically all the new features are variants of things I already had with the iPad Pro.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The question is how the iPad distinguishes itself as the Mac adopts some of its key features. One option is to loosen restrictions for apps and enable more powerful workflows so that more work can get done on the iPad. The other option is to bow out of the “Pro” line of iPads and lean into it being a more casual device. As an iPad fan, I very much want to see Apple make the iPad much more powerful, but that’s not absolutely the way they are going to go.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Nick Heer<\/a>:<\/p>\n

So, while I generally agree with Hansmeyer’s suggestions for changes, I have to wonder if these limitations are somehow deliberate, rather than something Apple has yet to change. The touchscreen-oriented interaction model of the iPad necessarily limits its software in some ways, but that does not excuse users’ more egregious workarounds. I find myself reading about the way Federico Viticci makes his iPad work for him, or the way that Jack Wellborn<\/a> assembled a shortcut for rating songs<\/a> in Music, and I wonder why these methods must be so convoluted. They are undoubtedly clever, but they also often feel like they are working around outdated limitations to multitasking. So, I have to wonder: is this a way of clearly separating the iPad and the Mac, so users do not attempt to treat one as the other? If so, what is Apple’s long-term strategy?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n