iOS DOES have an open file system. Every app’s every file is open to every other app. Simply its organization is different. It just doesn’t have the desktop metaphor, that’s all. For those who want to access to kexts, drivers, daemons and alike, the point is for what? Get a conventional computer for deep UNIX work, on that sort of computer called iPad, the operating system does not permit to access its guts, take it or leave it...
If the point is to easily assemble files in folders per project or task basis, then there is the Files app and iCloud. One no longer needs to keep Pages documents in the Pages app’s directory, these days have long gone. Yet iOS does not prevent anyone from using third party file storage and sharing systems, such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. There’s no sharing in Cloud Drive but alternatively Apple provides full collaboration in its productivity apps, which is multiple times better than that primitive form of collaboration called file sharing.
Try moving 20 files from one folder to another in the Files app. Let me know how long it takes you.
So what? That will depend on the size of the files, obviously...
So you've not tried it, as expected. You don't actually use the iPad for anything more than light work do you - if at all? If you did, you'd know you actually can't move 20 files at once from one folder to another. You have to move each manually. It's a pig of a job.
Oh and let me know how you get on hooking up your iPad to a non-Airprint printer
Does Apple have such a claim? Apple clearly states that the way to print in iOS is AirPrint, so what's your point?
My point is Apple claims this to be a full blown computer, but it can't connect to most printers, the most basic of tasks that computers have been doing since the 70's. Not really a limitation a "pro" machine should have, is it?
or sending your 5GB 4k movie to a PC-toting friend.
Connect the iPad to the PC on USB. The PC will see the iPad's Photo Library as "camera storage" and you will drag & drop the 5GB 4K movie on Windows desktop. If that movie is not in the Photo Library then use iTunes File Sharing from the app that stores it. If that app does not support iTunes File Sharing then transfer it into another app that supports it. Anything else? Oh, compile software...
So you've got to get the PC-toting friend to install iTunes before you can transfer. Exporting from iMovie to Photos is no good, because the video gets compressed to within an inch of its life. What if it's a corporate environment where installing iTunes is not possible? You know, the areas that "pro" devices would be used? What about transferring to Linux, where there is no iTunes?
Those living in your fantasy world need that luck. Apple has never made such a claim regarding software development on iOS. Yet there are several utilities in iOS AppStore that help software development written and submitted by the developers themselves.
Oh the fantasy world where professionals write software? Sorry mate but that's actually the real world, maybe you and apparently Apple have become confused between the real and fantasy world? A world where everyone just writes simple documents in Pages, browses FB and draws the odd thing in an 99p app.
The point of access to the OS is to make the device a powerful, professional device that everyone can use as a full blown computer. Not just this subset of people you like to claim are the majority of users. It's a "Pro" device that is realistically no more capable than the non-pro iPad that's $700 less.
It is very well capable than that $700 less iPad. Tech spec are there, people will compare and decide then again what is your point? Apple has never made such a claim that everyone can use the iPad as a full blown computer. That's your fantasy.
Really? Apart from the pencil, give me a list of things that you can do on the iPad Pro that you can't do on the non-pro version. Think you're wrong on your second point, did you read the article at all or watch the ad? Apple is claiming it's as capable as a full blown computer. As Apple aficionados have said for years in the face of hardware with lesser specs, "it's all about the software". Apparently now since the software is deficient and the hardware superior to anyone else's offering, it's all about the hardware? Funny that.
I wonder how my big fingers not so precise on my MBP’s trackpad becomes so precise on the iPad. I admit that spreadsheet work is hard and you need a lot of display to see the whole worksheet at once. But even in the limited display of the iPad it is a pleasure to work in Numbers provided that you get used to. It may be confusing at first because there is so much parameters for formatting and calculations and you may not figure out immediately what is where. The accurate touch interface of iOS is what makes working with cells so easy. Are any of these shortcomings? Well maybe, depending on the lifestyle and work habits. But despite all of those limitations you get an unprecedented mobility and versatility in organizing your daily tasks, which make the iPad a correct investment.
Because the MBP's trackpad has acceleration. A large movement of your finger at low speed moves the cursor only a few millimetres, so it's much more accurate. Without a cursor, acceleration is impossible with the iPad because the input point is always where your finger is. Why do you think Apple added trackpad mode with acceleration to the iPad for text selection if you can be just as accurate with one finger? What was the point of that?
Using Numbers for spreadsheet work on iPad is a massive faff. It moves to different cells half the time, it's a rigmarole to enter numbers and different types of data and to style that data. Half the time you're waiting the 200ms or so for the iPad to recognise that you're only going to single tap instead of double, and that's impossible for Apple to fix without a cursor. "Accurate touch" isn't a thing, Jobs admitted that when he introduced the iPhone and used that as a reason not to put Mac OS on the iPhone and later iPad, the touch targets are too small to be touched accurately with a finger.
Do you try to teach me what my experience is? I am very fine with Numbers on my old iPad, even without using any pencil or stylus. Oh, maybe you have too many apps open? You know, iOS has no swappable virtual memory like a desktop OS and you must use the available RAM sparingly. If you hate Numbers so much then use Office365, there is a reason Microsoft has made such a huge commitment to iOS. But I don’t think people are eagerly waiting to learn about your Office365 experience on iOS, neither. Submit your discovery of that accelerated trackpad to Apple as a suggestion to include a hardware trackpad, maybe they will !!!
I don't, but you're trying to tell everyone that they're wrong and Numbers is brilliant. You're one of the very few that seem afflicted by Cook's RDF. Your experience with Numbers is seemingly unique, the majority of people say it's crap to use and your singular experience doesn't mean that in fact, they're all wrong and you're right. Your opinion may be that it's good, but you're trying to tell everyone else they're wrong. Statistically, most people say it's bad to use. There is no counter argument to that no matter how hard you try. If most people find it crap, it needs to be fixed.
The number of apps open has no bearing on the 200ms double tap detection time. There's no RAM paging going on. The delay is intentional, built into the OS and is in Apple's developer documentation. Office365 still has no cursor, so doesn't solve the problem. Pretty sure Apple knows about the trackpad acceleration, they did code it after all. You seem unable to understand or stubbornly refuse to admit the trackpad on Macs is more accurate than your finger - despite trackpad mode on iPads - which pretty much sums up your unreasonable responses, really.
iOS DOES have an open file system. Every app’s every file is open to every other app. Simply its organization is different. It just doesn’t have the desktop metaphor, that’s all. For those who want to access to kexts, drivers, daemons and alike, the point is for what? Get a conventional computer for deep UNIX work, on that sort of computer called iPad, the operating system does not permit to access its guts, take it or leave it...
If the point is to easily assemble files in folders per project or task basis, then there is the Files app and iCloud. One no longer needs to keep Pages documents in the Pages app’s directory, these days have long gone. Yet iOS does not prevent anyone from using third party file storage and sharing systems, such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. There’s no sharing in Cloud Drive but alternatively Apple provides full collaboration in its productivity apps, which is multiple times better than that primitive form of collaboration called file sharing.
Try moving 20 files from one folder to another in the Files app. Let me know how long it takes you.
So what? That will depend on the size of the files, obviously...
So you've not tried it, as expected. You don't actually use the iPad for anything more than light work do you - if at all? If you did, you'd know you actually can't move 20 files at once from one folder to another. You have to move each manually. It's a pig of a job.
Why are people so offended by iPad and the term computer? It’s so bizarre to me how much iPad upsets some people. But it’s not like Apple has put a gun to your head and said you can only use iPad. If it doesn’t work for you use something else.
In part I believe what’s bothering people so much is the price of an iPad Pro considering how the software works.
Considering that the software works excellently and identically to their desktop counterparts (AutoCAD, MS Office, GarageBand, iMovie, Pages, Number, Keynote, Pixelmator, the incoming Photoshop...) and even more precisely and creatively thanks to Pencil, the price of the iPad Pro is actually bargain.
So many people complain that the iPad Pro can't replace their computer. Well, it's true that the iPad Pro can't REPLACE their computer, but remember this. In 1984, the 128K Macintosh couldn't replace my IBM Selectric typewriter. For instance, where do you put the piece of paper? What? You have to buy something extra to print something out? Well, that's not a replacement! Therefore, the Macintosh must have been garbage! It's now 2018, and I haven't used an IBM Selectric in 31 years. One of these days, I will no longer use a Macintosh. This isn't that day, but it's coming sooner than you expect. And some of the reasons are explained in this commercial.
The difference is the IBM you mentioned could do less things than a Mac, but a Mac can do more things can an iPad and faster. So your analogy isn’t a great one. When I say faster I don’t mean processor speed, but power and precision.
Not always. With Pencil you get better precision than the mouse or trackpad. Even a Wacom tablet can't get that close considering other usage cases of Pencil and the mobility the iPad provides.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
No one is claiming Apple should make the Mail app identical to the Mac version, but there's loads of missing features, like rules and decent formatting of messages. There's no reason the iPad couldn't have a window-based OS though.
a "preview to Display Postscript" or PDF"
That's just bollocks, you have no idea what you're talking about. PDF and PostScript are entirely different formats. iOS has had PDF support baked in since iPhone OS 1.0, and can happily generate PostScript for AirPrint. "macOS Preview features are largely included in Adobe Acrobat and other 3d party PDF apps" What? No, they're implemented in Preview. Preview is extremely powerful, you can rearrange pages, combine PDFs, annotate and highlight text, crop images and add filters.
Regarding other productivity apps of Apple, the differences with desktop versions are not severe enough to call them adaptations ot compromises.
Haha, you really think the iOS apps aren't compromised? They so are. That said, iOS Pages and Numbers got half their features chopped out when they made the web/iOS versions because the iOS versions couldn't support the features the desktop apps had.
Apple has never marketed the iPad as a laptop replacement. Go a few Keynotes back and you'll see what they said. Don't we say "smartphones replaced computers"? Is it possible that a smartphone can replace a computer in the sense that those haters attribute to Apple's marketing narration? Absolutely not, we all know that but we still stick with more or less the same saying. It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
You've still not read the article or watched the ads then? Because that's exactly what they're doing. Ahhh yes, your argument has now changed to claiming people are Apple "haters" because they don't subscribe to Apple's marketing and point out software inadequacies.
iOS DOES have an open file system. Every app’s every file is open to every other app. Simply its organization is different. It just doesn’t have the desktop metaphor, that’s all. For those who want to access to kexts, drivers, daemons and alike, the point is for what? Get a conventional computer for deep UNIX work, on that sort of computer called iPad, the operating system does not permit to access its guts, take it or leave it...
If the point is to easily assemble files in folders per project or task basis, then there is the Files app and iCloud. One no longer needs to keep Pages documents in the Pages app’s directory, these days have long gone. Yet iOS does not prevent anyone from using third party file storage and sharing systems, such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. There’s no sharing in Cloud Drive but alternatively Apple provides full collaboration in its productivity apps, which is multiple times better than that primitive form of collaboration called file sharing.
Try moving 20 files from one folder to another in the Files app. Let me know how long it takes you.
So what? That will depend on the size of the files, obviously...
So you've not tried it, as expected. You don't actually use the iPad for anything more than light work do you - if at all? If you did, you'd know you actually can't move 20 files at once from one folder to another. You have to move each manually. It's a pig of a job.
"Like a computer, unlike any computer..."
I stand corrected! When did they add that? Last time I tried to use it you couldn't move more than one item. Same still applies for renaming though or trying to send multiple files or a folder as attachments in Mail.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
I said nothing about a window-menu paradigm. I'm talking about features. What 'capabilities unique to the iPad' does the iPad mail app leverage? Nothing. It is, however significantly underpowered and lacking in features when compared to its Mac counterpart. "adapted to smartphone simplicity???" This is not a smart phone. It is supposed to be a pro computer. (or laptop alternative, as you choose to call it.) If you are arguing that an alternative computer requires you to make compromises in terms of features then you are agreeing with my point.
Preview has roots in the very early releases of OS X, as a "preview to Display Postscript" or PDF, more accurately...The PDF "preview" feature is implemented in iOS like any other image viewer, doc viewer, xls viewer etc. available everywhere without requiring a specific app. macOS Preview features are largely included in Adobe Acrobat and other 3d party PDF apps.
Preview can handle postscript, but that is a virtually irrelevant part of its capabilities. On OS X it is a fairly powerful tool to manage, convert and annotate images and other PDFs. Those features are largely missing form iOS. Again, we are missing significant and useful features and having to buy third party software to augment them. IOS 11 did add improved abilities to mark up an attachment, etc, but when I tried to sign a document that was emailed to me, the recipient couldn't read the file. Nice.
Regarding other productivity apps of Apple, the differences with desktop versions are not severe enough to call them adaptations ot compromises. With every major iOS version Apple releases a new version of these, worth to check again.
At this point you have basically lost any credibility. Have you even used numbers on the iPad? I don't care that the interface is different. What I care about is that it is missing features and is a pain in the butt to use, taking significantly longer to accomplish simple tasks. When I try to edit documents using Numbers on the iPad, I feel like I'm doing it just to prove that it can be done. Again, we have a 'pro' computer that has difficulty doing simple productivity tasks.
Apple has never marketed the iPad as a laptop replacement.
Ummm... you clearly haven't read the article or watched the video. That's exactly what they're doing.
It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
Replacement vs alternative is a semantic argument that I am well capable of understanding. Does 'alternative' mean we should be satisfied with incomplete features and usability issues? You seem to be caught up in semantics and missing the point that whatever you choose call it, there are significant compromises in features and usability. In the end, that is all I care about.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
I said nothing about a window-menu paradigm. I'm talking about features. What 'capabilities unique to the iPad' does the iPad mail app leverage? Nothing. It is, however significantly underpowered and lacking in features when compared to its Mac counterpart. "adapted to smartphone simplicity???" This is not a smart phone. It is supposed to be a pro computer. (or laptop alternative, as you choose to call it.) If you are arguing that an alternative computer requires you to make compromises in terms of features then you are agreeing with my point.
Preview has roots in the very early releases of OS X, as a "preview to Display Postscript" or PDF, more accurately...The PDF "preview" feature is implemented in iOS like any other image viewer, doc viewer, xls viewer etc. available everywhere without requiring a specific app. macOS Preview features are largely included in Adobe Acrobat and other 3d party PDF apps.
Preview can handle postscript, but that is a virtually irrelevant part of its capabilities. On OS X it is a fairly powerful tool to manage, convert and annotate images and other PDFs. Those features are largely missing form iOS. Again, we are missing significant and useful features and having to buy third party software to augment them. IOS 11 did add improved abilities to mark up an attachment, etc, but when I tried to sign a document that was emailed to me, the recipient couldn't read the file. Nice.
Regarding other productivity apps of Apple, the differences with desktop versions are not severe enough to call them adaptations ot compromises. With every major iOS version Apple releases a new version of these, worth to check again.
At this point you have basically lost any credibility. Have you even used numbers on the iPad? I don't care that the interface is different. What I care about is that it is missing features and is a pain in the butt to use, taking significantly longer to accomplish simple tasks. When I try to edit documents using Numbers on the iPad, I feel like I'm doing it just to prove that it can be done. Again, we have a 'pro' computer that has difficulty doing simple productivity tasks.
Apple has never marketed the iPad as a laptop replacement.
Ummm... you clearly haven't read the article or watched the video. That's exactly what they're doing.
It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
Replacement vs alternative is a semantic argument that I am well capable of understanding. Does 'alternative' mean we should be satisfied with incomplete features and usability issues? You seem to be caught up in semantics and missing the point that whatever you choose call it, there are significant compromises in features and usability. In the end, that is all I care about.
In one of my of earlier posts I said “With all due respect for people’s natural rights to request improvements from Apple...”. My stance hasn’t changed about that. If you want Apple to improve iOS and its apps just submit feature requests to Apple. Requesting improvements is different from claiming that “Apple cheats people by pushing an underpowered device as a pro computer” or supporting similar views. Free speech, go on, but don’t be surprised if the only reaction you get afterwards is “yawn” when you don’t pay attention to the delicate distinction between a feature request and false claim. By the way I am not bound with what the article may or may not say and I believe no one contributing to that article would consent to the tweaking of their honest efforts in some way or another.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
....
It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
Replacement vs alternative is a semantic argument that I am well capable of understanding. Does 'alternative' mean we should be satisfied with incomplete features and usability issues? You seem to be caught up in semantics and missing the point that whatever you choose call it, there are significant compromises in features and usability. In the end, that is all I care about.
I would say "YES", that's fine.
iOS was in fact dummied down to make it simple and bullet proof for average, non-technical consumers to use a phone without having to think much about it. Very simple and easy use -- and very hard to screw up.
And yes, that involves compromises.
So, when Apple calls its iPad a "Pro" and also bills it as a laptop replacement (which they have been doing for years) that raises the bar for some. But, Apple doesn't have to respond to that. iPads run on iOS and that is designed for phones as well as tablets. There is no reason why their laptop alternative can't be as simple and as basic as an iPhone or iPad -- it will still meet the needs of most laptop users. If you need more, then they have MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros to meet your needs.
But, for a high school kid typing a term paper or his parent keeping track of finances, a simple basic laptop alternative will work just fine for them -- particularly if they can use it to play fortnite or Candy Crush afterwards.
Could they improve it? Sure! And they will.
But, by adding a touchpad to the screen (which will likely soon be transported to an external touchpad & keyboard), they have taken a M A J O R step forward in making the iPad a laptop alternative.
Sorry, Apple. It could be a computer. It's powerful enough to be a computer. But without the ability to run arbitrary software of my choosing, it's NOT a computer.
Sorry, Apple. It could be a computer. It's powerful enough to be a computer. But without the ability to run arbitrary software of my choosing, it's NOT a computer.
That's like saying you need a pickup bed on a vehicle so you claim that all sedans are aren't real automobiles… just toys.
Sorry, Apple. It could be a computer. It's powerful enough to be a computer. But without the ability to run arbitrary software of my choosing, it's NOT a computer.
So by that logic, a PC isn't a computer because it can't run iMessage, and a Mac isn't a computer because it can't run some windows software? The iPad may have faults, and it's valid to say 'it isn't an option because it doesn't have the software I need,' but Soli is right - your argument makes absolutely no sense.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
....
It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
Replacement vs alternative is a semantic argument that I am well capable of understanding. Does 'alternative' mean we should be satisfied with incomplete features and usability issues? You seem to be caught up in semantics and missing the point that whatever you choose call it, there are significant compromises in features and usability. In the end, that is all I care about.
I would say "YES", that's fine.
iOS was in fact dummied down to make it simple and bullet proof for average, non-technical consumers to use a phone without having to think much about it. Very simple and easy use -- and very hard to screw up.
And yes, that involves compromises.
So, when Apple calls its iPad a "Pro" and also bills it as a laptop replacement (which they have been doing for years) that raises the bar for some. But, Apple doesn't have to respond to that. iPads run on iOS and that is designed for phones as well as tablets. There is no reason why their laptop alternative can't be as simple and as basic as an iPhone or iPad -- it will still meet the needs of most laptop users. If you need more, then they have MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros to meet your needs.
But, for a high school kid typing a term paper or his parent keeping track of finances, a simple basic laptop alternative will work just fine for them -- particularly if they can use it to play fortnite or Candy Crush afterwards.
Could they improve it? Sure! And they will.
But, by adding a touchpad to the screen (which will likely soon be transported to an external touchpad & keyboard), they have taken a M A J O R step forward in making the iPad a laptop alternative.
At this point, you have no argument. You're claiming the iPad is a laptop alternative because it's as good as a large screen iPhone. Sorry, but that's a fail in virtually everyone's book. Simple and easy to use doesn't mean anemic or underpowered. Apple has been doing simple yet powerful for 30 years. That's what I expect from them. I agree with you that there is huge potential, but as many others have said, Apple needs to realize some of this potential before they make claims they can't live up to.
(Also, as an aside, I tried finding financial software for my iPad. Quicken and banktivity are the two best options available and neither is viable as a stand alone app. This is absolutely not Apple's fault, but fundamentally, if good software isn't available it doesn't matter how good the hardware or OS is.)
Sorry, Apple. It could be a computer. It's powerful enough to be a computer. But without the ability to run arbitrary software of my choosing, it's NOT a computer.
So by that logic, a PC isn't a computer because it can't run iMessage, and a Mac isn't a computer because it can't run some windows software? The iPad may have faults, and it's valid to say 'it isn't an option because it doesn't have the software I need,' but Soli is right - your argument makes absolutely no sense.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
....
It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
Replacement vs alternative is a semantic argument that I am well capable of understanding. Does 'alternative' mean we should be satisfied with incomplete features and usability issues? You seem to be caught up in semantics and missing the point that whatever you choose call it, there are significant compromises in features and usability. In the end, that is all I care about.
I would say "YES", that's fine.
iOS was in fact dummied down to make it simple and bullet proof for average, non-technical consumers to use a phone without having to think much about it. Very simple and easy use -- and very hard to screw up.
And yes, that involves compromises.
So, when Apple calls its iPad a "Pro" and also bills it as a laptop replacement (which they have been doing for years) that raises the bar for some. But, Apple doesn't have to respond to that. iPads run on iOS and that is designed for phones as well as tablets. There is no reason why their laptop alternative can't be as simple and as basic as an iPhone or iPad -- it will still meet the needs of most laptop users. If you need more, then they have MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros to meet your needs.
But, for a high school kid typing a term paper or his parent keeping track of finances, a simple basic laptop alternative will work just fine for them -- particularly if they can use it to play fortnite or Candy Crush afterwards.
Could they improve it? Sure! And they will.
But, by adding a touchpad to the screen (which will likely soon be transported to an external touchpad & keyboard), they have taken a M A J O R step forward in making the iPad a laptop alternative.
At this point, you have no argument. You're claiming the iPad is a laptop alternative because it's as good as a large screen iPhone. Sorry, but that's a fail in virtually everyone's book. Simple and easy to use doesn't mean anemic or underpowered. Apple has been doing simple yet powerful for 30 years. That's what I expect from them. I agree with you that there is huge potential, but as many others have said, Apple needs to realize some of this potential before they make claims they can't live up to.
(Also, as an aside, I tried finding financial software for my iPad. Quicken and banktivity are the two best options available and neither is viable as a stand alone app. This is absolutely not Apple's fault, but fundamentally, if good software isn't available it doesn't matter how good the hardware or OS is.)
You sort of flipped what I said -- which was that most people will be happy with "simple, easy and bulletproof" despite the limitations that inherently produces. Others will need more flexibility and power.
I agree that Apple should not advertise stuff that they can't back up with tangible products. But, with the iPad, it appears that with the addition of onscreen touchpad in iOS12, they are most of the way there in eliminating a major limitation of the iPad becoming a laptop replacement (and I'm assuming that this touchpad will be ported over to an external keyboard/mouse in the near future).
Sorry, Apple. It could be a computer. It's powerful enough to be a computer. But without the ability to run arbitrary software of my choosing, it's NOT a computer.
So by that logic, a PC isn't a computer because it can't run iMessage, and a Mac isn't a computer because it can't run some windows software? The iPad may have faults, and it's valid to say 'it isn't an option because it doesn't have the software I need,' but Soli is right - your argument makes absolutely no sense.
Personally, I am not offended by calling the iPad a computer. That is exactly what it is, and a very powerful one at that. It is just not a laptop replacement, which is what Apple is marketing it as. I would agree that the pencil has an incredible amount of precision, and would classify it as necessary if you plan on doing significant work on an iPad.
I have not used AutoCAD, MS Office or iMovie on my iPad, but after 6 months of trying, Pages and Numbers do not work identically on the iPad. They are adaptations with compromises to accommodate iOS that make them significantly more difficult to use, bordering on painful at times. They also do not have the complete feature set. Apple Mail also lacks feature parity. The Preview app is a very powerful part of macOS that is basically absent in iOS if you want to do anything except view documents.
On top of this, many third party apps also lack feature parity. The developers have them more as sidekicks to the full desktop versions. Not apple's fault to be sure, but any computer's functionality is dictated by the software. There are some full-featured apps out there, but figuring out what is what in the App Store is difficult at best.
Apple Mail and Preview are well known omissions in iOS. It is understandable that being a communication feature, email be more adapted to the smartphone simplicity. Yet Mail leverages that with capabilities unique to iPad. We cannot have Apple Mail exactly as it is on macOS, this is a windows-menu-mouse paradigm app.
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It is not a laptop replacement, it is a laptop alternative. Why is it too hard to understand that?
Replacement vs alternative is a semantic argument that I am well capable of understanding. Does 'alternative' mean we should be satisfied with incomplete features and usability issues? You seem to be caught up in semantics and missing the point that whatever you choose call it, there are significant compromises in features and usability. In the end, that is all I care about.
I would say "YES", that's fine.
iOS was in fact dummied down to make it simple and bullet proof for average, non-technical consumers to use a phone without having to think much about it. Very simple and easy use -- and very hard to screw up.
And yes, that involves compromises.
So, when Apple calls its iPad a "Pro" and also bills it as a laptop replacement (which they have been doing for years) that raises the bar for some. But, Apple doesn't have to respond to that. iPads run on iOS and that is designed for phones as well as tablets. There is no reason why their laptop alternative can't be as simple and as basic as an iPhone or iPad -- it will still meet the needs of most laptop users. If you need more, then they have MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros to meet your needs.
But, for a high school kid typing a term paper or his parent keeping track of finances, a simple basic laptop alternative will work just fine for them -- particularly if they can use it to play fortnite or Candy Crush afterwards.
Could they improve it? Sure! And they will.
But, by adding a touchpad to the screen (which will likely soon be transported to an external touchpad & keyboard), they have taken a M A J O R step forward in making the iPad a laptop alternative.
At this point, you have no argument. You're claiming the iPad is a laptop alternative because it's as good as a large screen iPhone. Sorry, but that's a fail in virtually everyone's book. Simple and easy to use doesn't mean anemic or underpowered. Apple has been doing simple yet powerful for 30 years. That's what I expect from them. I agree with you that there is huge potential, but as many others have said, Apple needs to realize some of this potential before they make claims they can't live up to.
(Also, as an aside, I tried finding financial software for my iPad. Quicken and banktivity are the two best options available and neither is viable as a stand alone app. This is absolutely not Apple's fault, but fundamentally, if good software isn't available it doesn't matter how good the hardware or OS is.)
You sort of flipped what I said -- which was that most people will be happy with "simple, easy and bulletproof" despite the limitations that inherently produces. Others will need more flexibility and power.
I agree that Apple should not advertise stuff that they can't back up with tangible products. But, with the iPad, it appears that with the addition of onscreen touchpad in iOS12, they are most of the way there in eliminating a major limitation of the iPad becoming a laptop replacement (and I'm assuming that this touchpad will be ported over to an external keyboard/mouse in the near future).
At this point, we have a fundamental difference of opinion. You seem to think that people should/will be happy with watered down/limited features as long as they are 'simple, easy and bulletproof.' If this were several years ago, I might agree, but it's not. They are shipping a 12" iPad with the A12x processor that is capable of doing so much more, and Apple is telling us how powerful it is, yet you are saying we should be happy with what we get, just because it's simple.
First off, what is the point of making the iPad pro, then? We had an anemic, limited e-mail app with the iPad 2, and why should people be satisfied with these limitations after they have paid more for an iPad pro than they would have for most laptops on the market, or even a chromebook? Apple is marketing the iPad as a powerful, versatile computer, yet it is shipping it with crippled software. That is my problem. The touchpad functionality is nice, but does nothing to address the other limitations.
Comments
Really? Apart from the pencil, give me a list of things that you can do on the iPad Pro that you can't do on the non-pro version. Think you're wrong on your second point, did you read the article at all or watch the ad? Apple is claiming it's as capable as a full blown computer. As Apple aficionados have said for years in the face of hardware with lesser specs, "it's all about the software". Apparently now since the software is deficient and the hardware superior to anyone else's offering, it's all about the hardware? Funny that.
The number of apps open has no bearing on the 200ms double tap detection time. There's no RAM paging going on. The delay is intentional, built into the OS and is in Apple's developer documentation. Office365 still has no cursor, so doesn't solve the problem. Pretty sure Apple knows about the trackpad acceleration, they did code it after all. You seem unable to understand or stubbornly refuse to admit the trackpad on Macs is more accurate than your finger - despite trackpad mode on iPads - which pretty much sums up your unreasonable responses, really.
"Like a computer, unlike any computer..."
That's just bollocks, you have no idea what you're talking about. PDF and PostScript are entirely different formats. iOS has had PDF support baked in since iPhone OS 1.0, and can happily generate PostScript for AirPrint. "macOS Preview features are largely included in Adobe Acrobat and other 3d party PDF apps" What? No, they're implemented in Preview. Preview is extremely powerful, you can rearrange pages, combine PDFs, annotate and highlight text, crop images and add filters.
Haha, you really think the iOS apps aren't compromised? They so are. That said, iOS Pages and Numbers got half their features chopped out when they made the web/iOS versions because the iOS versions couldn't support the features the desktop apps had.
You've still not read the article or watched the ads then? Because that's exactly what they're doing. Ahhh yes, your argument has now changed to claiming people are Apple "haters" because they don't subscribe to Apple's marketing and point out software inadequacies.
At this point, you have no argument. You're claiming the iPad is a laptop alternative because it's as good as a large screen iPhone. Sorry, but that's a fail in virtually everyone's book. Simple and easy to use doesn't mean anemic or underpowered. Apple has been doing simple yet powerful for 30 years. That's what I expect from them. I agree with you that there is huge potential, but as many others have said, Apple needs to realize some of this potential before they make claims they can't live up to.
(Also, as an aside, I tried finding financial software for my iPad. Quicken and banktivity are the two best options available and neither is viable as a stand alone app. This is absolutely not Apple's fault, but fundamentally, if good software isn't available it doesn't matter how good the hardware or OS is.)
First off, what is the point of making the iPad pro, then? We had an anemic, limited e-mail app with the iPad 2, and why should people be satisfied with these limitations after they have paid more for an iPad pro than they would have for most laptops on the market, or even a chromebook? Apple is marketing the iPad as a powerful, versatile computer, yet it is shipping it with crippled software. That is my problem. The touchpad functionality is nice, but does nothing to address the other limitations.