Having multiple users for a tablet is flatout dumb. Go get an Android tablet or windows tablet if you are going to be so cheap.
No it is not dumb. I'd love have multiple logins on the iPad (and iPhone for that matter). I'd love to be able to login as the "kids" and only have their apps be shown and then be able to login as me and have my apps shown.
Multiple discrete users would be a huge win on the iPad.
Its dumb because it adds unneeded complexity. People would grumble even more about not having enough onboard memory if 4 people share an iPad. Would you need 4 seperate AppleID's? Who would have access to which apps? The iPad is a simple and elegant device. Adding multiple users would just mess that up.
What next? multiple logins for your smartphone?
Now if we are talking about iPad Pro I could see multiple users with a device that starts at 128GB.
The master account sets up which apps are available to which users. Each user has their own sandboxed data space for the app. Would be very simple and not need a ton more space.
Would be a huge win. I am not buying separate iPads for each kid, for example. I'd like to keep business / personal apps of mine separate from the kids (at a minimum so they don't fart around with them).
Would not make the iPad a lot more complex from the user's point of view and should technically be relatively easy to do since the data space is already sandboxed for a user anyway.
The default could be single user so those that don't want or need the capability don't need to deal with it.
What I described is perfectly in the iPad's expanded "vision" (modern vision) and should be easy to do and will not cannibalize many iPad sales as the ones who can afford multiple iPads buy them already. Every one else just wings it.
Your work arounds are a lot less iPad friendly than what I suggest.
Of course, when Apple does introduce multiple users on the iPad, you'll claim you saw it coming first /s
The iOS is a toy and not fully compatible with the real computer (Mac). Apple should make a Mac tablet. Not for heavy work but the ultimate Keynote and PowerPoint presentation tool.
You are trying to do something Apple never intended.
You do realize that most of what the iPad is TODAY is not what Apple intended. Same with the iPhone. As the market has changed and they saw new potential they grasped it.
What I proposed does not make the iPad any less "personal"
Proclaiming the iPad to be the post-pc world event was a bit premature wasn't it? IMO tablets in general are not quite as "needed" as some of us thought, including myself.
Maybe iPad never is to be the "PC Killer" that some made it out to be, but between tablets and smartphones, there certainly isn't a reprieve for the PC.
I expect that the rumored iPad Pro will meet with success in the Enterprise, and some consumers will certainly purchase it, especially creatives. Whatever happens, Apple is still capturing the bulk of "post PC" profits with its OS X and iOS platforms.
Edit:
It seems a good place to add that tablet sales would increase substantially with unlimited data plans equal to those of smartphones. An Apple watch and a cellular equipped iPad would be as useful to some as an iPhone 6 and Apple Watch.
Proclaiming the iPad to be the post-pc world event was a bit premature wasn't it? IMO tablets in general are not quite as "needed" as some of us thought, including myself.
And yet, it is absolutely ubiquitous in certain industries — nary a live-mixing console is released in recent years that doesn't expect an (or several) iPad(s) to remote-control it from anywhere in the room. Not a professional musicians' stage that doesn't have iPads on it for sheet music or patch programming/controls.
This particular industry embraced iPads with both hands as a real solution to real problems.
And outside of this industry, many situations simply don't require anything more than an iPad. But there, there is no reason to upgrade iPads more often than the PCs that filled the niche previously.
The market is growing and will continue to do so, but it's not *exploding* the way the smartphone market did back when everybody was on two-year contractual replacement cycles.
You do realize that most of what the iPad is TODAY is not what Apple intended. Same with the iPhone. As the market has changed and they saw new potential they grasped it.
What I proposed does not make the iPad any less "personal"
Doesn't make it less personal, I agree.
Makes it damn hard to use though when you can't get on the bloody thing coz some damn kid is monopolising it and WONT share.
Trust me on this ... been there, done that.
Why upgrade? Apple isn't doing enough to distinguish their latest tablet hardware from earlier models. They should add:
1. GPS to non-cellular models.
2. A broader range of USB connectivity.
3. An SD/HC slot.
Absent #1, there should be a built-in way for an iPhone to share GPS location data with iPads and Macs. That'd set the entire product line off from their competition.
I hate to continue beating this drum, but does anyone believe IDC or Gartner?
Does this report pass the smell test?
Does anyone believe that 45.6% of all tablets sold are some UNKNOWN brand or white-tablet?
Does anyone see half of all tablets in the real world as UNKNOWN brand tablets?
I do not doubt that tablet sales are slowing, but only because Apple tells me so. They report actual sales.
IDC and Gartner makes these "reports" for their clients who pay them. They have no access to special information from the manufacturers. They are routinely shown to be wrong when Apple release actual sales figures. Other has been growing and growing in a way I absolutely do not believe.
Sharing a device by definition makes it less personal.
Why can't you let your kid's borrow your iPad? You don't trust them? You think they will look at things you don't give them permission? What do you have to hide in the first place?
if you don't trust your kid's or you are hiding something then you have MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS to deal with than having multi user.
No, it does not make it less "personal". That is a bunch of dog dung. Especially if you have segregated user content
No, it has nothing to do with them looking at things (for example perusing adult content). It does have to do with things like business or financial apps, or other apps that they don't need to be looking at, on purpose or by accident, or accidentally deleting, etc.
It would also be nice if each kid could easily have their own high scores, custom worlds / progress, etc in games.
If I did not trust the kids, they would not have iPad access at all.
Why do YOU have to try and be big apologist for something that makes no sense at all? Making the iPad support multiple users as an option, not necessarily the default, would only be a WIN for the iPad and Apple. Are you too dumb to see that?
No, it does not make it less "personal". That is a bunch of dog dung. Especially if you have segregated user content
No, it has nothing to do with them looking at things (for example perusing adult content). It does have to do with things like business or financial apps, or other apps that they don't need to be looking at, on purpose or by accident, or accidentally deleting, etc.
It would also be nice if each kid could easily have their own high scores, custom worlds / progress, etc in games.
If I did not trust the kids, they would not have iPad access at all.
Why do YOU have to try and be big apologist for something that makes no sense at all? Making the iPad support multiple users as an option, not necessarily the default, would only be a WIN for the iPad and Apple. Are you too dumb to see that?
I agree completely with you. Not all people or families shared their devices, but tablets would be a device that should have that capability.
Perhaps this is a feature that is difficult to define a user friendly and secure solution for; I would hope that Apple figures this out.
From a business and IT executive perspective, IDC's numbers are, as usual, mostly useless. If the data included usage, revenue, average revenue per unit, and gross margin data (along with corresponding unit sales) then they'd have meaningful information to do some actual cross analysis. IDC, go home and do your homework. You are always publishing half baked work.
A4 tablet yay! I'll buy it when it arrives (at least when it's buyable and not hugely overpriced like the iPhone). Another factor is that the OS must be as capable as a desktop OS. Artificial restrictions will keep people from buying tablets and this might cause apple to miss out on the next phase, where tablets will replace desktop computers.
Maybe Jobs was wrong about the need for a product in between a laptop and a desktop.
Or maybe Microsoft wasn't that far off in their vision of 'one' OS for all devices on a platform.
All I know is how I use my Apple devices...and the iPad is certainly not a high productivity tool. Great for the odd presentation, but unless you slap on a keyboard, or a stylus, for me it's mostly used as a consumption device.
Comments
keep your money.
Apple does not need your money.
Having multiple users for a tablet is flatout dumb. Go get an Android tablet or windows tablet if you are going to be so cheap.
No it is not dumb. I'd love have multiple logins on the iPad (and iPhone for that matter). I'd love to be able to login as the "kids" and only have their apps be shown and then be able to login as me and have my apps shown.
Multiple discrete users would be a huge win on the iPad.
Its dumb because it adds unneeded complexity. People would grumble even more about not having enough onboard memory if 4 people share an iPad. Would you need 4 seperate AppleID's? Who would have access to which apps? The iPad is a simple and elegant device. Adding multiple users would just mess that up.
What next? multiple logins for your smartphone?
Now if we are talking about iPad Pro I could see multiple users with a device that starts at 128GB.
The master account sets up which apps are available to which users. Each user has their own sandboxed data space for the app. Would be very simple and not need a ton more space.
Would be a huge win. I am not buying separate iPads for each kid, for example. I'd like to keep business / personal apps of mine separate from the kids (at a minimum so they don't fart around with them).
Would not make the iPad a lot more complex from the user's point of view and should technically be relatively easy to do since the data space is already sandboxed for a user anyway.
The default could be single user so those that don't want or need the capability don't need to deal with it.
Absolutely love the headline! Apple fading away into oblivion since 1977. Almost gone, almost gone, almost gone.
The iPad like the iPhone is a personal device.
You are trying to do something Apple never intended.
Stop being cheap. Buy your kids there own tablet.
Stop being an @ss.
What I described is perfectly in the iPad's expanded "vision" (modern vision) and should be easy to do and will not cannibalize many iPad sales as the ones who can afford multiple iPads buy them already. Every one else just wings it.
Your work arounds are a lot less iPad friendly than what I suggest.
Of course, when Apple does introduce multiple users on the iPad, you'll claim you saw it coming first /s
The iOS is a toy and not fully compatible with the real computer (Mac). Apple should make a Mac tablet. Not for heavy work but the ultimate Keynote and PowerPoint presentation tool.
**** out of here troll
The iPad like the iPhone is a personal device.
You are trying to do something Apple never intended.
You do realize that most of what the iPad is TODAY is not what Apple intended. Same with the iPhone. As the market has changed and they saw new potential they grasped it.
What I proposed does not make the iPad any less "personal"
Proclaiming the iPad to be the post-pc world event was a bit premature wasn't it? IMO tablets in general are not quite as "needed" as some of us thought, including myself.
Maybe iPad never is to be the "PC Killer" that some made it out to be, but between tablets and smartphones, there certainly isn't a reprieve for the PC.
I expect that the rumored iPad Pro will meet with success in the Enterprise, and some consumers will certainly purchase it, especially creatives. Whatever happens, Apple is still capturing the bulk of "post PC" profits with its OS X and iOS platforms.
Edit:
It seems a good place to add that tablet sales would increase substantially with unlimited data plans equal to those of smartphones. An Apple watch and a cellular equipped iPad would be as useful to some as an iPhone 6 and Apple Watch.
My first iPad, a used 1st Gen. mini, should arrive today.
The iPad Pro coupled with IBMs sales force and apps for enterprise will sell like hot cakes.
Proclaiming the iPad to be the post-pc world event was a bit premature wasn't it? IMO tablets in general are not quite as "needed" as some of us thought, including myself.
And yet, it is absolutely ubiquitous in certain industries — nary a live-mixing console is released in recent years that doesn't expect an (or several) iPad(s) to remote-control it from anywhere in the room. Not a professional musicians' stage that doesn't have iPads on it for sheet music or patch programming/controls.
This particular industry embraced iPads with both hands as a real solution to real problems.
And outside of this industry, many situations simply don't require anything more than an iPad. But there, there is no reason to upgrade iPads more often than the PCs that filled the niche previously.
The market is growing and will continue to do so, but it's not *exploding* the way the smartphone market did back when everybody was on two-year contractual replacement cycles.
Doesn't make it less personal, I agree.
Makes it damn hard to use though when you can't get on the bloody thing coz some damn kid is monopolising it and WONT share.
Trust me on this ... been there, done that.
1. GPS to non-cellular models.
2. A broader range of USB connectivity.
3. An SD/HC slot.
Absent #1, there should be a built-in way for an iPhone to share GPS location data with iPads and Macs. That'd set the entire product line off from their competition.
Apple still intends the iPad to be a personal device TODAY
Just buy your kids a $79 Kindle and be done with it.
Nothing I described makes it less personal. So quit the stupid "personal device" excuse.
Thank you for speaking for Apple /s
And the Kindle does not run iPad software. So that is no help.
I hate to continue beating this drum, but does anyone believe IDC or Gartner?
Does this report pass the smell test?
Does anyone believe that 45.6% of all tablets sold are some UNKNOWN brand or white-tablet?
Does anyone see half of all tablets in the real world as UNKNOWN brand tablets?
I do not doubt that tablet sales are slowing, but only because Apple tells me so. They report actual sales.
IDC and Gartner makes these "reports" for their clients who pay them. They have no access to special information from the manufacturers. They are routinely shown to be wrong when Apple release actual sales figures. Other has been growing and growing in a way I absolutely do not believe.
Does anyone?
Sharing a device by definition makes it less personal.
Why can't you let your kid's borrow your iPad? You don't trust them? You think they will look at things you don't give them permission? What do you have to hide in the first place?
if you don't trust your kid's or you are hiding something then you have MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS to deal with than having multi user.
No, it does not make it less "personal". That is a bunch of dog dung. Especially if you have segregated user content
No, it has nothing to do with them looking at things (for example perusing adult content). It does have to do with things like business or financial apps, or other apps that they don't need to be looking at, on purpose or by accident, or accidentally deleting, etc.
It would also be nice if each kid could easily have their own high scores, custom worlds / progress, etc in games.
If I did not trust the kids, they would not have iPad access at all.
Why do YOU have to try and be big apologist for something that makes no sense at all? Making the iPad support multiple users as an option, not necessarily the default, would only be a WIN for the iPad and Apple. Are you too dumb to see that?
No, it does not make it less "personal". That is a bunch of dog dung. Especially if you have segregated user content
No, it has nothing to do with them looking at things (for example perusing adult content). It does have to do with things like business or financial apps, or other apps that they don't need to be looking at, on purpose or by accident, or accidentally deleting, etc.
It would also be nice if each kid could easily have their own high scores, custom worlds / progress, etc in games.
If I did not trust the kids, they would not have iPad access at all.
Why do YOU have to try and be big apologist for something that makes no sense at all? Making the iPad support multiple users as an option, not necessarily the default, would only be a WIN for the iPad and Apple. Are you too dumb to see that?
I agree completely with you. Not all people or families shared their devices, but tablets would be a device that should have that capability.
Perhaps this is a feature that is difficult to define a user friendly and secure solution for; I would hope that Apple figures this out.
From a business and IT executive perspective, IDC's numbers are, as usual, mostly useless. If the data included usage, revenue, average revenue per unit, and gross margin data (along with corresponding unit sales) then they'd have meaningful information to do some actual cross analysis. IDC, go home and do your homework. You are always publishing half baked work.
I'll buy it when it arrives (at least when it's buyable and not hugely overpriced like the iPhone).
Another factor is that the OS must be as capable as a desktop OS.
Artificial restrictions will keep people from buying tablets and this might cause apple to miss out on the next phase, where tablets will replace desktop computers.
Maybe Jobs was wrong about the need for a product in between a laptop and a desktop.
Or maybe Microsoft wasn't that far off in their vision of 'one' OS for all devices on a platform.
All I know is how I use my Apple devices...and the iPad is certainly not a high productivity tool. Great for the odd presentation, but unless you slap on a keyboard, or a stylus, for me it's mostly used as a consumption device.