This makes sense now. The minor updates with mainly moving to the M2 chip tells me they are attempting to have everything on M2 before January. There may be an unrevealed feature required to run apps compatible with rOS. If they announce a headset in January, Integrations and app compatibility will be required.
I also believe Apple has been laying a foundation for a convertible Tablet that can dynamically switch between Mac OS and iPad OS depending on how it’s being used, attached accessories, like a keyboard and mouse, and user preference.
The work to bring interface behaviors and features to some parity and the ability to not only more easily port iPad apps to the Mac, but to natively run those apps natively via a universal binary seems to point to a move in this direction.
Add in Continuity running between OS versions on device and you have a hybrid that is an iPad when you pick it up and a Mac when you add a wireless keyboard and mouse.
Foldable maybe?
I don't t think this device will dynamically switch between macOS and iPadOS but have one OS that can switch between tablet UI and KB / mouse UI. Patently Apple wrote an article with respect to this, this week,
I'm too much of a broken record on the software. Apple has to enable PC like features in iPadOS as the displays get larger. So hopefully they really open the spigots. Once again, a user should be able to do everything with the touch UI that they can do with a keyboard and mouse.
Hardware wise, I think my number 1 request for iPads is to make the cameras an optional set of modules, from a back camera module that is flush with the back to others that will stick out for higher performance cameras. Another thing perhaps is to drive the thickness down to 5 mm. That might be the minimum thickness and still have USBC ports.
I looked at the iPP12.9 yesterday at the Apple Store, and it seems very large. Amazing the difference between looking at something that is 30 inches away versus 15 inches away. My MBP16 looks perfectly fine and not that large. I'm very used to my iPP10.5 at 15 inches away. The iPP12.9 looked huge. An iPP16? Definitely something different, but people will get used to it pretty fast. It's not going to be a handheld anymore. It's a table top device.
For the people that says this form factor is kind of large, I think this gets into more tablet use on a table top, and of course you could hold this thing, but for reference, just think about holding your 16 inch MacBook Pro screen.
this will cater to people that need the largest touchscreen possible, and people that love large devices.
In that case Apple need to make sure they design it without a camera bump.
Even the larger iPad Pro is too small to really function well as a digital-pen design and drawing device. You spend too much time zooming in and out. If Wacom’s lineup is any indication, 16" is the bare minimum. It would also need a good stand that allows for easy height and angle adjustments, also rotation.
Comments
https://www.patentlyapple.com/2022/10/while-apple-owns-a-hybrid-ipad-macbook-device-patent-executives-vetoed-the-concept-even-though-some-.html
Hardware wise, I think my number 1 request for iPads is to make the cameras an optional set of modules, from a back camera module that is flush with the back to others that will stick out for higher performance cameras. Another thing perhaps is to drive the thickness down to 5 mm. That might be the minimum thickness and still have USBC ports.
I looked at the iPP12.9 yesterday at the Apple Store, and it seems very large. Amazing the difference between looking at something that is 30 inches away versus 15 inches away. My MBP16 looks perfectly fine and not that large. I'm very used to my iPP10.5 at 15 inches away. The iPP12.9 looked huge. An iPP16? Definitely something different, but people will get used to it pretty fast. It's not going to be a handheld anymore. It's a table top device.
Even the larger iPad Pro is too small to really function well as a digital-pen design and drawing device. You spend too much time zooming in and out. If Wacom’s lineup is any indication, 16" is the bare minimum. It would also need a good stand that allows for easy height and angle adjustments, also rotation.