It’s wonderful, but as it’s now more expensive than a base M3 MacBook Pro, once you factor in the keyboard case, it’s not as great value, based on its os limits. How high does Apple think it can jack up prices before the sales crash? I use my wife’s M1 iPad Pro, bought new in 2021, but instead of getting the newest iPad 13” I got a second hand M1 Max 14” MBP. And I must say Mac OS feels much more pleasant to use.
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc. Apple hasn't shown any interest/inclination towards improving iPad OS features for almost half a decade. Begs the question - why not take the easiest approach possible with the already available software. Also, iPhones will reach the capability to run MacOS in another year or two (if not already there) at the hardware level (SoC, Memory, Storage). And all you would need is a dock to connect to a display, keyboard and other accessories. There will be more people demanding this in the upcoming years in my view.
Why buy an ipad pro? If you are a non artist? For the same price you can buy a real computer like a Macbook Air!. iPad OS is still a bad OS. You can attach external storage sure, ever been able to re-format it? Real Multitaskings? Window placement? And the list goes on and on. So buy an ipad or at the max an iPad Air. iPad is great for consuming news, multimedia , play a game and process some mail. But when you want to really get things done, go to a real computer. Apple has never been able to fulfill their promise:” iPad the only Computer you need”. And they never will, as it wants to sell you their Macs as well.
I just replaced my first gen iPad Pro with the new 13” M4 iPad Pro and pencil pro. I’m a musician and I use it to display and mark sheet music (forScore app), and that’s pretty much all I use it for. It’s phenomenal for that.
I remember back in the 90s people were wishing someone would make a device like that and if anyone could or would, it would be Apple. It’s funny to me that exactly this happened about 15 years later.
I tried the new 13” Air and was impressed but the new Pro has the superior display, which helps when viewing sheet music in a variety of stage and rehearsal lighting conditions. It’s also lighter and therefore less cumbersome to carry as well as less precarious on flimsy music stands. I exchanged the Air for the Pro and have no regrets.
I think the iPad generally shines best in niche applications like mine. It works so well, in fact, that I went a ridiculous nine years before upgrading because there was simply no justification until the OS and software became noticeably sluggish on the increasingly outdated hardware, and I suspect that experiences like mine have a lot to do with weird sales numbers. I can’t say that I understand everything about why Apple does what they do but I understand the logic in keeping a touch interface device separate from a laptop - it may not be for everyone but it’s fantastic in the right use-case.
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc.
Yep... the more accurate comparison to a MacPad Pro would be fridge/freezer: two devices that share a core functionality, keeping food cold, and yet neither would be a satisfying substitute for the other. You need both, depending on the result you want to achieve.
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc. Apple hasn't shown any interest/inclination towards improving iPad OS features for almost half a decade. Begs the question - why not take the easiest approach possible with the already available software. Also, iPhones will reach the capability to run MacOS in another year or two (if not already there) at the hardware level (SoC, Memory, Storage). And all you would need is a dock to connect to a display, keyboard and other accessories. There will be more people demanding this in the upcoming years in my view.
IMO, the iPad Pro became a fridge / toaster as soon as Apple released the Magic Keyboard, same as the Surface Pro. The difference is in the execution, the iPad is better tablet and the Surface Pro is a better laptop / desktop replacement.
New hardware doesn't appeal to me personally because I want something groundbreaking to happen in iPad OS first. I've not purchased in iPad in YEARS, and have no plans to buy one until I see real SOFTWARE INNOVATION happen. From the sound of it, a lot of would-be iPad buyers are just like me.
I doubt that very much. Most iPad users aren’t even aware of the controversies surrounding this software OS issue. People keep their iPads because they last a long time, and Apple supports them for a long time. That’s pretty much it. Waiting for some astounding OS update is nonsense. If you get a new iPad, it will perform much better, even on many mundane tasks, and if the update does come out after three or four years, you will get it. So your issue is a non issue.
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc. Apple hasn't shown any interest/inclination towards improving iPad OS features for almost half a decade. Begs the question - why not take the easiest approach possible with the already available software. Also, iPhones will reach the capability to run MacOS in another year or two (if not already there) at the hardware level (SoC, Memory, Storage). And all you would need is a dock to connect to a display, keyboard and other accessories. There will be more people demanding this in the upcoming years in my view.
IMO, the iPad Pro became a fridge / toaster as soon as Apple released the Magic Keyboard, same as the Surface Pro. The difference is in the execution, the iPad is better tablet and the Surface Pro is a better laptop / desktop replacement.
The biggest difference is that Apple actually makes a profit on all their iPad sales every one of them. The Surface like the Xbox makes none there is nothing Microsoft can teach Apple about hardware/software design, product execution or in fact anything?
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc. Apple hasn't shown any interest/inclination towards improving iPad OS features for almost half a decade. Begs the question - why not take the easiest approach possible with the already available software. Also, iPhones will reach the capability to run MacOS in another year or two (if not already there) at the hardware level (SoC, Memory, Storage). And all you would need is a dock to connect to a display, keyboard and other accessories. There will be more people demanding this in the upcoming years in my view.
IMO, the iPad Pro became a fridge / toaster as soon as Apple released the Magic Keyboard, same as the Surface Pro. The difference is in the execution, the iPad is better tablet and the Surface Pro is a better laptop / desktop replacement.
The biggest difference is that Apple actually makes a profit on all their iPad sales every one of them.
It's well-known that Apple generates significant revenue from hardware sales. But at the same time, Microsoft's makes huge profits from software and cloud services. Each company capitalizes on its strengths in these areas.
The Surface like the Xbox makes none there is nothing Microsoft can teach Apple about hardware/software design, product execution or in fact anything?
If you ask me, Apple could learn a lot from MS. For example, the gaming experience in PC's and Xbox is miles ahead compared to Mac's and Apple TV (that's the only device I think is similar to the Xbox). Also Apple could learn from Microsoft about productivity suites, cloud services, business / enterprise applications and AI. I suppose there are more examples. We could also say that MS could learn many things from Apple. I suppose there is no perfect company.
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc. Apple hasn't shown any interest/inclination towards improving iPad OS features for almost half a decade. Begs the question - why not take the easiest approach possible with the already available software. Also, iPhones will reach the capability to run MacOS in another year or two (if not already there) at the hardware level (SoC, Memory, Storage). And all you would need is a dock to connect to a display, keyboard and other accessories. There will be more people demanding this in the upcoming years in my view.
IMO, the iPad Pro became a fridge / toaster as soon as Apple released the Magic Keyboard, same as the Surface Pro. The difference is in the execution, the iPad is better tablet and the Surface Pro is a better laptop / desktop replacement.
The biggest difference is that Apple actually makes a profit on all their iPad sales every one of them.
It's well-known that Apple generates significant revenue from hardware sales. But at the same time, Microsoft's makes huge profits from software and cloud services. Each company capitalizes on its strengths in these areas.
The Surface like the Xbox makes none there is nothing Microsoft can teach Apple about hardware/software design, product execution or in fact anything?
If you ask me, Apple could learn a lot from MS. For example, the gaming experience in PC's and Xbox is miles ahead compared to Mac's and Apple TV (that's the only device I think is similar to the Xbox). Also Apple could learn from Microsoft about productivity suites, cloud services, business / enterprise applications and AI. I suppose there are more examples. We could also say that MS could learn many things from Apple. I suppose there is no perfect company.
Microsoft make their money from inertia in business not product quantity. the customer base they target is not the end users but people who are not productive but for “business reasons” control the spend. Indeed the better surface machines only came about because it was the hardware going in to the hands of buyers and was starting to have them looking around for options.
Not saying any of these systems is better but Apple rely entirely on users as the customers and it shows in a lot of ways most of them good.
I have an iPad Air 5 and it is more than powerful enough. The holdback is the OS. It's hard to believe that there is still no system wide audio control. An M4 IPad Pro would offer me nothing new or additional.
New hardware doesn't appeal to me personally because I want something groundbreaking to happen in iPad OS first. I've not purchased in iPad in YEARS, and have no plans to buy one until I see real SOFTWARE INNOVATION happen. From the sound of it, a lot of would-be iPad buyers are just like me.
I doubt that very much. Most iPad users aren’t even aware of the controversies surrounding this software OS issue. People keep their iPads because they last a long time, and Apple supports them for a long time. That’s pretty much it. Waiting for some astounding OS update is nonsense. If you get a new iPad, it will perform much better, even on many mundane tasks, and if the update does come out after three or four years, you will get it. So your issue is a non issue.
I totally agree with your sentiment. I’m still impressed with my M2 iPad Pro and don’t have any interest in getting a newer one anytime soon. If I was in the market for a new one I’d definitely get the newest iPad Pro model available. These things have an impressive lifespan due in part to the simplified touch-centric operating system.
Apple’s Continuity features on macOS have taken the usefulness of the iPad to new heights and provide another reason for owning both a MacBook and an iPad.
Here's a killer product that Apple could make today, but they won't: the MacPad Pro. Essentially, it's a 13" iPad Pro form factor that can boot into either MacOS or iPadOS, depending on user choice. M chips are perfectly capable of this. Boot into iPadOS, and it behaves like a normal iPad. Boot into MacOS and the screen becomes non-touch, so you connect a Magic Keyboard and operate it like a normal Macbook. Best of both worlds in one device and no need to figure out how to kludge a touch-based OS onto MacOS.
I agree completely with you on this. I don't understand why few people in this forum criticize this idea as Fridge/Toaster etc. Apple hasn't shown any interest/inclination towards improving iPad OS features for almost half a decade. Begs the question - why not take the easiest approach possible with the already available software. Also, iPhones will reach the capability to run MacOS in another year or two (if not already there) at the hardware level (SoC, Memory, Storage). And all you would need is a dock to connect to a display, keyboard and other accessories. There will be more people demanding this in the upcoming years in my view.
IMO, the iPad Pro became a fridge / toaster as soon as Apple released the Magic Keyboard, same as the Surface Pro. The difference is in the execution, the iPad is better tablet and the Surface Pro is a better laptop / desktop replacement.
The biggest difference is that Apple actually makes a profit on all their iPad sales every one of them.
It's well-known that Apple generates significant revenue from hardware sales. But at the same time, Microsoft's makes huge profits from software and cloud services. Each company capitalizes on its strengths in these areas.
The Surface like the Xbox makes none there is nothing Microsoft can teach Apple about hardware/software design, product execution or in fact anything?
If you ask me, Apple could learn a lot from MS. For example, the gaming experience in PC's and Xbox is miles ahead compared to Mac's and Apple TV (that's the only device I think is similar to the Xbox). Also Apple could learn from Microsoft about productivity suites, cloud services, business / enterprise applications and AI. I suppose there are more examples. We could also say that MS could learn many things from Apple. I suppose there is no perfect company.
Apple and Microsoft have hd different orientations from the beginning. Microsoft was looking to the office and Apple for creatives. That hasn’t changed much. The Surface Pro is just a thing Windows computer, while the iPad is a real tablet. Again, different directions. Apple has been very successful selling iPads, who le Microsoft, by their own numbers, has been far less successful selling Surface Pros. It pretty much tell you which company understands its potential customers more. Apple’s software is also very successful and profitable. They just aren’t interested in Microsoft’s market.
New hardware doesn't appeal to me personally because I want something groundbreaking to happen in iPad OS first. I've not purchased in iPad in YEARS, and have no plans to buy one until I see real SOFTWARE INNOVATION happen. From the sound of it, a lot of would-be iPad buyers are just like me.
I doubt that very much. Most iPad users aren’t even aware of the controversies surrounding this software OS issue. People keep their iPads because they last a long time, and Apple supports them for a long time. That’s pretty much it. Waiting for some astounding OS update is nonsense. If you get a new iPad, it will perform much better, even on many mundane tasks, and if the update does come out after three or four years, you will get it. So your issue is a non issue.
I totally agree with your sentiment. I’m still impressed with my M2 iPad Pro and don’t have any interest in getting a newer one anytime soon. If I was in the market for a new one I’d definitely get the newest iPad Pro model available. These things have an impressive lifespan due in part to the simplified touch-centric operating system.
Apple’s Continuity features on macOS have taken the usefulness of the iPad to new heights and provide another reason for owning both a MacBook and an iPad.
Exactly. There are two catigories of people who complain about the OS. The first is those, a fairly small group, who need to pass files and data among others. It’s generally harder to do that on an iPad than a Mac. The second are people who just like to complain about something they won’t use if it did come out. And regarding that, I’ve found quite a few on some forums, when asked specific questions, don’t know what the iPad does now, leading me to believe that they’re non iPad users just trolling.
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So buy an ipad or at the max an iPad Air. iPad is great for consuming news, multimedia , play a game and process some mail. But when you want to really get things done, go to a real computer. Apple has never been able to fulfill their promise:” iPad the only Computer you need”. And they never will, as it wants to sell you their Macs as well.
If you ask me, Apple could learn a lot from MS. For example, the gaming experience in PC's and Xbox is miles ahead compared to Mac's and Apple TV (that's the only device I think is similar to the Xbox). Also Apple could learn from Microsoft about productivity suites, cloud services, business / enterprise applications and AI. I suppose there are more examples. We could also say that MS could learn many things from Apple. I suppose there is no perfect company.
the customer base they target is not the end users but people who are not productive but for “business reasons” control the spend. Indeed the better surface machines only came about because it was the hardware going in to the hands of buyers and was starting to have them looking around for options.
Exactly. There are two catigories of people who complain about the OS. The first is those, a fairly small group, who need to pass files and data among others. It’s generally harder to do that on an iPad than a Mac. The second are people who just like to complain about something they won’t use if it did come out. And regarding that, I’ve found quite a few on some forums, when asked specific questions, don’t know what the iPad does now, leading me to believe that they’re non iPad users just trolling.