[HN Gopher] Giving up the iPad-only travel dream
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Giving up the iPad-only travel dream
Author : haunter
Score : 69 points
Date : 2023-08-25 20:58 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (sixcolors.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (sixcolors.com)
| wildrhythms wrote:
| I always found the 'multitasking' features on iPad OS to be
| really poor. It suspends things in the background so aggressively
| that any kind of switching back and forth between Safari tabs (to
| and from a Github Codespace) is just non-feasible. And the lack
| of browser dev tools without tethering to a 'real' computer.
| Austin_Conlon wrote:
| Even Final Cut Pro on iPad requires staying in the foreground
| during exports.
| klipklop wrote:
| Never understand why apple ships their iPads and Macbooks
| with such little ram by default. Yes I understand profit, but
| it really limits what these devices can do. The numbers have
| not really changed much in the last several years...
| TexanFeller wrote:
| Lots of RAM uses more battery. Not a huge amount, but
| battery life is something Apple and its customers weigh
| more heavily. Same reason for aggressive suspending of
| background apps.
| HippoBaro wrote:
| Limiting the amount of ram goes a long way in reducing
| power consumption. It takes constant voltage to keep the
| cells alive, even when the device is locked and seemingly
| doing nothing.
|
| The iPad really does have great battery life on the other
| hand.
| pcurve wrote:
| Are you saying there is battery life difference between
| 8gb vs 16gb MacBook too? (Since iPad Pro only comes in
| 8gb)
| coder543 wrote:
| iPad Pro comes in 8GB and 16GB variants.
|
| Scroll down to "Chip": https://www.apple.com/ipad-
| pro/specs/
| wvenable wrote:
| Apple wants strict market segmentation. Why would they sell
| you once device that does everything when they can sell you
| 2 or 3 devices for specific tasks.
|
| There might even be some logic to that with each device
| optimized for it's specific best purpose. It also doesn't
| hurt that it makes them more money.
| lancesells wrote:
| I think Apple is very much a mega-corp who does
| everything to create greater profit but I'm not sure they
| are limiting devices to make sure you buy more. More than
| likely it's because iPadOS is based on iOS, and thus it's
| naturally more of a consumption device with all of those
| locked down hard limits.
|
| IMO they should do a hard turn and make iPadOS it's own
| thing. Give it the benefits of iOS but with macOS
| flexibility. Right now, it's essentially a bigger phone.
| jxdxbx wrote:
| I like the 12.9" iPad for reading all kinds of documents, and
| video. I use it most as a "computer" when I remote in to my media
| server. But I still can do all my work on it when traveling,
| despite the inconveniences.
| readthenotes1 wrote:
| "For many years, I tried very hard to travel with only an iPad.
| (Why bring two devices? And I'm not leaving my iPad at home.)"
|
| I bet they means _three_ devices, since I would wager they does
| not leave theys "more expensive than a Windows-based laptop"
| iPhone at home.
| timestretch wrote:
| The hardware in the iPhone is probably powerful enough to run
| all software he'd run on his Mac if it were similarly
| unhampered by iOS.
| gizajob wrote:
| I wrote a 160,000 word book this year on an iPad Air with smart
| keyboard (I find how the pro keyboard doesn't fold all the way
| back to allow holding the iPad landscape too big of an annoyance
| to buy one). I think it's a brilliant device, and while limited,
| does do some things better than the Mac - annotating PDFs and
| ebooks with the Pencil being one of them. Also nice to hold a
| document one is working on in landscape so that it looks like
| it's on paper, yet remains interactive. Yeah I get it's kind of
| hamstrung and annoyingly clunky in a way that you'd think apple
| could resolve, but still think as a device it's pretty
| remarkable, and still got loads of potential for getting better,
| somehow.
|
| I think I'm going to try laying out my next book using Affinity
| Publisher - I used the Mac version to lay out the last one so
| hope I can do the same while finding benefits for doing so with
| my little paddy.
|
| One other side benefit is that the iPad somehow seems incongruous
| - with a laptop out in public you're "working" yet with an iPad
| you're somehow perceptually not.
|
| Plus, iPad coupled with Library Genesis is _awesome_. Totally
| awesome. Yeah I 'm a terrible libertarian pirate, but it's just
| incredible. Better than the libraries I've paid a fortune for as
| part of my education. Heaps better than the annoying tedium of
| logging in to various publishers and databases and subscriptions
| via a library website to then use a locked-down epub in a
| horrible and further locked down DRM e-reader, every one of which
| I've ever tried is basically an abomination.
| madeofpalk wrote:
| Like all things Apple, iPad is great if you only use it for the
| exact, limited use cases it was designed for. The moment you
| start to be beyond that slightly it completely falls apart.
|
| Contrast it to a more general computer running macOS or
| Windows, which does a poorer job at what iPad does best, but it
| has a much longer tail where the complexity ramps up linearly,
| compared to the hockey stick of iOS.
| gizajob wrote:
| At the same time though, limited tools can lead to
| creativity. I know we're in the company of coders with
| complex workflows, but using and understanding a limited tool
| well to the point where you can max it out can be better than
| living with a "long tail" of untapped power and productivity.
| Strange though, how the iPad is ostensibly a much better
| device given the touchscreen and keyboard (and now pencil)
| and yet remains somehow less useful than a MacBook. Might
| also be an issue of perception that the iPad can't do certain
| things well, when it almost can. From a user standpoint,
| having a device that really is like an appliance that never
| blinks or goes wrong is pretty brilliant. Windows has let me
| down on that front too many times for too many years, and now
| the only time I use it I live in a web browser 99.9% of the
| time (in a university library)...
| oflannabhra wrote:
| I know Apple has a strong resistance to the two-in-one form
| factor, but an M-series MacBook Air with detachable screen that
| seamlessly transitions between macOS and iPadOS is basically my
| dream device.
| toasted-subs wrote:
| The iPad I have has effectively become a second screen for my
| MacBook as a with a walcom tablet.
|
| It's too heavy to read from.
| timestretch wrote:
| They want to sell you two devices, and a monthly subscription
| to iCloud to interoperate between them.
| giobox wrote:
| And in the case of the iPad, try to sell you them
| individually for each family member...
|
| It's 2023, and you still can't have multiple user accounts on
| any model of iPad, "Pro" or otherwise. This is a feature you
| can just take for-granted on virtually any other "computer"
| too.
| behnamoh wrote:
| The thing is: I can't even do media consumptions and web
| browsing on iPad. Browsing the web without uBlock and a few
| other extensions is a battle I'm not willing to fight. And
| so many video codecs not supported on iPad makes it
| unusable for media consumption. And have you tried opening
| your videos in other apps? Guess what? The file gets copied
| to the other app, meaning that now you have two versions of
| the same movie/whatever.
|
| The iPadOS is so broken in basic ways that I can't even.
| mattl wrote:
| There are decent Adblock apps for iPad.
| wlesieutre wrote:
| You can if you're a school!
|
| https://support.apple.com/en-hk/guide/deployment-
| education/e...
|
| The feature has existed for _years_ , Apple just won't let
| you use it because they'd rather sell separate devices to
| every family member.
|
| For all the talk about environmentalism and their elaborate
| phone recycling robots, they're not too concerned about the
| "reduce" part of "reduce, reuse, recycle." Never mind that
| it's the most important one that you're supposed to do
| before the others.
|
| EDIT - I'm aware a local users system without a network
| login system would require a slightly different
| implementation from schools, but a small 2.8 trillion
| dollar company like Apple could figure it out if they
| wanted to
| Gigachad wrote:
| I've heard that the multi user feature for schools is
| pretty skin deep and that it basically just acts as an
| auth for apps which store all data remotely. Not at all
| something you could just drop on regular consumers.
| paulcole wrote:
| Yeah, this is why they've pushed so hard for people to carry
| both iPhones and iPods.
| nomel wrote:
| What is this in reference to? I have an iPad and a MacBook. I
| don't pay a subscription. I usually use Microsoft OneDrive,
| so I can sync between/to my non apple devices, though I
| usually just use airdrop.
|
| Are you referring to extra cloud storage?
|
| edit: A response would be appreciated, so I can understand
| what's going on with this comment. This is a genuine
| question. What subscription am I missing out on here?
| dmonitor wrote:
| I really don't buy these kinds of explanations when it comes
| to Apple products. They would love to sell you a 2-in-1
| device for twice as much.
|
| I just don't think the UX is good enough for their standards.
| MacOS is poorly suited for touch interactions, and iPadOS is
| poorly suited for mouse cursor oriented interactions. 2-in-1s
| are just terrible UX experiences that Apple doesn't want to
| be associated with.
| housemusicfan wrote:
| > I just don't think the UX is good enough for their
| standards. MacOS is poorly suited for touch interactions,
| and iPadOS is poorly suited for mouse cursor oriented
| interactions.
|
| "They've developed utter shite over two decades but only
| did so because of their impossibly high standards and they
| care about you, the customer."
| gtvwill wrote:
| Lol no they wouldn't or they'd have done it ten years ago.
| Apple is after your dollars they care nothing for what's
| better for you for productivity or any ethics outside of
| profit really. Their actions over the last 20 years set
| that in stone.
| nomel wrote:
| > they care nothing for what's better for you for
| productivity
|
| What is your perspective based on? I'm not sure it's
| accurate, especially for productivity/professionals [1].
| This matches my personal experience.
|
| [1] https://www.jamf.com/blog/total-cost-of-ownership-
| mac-versus...
| gtvwill wrote:
| Well if they were really for productivity they would have
| made all their software offerings over the last 20 years
| cross platform in order to allow users of other systems
| to feel such amazing productivity boosts. But they didnt,
| they walled it off and made mac's about as incompatible
| and hard to work with for any other device
| (android,windows,linux) as they possibly could.
|
| Proof in case, I can plug an android phone into a windows
| or linux os device and have zero problems yeeting files
| around and doing stuff off the block with zero input from
| me for drivers or some fancy app to let me get to the
| data. I cant do this with an iphone. The most simple act
| of using a phone as a physical storage device to get
| something from point a to b....near impossible on apple
| hardware. Meanwhile its been stock standard functionality
| for about 15+ years on other devices.
| hotnfresh wrote:
| > Apple is after your dollars they care nothing for
| what's better for you for productivity or any ethics
| outside of profit really.
|
| A damning indictment of the personal computing industry
| is that Apple nonetheless deliver the best of anyone this
| front, by a mile, for most users. The whole product
| category of personal computing devices and operating
| systems is a real shit-show.
| zakki wrote:
| The problem is most other devices are cheaper so no
| complaint for the shit-show. With Apple's prices, I want
| more.
| katbyte wrote:
| You are just speculating - having a 2 in 1 device is not
| as easy as "osx on an iPad" or "iOS on a Mac"
|
| Until the m1 is was 100% not possible, now that they are
| both arm it's possible but still would require an
| entirely new device class to do it justice
| hu3 wrote:
| > Until the m1 is was 100% not possible.
|
| Microsoft made that possible at least 6 years ago with
| Surface Book. Why couldn't Apple? (spoiler they could)
|
| https://youtu.be/SdQQ8uvylJ0?si=as1k5R5BhFTZiys_&t=106
|
| And there are other brands too:
| https://www.ign.com/articles/best-detachable-laptops
|
| Took me 10 seconds to Google. Why do people go to these
| great lengths to defend giant soulless corporations is
| beyond me.
| [deleted]
| afavour wrote:
| Anyone that used an iOS simulator back in the x64 days
| would tell you that it's entirely possible to run iOS on
| x64, just Apple chooses not to do it.
|
| (before anyone jumps in to tell me the simulator is not a
| full OS: I know. But there was a full toolchain to build
| for x64, if they'd chosen to Apple could have leveraged
| it)
| hhh wrote:
| The iPad pro is basically this, but just needs to be able to
| swap when you hook up the Magic Keyboard.
| willio58 wrote:
| As long as it didn't sacrifice the user experience both devices
| currently have I'd be on board!
| TillE wrote:
| The problem with a convertible MacBook is that you'd have to
| move the battery to behind the display, at which point you're
| really just making an iPad that can be attached to a keyboard
| dock and run macOS.
|
| I think the latter is a plausible evolution of the iPad Pro.
| blackaspen wrote:
| This. Or a Yoga style fold-over in an 11" formfactor.
|
| I picked up an X13s (the ARM one) for travel. It's not perfect
| -- one thing I like about iOS is that the airline apps are kind
| of required for IFE, but, my X13s weighs the same as my iPad
| Pro with a keyboard and can do much more. Trying to use Google
| Slides or Docs on the iPad is a poor experience.
| gizajob wrote:
| I'm amazed the two haven't converged yet. I've no doubt apple
| have lurking in their labs a "double iPad" with a "screen" and
| a second screen where the keyboard now lives, running a version
| of iOS-like MacOS. Would love that device and think it'll
| emerge eventually.
| forrestthewoods wrote:
| I would also accept an iPad that can dual-boot into macOS when
| using a Magic Keyboard.
|
| The fact that they don't allow this is absurd. They basically
| charge $1500 for macOS. I'd probably pay that to let my iPad
| dual boot if they'd let me!
| hinkley wrote:
| iPad with a power connector on the side where the cover
| attaches, and a macbook the exact size of an iPad with no
| screen, just a remote desktop on the iPad.
|
| Either data over the charging port, or low throughput over
| Bluetooth 5 (when is 6 due?)
| bgoldste wrote:
| And now it's mine too...
| treve wrote:
| Pick literally any other vendor than Apple and you can likely do
| most things.
| semireg wrote:
| Someone should make a list of analogies of: if X were an iPad you
| couldn't do Y.
|
| Perhaps after a few hundred of these we could identify a higher
| level pattern that would "make sense" instead of being
| frustrating. I feel like there's some deep philosophical
| underpinning or monad-like slip-through-your-fingers constraint
| that is maddening.
| classified wrote:
| Nope, it's just Apple wanting to maximize profits.
| thelastknowngod wrote:
| I basically haven't used an apple product (outside of the ipod)
| since my powermac circa 2003. I got an iPad pretty much entirely
| for the pencil and Procreate. Both are wonderful but it's a
| horrible OS otherwise. I don't think I would ever get an iPhone
| given how inflexible everything feels in that ecosystem.
|
| I thought I might be able to do some light development work on
| it.. No chance.
|
| I don't even know why it has so much storage space. The file
| system is so poorly designed it's a pain in the ass to transfer
| anything to it.
| vondur wrote:
| Apple wants there to be a distinction between the two devices,
| otherwise people would only purchase one if they were equivalent.
| politelemon wrote:
| I'm also looking for a two in one, a tablet that can be a laptop.
| The best I've found is a surface, and I think dell has some two
| in ones too. The surface feels like the right call because it's
| just light enough to be a powerful tablet, but not so power
| hungry that it's stationary. I think they've hit the right
| balance here.
|
| It's a shame this form factor isn't so common, and what would be
| perfect for a vacation would be a Chromebook. It's browser
| centric which is 98% of vacation related activities.
| mos_6502 wrote:
| I was about to comment something to the same effect.
|
| Like the author, as well as many who have commented, I've long
| been disappointed in the gap between macOS' support for
| advanced use cases (which I need), and the iPad's portability
| (which I like).
|
| I picked up a Surface Go 3. Having an actual desktop OS on a
| well-built, decently powerful (albeit hot at times) tablet
| struck the perfect balance for me. Wish I had done it years
| ago.
| Joe_Boogz wrote:
| I've been using Remote Desktop to a windows environment in the
| cloud for a while. It's been pretty great actually. As long as
| you have a Bluetooth mouse an IPad makes a great thin client in a
| pinch.
|
| I know people want MacOs, but it's a workaround that works.
| jeromeparadis wrote:
| As a developer/CTO who's use-case when travelling is just being
| able to take care of emergencies if something present itself I
| wanted to do away from bringing a laptop in vacation. Since I
| develop using Docker, my solution is basically an EC2 machine I
| can fire if needed that has VSCode installed as a server
| running in a browser with Docker installed in the same machine.
| Basically a cloud dev environment available in the browser.
|
| It's amazing how it all works well, even the Docker integration
| inside VSCode. The main thing that doesn't work as well as
| locally is searching the source code which is very slow. A
| work-around would be to search your code separately in Github
| or whatever service you use.
|
| Anyway, with this setup, I can go away with a clear mind that I
| have a dev machine available even if I only bring my iPad (with
| keyboard cover).
| layer8 wrote:
| One serious problem is that only a limited set of PC keyboard
| keys and key combinations are available in that setup (mapped
| from the local keyboard). It works in a pinch, using the
| Windows on-screen keyboard when necessary, but I found it
| impractical for regular work,
| seanthemon wrote:
| Which cloud provider do you use? I'm currently connecting to my
| pc but i don't like this solution. I'd like to run a docker
| instance
| mrcwinn wrote:
| Here's the real problem. Apple will never intentionally prolong
| upgrade cycles for expensive laptops by offering you a cheaper
| device that can "do everything."
|
| The iPad was conceived as a media consumption device, sitting
| between a phone and a laptop. Steve Jobs said this at the
| beginning. You want to browse the web, you want send some emails,
| you want to watch movies. That's it. Nothing more.
|
| Save yourself some travel weight. Just pack your Mac. You were
| already packing it anyway.
| rollcat wrote:
| I think the real world use cases for an iPad are slightly
| broader, but not by much. My partner uses one to make digital
| art; it also has a relatively decent camera, some apps for
| video/audio production (like Final Cut/Logic), it's also better
| than a phone at being an SSH terminal... But the creative
| applications end somewhere around right there.
|
| It's an appliance. An appliance with mind-boggingly awesome
| specs - if it were a computer - but it's just that, an
| appliance closer in spirit to a microwave than to a PC. Treat
| it as such, and it will be one of the best appliances you'll
| ever own; but to expect it to be a computer is to set oneself
| up to be disappointed.
|
| I'm more than happy with it for what it is, but don't mistake
| it for what it's not.
| paxys wrote:
| A basic iPad as a reasonably priced (~$300-$500) media
| consumption device is fantastic. The problem is that's not what
| Apple is selling it as anymore. Look up all their advertising
| from the last few years and they barely even acknowledge that
| price point. Instead you will see all the "Pro" models, fancy
| accessories, M1/M2 chips, LiDAR, terabytes of storage and
| prices eclipsing that of mid-range MacBooks. Everyone I know
| who ate up the advertising and bought $1500+ iPads as a primary
| or secondary productivity device is now regretting it as they
| either lay unused or are glorified Netflix and Facebook
| tablets.
| iainmerrick wrote:
| _Apple will never intentionally prolong upgrade cycles for
| expensive laptops by offering you a cheaper device that can "do
| everything."_
|
| If that were the case, they'd be making much more money from
| laptops than from iPads, right?
|
| If they were making just as much money from iPads, though, it
| would make sense to make the iPad as good as possible.
| Cannibalizing Mac sales wouldn't be a big deal.
|
| Per the Six Colors breakdown of Apple's financial results
| (https://sixcolors.com/post/2023/08/charts-
| apple-q3-2023-resu...) Macs and iPads accounted for 8% and 7%
| of their revenue.
|
| _The iPad was conceived as a media consumption device, sitting
| between a phone and a laptop. Steve Jobs said this at the
| beginning._
|
| They've gone back on plenty of things Steve Jobs said (in many
| cases, Jobs himself was the one who did it).
|
| I don't think they have a religious objection to making the
| iPad useful, as you seem to be saying; I think they think they
| _are_ making it useful, that the current design (including its
| limitations) is the best compromise.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| stetrain wrote:
| A 12.9" iPad Pro with the keyboard case is more expensive than
| the equivalent 13" MacBook Pro.
| gizajob wrote:
| The horror of Apple's pricing structure. Has annoyed me to
| the point where I've abandoned purchasing anything on several
| occasions.
| vorpalhex wrote:
| I just left for a trip today and have a macbook I purchased three
| days ago along for the ride. Both the spouse and I were
| uncomfortable with only having ipads - and within 4 hours of
| landing it's already been the right call.
|
| It's a shame. A full desktop OS in iPad form factor is basically
| a holy grail.
| zulln wrote:
| What are you missing? If only a few tasks you could just VNC to
| a "desktop OS" for these tasks. I would assume most things that
| requires such OS requires an internet connection anyway.
|
| I still primary use a laptop, but that is because I like the
| form of it. So I have no actual experience trying to survive
| with only iOS.
| codetrotter wrote:
| > you could just VNC to a "desktop OS" for these tasks
|
| There are many places in the world where the availability of
| the internet is so spotty and so poor, that trying to use VNC
| to get work done would not be possible.
| ciabattabread wrote:
| Like a vacation trip? What are you doing that requires access
| to a laptop?
| jtriangle wrote:
| >A full desktop OS in iPad form factor is basically a holy
| grail.
|
| There are many, many ways to acquisition that, just because
| apple won't let you do it doesn't mean it can't be done.
| Anything that can run linux with the KDE plasma desktop
| environment will, at very least, feel very familiar to OSX. You
| might have to seek out some app alternatives if you're doing
| something specific, but nowadays general desktop computing like
| you'd do on a laptop is well covered in most distros, and if
| you're looking for a place to start, Kubuntu is likely your
| best OOB experience.
|
| Combine that with basically any windows native tablet computer,
| and you're off to the races. You'll likely have to play with
| some things to get it how you want it, but the nice thing about
| linux is you _can_ play with those things.
|
| So yes, the holy grail is here weary traveler.
| cogman10 wrote:
| The issue is a OS and UX designed around touch screen doesn't
| work well with a mouse and vice versa.
|
| I think MS got the closest to sort of addressing it with
| windows 8, but everyone simply defaulted to the desktop mode
| rather than the touch mode (didn't help that the windows store
| was/is incredibly poorly done).
|
| This is why devices like the surface pro or other 2 in 1
| devices never really seemed to work out. You are either harming
| the tablet experience or the keyboard experience.
| haswell wrote:
| > _The issue is a OS and UX designed around touch screen
| doesn 't work well with a mouse and vice versa._
|
| This is really not the case with iPadOS though. It already
| works quite well with a touchpad and keyboard. The hardware
| is already there to control a full desktop OS, iPadOS already
| allows itself to be be controlled as if it's a desktop OS,
| and with continuity mode, it's already possible to control
| macOS via an iPad.
|
| All of these things already work pretty well, and paint a
| pretty decent picture of what might be if Apple decided to go
| further.
|
| Some things just work better on a touchscreen, even when
| they're running on macOS. Some things just work better with a
| mouse and keyboard, even when they're running on iPadOS.
|
| As long as there's some way to transition between them, I do
| really think a best-of-both-worlds option exists, because
| it's mostly there already.
| warning26 wrote:
| It really is -- my iPad has the same CPU as my Mac, and it
| highlights just how much iPadOS lets the hardware go to waste.
| MacOS is better in essentially every possible way -- faster,
| can run whatever you like, better multitasking.
| Kon-Peki wrote:
| This is a new development, and only on the most expensive
| versions. Historically, the iPad has always been running an
| iPhone-class processor.
|
| I'd bet that Apple is still shipping 5x-10x as many A-series
| iPads as M-series iPads.
|
| I'd love to be able to run a more capable OS on an M-series
| iPad, but not if that means all the rest have a worse
| experience. Maybe Apple needs to release an iPadOS Pro to go
| along with the M-series chips?
| pnpnp wrote:
| Out of curiosity - what problems did you run into?
| egonschiele wrote:
| It's wild how few keyboard shortcuts you can use on an iPad. That
| alone has been enough to make me use mine less.
| drewg123 wrote:
| I really, really wish that Apple had not let developers opt-out
| their apps from running on M1/M2 Macbooks.
|
| My use case is a long flight where I want to watch a movie on a
| screen bigger than my phone. For a while, some of the streaming
| service iOS apps ran on my MBP. In fact, I subscribed to HBO Max
| partially because their app worked on my MBP. But since their
| rebrand to Max, it no longer works.
| ab_testing wrote:
| What is the problem with using the browser on the MacBook to
| access content ?
| bgoldste wrote:
| Some of the apps allow you to download the content, while the
| browser version doesn't. In case you don't have to wifi on
| the flight.
| lancesells wrote:
| Maybe it needs a connection and not all flights have that?
| ryukafalz wrote:
| Even if you do have a connection, it's typically expensive
| and bandwidth limited. Having whatever you want to watch
| already locally on your device just makes more sense.
| xwdv wrote:
| If all you need is to carry a computer for emergency work related
| tasks on vacation, you can do it straight from an iPhone thin
| client and Bluetooth keyboard. No MacBook or iPad required.
| tqwhite wrote:
| I do not want to do my work on an iPad. I have never understood
| what the Mac was lacking that the iPad might provide. The essay
| explains the perfection of the Mac: You can do anything with it.
| If you are a developer, you can _really_ do anything with it.
|
| For me, the iPad is the optional one (not that I would ever not
| take it). My MacBook is pretty close to being a perfect device
| for work. iPad is a perfect device for, well, everything else.
| Done.
| [deleted]
| tammer wrote:
| These types of articles come out periodically and annoy me quite
| a bit. iPadOS has been my interface to the digital world for
| going on 6 years. Here are the things I do exclusively via an
| iPad Pro: * administer a dozen HPC clusters
| * perform all the digital tasks required of a non-profit board
| member * learn/read, communicate, consume media, photo edit
| and all the other normal life things one does on a computer
| nowadays
|
| It's true that I don't have a podcast. But I think I'm in the
| majority of computer users there! I'll also say that I have had
| to accept some limits or look for workarounds in the past, but
| the big additions of file downloads, safari compatibility modes
| and finally stage manager have effectively taken care of those.
| [deleted]
| Spooky23 wrote:
| Yeah, same. I think at the end of the day, some folks don't
| want to work that way. Which is fine.
|
| I do all of my personal business on an iMac. The big gap for me
| was the shell, which is now not an issue with iSH available.
| There's literally nothing I cannot do that I need to do that
| can't be done on the iPad.
| pjot wrote:
| An iPad with (any) Bluetooth keyboard and mouse along with
| codespaces (or replit, gitpod, et al) works well. As long as you
| accept that what you're using isn't a full blown computer, it's
| absolutely enough. All about managing expectations.
| timestretch wrote:
| I'd buy an iPad immediately if I could run MacOS on it.
| jeroenhd wrote:
| Surface tablets exist (they can run Linux but I'd stick with
| Windows on them). 2-in-1 laptop/tablet hybrids have also
| existed for a while, sold with Windows and ChromeOS but many of
| them work fine with standard Linux.
|
| Some models can even become relatively competent Hackintosh,
| though macOS lacks proper pen drivers of course.
|
| Samsung has Dex, which is a desktop interface for Android
| tablets (and phones hooked up to a dock). For a while they
| experimented with offering a full Ubuntu desktop, but I believe
| they've stopped that experiment.
|
| Honestly, Apple seems to be the only tablet manufacturer that
| still tries its hardest to push professional users back to
| laptops. With the virtualisation support in Android 13+, I
| wonder how long it'll take before someone brings out the first
| macOS-on-Samsung-Galaxy app; various people have already run
| Windows 11 as a proof of concept on Pixel devices so who knows
| how long it'll take.
| thih9 wrote:
| I don't get why this is still impossible in 2023, with M1 in
| both macbooks and ipads.
|
| I'm sure at some point someone at apple has built a prototype
| and did extensive testing, I'd love to know why was that shut
| down. And whether it was a business related issue, or a tech/UX
| related issue.
| LeoPanthera wrote:
| This is a silly thing to say. macOS is specifically designed
| for use with a mouse and keyboard. iOS is specifically designed
| for use with a touch screen.
|
| Adapting either one to work with the other would only make it
| worse.
| markus92 wrote:
| Apple sells a magic keyboard for the iPad pro which also has
| a touchpad. The hardware is not the problem.
| timestretch wrote:
| Other ridiculous things: The "Apple Magic Keyboard Folio"
| for the 10th gen iPad has a better keyboard than the iPad
| Pro.
| dylan604 wrote:
| I so thought you were going to say better keyboard than a
| 2017 MacBookPro
| timestretch wrote:
| MacOS allows me to run any software I want. It has a
| terminal, and allows me to run scripts. It has a shared file
| system and offers true multi-tasking.
|
| You can already run some iOS apps in MacOS. I'd like a single
| computer where I can switch between mobile / pencil usage and
| desktop keyboard / mouse usage.
| hattmall wrote:
| That's exactly what I have with a convertible Chromebook.
| Super Snappy ChromeOS for web browsing. It can run Android
| apps, or stream them from my phone. Flip it around and it's
| a BIG tablet. 15.6" 4k screen. Going back into computer
| mode I can run full blown Linux, very quickly via Crouton
| or virtualized slightly less quick with official Crostini.
| Can also do a lot of the terminal stuff directly in the
| ChromeOS shell. In either Linux environment I can emulate
| Windows via QEMU/KVM. It's as fast as native in Crouton,
| again a bit slower in Crostini. Lightweight,long battery
| life, charges over USB-C will fast charge my phone and
| interfaces seamlessly with the phone for tethering that
| doesn't use hotspot data and doing messages notifications,
| etc.
| eddd-ddde wrote:
| I'm interested on getting a chromebook. Is the linux
| experience really great? Which hardware would you
| recommend?
| timestretch wrote:
| Sounds interesting. What model did you get? Does it have
| a stylus?
| jmull wrote:
| No... I use an iPad with Magic Keyboard case daily.
|
| It works pretty well for things designed for keyboard and
| pointing device -- one of my main uses is to remote in to a
| Windows machine.
|
| The main problems with this setup aren't inherent... while
| the track pad is quite good, the keyboard is passable at best
| (needs function keys and for the frequently used keys to stop
| semi-dying).
|
| Pretty quickly you start to naturally switch between touching
| the screen, typing on the keyboard or using the trackpad,
| depending on what you're doing and what software you're
| using.
|
| Now my wife laughs at me when I'm using a regular MacBook and
| try to swipe or tap the screen.
| bilsbie wrote:
| My dream is to do all computer work from a couch or hammock. I'm
| not sure if it will ever work out.
| gizajob wrote:
| I feel that's got more to do with the UI of the couch or
| hammock than that of the computer.
| l5870uoo9y wrote:
| Didn't you do that during corona? Remote work is still common
| in Europe if you are employed in the tech sector.
| CTDOCodebases wrote:
| This can be done but ergonomics become a consideration if you
| plan to spend some time there:
|
| https://mgsloan.com/posts/supine-computing/
|
| https://www.piratekingdom.com/blog/my-productivity-couch-set...
|
| https://www.jefftk.com/p/folding-couch-monitor
| layer8 wrote:
| That's bound to be very unhealthy in the long run, posture-
| wise. You'll notice when you get older. ;)
| Argonaut998 wrote:
| It's quite disappointing. They have so much potential but Apple
| do not want to meet it for whatever reason, maybe they do not
| want people cutting into their MacBook sales. Beautiful UI but
| poor UX, especially its file management which is nothing short of
| abysmal.
|
| I travel with an Android tablet now -- and while they have their
| own problems they still are far more functional and flexible than
| iPads. Want to watch a movie that's not on Netflix or Prime? Just
| find a torrent and open Flud. You can use it as a FTP server,
| basically anything you need, an Android tablet is perfect for. My
| iPad is delegated to note taking now with the pencil.
|
| It's also pretty clear that iPads nowadays are the lowest of
| Apple's priorities.
| perardi wrote:
| When the iPad first came out, people knocked it as "a big iPod
| touch".
|
| But...maybe that wasn't a bad thing?
|
| I feel like the iPad, despite alllll the efforts to seemingly
| make it a pro device, is an iPhone, but bigger. It's great for
| messages, browsing Facebook, and watching video, and that's just
| fine. Because that serves _a lot_ of people 's needs, and trying
| to add in a bunch more stuff just overloads the touch interface
| paradigm. (Ugh, the number of times I activated the split screen
| thing when they first introduced multitasking...)
| fassssst wrote:
| I agree, I like the simplicity of it essentially being a big
| iPhone. I don't want it to be like a Mac or do Mac stuff on it.
| jeroenhd wrote:
| I think "iPad is a big iPod" worked great, but then they
| brought out the iPad Pro. That thing was supposed to be for
| Professionals doing Professional Work Things. After that came
| the iPad Mini, which is an iPad but smaller (so it's an iPod
| but bigger but smaller?).
|
| Weirdly enough, I don't think the iPad Pro is more than just
| the iPad but faster and bigger. There are tons of model-based
| software restrictions between the different models for what I
| assume are market segmentation reasons.
|
| Meanwhile, Samsung has had Dex for a few years now, and it
| works great. It's included on any midrange product and up and
| it feels like what you would expect from "what happens when I
| plug my phone/tablet into a USB C dock".
|
| Apple's reveal of their weird multitasking iPad interface was
| quite humorous to me. It just screams "don't try to do anything
| professional on here" compared to the existing solutions
| Samsung have provided for years.
|
| Too bad Qualcom/Samsung/Mediatek can't figure out how to
| compete with Apple. Dex on an iPad could replace many people's
| laptops and desktops and compete with Microsoft's Surface
| series.
| michalf6 wrote:
| The concept of this website (sixcolors.com) is bewildering to me.
| I sincerely hope the authors are being handsomely paid by Apple
| behind the scenes, otherwise they just spend their lives doing
| free advertising for a trillion dollar corporation.
| D13Fd wrote:
| Is it though? Seems like (1) they are fans of the products; (2)
| they want to write about stuff they like; and (3) they figure
| out that they can make a career out of it.
| 1123581321 wrote:
| The proprietor was editor of Macworld and similar publications
| for a couple decades. It probably sounds crazy to you, but
| there are and/or were entire print magazines reporting on the
| Apple ecosystem!
| bananapub wrote:
| unlike this website, which provides a penumbra of authenticity
| to a tech funding cartel which regularly runs pump'n'dump
| schemes against the rest of the world?
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