Steve Troughton-SmithMay 8, 2024

When I finally pull the trigger, a new 13" iPad Pro w/ 16GB RAM, keyboard & stylus is gonna cost me €3,107. It would be by far the most powerful computer I own.

That's more than twice as much as what I paid for the Mac mini I do *all my development on*. It even beats out my high-end gaming PC whose GPU alone was €1800.

All of that goes to waste because it’s paired with a simplified, stripped-down OS using the same technology stack and limitations as a $300 Netflix device for your grandparents

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithMay 8, 2024

There are 2 ways out:

Either investment in iPadOS is massively expanded to bring the OS & capabilities up to par with macOS (which is still a moving target, not a legacy OS), fixing all the half-working, flakey re-implementations of the last 14 years.

Or iPadOS leans on Apple's virtualization stack to run macOS as an app, with native performance and graphics, a la 'Classic' mode on Mac OS X, immediately ending all the angst you see about iPad, and buying an infinite runway for no. 1 to happen

Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithMay 8, 2024
All of the counter-arguments for some form of macOS on iPad have fallen away over the past 14 years. The hardware is the same exact hardware that runs the Mac lineup. iPadOS is now a platform with keyboard, mouse and external display support. It already has a mode to shrink UI elements down dramatically beyond what would traditionally make for safe touch targets. Mac and iPad apps today share an awful lot of code, if not entire codebases, and it all transparently/freely syncs between devices
Show threadadacostaMay 8, 2024
@stroughtonsmith #Apple is between a rock and hard place. My recommendation is to offer a modal approach. Default is the #iPad simplicity, but for those who need the power of the #macOS desktop is to include the #Finder as an app you launch when you need the flexibility to use desktop apps, multiple monitors, powerful file management. When you are done, swipe out or swipe back to the home screen. Its there if you need it.
Show threadamonduin
@adacosta Apple is investing in Pro apps on iPad, they are investing in making it possible to run more capable Apps on iPad. Creating a complicated system to access mac apps isn’t a solution that actually improves the workflows of most people using iPads today.
May 8, 2024 at 3:34pmWeb
Show threadadacostaMay 8, 2024
@amonduin And you are saying Pro apps like Final Cut and Logic are not complicated? I still can't figure out Garage band. iOS and iPadOS have hidden features many users are not aware of like launching the magnifier, swiping between apps, using the swipe keyboard, so having a desktop environment you can turn on for more advanced functionality shouldn't be mind boggling. But again, its about compromises so you can spend more #mba 101