RollingGoronMay 21, 2024

@siracusa thoughts on the ATP discussion about current issues with giving the iPad more power user features. I agreed with most, but not sure why (in my opinion) the most glaring issue is never mentioned.

The fact that a finger is the primary input device for the iPad and iPadOS. That alone makes using the iPad for “power user” tasks a huge pain. The imprecision of a finger, large onscreen keyboard, and relatively small screen, make the experience frustrating for even moderately complex tasks.

Show threadJohn Siracusa
@RollingGoron Power users probably have a pencil and/or keyboard with trackpad.
May 21, 2024 at 7:45pmIvory for iOS
Show threadRollingGoronMay 21, 2024

@siracusa 100% agreed that the power users probably do, but expecting Apple to change the input paradigm of iPadOS based around accessories they can’t guarantee folks will have seems like a fairly safe bet as to why they haven’t gone down that path.

That being said, I could eat these words come WWDC.

Show threadJohn SiracusaMay 21, 2024
@RollingGoron Keeping a Final Cut Pro render running in the background doesn’t require a change to input devices. Ditto for allowing multiple simultaneous audio streams, etc. Look at the things people are requesting. None require subverting or abandoning the touch interface.