Steve Troughton-Smith1d ago
Apple was once convinced the future of computing was 'apps', so iPad was designed married to that idea. But we're 16 years on now, and the present of computing is AI, and IDEs, command lines and virtualization, and Python, and git, and scripting and automation. iPad risks being completely left behind as a computing platform by not supporting any of that stuff properly, and developer interest has been waning for years now. It's well past time for iPad to get its shit together, and open up
Show threadOlivier Roux (moose)23h ago
@stroughtonsmith @cstross I don’t get why people want iPads to be “real computers”. I love my iPad as what it is: a great tablet for reading, browsing the web, watching videos, gaming etc. I’ve been a Mac user since 1984 and not once have I missed multi windows on iPad. Each device has its own uses.
Show threadSteve Troughton-Smith23h ago
@otolithe @cstross it's almost like iPad serves two different markets? My iPad Pro was €3200, of course it should actually /do things/
Show threadOlivier Roux (moose)23h ago
@stroughtonsmith @cstross maybe iPads should not cost USD3000? That’s pro laptop territory… I think even Apple is not clear on what iPad should be.
Show threadSteve Troughton-Smith
@otolithe @cstross but they *do*. I'm certainly not saying Apple should stop making the iPads you care about, so why do you want them to get rid of the iPad I care about?
Apr 2 at 7:05pmIvory for Mac
Show threadOlivier Roux (moose)23h ago
@stroughtonsmith @cstross because they apparently cannot find a way to make it useful to you? You love the hardware but find the software limiting, which is what a section of iPad buyers have been complaining about since the original model. Maybe it’s because the iPad is fundamentally not for them? (Not trolling here, I find this actually an interesting question)
Show threadSteve Troughton-Smith23h ago

@otolithe @cstross macOS is getting closer to iPadOS every year; maybe the Mac is fundamentally not for you?

(These are silly arguments, and I've been hearing them for 16 years, yet Apple has steadily aligned closer and closer to what I've been asking for all that time. iPad has been my only 'laptop' since 2012, and I use it for hours a day — but that doesn't mean I can't point out what else the platform needs. My iPad is the most expensive and powerful computer I own)

Show threadOlivier Roux (moose)22h ago
@stroughtonsmith @cstross I absolutely love the Mac (since my first 512 Mac), I work on a Mac all day long, and really don’t like the trend to make it more iPad/iOS like. Just like I’m not a fan of attempts to make iPads more like Macs. I like a tool for each purpose/context I guess…