The problem with the iPad as as many have pointed out is that the software hampers what it can do unless you’re willing to contort yourself into a very specific workflow. For most casual users those limitations aren’t an issue and the advantages of the form factor outweigh the deficits. But when you charge MBPro money for a device the trade-offs sting. As @jsnell says, the best solution would be to just let us virtualize macOS on an iPad Pro when using it in certain modes https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/05/the-ipad-pro-is-no-longer-the-future-so-whats-next/
@film_girl@jsnell The ideal solution would be for us to not buy the iPad Pro. But apparently we can’t organize ourselves sufficiently to effectively boycott it. 🙃
@film_girl@jsnell My job is 99% email, Slack, Zoom and even I find the iPad too limiting. Outlook for iPad pales compared to the desktop. Zoom can’t screen share only 1 window so when presenting you have to share EVERYTHING on screen. Love my iPad post-6pm though.
@film_girl@jsnell Agreed, and making the device thinner than the pencil does nothing for me. If it was the same thickness and had double the battery life, then I would be impressed.
Are windows still the best solution for multi-app productivity?
Is it possible to have windows on an 11” screen without sacrificing touchability?
Maybe someone will still figure it out, but I think the past decade tells us the answer is “yes" to 1 and “no” to 2.
Virtualized macOS forfeits question 2, but it would be a distinct mode where touchability isn’t expected. I would also love to see iPadOS support large screens with uninhibited window support.
@a40yostudent I think a lot of people would! I understand Apple is probably worried about cannibalizing their respective product lines but they are already doing that. And if I’m honest, Apple could charge MORE for an iPad Pro if they did that. Want to convince me to get a 16GB of RAM iPad Pro? Let me run a containerized or virtualized version of macOS and I will give you that $2000. And I’ll still keep my main MacBook Pro!
@markv@a40yostudent I would pay for that so hard. Fuck, give me cloud-based macOS I can use on my iPad seamlessly (so not just via a VNC) and I’ll pay for that!
@john@jsnell honestly, Apple loves to ignore these kinds of edge cases on the preposition that every app will use only Apple frameworks and APIs so I don’t think it would be a blocker at all. The reality would be that some apps might only work in one mode or the other. And as I said, default to iPadOS. Make that the primary. But for Pro users on a Pro device with connected accessories, allow macOS mode to work.
@film_girl@jsnell Sure…. I'm just not sure how that would work in practice.
For example, how would Procreate handle files spread out in project folders outside its sandbox? Putting MacOS in front of that won't help will it? I mean, I will see the files, but I can't move them because it will break Procreate's expectations/limitations.
I guess I think that any use I'd get out of MacOS would need to be backed up with such fundamental changes to the iOS model, that it might be redundant.
@john@jsnell I mean, virtualization allows pass-through access to network and storage components. So you’d just approve permissions to access stuff stored locally to your iPad. But in the case of Procreate, the default for both Mac and iOS of those is iCloud anyway. And the VM wouldn’t be using a separate storage device. Again, there might be some edge cases and limitations but that’s why this would be an option, not the only solution.
@film_girl@jsnell
I'm not sure what you’re saying about VM passthroughs. Permission to access could of course be given, but apps on iOS are designed around a different model, right?
Procreate doesn't store it's files in iCloud, you have to export them do that. I think this has to do with file-size problems. It's kinda disastrous really (they are lucky the painting experience is so good).
@film_girl@jsnell I guess what I'm saying is that if they just give up and give us a normal file system, tell app developers that's the way it is, and provide a syncing API for that filesystem, then that pretty much solves my issues with iPad OS.
@john@film_girl I don't think this is on Apple, the filesystem has been exposed for developers and users on iPad for years now. iCloud or on device. Files app. If you're using an app that doesn't let you save there, that's on the developer.
@jsnell@film_girl Well, one of the flagship Pro apps on iPad lets you export to there, but not save. Maybe it's on Procreate, but I do remember there being some file size problem.
In the end I think this is Apple's fault because they led us down this app-centric path to start with. It was never going to work well for multi-application workflows, but they kept hoping. And here we are 14 years later talking about cramming a whole other OS in!
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