Of course, we need to merge the Mac and the iPad… decoding.io
@zsbenke Great critique and I resonate with many of these points. I keep wondering how i'd juggle this hybrid device so that it was easy to draw on or use as a second screen when plugged into an external display. I also find it laughable when people say the iPad is stagnating and yet it continues to improve more each year than most mac revisions. And the point about pro apps is so spot on. There are more and more coming each day. Perhaps the reason there are no Macstories reviews of these apps is because no one there does that kind of work? I would also add that using the iPad as a tablet while using a pro app (affinity photo/pixelmator) on the mac is the best approach in my experience. Then I can use the tablet controls when it makes sense and use the mouse and keyboard when that makes sense.
Perhaps the reason there are no Macstories reviews of these apps is because no one there does that kind of work?
I’m sure it is one of the reasons, but then hire someone to write the review. Don’t complain about missing pro apps, when they exists, but they don’t bother writing about them. For example, I don’t even see link posts to Affinity Publisher or DaVinci Resolve, albeit they are very recent additions of pro iPad apps.
@zsbenke @ChrisJWilson Agreed on the lack of MacStories reviews and that they should hire someone to do those reviews. I blogged not long ago about the fact that today's tech/Apple press no longer provide actual reviews. It's all fluff pieces to sell ads and present affiliate links. Gone are the days of actual magazines and professional journalism that included proper reviews of important software. And correct, they don't even mention them. I asked Federico on Mastodon why they don't make an effort to review the important pro apps and he just shrugged it off with "we don't use those apps so we can't review them."
@Denny I just subscribed to your blog recently, and I read one of your posts about the iPad being “doomed”.
Good points!
@ChrisJWilson @zsbenke Strongly agreed! It's unfortunate that Federico has such a magnified voice thanks to his podcasts and website. I suspect it creates a false impression, gives far too much weight to the idea that more advanced users are unhappy with the iPad. I've long thought that he would be better served with a Mac. Instead he's just gotten increasingly frustrated trying to make the iPad do what it doesn't do. Same goes for all of the other Mac pundits that have spent more energy complaining that the iPad isn't a Mac rather than make a real effort to learn what iPadOS does in 2023.
I've blogged several times (You liked/mentioned one of my posts) about how these guys seemingly have made no effort to learn any of the new features that have been introduced over the past 2-3 years.
And yeah, all these same pundits love to go on about supporting third party developers (the recent, incessant preaching to everyone that they should support Tapbots and the Iconfactory comes to mind) and yet, when it comes to the iPad, they ignore some great developers that have produced some fantastic pro-level apps.
Thanks for writing your post. I suspect there are lots of us that enjoy and appreciate the iPad and iPadOS for what it is and where it seems to be going. Hopefully Apple isn't overly swayed by the negativity.
@zsbenke Ha! I was writing a long comment which I just posted before seeing your reply here. Thanks for reading and subscribing!
@Denny The Mac pundits can be quite the old (white) boy’s club barring the occasional Joanna Stern, etc.
@zsbenke great take on a decade long debate about the place the iPad plays in people's life. This merging of two different form factors ideas are driving me crazy. I feel some bored tech pundits are looking for excitement from weird combo-product-that-only-few-care-about.
@zsbenke @jasonekratz @numericcitizen
Yep. Tech pundits, bored, frustrated, some mix of both maybe. It feels like a created drama and a bit performative.
I generally consider Jason S pretty level headed, thoughtful and one of the few actual journalists amongst a crowd of pundits. Even so, it seems like every site, every podcast, is now just about the rumors and speculation.
All that said, 13 years into the iPad and on the one hand you've got all these Mac users that are just frustrated the iPad is not a Mac and that the Mac still doesn't have touch. And at the core of the debate is Federico, "the iPad Guy" who in their closed circle the authority and the only voice of to be listened to. Given their megaphones, it concerns me that their amplified and constant complaining will drown out those of us that are generally happy with the progress made thus far.
@zsbenke This was a terrific article and rebuttal to the latest round of iPad-bashing. As someone who looks forward to coming home so I can use my iPad as opposed to my work Mac, seems like these perceived flaws are debatable.