The iPad Failing Again: Summer 2023 Edition Nevermind me, just over hear desinging an annual report for a client. It's late August 2023 and during this slow time for Apple-related news the pundits have all found time to circle back around to the age old problem of the iPad. The most recent round seemed to start with Jason Snell's post Giving up the iPad-only travel dream. "I’ve noticed that a lot of my colleagues who were previously working hard to integrate the iPad into their professional work have backed off, retreating to the more flexible and powerful Mac side of the house." The iPad is ... beardystarstuff.net

@Denny I’ve had an iPad since the first day of the first version in 2010. I enjoy my iPad for what it it - a bicycle for short local trips. It fits neatly in between a sports car (iPhone) and my truck (Mac Studio). As you wrote:

The iPad is a tool meant to help you. If you're working hard to make it work may be a sign that you may have chosen the wrong tool.

I was going through my old blog posts and found a link to a similar post to yours, written by Bill Bennet ten years ago.

@Denny enjoyed reading that and I do agree.

Perhaps the real story here is that there are far too many indy content creators in the Apple/Tech bubble and as a mini cottage industry they're all just stepping on one another, repeating the same casual rumor talk.

I especially agree with this. As these people are all Apple pundits with the same workflow of their writing/CMS, Podcasting and video editing flows where they use their Apple tools to make content about their Apple tools. the snake starts to eat its own tail at a certain point.

I manage my blog on my iPad, edit my photos, manage my finances, study, illustrate…. But you seldom get content in regards to these other workflows.

@Denny I have an iPad. I’ve had one since the first retina screen. It’s great and I love it. It’s never been possible to do a huge portion of my work on it. That’s only, I know it’s the wrong tool.

But I don’t think these pundits as “content creators” are always quite so far off. The trackpad/cursor support was a huge lift for the iPad, and basically saved it for me. But in the end, a lot of what I do it’s hard to see how the iPad gets there. Harder than having a good audio subsystem. Harder than better text editors alone.

Does this mean they’re not great? Absolutely not. Does this mean I went from thinking, “maybe in 5 years I won’t need a laptop” to “I can’t imagine ditching a laptop even in ten years from now?” Yes.

@Denny also if you think the “Why can’t the iPad do xyz” posts are bad… whooooa boy wait until Apple Vision Pro comes out… they’re going to try and shoehorn that damn device into all sorts of ridiculous scenarios…

@khurtwilliams Yeah, exactly! Thanks for the link to that post. An excellent read. The conversation continues. 😆

@jasonekratz Yeah, that seems about right. 🤪

@DaveyCraney Yeah, it really does seem as though they stuck in their own worlds and particular workflows, they forget there are many millions of people happily using their iPads.

Thanks for reading!

@jsonbecker Have you ever written a detailed post about this? I really like the way you put that last paragraph. There's something there that's non-negotiable, immovable and final.

But yeah, it seems the initial starting point of the iPad in iOS, a no compromise touch-based and simplified computer appliance really set the initial trajectory. From the app-based file system that required iTunes and computer to do any kind of file exchange beyond email... my memory's a little vague but, yeah, it was so far from the file-based computing everyone was used to.

Given that simple starting point and initial intended user base, it makes sense that the process has been so slow and frustrating for "power users" coming from the Mac. It's just two very different approaches.

But I really appreciate that Apple remained committed to the simplicity because I've watched my extended family of older noncomputer users enjoy the iPad as their first computing and internet experience. Reconnecting with old friends, family, etc. Being let in on a world and conversation they were previously excluded from.

That Apple, however slowly, has been able to keep my elders safe and happily computing while quietly adding so much more complexity, power and capablitiy to the hardware and iPadOS, so much so that I was able to leave my Mac behind, still amazes me.

But yeah, I can see how there are workflows and use cases that may never be served by the iPad. I can't pretend to know or understand the more complex needs of others. That said, just yesterday I came across a post by someone on Mastodon who was confidently sharing how terribly limited the iPad was. That he'd gone back to the Mac and was happy to not have to worry about workarounds for things like zipping files to email. I pointed out to him that that feature was added to the Files app back around iPadOS 13 and easily done with a long press or right click. He responded oh, "yeah, that's about when I sold my iPad." I see that kind of comment all the time.

Lol, okay, enough. Thanks for the comment!

@DaveyCraney Ha! Well, I'm already seeing complaints from folks like Steve Troughton-Smith. This thread on Mastodon being just the latest I've seen. 😂

@jsonbecker @DaveyCraney @Denny

I have a full iPad with magic keyboard and a mini.

The mini is my go to, perfect for reading and triaging, writing small bits like this ... It is quite simply my favorite piece of apple kit. Used every single day.

But it will never be my mac replacement ... Nor will my big iPad replace my big mac (pun intended)

Why? Because even with my limited tech knowledge … I can move quicker on the Mac, something’s are just easier and is very specific stuff that a lot of people just don’t do. I believe that I .. like many in micro blog .. am an edge case.

If I head out for a few days, even a week or two, the big iPad is my go to and Mac doesn’t travel with me. Portability and functionality is top of mind. It is great for email, reading, writing, posting, surfing, watching, listening … you know , the kind of stuff that most people do. I don’t need to do ‘my mac things’ when I am on the road because in that mode I don’t use it to spend much time doing web site updates, spreadsheet analysis, writing css adjustments, connecting to remote servers … but most people don’t do that. I’ve watched other people do stuff on the phone quickly and efficiently with a ‘full’ machine right beside them .. an iPad makes it even easier …

The challenge for Apple is how to convince most people that actually an iPad is not just a good alternative for them - but might even be their best.

Case in point - Jax. When it came to replacing her Mac recently, knowing how she used her old machine - the iPad would be perfect. No dice - she wanted a ‘proper computer’. I even bought her a mini at one point that sits in a drawer - despite the fact that she uses her phone for so much - so she clearly knows her way round iOS.

@JohnPhilpin Yes agreed on your point about common tasks being well taken care of with the iPad.

As for Apple, I suspect they're happy to have folks buy an iPad or a Mac! From Apple's perspective even better if they buy both.

I still think Apple's "What's a Computer?" ad a few years back was such an excellent demonstration of the iPad. Even so Apple hasn't done a lot of marketing to demonstrate the iPad as a computer replacement. Or, at least nothing I remember at the moment.

But thinking about the past 3 years we've seen some significant additions with cursor support in 2020 then steady, solid improvements to core default apps like Notes, Safari, Files. Then Stage Manager and the big releases of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, it seems that Apple has no intention of a touch screen mac or macOS on iPad. In 2023 iPadOS is more capable than it's ever been.

@Denny ah yes, you can't podcast on an iPad...although you can using one of the services that records online like riverside.fm. Something which has been the case for at least 5 years. And while I get that some podcasters don't want to use a service like riverside or castr or one of the other handful, from when I worked on an app for editing podcasts I know that they were becoming the dominate way to record and edit podcasts.

I can understand some frustrations at the iPad but I really wonder what would make them disappear? If they had mac mode when in a keyboard case and tablet mode when out? But what then if they use their iPad docked all the time? Does that mean they really want an iPad or they really just want a mac?

@ChrisJWilson An excellent question! The goal posts keep moving but given the time and energy put into iPadOS and brining apps like FCP and Logic, given that VisionOS seems to be largely based on or has a lot in common with iPadOS, I think that foundation is set. Yeah, of course they'll continue to refine and iterate as needed. In so many ways the "pro" mode of the iPad really has gotten close to MacOS. I could see further revisions to Stage Manager making more happy. Every step towards a more mac-like experience will make some happier, some more frustrated. 🤣

If Apple were to bring the audio system to iPad that podcasters have been clamoring for (I think they will) then yes, a subset of those people will be happy. As FCP and Logic are improved more will rely on those apps on iPad. If and when Apple releases a 15" iPad a whole new category of users will come into play. Some will be happy, others frustrated.

Some folks really should just use the Mac. Some use cases are hobbled by the touch screen interface which isn't as efficient in use of space. And some of those use cases may not even benefit by having a touch screen as a mode of interaction.

@JohnPhilpin

Case in point - Jax. When it came to replacing her Mac recently, knowing how she used her old machine - the iPad would be perfect. No dice - she wanted a ‘proper computer’. I even bought her a mini at one point that sits in a drawer - despite the fact that she uses her phone for so much - so she clearly knows her way round iOS.

This is really similar to my wife. She uses her phone for nearly all her basic life management computing tasks, but she won't really use an iPad. She just won't gel with it.

She prefers to use a laptop for anything at the level of word processing or above if she has to do anything "proper".