Thinking about the iPad Pro ianbetteridge.com

@ianbetteridge Absolutely agree with all of this. If the iPad is truly meant to be a replacement for traditional computers, Apple needs to remove these kinds of shackles and limitations of using it while at a desk. I love the iPad, and like you I’m hoping the last holdouts of the experience will be a thing of the past at WWDC.

@pimoore Having used the Surface Duo, Apple could do a lot worse than steal some of the ways it utilises two screens.

@ianbetteridge I am convinced that they will eventually do that, and improve upon the idea.

@ianbetteridge yes, absolutely! Better desktop docking and display support would be a huge step in making the platform much more flexible for any computing setup you need. As I age, my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. I’d love to be able to have a bigger screen to use while at my desk, with full support. Granted, this solution still doesn’t address some of the multitasking and background app support issues, nor concerns with the App Store, but it would be a start.

Truthfully, I still haven’t been able to pull the trigger on an M1 iPad or iMac yet, and find myself more torn than ever. I’d be buying an iPad based on what I’ve enjoyed now and in the hope for future support, but I’m in full agreement with what several people have mentioned here that getting something based on the future is folly.

@pimoore Getting something based on a future which may not happen is certainly folly, and the current M1 Macs are really good. I have an M1 Mac mini and it’s lovely – so fast, so responsive. But using it also always feels somehow like the past. And being limited to keyboard and mouse feels… well, limiting now. I’ve bought the M1 12.9 iPad Pro (replacing last year’s model, which now replaces my partner’s 11in Pro which she accidentally stood on!).

And boy, is that screen good. It’s instantly the thing that I want to work on more than anything else.

@ianbetteridge That’s part of my debate as well. Every time I use my Mac at work something about it feels off; the old paradigm, the old inputs, even having to manage MacPorts for software tools that Apple doesn’t provide feels cumbersome and legacy. (I also can’t shake the feeling that this method of software distribution is a ticking time bomb, seeing as Homebrew — which also uses GitHub — already had security issues come to light.)

There’s no doubt the iPad is a much more forward-thinking and fun device to use. I also don’t doubt that Apple still wants it to be the future of their computing platform for people that truly don’t need the workflow that a Mac provides.

Since you have the device already, have you noticed any issues with blooming on the screen? It seems to be getting a lot of traction in various forums and YouTube.

@pimoore No blooming at all.