[theluketaylor]

iPad, especially with the limitations artificially imposed by iOS is a content consumption device first. You can trick it into other tasks, but it's not a primary computer.

If I was apple I wouldn't go all in on arm macs. I'd build arm thin and light laptops to get incredible battery life and leave the pro line as x86 for at least the next 3+ years. Even if I did decide to stop building new x86 devices I'd support macOS on x86 for at least 5 additional years.

[scarface74]

From an OS standpoint. I only see two real limitations keeping iOS from being a desktop replacement for most people -- support for mice/trackpads and adding support for USB Mass storage devices to the Files app and treating mass storage devices like they treat Dropbox/iCloud/OneDrive, etc.

[theluketaylor]

iOS is getting close to being all the computer my grandparents could ever need. My mother as well. My father and I are both in tech and would run into too many hard (and fairly artificial) limitations pretty quickly.

I won't ever switch my primary computer to something that needs an optional accessory to hold the screen up. ipad may be magical, but there is plenty of wonder left in a device can open up and start typing on a real keyboard immediately. It's been many years since my primary computer has been a desktop, but I'm not willing to compromise on the permanently attached keyboard and freedom to decide what executes.

[jimbokun]

An iPad is already the only computer my parents own. They don't even have smart phones.

[ryacko]

And that iPads + keyboard are significantly cheaper than MacBooks.

[theluketaylor]

Cheaper yes. Significantly? Not so sure. Unlike iphone apple hasn't been selling the old ipad pro as a cheaper, more entry level product. The base price of ipad pro has gone up each time we've seen an updated one until now we're firmly in macbook price land once you get functional storage. The modifier-free macbook is a similar size to 12.9 inch ipad pro, but ipad is actually more once you get 256 gb of storage and the optional keyboard.

[briandear]

Besides compiling code, what can’t an iPad do in terms of “creation” that a similarly priced laptop can do? You can edit movies on it, heck, you can even film movies with it, you can write, edit photos, do drafting and drawing (something that laptops can’t easily do,) you can make music on it, use it as a Logic Pro controller. The only think you can’t easily “create” on iPad is code. You can do spreadsheets, work processing, create Keynotes, take notes, manage a calendar. You can manage your HomeKit stuff.

Seems far cry from being just a consumption device. That canard is getting old. A guess since you can’t run Linux on it or run a sever with it, somehow it isn’t creative?

[chongli]

It's more than just code. A "real" computer lets you do so much by piecing together work from different applications. For example, you can use a text editor like vim to transform a CSV file with powerful tools like regular expressions and shell commands, then load the CSV into your spreadsheet to work on. Yes, you can use the files application on iOS to manage your files but all of the other applications tend to stick to keeping all their files in one place.

On iOS it's very hard to build your own custom workflow with a bunch of applications and other tools, the way you can on a desktop OS.

[scarface74]

It could probably be done with the Workflow app introduced in iOS 12 if you were so inclined that can stitch together different apps.

[chongli]

What workflow app? I'm on iOS 12.1 and I don't see a workflow app.

[scarface74]

Oh yeah. It’s called “Shortcuts” now. It was originally a third party app and was bought by Apple a little bit over a year ago and was given deeper hooks into the system.

https://workflow.is/

[ryacko]

Well, ackshually, you can run a server from your phone.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/8417321/run-a-webserver-... https://github.com/robbiehanson/CocoaHTTPServer

[ubercow13]

It might be randomly killed if the app isn't in the foreground with the screen unlocked, though.

[scarface74]

Just play a silent audio stream and it will keep running.

[theluketaylor]

just a consumption device is hyperbole for sure. I certainly don't mean to imply ipad is useless or it can't meet the needs of tons of people.

For my particular needs it takes more more effort and time to complete the same set of creation tasks on my ipad compared to my mac. That includes working with media files.

I love casually browsing the web on my ipad, but the moment I want to write more than a few sentences I reach for my mac.