[_ph_]

The number of iPads bought by those users might be just a drop in the bucket, but that is too shortsighted to look at those users. Those users are the ones who might push development of more advanced apps on the iPad, be it as developers themselves or because they would attract new app development to the iPad. Engineers and scientists might be a small market, but I think it was vital for OS X, that early on Apple laptops started to appear at conferences, slowly growing in share.

[macintux]

I said the lost revenue if the feature were offered wasn’t important. I didn’t say anything about the value of the users.

[_ph_]

But you cannot reasonably look at the one without considering the other.

[macintux]

Clearly I’m not explaining myself well.

The point I objected to comes at the end of this quote:

> I've often wondered whether Apple could do well by doing something similar to Crostini on ChromeOS, to allow these things to actually work as intended, but without impacting security. But that also probably doesn't sell software as effectively, as free software doesn't pay Apple's cut.

The implication is that Apple wouldn’t develop such a feature because it might cut into their profits. I don’t buy that reasoning: Apple wouldn’t lose much if any money by offering that.

Update: and I also don’t believe that Apple would deprioritize it because would cost them some money. Far more likely they’d decide it isn’t sufficiently useful, or would cause other problems, be too confusing, etc.