[foverzar]

Wonder who downvotes this.

The sole reason why I chose samsung tab over iPad is that iPad is essentially useless as a shared family device - the UX of switching accounts inside apps is just terrible.

Tablet should definitely be a multiuser device and it's kinda stupid that Apple actually has multiple accounts functionality, but it only works for school or enterprise.

[sumedh]

> it's kinda stupid that Apple

Its marketing, by locking that feature you are forced to buy more iPads for other family members.

[ClumsyPilot]

> you are forced to buy more iPads for other family members

Who does this? 5% of consumers?

I think they-misestimate anyone's desire to be wastefull, both ecologically and financially.

[kalleboo]

By looking at people I know and their tablet ownership, I think you're the one mis-estimating.

But the psychology probably goes further than "I'll buy everyone in the family a tablet" and is more like "Well I was thinking of maybe upgrading soon in a year or two, and anyway I'm tired of loaning the kids my tablet, how about I buy that new shiny one for myself and the kids can have this one?" to just push people over a threshold of spending

[theshrike79]

Apple devices have so long lifetimes with iOS/iPadOS updates you can just cycle the devices among family.

I get a new one because I ca... because I need one, yes, that's why. And my old one goes to the kids. A few cycles of this and everyone has their own, and all of them are still officially supported with major version upgrades - not just security patches.

[solarkraft]

Their assumption may not apply to you, but I assure you that Mr. Apple himself has considered this possibility and allocated a significant amount of resources to finding the most profitable solution.

[ClumsyPilot]

Since we are soeculating, maybe the solution agreed eith me but was overruled by internal politics.

[RhodesianHunter]

Yeah, honestly it probably forces more sales than it prevents people from buying ipads at all.

[jaimex2]

Apple has conditioned its user base to spend on its products. They honestly buy and upgrade whenever told and that includes multiple iPads.

[Yhippa]

I have one tablet from each ecosystem and user switching is really handy! On top of that, it's nice to have a work profile where you can just shut it off and get no notifications from any work apps. I haven't looked to see if my iPad will do that.

[Toutouxc]

Yeah, iOS and iPadOS have profiles where you can whitelist or blacklist specific people or apps. E.g. when I'm at work, I only get notifications from my girlfriend and Slack.

[Teever]

Sounds like something the EU should regulate.

[Eduard]

"due to the new EU Directive 2024/0815/EC, every new device must support multiuser functionality. This includes ovens, toothbrushes, powerbanks Apple AirTags, and vape pens."

[tpreetham]

That would be great. I have been eyeing iTablet for long now.

If I could flash android onto it, I would buy it right away

[thaumasiotes]

> iPad is essentially useless as a shared family device - the UX of switching accounts inside apps is just terrible.

What does "multiuser" mean to you? The traditional home PC was shared by everyone in the family, all using the same account. What do you accomplish by running multiple accounts on the iPad?

[ClumsyPilot]

> all using the same account.

not in my family. You only do this if they don't know how to create an account.

Previously PCs contained no personal data - maybe some school work, a few documents and a hidden porn collection .

Nowadays there is all of your messages, bank apps and photos you dont want your parents to see

[ehsankia]

> all using the same account

Never heard of this. Anyone I knew back in the days with a home PC always had an account for each family member. Multi account on PC is a long solved problem. Not sure why iPad still hasn't solved it after over a decade.

[mixmastamyk]

GP is probably older and remembers the more primitive home OS from DOS to Win98 and MacOS System N which didn’t have accounts.

[foverzar]

> What does "multiuser" mean to you?

It means separate app data, so I don't have to tediously re-login in spotify, messengers etc.

> The traditional home PC was shared by everyone in the family, all using the same account.

Not really and even if so, the separation of concerns is much easier. For traditional PC I can get by with a separate browser profile.

For mobile OS with mobile apps, each having an account or personalisation features, it's just non-usable.

[tomjen3]

Stop downvoting OP because you don't remember PCs before 2000/XP. Those either didn't have different users or, in the case of windows 95 and 98, they were essentially pointless.

For the record: I don't remember my family having different accounts on our home computer as a kid.

[foverzar]

Traditional computers persisted decades after windows 95, so it's a really bad point of reference.

And PCs even nowadays don't have so many installed apps that require login, unlike mobile OS apps.

[theshrike79]

Windows didn't properly support multi-users before Windows 10 anyway.

Properly as in "even my mom can use it". You could do it in earlier versions, but the UX wasn't exactly smooth if you had multiple users you needed to switch between.

[foverzar]

I remember it differently. We had a family PC on WinXP with multiuser setup, and I hardly remember any issues.

[iakov]

Um, what? User switching in Windows 10 works exactly like it worked in 7, where it worked exactly like it worked in XP. Start -> Log Out -> Select another user and log in. Am I misremembering?

[kalleboo]

Even MacOS 9 supported multiple user accounts