[nebula8804]

>After which they could run Linux, instead of being e-waste.

There is so much PC based garbage that ends up in the eWaste trash destroyed way before years 7-9 hit and you are complaining about a device that is not even designed to be used in a server/desktop OS configuration?

>iPadOS 18 did get a calculator.

This really does explain it all...Just pure ignorance based on hatred of Apple.

[justinclift]

> There is so much PC based garbage that ends up in the eWaste trash destroyed way before years ...

So you're saying people should just accept their old iPads can't have a meaningful life after iPadOS support ends?

And that's because "Apple doesn't want them to", so that's it. No questions asked, just accept the results?

[nebula8804]

What are you talking about? Its not like the iPad shuts off as soon as year 9 rolls around. The iPad still runs and can be used for many more years.

[walterbell]

Apps aren't updated. Web browsing is unsafe.

[nebula8804]

In your other comment you laid out potential uses for a "unlocked" ipad

  web browser 
  IoT control panel
  video conferencing
  photo frame
  e-reader
  kiosk

The bottom 5 don't really need updates and if Android tablets are anything to go by (looking at you Nexus 10) arguably will work better running on top Apple software instead of whatever half baked garbage gets dumped out of the major distros or "custom rom" makers.

For web browsing, a nine year old tablet will arguably be slow as molasses for the content that would be on the web nine years from now. We have seen this with using old desktop computers to browse the web.

Your argument is pretty weak. There is a whole lot of work to make this happen among not only Apple but the OSS community for almost no gain. The community's time time would be better spent getting fundamentals of Linux Desktop working well so that maybe one day in our lives it really will be the Year of the Linux Desktop™.

[walterbell]

> The bottom 5 don't really need updates

Anything connected to a network requires security updates. The bottom five require network connectivity.

> Slow as molasses for the content

An old tablet isn't suitable for general Javascript-impaired web browsing, but there is a wide world of static online/offline content accessible to slow web browsers, as well as bespoke static content delivered via HTTP.

> Whole lot of work.. for almost no gain

The heavy lifting work is in device enablement, but that's a one time cost. Applications exist, work on other devices and are already maintained. Linux iPads would only expand the userbase for those applications.

[justinclift]

> We have seen this with using old desktop computers to browse the web.

That's not always the case though. ;)

About 3 years ago I got hold of a fully function dual Xeon system from around 2004 (!).

Only really wanted the case (old workstation, built like a tank) but the system itself still powered on and ran Win7 perfectly fine. Each of the two Xeon cpus was a single core thing (this was from before multi core), ran at ~3Ghz, and used about ~100w.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_processors_...

... and it played back Youtube videos perfectly fine. I think they were 1080p ones too, rather then 720p.

---

We've seen that in later years (past this example above), computing power become "good enough" so that even old computers are completely workable more than a decade later.

Later model iPads will probably be the same, "good enough" for years after Apple is done with them.

[walterbell]

> pure ignorance based on hatred of Apple

I'm typing this on iPad Air and looking at an iPad Pro, Mac Mini and Macbook Air.

[nebula8804]

Then you are missing out on all the cool additions that Apple introduced today. Things that are really tailored for the iPad.

[walterbell]

Could you recommend an article or Apple web page listing those additions? Or name some here?

Mark Gurman, long-time Apple journalist, didn't find any iPad-specific features, beyond AI/LLM features coming to all Apple platforms. Here's another article that lists "everything" announced at WWDC, which doesn't list any new iPad features, other than AI/LLM, https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/10/everything-apple-announced...

[nebula8804]

Just watch the darn video from this morning, its only 7 minutes long and you are using a device that is tailored for this very use case ha ha

https://youtu.be/RXeOiIDNNek?t=2584

FYI they even purposely made fun of themselves regarding the calculator app.

[walterbell]

Just watched. The announcements were:

  iOS: customize home screen + control center
  apps: floating tab bar menus
  apple apps: animations + doc browser
  screen sharing: pencil annotations 
  calculator: math notes + brett victor animations
  apple notes: handwriting digital twin

Cute features, sadly of low benefit to work use cases. High value would be a VM and CLI terminal to run a web server stack for offline dev, maintenance or publishing tasks in time and space constrained contexts where Macbook would be inconvenient. Macbook is good for hours of dedicated work, iPad for quick tasks.