iPad Pro M1 • Hacker News Board

Re: iPad Pro M1

#321

Post by isatty » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:51 PM UTC

reader_mode wrote: post #194

smasher164 wrote: post #46

To me, it doesn't matter how powerful the iPad is if the software experience is subpar. Multitasking is cumbrous enough that it might as well not exist, multi-display setups can only mirror at a fixed aspect ratio, it lacks multiple user profiles requiring a family to be under a single user, and the few apps that take advantage of the keyboard/trackpad are nowhere similar to their desktop counterparts. Take Excel for…

I can think of one use case where it could be nice - content creators. For example I like to noodle on guitar and frankly guitar interface + iPad > laptop. Likewise for video editing, photo touchups, etc. I can see iPad for creatives using more processing power

The iPad is great for musicians. I use mine for sheet music and also for noodling on the guitar but here’s what I don’t like about it:

- you need a dongle to plug the interface and the charger together (maybe other interfaces can supply power but mine cannot)

- my interface also behaves as an usb audio device (I suspect all of them do) but iOS does not let you choose audio out through internal speakers or airplay if the usb audio device is present

- some apps don’t support multiple inputs and default to the first input (which on my interface is mic in), GarageBand does not have this problem

Of course this is not a problem for things like digital pianos that just explore midi over Bluetooth.

Re: iPad Pro M1

#322

Post by camillomiller » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:51 PM UTC

intergalplan wrote: post #276

filleduchaos wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't you heard? Programming is the only "pro" or performance-intensive thing that exists. I don't even understand why programmers are always so up in arms about devices like the iPad. Why on earth does one want to program on a handheld touchscreen device anyway? I have zero expectations for that, much like I have zero expectations for the laptop I do program on to be a good drawing device.

I don't get the huge blind spot there, either, and it's pervasive on here every time the iPad comes up. "I can't boot an OpenBSD VM on it so it must only be for watching YouTube, for sheeple consumers, not godlike 'creators' like me". Meanwhile it's plainly great for all kinds of creation-oriented activities, especially where the real-world meets the digital. The sensors are great. Pencil is great. It's a really good…

Amen.

Re: iPad Pro M1

#323

Post by brundolf » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:53 PM UTC

samatman wrote: post #304

smasher164 wrote: post #46

To me, it doesn't matter how powerful the iPad is if the software experience is subpar. Multitasking is cumbrous enough that it might as well not exist, multi-display setups can only mirror at a fixed aspect ratio, it lacks multiple user profiles requiring a family to be under a single user, and the few apps that take advantage of the keyboard/trackpad are nowhere similar to their desktop counterparts. Take Excel for…

Things I do on an iPad, ranked by how unlikely I am to do them on another computer: - Draw. This is the big one. I'm no fine artist, but I do a bit of calligraphy now and then, and Procreate is amazing. - Make memes. It might not be more "productive" to caption funny pictures on my iPad than it would be to do it on desktop, but it's more fun. It feels more natural to manipulate images on a tablet. - Read PDFs. the 12…

I think the idea is: for most of these, extra horsepower isn't much of a selling point (video editing being the big exception). Not that it's bad - it means your device will stay capable for longer, if nothing else - it's just a weird thing to focus on in marketing materials

Re: iPad Pro M1

#324

Post by camillomiller » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:53 PM UTC

justaguy88 wrote: post #244

foldr wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Video and photo editing are common iPad Pro use cases where performance matters.

I always assumed that safari/youtube/netflix were the common use cases. Do numerically many people actually video/photo editing on these devices to make it "common"?

Yes, absolutely. In photography circles the iPad Pro is regarded as an amazing device that offers performance and color quality that you won't be able to achieve even with expensive desktop monitors. Also, for the professional photographer, whose average rig is probably worth at least 20 to 50k depending on what they do, a 2000$ tablet with these characteristics is a steal.

Re: iPad Pro M1

#325

Post by samatman » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:53 PM UTC

mimsee wrote: post #146

nojito wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right to repair has nothing to do with the environment. Additionally Apple supports their devices far longer than any other company.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. And in this order. What can be fixed will not end up in a landfill somewhere.

Agreed!

Apple products last longer than the competition. You can verify this in any manner you please: there is a robust aftermarket in everything Apple, and in at least phones, laptops, and tablets, the Apple offering will last longer in the wild than comparable products from other companies.

Perhaps the most virtuous thing is to reduce tablets by not having one. But let's say you want one, an iPad will be used by someone or other for ten years, an Android tablet... won't be.

Re: iPad Pro M1

#326

Post by andor » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:55 PM UTC

varispeed wrote: post #76

> Committed to the Environment That section is just nasty and dishonest. It perpetuates an image of Apple as a company caring for environment, which isn't exactly true. They should at least be honest that their devices are artificially hard to repair, so that they can squeeze more money out of the consumer. If someone does not have money to pay Apple to repair the device, where it lands?

Their stuff lasts though. iPhones don't get slower over time like Android phones inevitably do, and they get software updates for 5 years.

Re: iPad Pro M1

#327

Post by christiansakai » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:56 PM UTC

specialist wrote: post #261

christiansakai wrote: post #133

For this Mother's Day I am thinking of getting my old mother either an iPad Pro (M1) or Macbook Air (M1). Emphasized on "old" because she is technically quite illiterate. She does use iPhone though. I wonder what will be the better gift for her? Is iPad quite foolproof? I am thinking of getting the magic keyboard as well and the mouse in case she needs a mouse. Her workflow most likely just browsing, email, FaceTime,…

YMMV. My formerly technically competent mother can no longer learn new skills. We've tried for years to teach her how to text, initiate FaceTime, play Word with Friends, etc. My advice to future eldercare providers is to pick a tech stack, lock down those skills, and then stick to it.

Wow this is a good advice!

Re: iPad Pro M1

#328

Post by brundolf » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:57 PM UTC

ideamotor wrote: post #159

boardwaalk wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I saw this announcement and was thinking, “Why do I need more power?” coming from a 2018 iPad Pro. All this power is cool , but, the design of iPadOS is just not conducive to me wanting to get anything done on it. I know that’s ambiguous and hand wavey. Part of it is certainly the multitasking. Part of it is the keyboard. Part of it is no local Unix or build tools or good code editor. Yeah, I can SSH into anoth…

Apple should let users alternate between iOS and macOS on this device. They should also enable touch on the iMac and let users run iOS on that as well.

I would've thought this was a really silly notion until now, when they're not just running on similar chips but on the same chip.

Re: iPad Pro M1

#329

Post by LaSombra » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:57 PM UTC

ideamotor wrote: post #159

boardwaalk wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I saw this announcement and was thinking, “Why do I need more power?” coming from a 2018 iPad Pro. All this power is cool , but, the design of iPadOS is just not conducive to me wanting to get anything done on it. I know that’s ambiguous and hand wavey. Part of it is certainly the multitasking. Part of it is the keyboard. Part of it is no local Unix or build tools or good code editor. Yeah, I can SSH into anoth…

Apple should let users alternate between iOS and macOS on this device. They should also enable touch on the iMac and let users run iOS on that as well.

I do not doubt that this may become a thing in the future

Re: iPad Pro M1

#330

Post by Isthatablackgsd » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 8:58 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #60

Spartan-S63 wrote: post #13

It'll be interesting to see if iPadOS 15 steps us any closer to laptop/desktop class usage. The biggest thing holding back iPad from being a real laptop replacement for so many is the software. It's also not as simple as porting macOS to iPad. I get Apple's hesitancy from a usability and a product cannibalization standpoint, but it's time they step things forward.

Seriously. The thing that still bites me the most is that "Share" functionality of files continues to be broken in certain apps. For example, I frequently need to save a PDF from my Google Drive app either to my local Files or the Books app. But both those options are just... missing from the iOS share sheet, even though Acrobat is there. So I have to share to Acrobat, then share to Files or Books from within Acrobat…

the file management in iPadOS is a POS. It wasn't even closer to MacOS Finder level. It still feel like juiced-up iOS without expanding functionalities.

Apple needs to provide an official way to easily transfer file without using iTune & iCloud. Yes, there is unofficial way (VLC) of doing this but it is cumbersome and iPad Files & other apps will not see those files at all. I understand why Apple does this to prevent jailbreaking. But for pete's sake, tablet are not suppose to have a restricted access in file manager since it is a freaking tablet!