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Unifying iPadOS and macOS

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Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#101

Post by OrvalWintermute »

fallenhitokiri wrote: post #48
john_minsk wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue that this is just "timing" thing. If we look far enough into the future I would bet that almost 100% of regular tasks should be done not only on iPad, but on iPhone. Human comes to work => docks/AirPlays their system to external monitor => does work in browsers/office apps. We are pretty close to this reality tbh. Mostly software is a limiting factor. As for computer pros...we probably will be forced to…

> Human comes to work => docks/AirPlays their system to > external monitor => does work in browsers/office apps. This sounds like Samsung DeX?

OQO had much of this working ~14 years ago, but I don't think it met much of the phone replacement functionality that it would have needed.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#102

Post by walterbell »

jon-wood wrote: post #64
flohofwoe wrote: post #4

It's not about the touch screen, the UI, the hardware or "casual" vs "professional" users, but simply about the ability to create(!) and combine small specialized tools into something that's bigger than the sum of its parts. The "walled garden app ecosystem" is exceptionally bad for this, and the UNIX shell is exceptionally good, but both are extremes. It's hard to imagine how a UNIX-like flexibility can be achieved…

Assuming enough apps expose functionality through it, Shortcuts is the bridge between walled garden apps and UNIX pipelines, and Apple made a very clever move in making Shortcuts how Siri discovers functionality.

Is there a way to version-control shortcuts and import/export them between devices, especially for those unwilling to use iCloud and associated keyring upload and content scanning?

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#103

Post by walterbell »

SomeHacker44 wrote: post #38
lostgame wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Return it and get a MacBook for around the same price. I don’t understand the point of iPad Pros being so powerful when they can’t - y’know - run even Apple’s own Pro software. (Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro) They’re mind-numbingly expensive toys, for sure.

The only use I have for an iPad is Foreflight. If it ran on any other operating system I would not use Apple products. I dislike no fingerprint reader on the iPad Pro too. Still, it is nice for consuming books, blogs and video.

The latest iPad Air has a fingerprint reader on the power button, which is nice. Hopefully this makes its way to other Apple devices.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#104

Post by simonh »

flohofwoe wrote: post #96
simonh wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are Windows, Linux and MacOS really better platforms for lots of tasks, performed by mainstream and professional users for daily tasks, principally because they are used to pipe text between command line tools? This is delusional. I have good news, iOS user's productivity woes are solved. Using iSH you can pipe text between command line tools all day every day. Finally the power of the iPad is unleashed!

The text piping is just one small part and not the most important, instead its about sharing and processing any type of data with small tools that can be combined like lego blocks (and if there isn't the right lego block for a problem you can build your own). The UNIX shell is just one very primitive implementation of that idea (and yet it's still much more powerful than anything we have on iOS or Android). In the "m…

On iOS now we have all the same interchange mechanisms between applications we have on desktop. Decent file management, rich content cut-and-paste, side-by-side applications. Share sheets are great.

The main limitation is the interaction model, and that's just down the the mechanics of touch interfaces. Firstly fingers are imprecise big fat squishy blobs. Secondly the tablet form factor doesn't afford a large physical keyboard. These are the impediments and they're just facts of the form factor. the new multi-tasking interface in iPadOS looks like a great step forward, but it's always an issue.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#105

Post by rubyist5eva »

As long as I can still sideload the same applications on macOS - I'm OK with this. Even if it's only enabled on the macOS "side", having a unified OS on unified hardware would be huge step forward in my opinion.

Having XCode on an iPad would be convenient as well - though it's not the only IDE I use and would still ultimately prefer a proper laptop/desktop form-factor for "serious" programming.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#106

Post by whatever1 »

TheRealDunkirk wrote: post #65

They can’t get rid of a general purpose OS. They have to have products that allow you to write software for the iDevices, and web applications, in general. You need macOS for these things.

Not really. They can set up cloud boxes for that (with pre-installed libraries and simulators) and let Microsoft, HP, Dell etc serve their beloved developers with crappy low-margin hardware.

All the development goes to the cloud nowadays. The local machine will soon become irrelevant.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#107

Post by mark_l_watson »

john_minsk wrote: post #15
retskrad wrote: post #6

I think iPad is the one product that Apple is the most proud of and it shows. The 2021 iPad Pro is the most sophisticated product in Apple's lineup. It's the smoothest, fastest and most elegant software they have ever made. I know some people who used to work at Apple and they said it was clear that Apple wanted to let the Mac die and focus primarily on iPadOS and iOS but regular users and professionals kept buying M…

I would argue that this is just "timing" thing. If we look far enough into the future I would bet that almost 100% of regular tasks should be done not only on iPad, but on iPhone. Human comes to work => docks/AirPlays their system to external monitor => does work in browsers/office apps. We are pretty close to this reality tbh. Mostly software is a limiting factor. As for computer pros...we probably will be forced to…

Yes indeed, this makes a lot of sense for customers but then Apple would lose money only selling one device to most people (and also maybe a watch).

The last time I visited my Dad, I tried plugging my iPad Pro into his new Apple 6K monitor - really nice! Some apps like Mosh use two displays fairly well.

Even with limited multiple windows, it was nice. Then playing Apple Arcade games on the 6K monitor was visually stunning and fun.

If I had only one device that could function as you and I want it to, it would be an iPhone or new iPad Pro that also functioned as a cell phone. I use the smaller iPad Pro, and it really is portable. Probably an all in one iPhone would be best.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#108

Post by emodendroket »

fallenhitokiri wrote: post #44
flohofwoe wrote: post #4

It's not about the touch screen, the UI, the hardware or "casual" vs "professional" users, but simply about the ability to create(!) and combine small specialized tools into something that's bigger than the sum of its parts. The "walled garden app ecosystem" is exceptionally bad for this, and the UNIX shell is exceptionally good, but both are extremes. It's hard to imagine how a UNIX-like flexibility can be achieved…

This is IMHO a really good point. Somewhere in between App Groups, Share Extensions and custom URL schemes I really hoped at some point we would see a way to make this happen. My wife is currently using Affinity and Adobe products to work on illustrations. It works mostly the same for her as on her Mac. She does not care about small, specialised tools, she wants one app that does everything she needs. The iPad is doi…

Even in Unix it's not like everyone is satisfied with small and specialized applications, or Emacs, let alone modern IDEs, would never have been created.

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#109

Post by emodendroket »

howaboutnope wrote: post #84
fallenhitokiri wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is IMHO a really good point. Somewhere in between App Groups, Share Extensions and custom URL schemes I really hoped at some point we would see a way to make this happen. My wife is currently using Affinity and Adobe products to work on illustrations. It works mostly the same for her as on her Mac. She does not care about small, specialised tools, she wants one app that does everything she needs. The iPad is doi…

But for anything non-trivial, that app that does everything person A needs doesn't do what person B needs, and vice versa. It mostly does what person C needs, who is a whiteboard made subset of the most used features and doesn't match anyone. It's not just UNIX-like flexibility, it's human uniqueness, and the uniqueness of the tasks they perform and the ideas they have. It's also the difference between owning and kno…

Why should the average person learn these skills in particular rather than plumbing, cooking, woodwork, auto repair, or any number of other useful skills they could also learn?

Re: Unifying iPadOS and macOS

#110

Post by emodendroket »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #82
fallenhitokiri wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is IMHO a really good point. Somewhere in between App Groups, Share Extensions and custom URL schemes I really hoped at some point we would see a way to make this happen. My wife is currently using Affinity and Adobe products to work on illustrations. It works mostly the same for her as on her Mac. She does not care about small, specialised tools, she wants one app that does everything she needs. The iPad is doi…

> I am not sure how many users (outside of the ones who got used to it) want UNIX-like flexibility vs "give me an app that does everything I need". If the later group keeps getting larger the walled garden approach to apps might actually work. I think this is crux of the matter. Even outside the Apple ecosystem I see a tendency in people to not think about composing multiple tools but to look for an app that does eve…

It's hard to remember all the arguments for a passel of command line utils. Discoverablility is much better for a GUI, and only someone who wishes to do something unusual or specialized will chafe against the limitations.
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