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The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

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Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#411

Post by snapetom »

Fiahil wrote: post #269

I completely agree with this article. The iPad hardware is absolutely wonderful, it's light, gorgeous and powerful. I got the latest iPad pro to watch Netflix in bed and it fills that purpose completely. However, the OS running on the machine is bad. Very bad. The multitasking is horrifying. The Files app is unusable (especially if you want to access your files from an FTP server). You have to use your finger to sele…

I feel that Apple has lost its way with OS design in the past 5 years or so. Not at a macro level, but at a micro, "little things" level. Launch anything Apple-written these days and you'll get a wizard telling you how to use some new widget - just like any other software by anyone else. I don't think Apple has ever done that before because features were designed so well, you can easily figure it out.

Then there are just tons of small decisions that are head scratchers. In iOS 13, they changed when Select/Select All appear, and it's a real pain in the ass. Early versions of iOS didn't have Select/Copy/Paste because the general belief was that they had to get it right the first time. They nailed it, but now they've tweaked it and made it much harder to use.

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#412

Post by Brave-Steak »

bosie wrote: post #347
Brave-Steak wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use my iPad Pro in splitscreen almost exclusively. Probably because I mainly use it for notetaking and research, instead of as just an entertainment device. That said, the usability of multitasking has for some reason become far worse on iPads since iOS 11 and I'm still waiting for them to do anything to improve it. I still can't believe it's in the state it is now, years later.

Is this the 13" or the 11" version you have?

13"

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#414

Post by jdeibele »

js2 wrote: post #324
pwthornton wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The iPhone SE had a metal body. I have one in my desk drawer right now. It was fantastic hardware. It just used cheaper cameras and a smaller screen.

My kids still use SEs. It's still a very functional phone. The internals are iPhone 6s era (A9). The plastic phone was the 5c (A6, same as the 5) and it's not even 64-bit so it can't be upgraded past iOS 10. (The SE is three generations newer than the 5C.)

My teenagers love their SEs. Oldest lost hers, tried Mom's old 6 for a while, then asked for another SE.

My son's friends make fun of him for the small screen size of the SE compared to their 7s and 8s but he just says he's dropped it hundreds of times and it's working fine. It's in a case, of course.

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#415

Post by Causality1 »

I'm in love with the idea of the ipad/tablet but they just don't work for me in practice. Either I'm out and don't have anything on me but my phone or I'm at home and already have my computer in front of me. Ipads just don't work as replacement computers for me. I can't manage my media and document archives. I can't create bootable USB drives. I can't maintain a folder full of installers for necessary software. I just don't feel in control on a tablet.

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#416

Post by notlukesky »

The iPad is there for mass consumption as primarily a consumption tool (pun intended). Power users following the aptly named power law already know the tricks to use it as a production tool like split screen and multitasking etc... the masses will not invest the time to learn those tricks because they don’t need it and their willful ignorance is bliss.

The good thing that the article points out is that Apple’s historical business model (4.99 price cap) limited productivity tools by capping the prices that could be charged through the app store. Fair point there. Apple can still breathe life going forward for developers by rebooting the developer ecosystem. 10 years on the tablet has just arrived for productivity. That is still a fraction of iPad consumers. Prosumers are a minority and the only ones demanding landscape view and split screen apps.

I work for an IAM consultancy and the password manager we recommend to our clients and that I use is SAASPASS and one of the reasons is that it supports multitasking, landscape view and split screen. Split screen is great for Authenticator codes and password management. But the masses probably don’t care at all for these features. Although AutoFill has solved some of these UX issues with most apps and websites.

If anyone is interested in an iPad friendly Authenticator and Password Manager see here:

https://saaspass.com/

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#417

Post by bnjms »

schwartzworld wrote: post #391
bnjms wrote: post #388

Lots of good discussion here about the state of iPad tablets. My SO is returning to school and wants a tablet for school. She likes her iPhone. Is the iPad ready to be a primary note taking solution? I have seen its note taking app used to great effect but how is external keyboard support? Does anyone use an ipad in uni as their primary input device?

For this use case, why not a laptop? Any chromebook or inexpensive laptop would work fine for taking notes.

I think mostly because she wants a touchscreen and already has an old laptop. Hand written notes are often easier since they seem to tap into the brain differently.

And while her wants are primary, the chromebook system is awful. I could never encourage use of a chrome book for anything except something managed like a school.

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#418

Post by dlivingston »

qmmmur wrote: post #199
apexalpha wrote: post #143

This is excellent. My grandma (89) uses an iPad and iPhone. She can use both these devices exactly because of the simplicity mentioned in the article. 1. Open app by tapping it. 2. Close it by tapping the physical button. (rip) That's it. And that's why my grandma can use it. The first and only device she comfortably uses to this day. People in our (tech) communities tend to overestimate a users ability with technolo…

Let me recount an experience I heard second hand of a researcher developing user interfaces for research tools. Keep in mind the target audiences are people with PhD's and who have to comb through lots of data in order to do their job. They struggled with _double click_ as a concept. How fast, not moving the mouse in-between clicks etc, etc. Some people are really virginial when it comes to anything other than doing…

Indeed. When I was in high school, I took a community college course called "Intro to Computers" or something like that.

We spent an entire lecture on the concept of right-clicking, and several lectures on changing fonts and font sizes in Microsoft Word.

It blew my mind that this was not innately intuitive, forgetting that I grew up with all of this and it's as second nature my generation as breathing.

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#419

Post by dlivingston »

bnjms wrote: post #388

Lots of good discussion here about the state of iPad tablets. My SO is returning to school and wants a tablet for school. She likes her iPhone. Is the iPad ready to be a primary note taking solution? I have seen its note taking app used to great effect but how is external keyboard support? Does anyone use an ipad in uni as their primary input device?

It depends on what she's studying, IMHO. If there are domain specific apps (i.e., AutoCAD, Terminal, etc.) then the iPad is a non-starter.

If she just needs to take notes, make PowerPoints, and write essays, then the iPad is great. The Apple Pencil (and keyboard case) is a virtual requirement, but I prefer it far above even traditional pen-and-paper notes.

Re: The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10

#420

Post by monknomo »

ghaff wrote: post #280
gherkinnn wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Camera is true. Speaking for myself, I’m a hopeless photographer and the iPhone X’ camera won’t save me.

One big difference with the newer phones is low light performance. I have a bunch of "real" cameras but I so often don't have them with me if I haven't set out with the explicit intention to take pictures. >I’m a hopeless photographer Like anything else you can learn. You may not transform yourself into a great photographer but learning some simple rules and practicing a bit will take you a long way. Smartphones have…

I am not a natural photographer, but a couple rules I've followed have made my pictures better:

1. Light up the thing I'm trying to photograph

2. Keep the bright light sources behind me insofar as possible (for example, pictures of a person with the sun behind them are really hard)

3. Turn on the grid lines and try to get interesting things either on the lines or where the lines intersect

4. Line up horizons or vertical lines so the photo is clearly oriented, unless I'm trying to be disorienting

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