
The Failure of the iPad - tobr
http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2020/01/29/the_failure_of_the_ipad/
======
chrisseaton
> real work is typically file-centric

What is this silly ‘real work’ gate-keeping? I guess the author means _their_
work.

My fitness instructor uses an iPad to refer to fitness plans. He’s doing
_real_ work. He uses files to do it as well! Opening an Excel spreadsheet.

My friend is an outdoor teacher and uses an iPad as a map. He’s doing _real_
work. Maps are files.

Another friend works as a train engineer and uses an iPad to refer to
technical manuals. He’s doing _real_ work. The manuals are PDF files.

My colleagues who do recruitment at conferences take people’s details on
iPads. They’re doing _real_ work too. Each form filled in is a file.

~~~
RodgerTheGreat
The key is composability.

On a normal desktop OS, it is routine to use multiple applications in concert
to do work, using files and the clipboard as means of composition.

On an iPad (or mobile devices in general), it is indeed possible to build
delightful and useful end-to-end integrated suites for doing so-called "Real
work".

The problem is that if you want to perform a task that requires features from
two or more applications, you may well be out of luck! Applications can rarely
share data, often resorting to cloud services (and thus a mandatory network
connection) as a clumsy workaround, and even copying and pasting data between
applications can be challenging and error-prone.

On a desktop, any user can invent new workflows. On an ipad, a user can only
buy them wholesale. Users are at the mercy of the degree of forethought the
app developers put into their designs.

~~~
chrisseaton
> if you want to perform a task that requires features from two or more
> applications, you may well be out of luck!

Ok... but if you don’t need that you’re not doing ‘real work’?

~~~
coldtea
Well, you might still do real work (if you get paid for doing whatever you do)
but you're in a much much smaller niche of real work.

It makes sense then to define "real work" by what the majority of "real work"
is, not the exceptions, even if the exceptions are still real work.

Like the phrase "Nobody uses X" means "very few use X, so few that it doesn't
matter", "Y is not good for real work" means "Y is not good for 90% of real
work" (the most common types) not "Y is not good for any kind of real word at
all ever period".

~~~
threeseed
Real work is only real if you get paid for it ?

You do realise this is HN where quite a lot of us are building startups and
not getting paid for it.

~~~
coldtea
Well, you do realise that if you don't get paid for it it's not really your
work. It's just an effort you might or might not turn into a work.

------
ohazi
Everyone in this thread getting offended by casual use of the term "real work"
is missing the point. The iPad can obviously be used for "real work" \-- but
the point of this argument is not to criticize people and the work that they
do, it's to criticize the limitations of the iPad's operating system.

Computer power users like composability, interoperability, "unix philosophy" /
"do one thing well" \-- whatever you want to call it -- because it's a
powerful tool.

RodgerTheGreat summed it up really well:

> On a desktop, any user can invent new workflows. On an ipad, a user can only
> buy them wholesale. Users are at the mercy of the degree of forethought the
> app developers put into their designs.

Power users are frustrated because we like the iPad hardware and want to be
able to use it, but Apple seems to have latched onto the idea that good tablet
design requires them to sacrifice this idea. I and many others don't believe
this is necessarily a requirement. Yes, the form factor is different, and you
need to be careful with input methods, but good composability should still be
possible, and could even be better than on a PC -- but Apple doesn't seem
interested in actually trying. That's the criticism.

~~~
mstolpm
The criticism is that the iPad isn't better than a PC? Neither is a hammer or
a saw ... but both are used professionally every minute.

The iPad is a tool. Would someone argue that a hammer is flawed because it
only can be used in some ways, some professions and for some tasks? A laptop
is a tool, a PC is a tool, a mainframe is a tool, a calculator is a tool and a
saw is a tool. So what?

Of course, a PC might be a better tool for your workflow, your work, your
results. But that might be different for someone else. Work with the tools
that fits your needs best!

Why do we need to criticize one tool because it is not equal or better to
another? Gruber is right in regards of discoverability and consistency of
(multitasking) gestures on iPadOS. There is room for improvement. The lack of
"professional" iPad software should be directed more towards the developers
than Apple - why needs some iPad app to be crippled in comparison to its Mac
counterpart? Valid concerns.

But calling the iPad a failure because it doesn't fit to your work, your
workflow and your processes? Because it isn't the ultimate general purpose
tool? I know authors still using a typewriter. I know some that use iPads
because of the "single app interface" and less distraction. I know others
using laptops (and complaining about distraction). All are doing "real" work
(as many other professions mentioned in this thread) and all have their
preferred way of working.

If a developer/power user is happy with his Mac/Win/Linux setup, why does s/he
need to criticize the iPad for NOT being the right tool? Or are these folks
just unhappy with their setups and desperately hoping Apple will give them a
better (-toy-) tool for less bucks? Or is it just en vogue to bash Apple?

~~~
ohazi
> But calling the iPad a failure because [...]

You're making exactly the mistake I described. You're getting hung up on how
the criticism was lobbed, when it wasn't meant to be taken literally.
_Obviously_ it's not actually a failure: it's made billions of dollars for
Apple.

> The lack of "professional" iPad software should be directed more towards the
> developers than Apple - why needs some iPad app to be crippled in comparison
> to its Mac counterpart?

The problem isn't the software, because the goal isn't to have one or two
magically complex IDEs that can do everything, the goal is to allow _useful_
ways to shovel intermediate data around _in between_ apps. That has to happen
at the operating system level, and so the criticism needs to be directed at
Apple.

> Why do we need to criticize one tool because it is not equal or better to
> another?

Because it fucking _could be_ better, and it's maddening that it isn't! That
is a totally valid reason to criticize something!

If you want to use a woodworking tool analogy, it's like a tablesaw with a
crosscut sled welded to the table. Sometimes I want to make a rip cut. I
_could_ buy a new table with a welded-on rip fence and spend an hour retooling
every time I want to switch tasks... But interchangeable fixtures are useful,
and I'm allowed to be upset when other people stubbornly refuse to acknowledge
this.

If the issue persists and remains unacknowledged even after a decade of
criticism, you should expect that people are going to start using hyperbole
out of sheer frustration. But that's "frustrated person language" \-- you
still shouldn't get hung up on the literal phrases.

~~~
brianpan
But I think "real work" _is_ a bad criticism. If the kind of work it can do is
the problem with the iPad, then why is the iPhone so popular?

The real "problem" with the iPad is the size. Laptop have been getting smaller
and thinner (gigantic 17" laptops used to be a thing). iPhones have been
getting bigger (more iPad-like or at least iPad mini-like), but it's probably
close to big enough.

It turns out Steve Jobs was wrong. The iPhone is not a too small version of an
iPad, the iPad is an iPhone that's too big. That's not to say there's no room
for it in the product lineup. It just happens to be more like the Mac Mini
than the iMac.

~~~
ohazi
> But I think "real work" _is_ a bad criticism.

For the third time, "real work" _is not the actual criticism._ It's inexact
language used by a frustrated person, and you're taking it literally when you
shouldn't be.

> If the kind of work it can do is the problem with the iPad

Nobody is saying this. The kind of work you can already do on an iPad is
great. We're just frustrated because with a little bit of thought at the
operating system level, the device would _also_ be capable of doing a lot of
other things well, without any sacrifice to the all of the existing apps and
workflows that make the device popular.

~~~
jader201
> We're just frustrated because with a little bit of thought at the operating
> system level, the device would also be capable of doing a lot of other
> things well, without any sacrifice to the all of the existing apps and
> workflows that make the device popular.

I wonder how true this really is? Removing the need for files or composability
was a “feature” of the iPad from the beginning. To simplify things. For
example, add in more native support for a real file system from the beginning,
and many of the apps that were designed without a file system /composability
in mind now is designed completely differently, and may no longer work as
well/simply as the current users experience them today.

I don’t pretend to have a crystal ball and know how things “might’ve been”,
but I think saying that by supporting a native file system/composability,
things would be “the same but better” may be a bit naive.

------
jxdxbx
I've read so many of these articles lately. People seem to approach the iPad
expecting it to work like a laptop, and when it doesn't, they're off to
compose a thinkpiece.

Many of these articles also state as a fact things that haven't been true of
iPads for a while. If you want a file-centric experience you can have it--at
least if you select apps that have been updated in the past several years. All
of my files are stored in iCloud Drive, which is synced to my Macs just like
Dropbox, and which works flawlessly with iPhone and iPad apps that properly
implement the Files app APIs. I don't have any data silos. Yet I view the
_option_ of using an iPad purely as an app jukebox with data silos as a major
win for many, many users.

I stopped using laptops years ago. No, I can't do everything on an iPad Pro.
But I find iPadOS to be a superior operating system for a small, portable
screen. (I'm defining small as below 20"). I use a 27" iMac for more advanced
tasks (as well as a media server, etc).

~~~
freehunter
Many people approach the iPad in the same way people approached the cloud a
few years ago. They try to treat it like the older technology it’s meant to
replace, and when it doesn’t work the same they will proclaim “it’s not the
cloud it’s just someone else’s data center!”

It took a cloud native approach to really get the real benefit from the cloud.
It takes an iPad native approach to benefit from the iPad.

------
bhauer
Since 2015 or thereabouts, my opinion has been that tablets plateaued and have
faltered because of what I call "Yet Another Application Platform Dilemma."
[1] Many people who already have a PC and phone don't really want, let alone
need, _another_ in-between device that they have to babysit and manage.

That said, I agree with the OP's argument, which is effectively that if you
have to go out of your way to say, "No really, you can do real work on an
iPad," you have missed the point. Of course you _can_ do real work on a lot of
devices. Is the device particularly good at it, though? Maybe, in some cases.
But for a large number of us—and apparently that number is large enough to
slow tablet sales—doing work on a tablet is just not good enough. We're either
in "Work mode" where a laptop is better or in "Consumption mode" where the
laptop or phone is just fine.

It's funny that in this thread people are saying the same thing that the OP
pointed out. In effect: "You _can_ do real work on an iPad." Great. But the
topic at hand, whether you care about it or not, is conjecture about why the
devices are not selling better.

[1] [https://tiamat.tsotech.com/why-tablet-sales-are-
falling](https://tiamat.tsotech.com/why-tablet-sales-are-falling)

~~~
rossdavidh
For about 20 years, I have been observing the paper-book-to-tablet ratio when
I'm on the bus. Of course, back when I started it was because I was wondering
if tablets would do away with paper books. Now it's just out of habit, because
in fact the smartphone turned out to be an unintentional ally of paper books.
I see people with both paper books and smartphones, but people don't normally
want to carry two screen devices with them, and they sure aren't giving up
their phones. So the tablet/e-reader/whatever-you-call-it peaked 5-10 years
ago.

Of course, this discussion is about work, not how one reads books, but I think
something similar is happening. Tablets are too close to other devices
(laptops, smartphones) which are not going away, and therefore they are appear
to have hit a hard upper limit.

My 14-year old daughter used to use tablets; now she uses her chromebook, her
smartphone, and her desktop, but never an iPad. Most impressively, she even
uses a Wacom tablet, which she plugs into her desktop, because she liked it
better than the iPad for drawing. I think she is not alone, and people her age
will go into the workforce more accustomed to using phones and laptops to get
things done.

------
notacoward
I don't think it's true that users generally want things to be file-centric
instead of app-centric. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The underlying lack of
data integration between apps - even simple copy and paste can't be relied on
- is a bigger stumbling block. It's also odd that the screen-layout and I/O
limitations don't feature more prominently. The author's larger point - that
you don't have to spend so much effort telling people something is useful if
it really is - rings true, but I'm not sure they make a very good case for it.

------
p1necone
A lot of people in here arguing that the iPad isn't for _lesser_ work than a
desktop or laptop, just _different_ work. I think this is largely true,
however the frustration (at least for me) comes from the fact that this
shouldn't need to be the case.

With a few tweaks to the OS, and a keyboard cover the iPad _could_ be used for
all the things that iPads are currently used for _and_ all the things that
people still need desktops/laptops for. I think the frustration is coming from
people who see that they're being unnecessarily constrained.

Even being able to dual boot iOS or macOS would solve the problem.

------
GeekyBear
Stephen Sinofsky, who led the Windows team at the time the iPhone and iPad
were introduced, had a very different take on the iPad that he recently
shared.

>In first year 2010–2011 Apple sold 20 million iPads. That same year would
turn out to be an historical high water mark for PCs (365M, ~180M laptops).
Analysts had forecasted more than 500M PCs were now rapidly increasing tablet
forecasts to 100’s of million and dropping PC.

The iPad and iPhone were soundly existential threats to Microsoft’s core
platform business.

[https://www.extremetech.com/computing/305359-happy-10th-
ipad...](https://www.extremetech.com/computing/305359-happy-10th-ipad-steven-
sinofsky-reflects-on-microsofts-perspective)

------
reaperducer
_The Failure of the iPad_

200 million units sold. $10 billion in quarterly revenue.

Man, I wish I could have that kind of "failure."

~~~
compiler-guy
If an unknown startup's only product was the iPad, it would be a unicorn of
mega proportions and the toast of hacker news.

------
tjpaudio
While I agree with the author's sentiment that it hasn't really panned out for
professional work, the title is not right. When the iPad came out, I dumped my
Apple stock before the quarter where they would report on sales. The stock at
the time was heavily forward valued on lots of iPad sales happening. Apple had
failed to gain traction with all it's previous ultra-mobile computing products
in the past, all of them marketed for productivity. Why would this one be
different? Tablets were available in the stores, but they weren't selling. I
figured it would be another case of the early adopters getting overly jazzed
about a product nobody wanted.

I was wrong. The iPad saw adoption by the everyday consumer. Give it to the
kids so they could play games, watch videos and stop bothering mom. Mom liked
how simple it was to check her email. Etc. They created an entire new market.
THAT, is not a failure.

------
rs23296008n1
I use my ipad pro 12.9" for real-as-in-paying-work. Good luck trying to take
my ipads away. I've two of them. Theres a few more around that aren't mine.

Checking email, general websites, discord use, videoconf, etc etc all on ipad.
Drawing, sketching, music generation. Excellent.

What is not so good:

No support for tough work background threads. Don't suggest Spotify as
counter-example. Audio streaming is a non-challenge for modern cpus.

No support for on-device app development. Both of my ipads leave my raspberry
pi computers in the dust in terms of ram, processing power and graphics. Yet,
each pi is more functional as a general machine because I can easily remote
into them. I can easily build code on a pi and run it. Using ipad I need
something like Pythonista to get anywhere near the same. Workflow is useful.

I don't think my ipad pro deserves the "pro" moniker however. It is moving
_towards_ but it is no where ready.

Don't believe me? Look at the apps for email as just one example. Try setting
up filters/labels in a ios app like gmail. For that matter, show me all the
headers for a particular email. Can't. Basic things I'd like to do. Especially
with spam handling. A pro device doesn't have stripped down interfaces. It
_can_ have hidden functionality revealed through a setting. Even a few 70 year
olds have complained to me about limitations with the various email and
calendar apps. They use desktops for "complex" tasks.

Why can't other browsers use non-safari engine? Why no extensions support for
browsers?

Its the dumb-it-down-for-ipad mindset that is holding the ipad from being a
true pro device.

SSH on ipad is what keeps my ipad useful for development. Thats real enough
for me. Why can't I run a compiler natively on the ipad? Its got the
processing power.

Wheels for the mind. Make it happen Apple.

~~~
washadjeffmad
Apple absolutely nails the generalist and prosumer space but leaves me baffled
by their posturing towards industry adoption.

As a JAMF swilling AASP, I've lost my patience at the slaverers (it's always
the webdevs) and share my opinion freely that the "Pro" in MacWhatever Pro
means "an accessory for someone who considers themself a professional", not
"professional-grade equipment".

I consider it part of a healthy aspirational realignment. Some move on, others
try to prove me wrong. Both end up closer to their enlightenment.

Although, all it would take to flip me on iPads is something like Chromebook's
Crouton, and I'd lifecycle every MacBook Air with an iPad Pro 2nd Gen and
offer them in place of MacBook Pros. They're almost amazing, and it just hurts
that there's either no support or no feature parity with the major creative
and engineering software we license.

iPads are top notch for media and productivity, but the platform's niche
utility is way outclassed by its own hardware and other products more common
in industry.

------
jaredcwhite
"Why do people keep posting articles about people doing real work on an iPad?"

Because people like the author of this blog post keep saying that people can't
use the iPad to get real work done.

At this point, it's become maddening. Do I still carry a Mac laptop around
with me? Yes. Are there some things I can do on a Mac I can't do on an iPad?
Yes.

But it goes both ways. Are there some things I can do on an iPad I can't do on
a Mac? Unequivocally yes. Does that mean, in those contexts, I should throw
shade at the Mac and say people can't get "real work" done on the Mac? No,
that's absurd.

A smartphone != tablet != laptop != desktop != watch != smart speaker, etc.,
etc. Different devices for difference purposes, and the fact they all overlap
in many ways is a nice bonus, not a problem to bemoan.

~~~
p1necone
The laptop/desktop form factor is a physical barrier to the kinds of things
that tablets are good for (portability, drawing, good for reading documents
while working etc etc). But there's not reason why you shouldn't be able to
use the iPad for the stuff you currently need a laptop/desktop running mac os
for other than software. I _should_ be able to chuck a keyboard cover on an
iPad and use it for all the same stuff I use a desktop pc for (albeit with a
smaller screen), but I can't - because Apple intentionally puts a less feature
rich operating system on the device (and has a restricted app store that
explicitly disallows certain use cases).

~~~
Terretta
> but I can’t

But many can, and barring certain industry specific specialty tools, I’m
unfamiliar with everyday laptop software for everyday people that doesn’t have
a plausible counterpart.

------
dreamcompiler
I wish we lived in a world where we had hardware as nice as the iPad that
anyone could write software for--at any level--with no control or veto power
by any single big company (or country).

~~~
eloisant
Well, technically anyone can create an Android app and distribute it directly
without going through the Play Store.

"As nice as the iPad" is subjective but there are pretty nice Android tablets
out there.

~~~
notatoad
i've tried out a fair number of the android tablets and imho they're all a
_long_ ways off from being as nice as the iPad. The only tablet hardware that
really comes close to the iPad for me is the Surface.

I really want android (or chromeOS) tablets to be as good, because i'd much
rather use android apps than windows or iPad apps, but the hardware just
sucks.

------
m23khan
I personally find iPad (or any other tablet for that matter) a big hit when it
comes to device usage for small kids as well as using as a interactive screen
for customers in retail shops.

But yeah, other than that, it would be hard to be productive with just a
tablet I reckon.

~~~
braythwayt
I use an iPad Pro as my primary personal device. I have used it to write a
book, and to write code for GitHub.

I would use it in my current job, however we have very strict rules about what
we are and are not allowed to do with personal devices regardless of their
make and model.

It's quite amazing how capable it is once you rustle up a git client, and
editor, and a wireless keyboard.

~~~
LegitShady
Your usage case seems like almost any tablet device could have worked though.

~~~
freehunter
Yes but the biggest success of the iPad lies mostly in _there are no
alternatives left_. Almost everyone else has left the market. At this point if
you’re buying a tablet that’s not an iPad, you really have to go out of your
way to make that justification.

------
gargs
I feel that a lot of the shortcomings of the iPad as a platform are really a
consequence of the chicken or egg problem. For the platform to be viable, you
need a lot of good apps, and to make good apps a possibility, the platform
needs to be monetizable. Currently, the iPad lacks on all 2 fronts.

Apple isn't leading either on the software front. All the stock apps are just
resized apps of their iOS counterparts with nothing extraordinary about them.
Most happy users are just using a bigger web-browser, or a bigger drawing app
(with the same functionality as on smaller screens), or custom apps that are
uploaded on an educational/enterprise portal and are a job requirement. A lot
of families use it as an entertainment/learning device for their children
where its processing power is underused.

There is almost no money to be made as a developer if you spend all that
effort supporting multitasking or adding nice iPadOS-only features. Customers
won't pay and Apple only makes your life harder with every OS release.

------
cmcd
These failures apply to every tablet that is not running a full desktop OS. Of
these the iPad is far and away the best option currently.

~~~
rchaud
How so? Android has a file system that's accessible to the user out of the
box, and there are numerous file manager apps on the Play Store in addition to
whatever the OEM packaged in the Android OS image. While the Play Store may be
a walled garden, Android doesn't stop you from installing APKs from third
parties.

In addition to that, Android has had mouse support since at least 2012. It
took Apple what, 8 generations to add it into iPad OS?

However, your overall point is correct. the Ipad is more successful as a
"productivity" tool than Android among regular people, despite the suite of
Microsoft Office apps being fairly similar in quality across both. I'm
assuming that Office style apps are what's mostly being used, and not
specialist apps like Procreate or Affinity which are iOS only.

My guess is that people are more willing to buy Apple for tablet productivity
as their support is more reliably available and it's easy to get third party
accessories. On the Android side there is no such guarantee. Samsung is only
OEM even attempting to compete with the iPad Pro, but its support doesn't have
the same reputation and accessories aren't always available in all markets.

~~~
thrower123
Android has a file system, but almost every app goes out of its way to hide
that fact from you. I have almost no idea where any particular app is going to
save files to, and so it's playing needle in a haystack every time I want to
open a file created by one app in a different one.

~~~
reaperducer
This is another case where Apple didn't invent something, but made the best
version of it.

For a device that didn't have a public file system until recently, the iPad's
both works and makes sense. It's iPod, mobile phone, Bluetooth headphones all
over again, on a feature level.

------
mantap
The iPad by virtue of its form factor, sucks for typing anything longer than a
short message. You can't hold it comfortably like a smartphone, or place it on
an unsturdy surface like a laptop. Everything about the typing experience on
an iPad feels distinctly second class.

This is a problem for a computing device because writing is a pillar of human
culture and economy. A device that places writing second is a device that has
excluded itself from vast swathes of what people use computers for.

iPads are good at many thing that involves passive consumption, or drawing
using the Pencil, or pressing buttons, etc.

I have an iPad and it complements my laptop well - I use it for reading music.
The iPad is not a failure. But it's also not replacing my laptop. It is an
accessory to it. I'm sure that Apple, a company that sold me both devices, is
ecstatic about that.

~~~
Terretta
On the contrary, the iPad Pro with Apple Smart Keyboard is spectacular for
typing all the things — anywhere you happen to be. Takes up half the depth of
a laptop, or braces firmly on your lap. In fact, given the way it’s balanced,
only takes about 2” of table ledge, the keyboard can hang in the air and still
firm enough to type on.

It places writing first, whether with pencil or keyboard, no laptop does both
as well.

------
dharma1
I love the form factor of iPad, and with a physical keyboard it's starting to
be quite good.

But...

I can't design UIs on it (no Figma or Sketch - yes there are some vector
drawing apps but they don't compare)

I can't edit high quality video on it (locked down codecs - only h264/h265, no
prores, no raw codecs, no ability to install codecs beyond what the OS
provides)

I can't use an iPad to write software for iPad (no xcode)

File management with iOS13 is better but still clunky compared to desktop
OS's.

Yes there are many things you can do with it that qualify as work for many
people, but compared to desktop it's still very much lacking in many areas,
and not really progressing significantly either. I wish iOS was more
extensible by users and it could have a better chance

------
Someone
If only my failures were like the iPad...

The laptop is about four times as old as the iPad, and it hasn’t fully
replaced the desktop either.

------
gwbas1c
I just want a Macbook where I can fold over the screen and it's an iPad. Then
I want to be able to use iPad applications in Macos. Is that too much to ask
for?

~~~
reaperducer
If you're willing to pay a $400 premium for such a device, you could just
Velcro an iPad to a MacBook.

------
paulhodge
> The thing that truly hurts the iPad is the App Store.

I'm skeptical if the situation would be better without an app store. The app
store provides monetization and that leads to higher quality apps. I think
what we'd really want is for iPadOS to open up to more integrations, like an
integration app that offers a different home screen / app switcher / task
manager experience.

------
p1necone
The comments on this thread are immensely frustrating. Just because all the
work _you_ need to do can be done on an iPad doesn't mean that all the work
_everyone_ needs to do can be done on an iPad, or that it wouldn't be easier
on a desktop/laptop OS.

And yes I know there's some (creative/primary - not augmenting something else
you're doing) work that _does_ work better on iOS^. But that's an exception,
not the rule.

^I mention the OS and not the tablet form factor because (as the article
mentions) that is the main problem here.

And none of this really matters, it's fine to have a tablet with an OS that's
tailored for certain use cases. But people _keep_ trying to claim that an iPad
can replace a regular PC, and that's just not true for a lot of people.

------
theshadowknows
I admit I’m in the minority but for my purposes my iPad fits every need that I
have for a computer which is I can do all of my work when I’m away from my
desk on it.

I do a lot of work in Salesforce, I write a lot of sql, I write a lot of
JavaScript, I write a lot of Python, and I write a fair amount of Go.

I write and respond to a lot of emails.

I talk to people on Teams.

I do a lot of work in Adobe Analytics, Hue, Jira, SFMC.

The main thing that I’ve had a tough time replacing (and I’d be so thrilled if
someone here has a good suggestion) is Postman. Because I write tons of little
example payloads for APIs to send off to developers to get them started on
projects or to test internal stuff. I’d love a native solution for that.

------
daturkel
This article is oddly similar to the Daring Fireball article that just came
out and was just posted on HN. Both talk about how, 10 years in, the iPad has
failed to revolutionize computing and both complain about awkward UX.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22166421](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22166421)

[https://daringfireball.net/2020/01/the_ipad_awkwardly_turns_...](https://daringfireball.net/2020/01/the_ipad_awkwardly_turns_10)

~~~
hinkley
Someone replied on that thread that the iPad doesn’t quite have the same
upgrade treadmill as other devices. I made do with my iPad mini 2 when it
started having a video glitch during the long gap between the 4 and the 5.
Then I finally bought the new one. That was almost five years for me.

Another one said they were common with children, which is true. But if they
grow out of them, then they also might not be replaced that often. Birth rate
in the first world is steady or falling. High end device sales for children
should tend to follow.

------
Wowfunhappy
> When the original Mac came out, it didn’t have multitasking, either.

What is the author referring to, exactly? I've seen screenshots of the
original Mac with multiple windows open on screen.

~~~
eludwig
The original MacOS only supported one application at a time. It also supported
little apps called "Desk Accessories", which could float as a separate window
within the applications space, but they required a small amount of support
from the application itself, which could choose not to do so! Desk Accessories
internally were coded as drivers, just like any other system-level driver.

It wasn't until Andy wrote "Switcher" that the Mac supported more than one
app, which, the first time it demoed made my jaw drop! Andy is a really smart
guy. To be fair, Switcher had limitations due to memory and no hardware
multitasking support in the original 68000. It was more like cooperative
coexistence than true multitasking.

~~~
bitwize
> To be fair, Switcher had limitations due to memory and no hardware
> multitasking support in the original 68000.

Ahem, the Amiga would like a word...

The 68000 hardware could support preemptive multitasking just fine; what it
lacked was a hardware MMU. You couldn't run an OS with protected virtual
memory on a 68000 without external hardware support (sometimes another 68000
was used for this!). Accordingly, all tasks on the Amiga had access to each
other's memory space and even the kernel's. But the fact that Switcher,
MultiFinder, and later versions of Mac OS could only support cooperative
multitasking was more a Mac OS limitation than a hardware one.

~~~
eludwig
>>The 68000 hardware could support preemptive multitasking just fine; what it
lacked was a hardware MMU.

Yes, exactly. Thanks for clarifying. As you say, the lack of preemptive
multitasking was mainly an OS limitation, although a hardware MMU would have
really helped. I remember at the time reading about the hoops that Andy had to
go through to get Switcher (which, as mentioned in other replies, became
MultiFinder) to work. One of the issues was that the single app OS model used
a bunch of low memory locations as system globals...on every context switch
these had to be saved and restored because each running application could
change them. (ouch!)

------
lordleft
Honestly, Apple is asking for this kind of scrutiny when they apply the 'pro'
moniker to any and every product. My iPad Pro _is_ incredible and I love using
it, but there is still so much friction involved in doing certain things that
are way simpler on my desktop machines.

~~~
zerkten
I tend to agree. I've got an iPad Pro, but my MacBook Pro is still my default
for activities which are often possible, but awkward on the iPad.

What Apple seems to have done though is avoid an uncontained failure. I could
have seen other tech leadership teams going all in on the iPad Pro, and
removing/deprecating other lines completely at this point.

They've started incremental investment in the iPad after years of low/no
investment. This seems like a better strategy to realise the full capabilities
of the product while retaining what works. This is too slow for some people,
but I don't know of another option, especially when an ARM transition on
laptops is a consideration.

------
murphy214
I get the real work argument but I think real work from real professionals is
slowly permeate to the iPad for example Madlib (prolific hip-hop producer)
produced his entire last album on an iPad and it was seen as a pretty big deal
in the professional music world. (I think)

------
SllX
Choosing a tablet over a laptop or any other kind of computer is all about the
tradeoffs you are willing to make.

There are some circumstances where the combination of portability and screen
real estate makes it a better choice than a laptop or a phone. There are some
applications that are more well suited to tablets, and some that are more well
suited to a laptop, desktop, server or phone instead.

They’re all computers, there’s not many reasons you couldn’t run a web server
off a tablet or phone, it’s more a case of choosing the right tool for the
right job at the right time. From that perspective, iPads and tablets in
general are just a _different_ tool, you can beat a nail in with an iPad in a
pinch, maybe, but why not just grab an actual hammer?

But that’s boring. It doesn’t play into the narrative that tablets, with iPads
at the vanguard, were or are predestined to replace laptops entirely in
exactly the same way that GUIs replaced what we used to call command-line
interfaces and surely not a single soul on Earth uses _those_ anymore.

Obviously the only thing holding this back is Apple’s own policies, and if
they would just let the next Adobe rise up and take their rightful place as a
software giant making tools for iPads, surely its destiny as a laptop-murderer
would be fulfilled. That would be so much better than merely being absolutely
top tier for digital painting, digital clipboards, digital books, bedtime
movies, and at least being serviceable as a third-rate cash register.

tl;dr: laptop-murder is more exciting than another tool to choose to have in
your tool belt or not.

------
ngcc_hk
It is not a failure if it is part of an ecosystem. Just got 3 as book and note
writer. Perfect.

------
robomartin
What frustrates me about the i<thing> and smart-phone ecosystem in general is
the abject lack of integration with computers and, in the case of i<things>,
the lack of sensible file system access, memory card slot, f-ing cursor
control, and more.

Simple example: Why can't I pop-up my iPhone X screen as a window on one of my
three workstation monitors (Windows 10) and run it from my computer?

Why can't I make calls with it from my computer?

Why can't I click on a phone number on a web page in Chrome and dial it with
my phone?

Why can't I type a text message from my PC keyboard and send it with the
phone?

Why can't I copy and paste onto the phone?

Why can't I copy and paste an image and send it with the phone?

Why can't I do the reverse and grab things from the phone from my PC?

Why can't I access a file system transparently (other than images)?

For that matter, why can't I transfer large videos?

Why can't I use my PC headset through the PC to communicate using the phone?

I mean, the thing sits there ALL DAY, 10 to 12 hours a day, right next to my
workstation. If I want to do anything with it I have to go from a full size
keyboard with arrow keys and all kinds of nice things as well as a beautifully
efficient trackball to typing with one finger on a small screen and using the
f-ing ridiculous select-copy-paste mechanism, etc.

If I want to send someone a link from my PC I have to email it or SMS it to
myself, grab the phone, disconnect it from the charge cord (because it is
inconvenient to do anything with it plugged in), go to SMS, email or FB
messenger, copy the link, go back to wherever I need to go to send it, paste
it and click send.

It's 2020. The phone should meld into the computer with full transparent
operability. Same for tablets.

BTW, this is what I was hoping Microsoft would finally bring to life with
Windows Phone. I was eagerly awaiting this one killer integration. I firmly
believe that would have inspired, I don't know, a billion people world-wide to
adopt Windows Phone. Instead they wasted time trying to make it an iPhone
killer. It didn't need to be that. All it had to do is become symbiotic with a
PC in all possible ways and it would have been an absolute hit.

Here's hoping they try again. If anyone from MS is watching, call me, I know
exactly what you have to build (and you guys have no clue).

~~~
pvg
An awful lot of this integration exists, between iOS devices and Macs. Windows
10 seems to be getting some better integration with Android in recent beta
releases, take a look at the release notes of a recent 'Fast Ring' update.

------
raiyu
Most obvious and best use case has been the proliferation of point of sale
systems especially to small businesses which couldn’t make a large investment
in that area before.

------
m0zg
iPad would succeed a lot more if there was no iPhone to compete with it. As
things are right now, iPad is an afterthought for iOS developers mostly, and
an expensive afterthought at that, because larger screen requires different
UI. This creates a vicious cycle because there isn't really that much you can
do with it, so there's no good reason to buy it unless a wad of cash is
burning a hole in your pocket (which is common for Apple clientele).

------
abrax3141
The iPad is awesome for kids < 13 (please keep your chocolate-covered hands
off my laptop keyboard!!), and when I just want to consume media.

~~~
ako
My son has an Xbox one, desktop with decent cpu/Gpu, and an iPhone 7. Still he
recently bought an iPad from his own savings because he likes it best for
gaming...

------
thordenmark
I do plenty of "real work" on the iPad. It has replaced my laptop for most of
the writing and designing I do away from my desktop.

------
Jemm
Mac and iPad will become much closer when Apple starts gatekeeping Mac apps,
which has already begun.

------
sigzero
I feel the author doesn't like the iPad even if his conclusions are absurd.

------
kebman
iPad is favoured by many artists for making illustrations and art. Outside
this niche, I tend to agree with the article.

------
PaulHoule
You'd have to say the same about Android tablets and Windows tablets too.
These tick more of the boxes but they have not really connected w/ the market.

~~~
hocuspocus
I see a lot of Windows tablets and hybrid laptops at my work. Many PMs seem to
enjoy them.

As for Android tablets, Google never really took them seriously and it shows.

~~~
duxup
Yeah Google gave it some lip service for a little bit and then just walked
away from any serious help for Android tablets.

Granted ChromeOS and Chromebooks have done a good job of covering some of the
tablet use case space, obviously not entirely, but it seems like a better
place to focus.

------
King-Aaron
The iPad made something like $19 billion in revenue for Apple last year. _Such
a failure_

------
wayneftw
> Nobody wrote any articles about how, actually, real work on a Mac is
> possible.

Yes they did. Back then Apple also did something called "advertising" to try
and convince enterprise users that Macs could be used in a business
environment.

In more recent times they resorted to a very petty form of advertisement that,
by way of direct, cherry picked comparison points, they tried to convince
everybody that Macs were just as good as Windows PCs. At that time there were
tons of articles commissioned to push the same point and even whole websites.

It was never really true though and it still isn't. Macs were only any good
for certain workloads, just like the iPad, and only if you could look past
their wonky UI and hardware design choices.

~~~
cosmiccatnap
This is what I've found to be the most true. For years people talked about the
Mac devices being so much better for development and creativity but after
dealing with one for a year all I can say is that it's got a Unix terminal
which is better than windows but falls short compared to a Linux system.
Android is the same, having tried the iPad and the iPhone because it was
faster and had a better interface I soon realized it was just a toy painted to
be a device for adults and no real speed improvement was noticed for anything
but mobile games which I don't play anyway, I switched back to a note and
threw Manjaro on a laptop and I've been more productive with that combo than
any I've tried...

I can't even imagine what you would or could use an iPad for that a thin
laptop like the xps wouldn't run circles around even in terms of portability.
It just seems to me like these people bought a very expensive 2 year old
computer and need to justify it to themselves and others.

