Apple's new iPad Pro is undoubtedly one of the most talked about products in recent times, this "productivity" tablet, with the brilliant performance of the first M4 chip, has received a lot of praise, but it is full of regrets due to the constraints of the iPadOS platform, which has sparked an enduring discussion: Does the iPad need macOS? Or does a Mac need a touchscreen?
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Tom Boger, head of marketing for Mac and iPad, compared the iPad and Mac product lines and talked about the possibilities of a "touchscreen Mac."
Source: CNET
Apple isn't that resistant to touch Macs
Those who are still expecting a touchscreen Mac may be disappointed again.
In the interview, Tom Boger reiterates the "Chu River" between iPad and Mac: iPad is a touch-first device, while Mac is designed for "indirect actions" such as a mouse or keyboard, and macOS is suitable for devices that are very different from touchscreens.
The implication is that neither the "touchscreen" Mac nor the "macOS" version of the iPad will be Apple's next product.
Apple's obsession with touchless MacBooks may have its roots in former CEO Steve Jobs. The very thoughtful founder said 14 years ago that they had also tested the touch MacBook, but it turned out to be ergonomic because a touchscreen should not be perpendicular to the desktop, and raising the arm for long periods of time can cause fatigue.
Tim Cook, the current CEO, doesn't have a penchant for touch computers either, and when the Microsoft Surface was unveiled 12 years ago, Cook scoffed at the "PC tablet 2-in-1" device, saying it was like combining a toaster with a refrigerator.
When Cook came to the China Development Forum in 2017, he was provided with a "toaster + refrigerator"
But now the iPad Pro that comes with Magic Keyboard is hard not to say it's influenced by Surface.
However, the touch screen on the laptop is more for some more intuitive and simple small operations, such as directly dragging and zooming in on some windows and files, or applications. Of course, there are some more professional use cases, such as using Apple Pencil to make minor repairs directly on paintings and pictures, which will not cause fatigue due to "long-term use".
Especially with MacBooks powered by Apple Silicon and iPadOS and iOS apps supported, some direct taps on the screen will make it easier to use apps that were originally designed for touch.
Moreover, the touch Mac does not have to maintain the traditional notebook form of the current MacBook, making it a 360-degree fold, or "Surface-like" is not impossible.
Apple isn't completely resistant to "touch + Mac", and the Touch Bar is a less than successful attempt.
This feature, which Apple once had high hopes of "revolutionizing notebook operation", introduced touch control on the MacBook, and there was no "vertical touch" situation that Jobs did not want. However, this gimmick-greater than useful feature has completely disappeared from the latest MacBook products.
Of course, Apple also has reasons and confidence to refuse to use the Mac with a touchscreen, and don't forget that the MacBook is equipped with a touchpad that can be said to be the industry's first-level trackpad, which is not only sensitive to use, but also very simple and intuitive.
The PC camp is equipped with a touch screen, and there is also a bit of a touch screen to make up for the touchpad that is not easy to use, so as to compete with the MacBook.
While Apple may not launch a touch-sensitive MacBook anytime soon, Apple's attitude toward touch-enabled Macs has become ambiguous.
Tom Boger said in an interview that the company's view of the touch Mac won't stay the same forever.
And early last year, Bloomberg reported that Apple was testing the idea of adding a touchscreen to the Mac. In October 2022, Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software engineering, said that no one can say for sure about the touch Mac.
The folding screen MacBook, which has been repeatedly leaked this year, is likely to be a touch device.
iPad Pro's productivity is as high as high
When it comes to the relationship between iPad and Mac, Tom Boger has this to say:
iPad and MacBook are complementary, not competitive.
This complementarity is indeed reflected in Apple's strong ecosystem. With the support of Continuity, iPad and Mac can work together in a very convenient and elegant way: a set of keyboards and mice can control both Mac and iPad at the same time; Sidecar becomes the second display of your Mac; With iPad, Apple Pencil can draw directly on your Mac......
But this complementarity makes the iPad more like an "extension" of the Mac, and Apple, which equips the iPad Pro with the latest M4 chip and has also launched many killer apps such as Logic Pro X for the iPad and Final Cut Pro, clearly still has the goal of making the iPad a professional productivity tool.
Many media outlets have commented that the M4 chip is very powerful and fast, but the iPadOS platform greatly limits the possibilities of this device.
iPadOS, which is independent of iOS, has gone a long way from iOS9 on the original iPad Pro, transforming the iPad from a "large iPhone" to a "productivity" device that can be used with a keyboard and mouse and can be used in multiple windows.
But iPadOS and its apps are developed with touch as the main logic, which means that many of its UI logic is simpler, app operations are simplified and simplified, and some features are removed.
For example, Microsoft's Office Three Musketeers are often complained about because of their unsatisfactory experience on the iPad, either they don't even have a basic color picker, or there are only a few options for line spacing in Word.
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Apple's own development of Final Cut Pro also has various problems, and some bloggers on the Internet want to try to use it completely to cut videos, but eventually find it difficult to move an inch.
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iPadOS 16's Stage Manager feature was originally intended to give iPad more freedom and efficiency in managing iPad app windows, but the results were mixed, with many users reporting that it was not intuitive to use.
The File Management system on iPad is still a remnant, and the experience and functionality are far from the Finder on Mac, and the importance of file management to productivity cannot be overstated.
Drawing and note-taking are the comfort zones of iPad and Apple Pencil, and the experience is industry-leading, and with the Magic Keyboard, iPad is completely capable of writing emails and documents
But when it comes to more professional areas, the iPad Pro becomes a bit awkward, with strong performance, and the system and software are a bit restricting it from showing its strengths.
That's why iPad Pro productivity is "high": it feels high, but it's not, so the call for "iPad on macOS" has been getting louder and louder in recent years.
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