The iPad Pro Doesn’t Need macOS to Reach its Full Potential
There’s a better way to improve the iPad.
Some say the iPad Pro needs macOS so that the pro tablet can find itself, I think that idea is misguided.
The iPad has become a far more potent laptop alternative in recent years. From the addition of features like Stage Manager which introduced multi-windowing to the iPad for the first time, to the more recent inclusion of Apple’s pro software tools Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. As many pro apps port versions for the iPad, it’s becoming a potent alternative tool for pros and consumers alike. But still, some Pro users feel something is missing, some think the iPad needs macOS.
Let me explain why I think that would be a bad idea…
While macOS is a more mature platform, and does offer functionality that iPadOS doesn’t yet, it’s also not optimized for the iPad. While the iPad Pro (and the Air) and the MacBook use the M-Series chips, the hardware itself is different in several ways, including the passive cooling system the devices use to keep the chips cool (MacBooks have more internal space within their frames for heat to dissipate, which makes a difference in performance), battery capacity, etc. These hardware differences could potentially cause issues like shorter battery runtimes if the iPad Pro ran macOS instead of iPadOS which is specifically optimized to run efficiently on a device with a smaller battery capacity. Let’s also not forget that macOS is optimized for desktops, with a cursor-first paradigm. Buttons in macOS are not optimized for touch interactions, again, the OS is not directly optimized for the tablet hardware with smaller batteries, and trying to optimize macOS for these things could compromise the aspects of macOS that make it great for what it’s designed for: the Mac.
I think people fall into the trap of thinking the only way to make the iPad a more suitable Mac replacement or alternative is to install macOS on it. But why is that the only option? There’s a far more obvious solution sitting right in front of us:
Improve iPadOS.
Both iPadOS and macOS are moving much closer to each other in terms of features and functionality. Why not continue down that path, and add macOS features to iPadOS in a fully touch optimized manner that doesn’t compromise the macOS experience on a desktop? Just like iOS and iPadOS essentially share the same features, macOS and iPadOS could essentially share the same features while still preserving the optimizations they make for their respective platforms rather than compromising that by trying to shoehorn one OS onto disparate platforms with different hardware optimization needs, and different interaction paradigms. Why not just add more continuity of features between the two instead? This approach would preserve the unique benefits and optimizations of both platforms, while still offering either all or most of the same features, just like iOS and iPadOS currently offer different optimizations, but a similar feature set.
There’s evidence that seems to suggest that this is Apple’s goal with iPadOS. At WWDC 2022 when Apple announced Stage Manager, which brought a multi-windowing system to iPadOS for the first time, SVP of software engineering at Apple Craig Federeghi said that Apple’s vision for iPadOS is to combine the best features of iOS and macOS into one platform. Already many macOS features have come to the iPad such as the aforementioned Stage Manager. It seems the future of iPadOS lies in incorporating the best of both worlds, the familiarity, touch interaction, and security of iOS, with the pro features of macOS such as multi-tasking, file management, and pro apps.
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Many site the lack of “pro apps” for iPadOS as one of the top reasons they want Apple to add macOS to the iPad. But Project Catalyst points to another option. Project Catalyst allowed iOS and iPadOS apps to be ported to macOS with very little to no effort required by developers. It can even automatically adjust UI elements to better accommodate cursor interactions on macOS. What if a system could do this in the opposite direction and port apps optimized for cursor interactions and automatically optimize them for touch interactions?
Already there are some clues that a system like this could be coming down the road. Swift Code already allows developers to create one base code for their app, with dynamic UI elements that automatically adjust for Apple’s different platforms. Apple has been improving Swift Code at a rapid rate, and has been encouraging developers to implement Swift Code into their projects. Rumors suggest that Apple may be working towards a system that could automatically swap code in Xcode. Could this system automatically replace older legacy code with Swift Code? It’s possible. As it is, Apple has been trying to make it as simple as possible to replace existing code with Swift Code. So an AI tool that could automatically do that work for developers doesn’t seem improbable. Apple has also been encouraging developers to make their apps available on all of Apple’s platforms. Apple’s goal seems clearly to be to unify the App ecosystem between its platforms, so there’s bound to be some sort of tool like this coming down the road. Eventually, it’s probable that all or most Mac apps will also be available on the iPad.
It seems that all of the pieces are falling into place to make iPadOS a more powerful system for pros and consumers alike. Rumors are buzzing about iPadOS 18 and what will be announced in a couple of weeks. The biggest rumors seem to be focused on AI. This is gearing up to be a big year for Apple in terms of AI, and the proper implementation of AI in iPadOS could be transformative for professional workflows. The M4 chip in the latest iPad Pros provides plenty of performance potential for AI with its powerful Neural Engine. What new workflows will be enabled by deeper AI integration in iPadOS? We’ll have to wait and see. But the future of iPadOS looks promising as Apple continues to incorporate more pro-oriented features every year.