5 ms·

iPads still don't have a calculator app? I find that baffling.

by McDev 7y ago

sneakernets 7y ago
They do not. iPad could have had a graphing calculator app at this point, given the surface area, but apple has yet to do so.
- seandougall 7y ago
  Probably because Apple has increased their campus security in recent decades. :) https://www.pacifict.com/Story/ https://www.pacifict.com/Story/
xienze 7y ago
It's probably because the iPhone calculator app is a four function calculator, and porting that as-is to the iPad would look absolutely comical.
- sib 7y ago
  They could port a version of the view of the app that shows up when you turn the phone into landscape mode.
  - mandeepj 7y ago
    You meant to say Scientific calculator?
- kayamon 7y ago
  If you turn it to landscape you get a scientific calculator.
  - xienze 7y ago
    Huh. All these years I've never thought to do that, always thought it was just a four function calculator. Even the scientific calculator would look pretty silly blown up that large though.
    - asark 7y ago
      IIRC phone-mode apps that allow it can run on an iPad in a framed mode so they don't look too weird. I get why they don't do that with the calculator because it'd be "poor UX" but "what do you mean I spent $1200 on this and there's no fucking calculator, my Apple phone and laptop both have one, you mean I gotta go sort through the app store to find something that's not gonna show me ads, then probably pay some more money on top of that $1200, to get a calculator, I mean there was one in Windows 3.1 FFS" is even worse UX.
      - em500 7y ago
        You can just pull down the universal search bar and type your sum there (as I just learned in this thread).
- lavezzi 7y ago
  That's not correct. Use it in landscape mode and see the difference.
- bn-usd-mistake 7y ago
  It has much more than 4 functions when in landscape mode, including braces and powers
glerk 7y ago
Is this really such a big issue though? There are hundreds of free calculator apps you can download through the app store.
- criddell 7y ago
  The one you want is PCalc. It isn't free, but it's not expensive either.
  - hyperpape 7y ago
    There's also PCalc lite which is free. I bought full PCalc, but had them both on my phone for awhile until I eventually deleted the lite version. I rarely needed the full version, though I was happy to help support a developer doing good work by buying the full version.
  - drusepth 7y ago
    I'm not sure how to ask this without it sounding anything other than genuinely curious, but it is: why would you spend money on a calculator app? What does it offer that other (free) calculator apps don't? Are free apps just so crippled that you need to pay for something full-featured and/or without something like ads? I'm not familiar with the iOS/iPadOS ecosystem.
    - joemi 7y ago
      A paid calculator app might be better designed than a free one. Or it might not have ads, when a free one does. Or it being paid could mean that it'll be better supported with any necessary bugfixes and updates. Or the fact that it's a paid app could imply that it's better designed or better supported (without necessarily being true). Or perhaps you really care about something particular that the paid calculator app does right in your eyes, and the free ones simply don't have. There are lots of reasons one might spend money on a paid calculator app instead of a free one, and I'm sure this list doesn't even cover all the reasons.
      - 7y ago
callesgg 7y ago
You can enter calculations in the search field you get by dragging from the top.
reaperducer 7y ago
iPads still don't have a calculator app? I find that baffling. Also baffling: People who will spend $600 on an iPad, but not 99¢ on a calculator app. I sometimes wonder if Apple intentionally leaves these gaps in the ecosystem (Weather, Stocks, etc...), hoping that the market will bring forth solutions. It doesn't seem to work all the time.
- pluffycat 7y ago
  Yeah I see all these iPad pros with the stock home screen apps... I’m thinking man what did you buy it for
  - kkarakk 7y ago
    bigger screen to see memes on. iPads are NOT uber popular because creators like them, they're popular coz it's a giant beautiful screen you can watch netflix/instagram on
cbm-vic-20 7y ago
But it does have a camera app! And nobody ever looked cool taking a picture with an iPad.

iPads still don't have a calculator app? I find that baffling.

by McDev 7y ago

iPads still don't have a calculator app? I find that baffling.

They do not. iPad could have had a graphing calculator app at this point, given the surface area, but apple has yet to do so.

seandougall 7y ago
Probably because Apple has increased their campus security in recent decades. :) https://www.pacifict.com/Story/ https://www.pacifict.com/Story/

xienze 7y ago

It's probably because the iPhone calculator app is a four function calculator, and porting that as-is to the iPad would look absolutely comical.

sib 7y ago
They could port a version of the view of the app that shows up when you turn the phone into landscape mode.
- mandeepj 7y ago
  You meant to say Scientific calculator?
kayamon 7y ago
If you turn it to landscape you get a scientific calculator.
- xienze 7y ago
  Huh. All these years I've never thought to do that, always thought it was just a four function calculator. Even the scientific calculator would look pretty silly blown up that large though.
  - asark 7y ago
    IIRC phone-mode apps that allow it can run on an iPad in a framed mode so they don't look too weird. I get why they don't do that with the calculator because it'd be "poor UX" but "what do you mean I spent $1200 on this and there's no fucking calculator, my Apple phone and laptop both have one, you mean I gotta go sort through the app store to find something that's not gonna show me ads, then probably pay some more money on top of that $1200, to get a calculator, I mean there was one in Windows 3.1 FFS" is even worse UX.
    - em500 7y ago
      You can just pull down the universal search bar and type your sum there (as I just learned in this thread).
lavezzi 7y ago
That's not correct. Use it in landscape mode and see the difference.
bn-usd-mistake 7y ago
It has much more than 4 functions when in landscape mode, including braces and powers

glerk 7y ago

Is this really such a big issue though? There are hundreds of free calculator apps you can download through the app store.

criddell 7y ago
The one you want is PCalc. It isn't free, but it's not expensive either.
- hyperpape 7y ago
  There's also PCalc lite which is free. I bought full PCalc, but had them both on my phone for awhile until I eventually deleted the lite version. I rarely needed the full version, though I was happy to help support a developer doing good work by buying the full version.
- drusepth 7y ago
  I'm not sure how to ask this without it sounding anything other than genuinely curious, but it is: why would you spend money on a calculator app? What does it offer that other (free) calculator apps don't? Are free apps just so crippled that you need to pay for something full-featured and/or without something like ads? I'm not familiar with the iOS/iPadOS ecosystem.
  - joemi 7y ago
    A paid calculator app might be better designed than a free one. Or it might not have ads, when a free one does. Or it being paid could mean that it'll be better supported with any necessary bugfixes and updates. Or the fact that it's a paid app could imply that it's better designed or better supported (without necessarily being true). Or perhaps you really care about something particular that the paid calculator app does right in your eyes, and the free ones simply don't have. There are lots of reasons one might spend money on a paid calculator app instead of a free one, and I'm sure this list doesn't even cover all the reasons.
    - 7y ago

callesgg 7y ago

You can enter calculations in the search field you get by dragging from the top.

reaperducer 7y ago

iPads still don't have a calculator app? I find that baffling. Also baffling: People who will spend $600 on an iPad, but not 99¢ on a calculator app. I sometimes wonder if Apple intentionally leaves these gaps in the ecosystem (Weather, Stocks, etc...), hoping that the market will bring forth solutions. It doesn't seem to work all the time.

pluffycat 7y ago
Yeah I see all these iPad pros with the stock home screen apps... I’m thinking man what did you buy it for
- kkarakk 7y ago
  bigger screen to see memes on. iPads are NOT uber popular because creators like them, they're popular coz it's a giant beautiful screen you can watch netflix/instagram on

cbm-vic-20 7y ago

But it does have a camera app! And nobody ever looked cool taking a picture with an iPad.