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Normally I would agree with this, but I think in this case Apple would have to do so little to make this a suitable enough device to the software development cr

Normally I would agree with this, but I think in this case Apple would have to do so little to make this a suitable enough device to the software development crowd, and without affecting how the device works for everyone else, that I wish they'd just do it. All they'd need to do is allow sideloading. Even if they left all the other sometimes-problematic security aspects in place (like enforced sandboxing), it would be enough. People would find a way to do what they need to. I don't need it to be a full replacement for my Mac, but it sucks that I can't use this amazing, capable device to a bit of work on my sofa or on the train. Of course, they'll never do it, because money. Even if 99% of apps stayed on the App Store, the highest earning 1% would be sure to leave.

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
But why would anyone want to develop on an iPad - on a sofa or anywhere? You will need a keyboard anyway, and by the time you've added that you may as well just get a MacBook Air and use the device emulation in Xcode instead of trying to run natively. Sideloading will never happen - not because of money, but because it makes no sense to destroy the security model for 95% of users just because 5% of users want to run as root, or some nearly-but-not-quite approximation.
- deergomoo 6y ago
  > But why would anyone want to develop on an iPad - on a sofa or anywhere? You will need a keyboard anyway, and by the time you've added that you may as well just get a MacBook Air and use the device emulation in Xcode instead of trying to run natively Because then I wouldn't need to own a laptop. I prefer work on a desktop most of the time, and I already own an iPad Pro. It seems silly that I need to own a third device for what basically amounts to company policy. And the advantage the iPad has is that the keyboard is detachable. When I'm just browsing the internet or watching Netflix I can remove it and hold the device in my hands—something I can't do with a laptop. > Sideloading will never happen - not because of money, but because it makes no sense to destroy the security model for 95% of users just because 5% of users want to run as root, or some nearly-but-not-quite approximation. There's no reason it couldn't be buried in settings and approved on a per-developer basis. This is how it already works for enterprise apps: you install the app via a browser, but then you have to go to Settings to confirm you trust the distribution certificate used. The only change required would be to allow any developer cert rather than just those belonging to the enterprise programme. This is essentially exactly how notarised apps work on the Mac.
  - marcus_holmes 6y ago
    I tried this with a Surface, because I thought exactly the same thing - I can watch movies in bed without a keyboard, and add the keyboard to code, and the pen thing will be awesome, and so on. My experience was that the imprefections in the experience were enough of a distraction so that I never got really deep into flow. I could do quick bug-fix sessions, sure, and write emails, and jot down ideas. But it absolutely did not replace a laptop. I eventually gave it to my girlfriend who loved it because she could do all those things, and then she got a tech job and had to get a proper laptop for all the same reasons.
    - deergomoo 6y ago
      > I could do quick bug-fix sessions, sure, and write emails, and jot down ideas. But it absolutely did not replace a laptop Honestly that is basically what I want—a few hours here and there for when I can't be at a desk. I currently use a 16" MacBook Pro as my primary machine. I purchased it shortly before the pandemic, because I needed to use it both at home and in the office, and I didn't want to buy two machines. Since COVID, my department has transferred to permanent remote working, so 99% of the time I'm at my desk. I would love to ditch the MacBook for a desktop machine and fill the remaining 1% with the iPad, even knowing the limitations of the form factor. When more desktop Macs are updated with the Apple CPUs I'll probably look into the feasibility of VNC-ing into a machine at home from the iPad, but it just seems like a shame to squander all this potential.
      - marcus_holmes 6y ago
        good luck with it then :)
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago

But why would anyone want to develop on an iPad - on a sofa or anywhere? You will need a keyboard anyway, and by the time you've added that you may as well just get a MacBook Air and use the device emulation in Xcode instead of trying to run natively. Sideloading will never happen - not because of money, but because it makes no sense to destroy the security model for 95% of users just because 5% of users want to run as root, or some nearly-but-not-quite approximation.

deergomoo 6y ago
> But why would anyone want to develop on an iPad - on a sofa or anywhere? You will need a keyboard anyway, and by the time you've added that you may as well just get a MacBook Air and use the device emulation in Xcode instead of trying to run natively Because then I wouldn't need to own a laptop. I prefer work on a desktop most of the time, and I already own an iPad Pro. It seems silly that I need to own a third device for what basically amounts to company policy. And the advantage the iPad has is that the keyboard is detachable. When I'm just browsing the internet or watching Netflix I can remove it and hold the device in my hands—something I can't do with a laptop. > Sideloading will never happen - not because of money, but because it makes no sense to destroy the security model for 95% of users just because 5% of users want to run as root, or some nearly-but-not-quite approximation. There's no reason it couldn't be buried in settings and approved on a per-developer basis. This is how it already works for enterprise apps: you install the app via a browser, but then you have to go to Settings to confirm you trust the distribution certificate used. The only change required would be to allow any developer cert rather than just those belonging to the enterprise programme. This is essentially exactly how notarised apps work on the Mac.
- marcus_holmes 6y ago
  I tried this with a Surface, because I thought exactly the same thing - I can watch movies in bed without a keyboard, and add the keyboard to code, and the pen thing will be awesome, and so on. My experience was that the imprefections in the experience were enough of a distraction so that I never got really deep into flow. I could do quick bug-fix sessions, sure, and write emails, and jot down ideas. But it absolutely did not replace a laptop. I eventually gave it to my girlfriend who loved it because she could do all those things, and then she got a tech job and had to get a proper laptop for all the same reasons.
  - deergomoo 6y ago
    > I could do quick bug-fix sessions, sure, and write emails, and jot down ideas. But it absolutely did not replace a laptop Honestly that is basically what I want—a few hours here and there for when I can't be at a desk. I currently use a 16" MacBook Pro as my primary machine. I purchased it shortly before the pandemic, because I needed to use it both at home and in the office, and I didn't want to buy two machines. Since COVID, my department has transferred to permanent remote working, so 99% of the time I'm at my desk. I would love to ditch the MacBook for a desktop machine and fill the remaining 1% with the iPad, even knowing the limitations of the form factor. When more desktop Macs are updated with the Apple CPUs I'll probably look into the feasibility of VNC-ing into a machine at home from the iPad, but it just seems like a shame to squander all this potential.
    - marcus_holmes 6y ago
      good luck with it then :)
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]