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The cost is even more ridiculous considering that the iPad "pro" can't even perform the most basic development tasks, so despite its "pro" moniker, it's useless

The cost is even more ridiculous considering that the iPad "pro" can't even perform the most basic development tasks, so despite its "pro" moniker, it's useless for productivity for a huge range of professionals.

CharlesW 4y ago
<5% of white-collar professionals in the U.S. are software developers.
- harvey9 4y ago
  Can it drive external monitors? I'm not a software dev but I'm not interested in using rstudio on a tiny screen. I expect Excel users feel the same way and there are a lot of them.
  - jdsully 4y ago
    Yes it can. Note that sometimes you won't be able to play video from streaming apps on the monitor due to DRM.
  - jen20 4y ago
    Yes, it can.
  - ajoseps 4y ago
    https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/connect-to-a-display-with-a-cable-ipadf1276cde/ipados https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/connect-to-a-display-wi...
  - doctoboggan 4y ago
    Yes, it can drive external monitors
soapdog 4y ago
As I mentioned in https://andregarzia.com/2022/06/about-ipads-and-developers.html https://andregarzia.com/2022/06/about-ipads-and-developers.h..., iPads and more specifically iPadOS are not built for developers. If you want to be a developer and use a tablet, you should be looking elsewhere (err.. Surface). The Pro monicker means nothing any more, but if it did it would be Apple gear that is targetting creative professionals. Think about it as focused products for digital artists.
- kmeisthax 4y ago
  This is the sort of thing I would understand if accessories like the Magic Keyboard[0] didn't exist. At some point, Apple lost the plot about what the iPad is just as much as the developers that want their iPads to be good dev machines. [0] Which I am literally typing this comment on
  - soapdog 4y ago
    Artists need keyboards too, they're not exclusively for coding. Lots of writers use iPads for example, and keyboard shortcuts are something most digital artists rely on while drawing.
threeseed 4y ago
I don't think you get to define what is a professional or not. Many people e.g. musicians, photographers, editors, architects etc use the iPad Pro and by the popularity of their respective apps it clearly works well for them.
lttlrck 4y ago
"Pro" hardly means "professionals of all disciplines"... it's an odd point to build an argument around. Even the original iPad could do things that the latest MacBook Pro cannot, that made it more useful for "professionals".
gilgoomesh 4y ago
The assumption that Pro == Programmer is on-brand for HackerNews but is otherwise a pretty narrow view. iPad Pros are exceptional tools for engineering/architecture plan reviews, on-site walkthroughs, fashion sketching, etc. All of these are pro tasks and as primarily pen-driven tasks that can use the CPU and RAM, are better suited to the iPad Pro than a laptop.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  Yet it's hamstrung for programming by completely arbitrary decisions on Apple's behalf. That's why people are mad, not because we struggle to visualize times when a locked-down tablet can be used.
  - warning26 4y ago
    Sadly it seems you’re getting downvoted for going against the Apple fanboys, but you’re absolutely right. I would love to be able to use a real browser on iPad, but nope! You get Safari and you’ll like it.
    - kcplate 4y ago
      Here is what I like—I like when I go to use my device and it just works. If the trade off to that is a single browser, i’m totally ok with it. I can count on one hand and have multiple fingers leftover the number of times I have HAD to reboot, restart, or do any troubleshooting whatsoever on my ipads after nearly a decade of owning them.
      - smoldesu 4y ago
        Okay? Who's taking that away from you?
        kcplate 4y ago
        Never said anyone was. I just said I like a no trouble device even if it means limited options in exchange for that reliability.
kcplate 4y ago
Ironically when I need to drive a nail into my wall I don’t reach for my radial saw.
sebazzz 4y ago
I've had an iPad (Pro) for a while now and I must say the software is disappointing. In the end, it's just a big iPhone. The operating system is so spartan, and often you just can't use the Apple Keyboard because shortcuts aren't supported. An example: My wife always sorts the pictures of our outings. On the Surface (Windows) she did that by downloading them from OneDrive (can also be done here), then sorting the photos into folders (Files app works a bit clumsy here), converting the photos from HEIC to JPEG (for this you have to doing really weird things like copy-paste between the Photos and Files app), and then upload to the NAS and also upload to the Kruidvat site for printing. With Windows it works so much more efficiently, on the iPad it is really clumsy and cumbersome. And then I'm not even talking about the fact that iPad, for example, is not really intended (software is limited...) for multi-user use. Apple really wants you to buy an iPad per person. With the Surface, we each simply had a personal account. The software was less, as well as the app offering, but it worked a lot more effectively if you just want to get things done. iPadOS does excel in battery life, and whatever you can do on your phone you can do on it. Don't get me wrong, iOS itself is an incredible OS and great in terms of user experience - but iPadOS is very disappointing.

CharlesW 4y ago

<5% of white-collar professionals in the U.S. are software developers.

harvey9 4y ago
Can it drive external monitors? I'm not a software dev but I'm not interested in using rstudio on a tiny screen. I expect Excel users feel the same way and there are a lot of them.
- jdsully 4y ago
  Yes it can. Note that sometimes you won't be able to play video from streaming apps on the monitor due to DRM.
- jen20 4y ago
  Yes, it can.
- ajoseps 4y ago
  https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/connect-to-a-display-with-a-cable-ipadf1276cde/ipados https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/connect-to-a-display-wi...
- doctoboggan 4y ago
  Yes, it can drive external monitors

soapdog 4y ago

As I mentioned in https://andregarzia.com/2022/06/about-ipads-and-developers.html https://andregarzia.com/2022/06/about-ipads-and-developers.h..., iPads and more specifically iPadOS are not built for developers. If you want to be a developer and use a tablet, you should be looking elsewhere (err.. Surface). The Pro monicker means nothing any more, but if it did it would be Apple gear that is targetting creative professionals. Think about it as focused products for digital artists.

kmeisthax 4y ago
This is the sort of thing I would understand if accessories like the Magic Keyboard[0] didn't exist. At some point, Apple lost the plot about what the iPad is just as much as the developers that want their iPads to be good dev machines. [0] Which I am literally typing this comment on
- soapdog 4y ago
  Artists need keyboards too, they're not exclusively for coding. Lots of writers use iPads for example, and keyboard shortcuts are something most digital artists rely on while drawing.

threeseed 4y ago

I don't think you get to define what is a professional or not. Many people e.g. musicians, photographers, editors, architects etc use the iPad Pro and by the popularity of their respective apps it clearly works well for them.

lttlrck 4y ago

"Pro" hardly means "professionals of all disciplines"... it's an odd point to build an argument around. Even the original iPad could do things that the latest MacBook Pro cannot, that made it more useful for "professionals".

gilgoomesh 4y ago

The assumption that Pro == Programmer is on-brand for HackerNews but is otherwise a pretty narrow view. iPad Pros are exceptional tools for engineering/architecture plan reviews, on-site walkthroughs, fashion sketching, etc. All of these are pro tasks and as primarily pen-driven tasks that can use the CPU and RAM, are better suited to the iPad Pro than a laptop.

smoldesu 4y ago
Yet it's hamstrung for programming by completely arbitrary decisions on Apple's behalf. That's why people are mad, not because we struggle to visualize times when a locked-down tablet can be used.
- warning26 4y ago
  Sadly it seems you’re getting downvoted for going against the Apple fanboys, but you’re absolutely right. I would love to be able to use a real browser on iPad, but nope! You get Safari and you’ll like it.
  - kcplate 4y ago
    Here is what I like—I like when I go to use my device and it just works. If the trade off to that is a single browser, i’m totally ok with it. I can count on one hand and have multiple fingers leftover the number of times I have HAD to reboot, restart, or do any troubleshooting whatsoever on my ipads after nearly a decade of owning them.
    - smoldesu 4y ago
      Okay? Who's taking that away from you?
      - kcplate 4y ago
        Never said anyone was. I just said I like a no trouble device even if it means limited options in exchange for that reliability.

kcplate 4y ago

Ironically when I need to drive a nail into my wall I don’t reach for my radial saw.

sebazzz 4y ago

I've had an iPad (Pro) for a while now and I must say the software is disappointing. In the end, it's just a big iPhone. The operating system is so spartan, and often you just can't use the Apple Keyboard because shortcuts aren't supported. An example: My wife always sorts the pictures of our outings. On the Surface (Windows) she did that by downloading them from OneDrive (can also be done here), then sorting the photos into folders (Files app works a bit clumsy here), converting the photos from HEIC to JPEG (for this you have to doing really weird things like copy-paste between the Photos and Files app), and then upload to the NAS and also upload to the Kruidvat site for printing. With Windows it works so much more efficiently, on the iPad it is really clumsy and cumbersome. And then I'm not even talking about the fact that iPad, for example, is not really intended (software is limited...) for multi-user use. Apple really wants you to buy an iPad per person. With the Surface, we each simply had a personal account. The software was less, as well as the app offering, but it worked a lot more effectively if you just want to get things done. iPadOS does excel in battery life, and whatever you can do on your phone you can do on it. Don't get me wrong, iOS itself is an incredible OS and great in terms of user experience - but iPadOS is very disappointing.