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Could you steel man what the iPad identity is supposed to be? It feels like mixing idioms of a production (desktop) and a consumption device (mobile) and flail

Could you steel man what the iPad identity is supposed to be? It feels like mixing idioms of a production (desktop) and a consumption device (mobile) and flailing at both. Not targeting a unique niche.

deleted 2y ago
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vundercind 2y ago
How is mobile a “consumption” device?
- talldayo 2y ago
  At least the way Apple treats it, mobile operating systems are where user capabilities go to die. You know all the professional software, on your desktop? Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Adobe Premiere, Blender, that stuff? It doesn't run on iPad; not just because the developers are stingy and don't want to make a native version, but because the iPad is fundamentally limited in what it's software can provide relative to Mac. On top of that, you cannot distribute software yourself which relegates you exclusively to using Apple's provided runtime and storefront. It's an insular system that prevents new and exciting features or experiences from getting made without Apple's express approval and profit. Or look at games. The iPad should be giving the Steam Deck a run for it's money; you've got a great GPU, strong single-core CPU performance and a big punchy display up front. Instead of playing Fallout: New Vegas (like any respectable person should be able to do in 2024), you're replaying Monument Valley and Angry Birds HD for the billionth time. Or maybe you just get frustrated trying to set up Delta or UTM and go watch House of Cards in resigned frustration. The Mac is headed the same way, but at least there's a core audience of vocal whistleblowers pushing back against pointless software limitations. Apple is desperate to crush any methods of content creation or consumption that does not directly benefit them. To that end they have avoided adding professional features to their mobile devices to reinforce the content consumption loop and artificially inflate demand for the Mac.
  - dagw 2y ago
    You know all the professional software, on your desktop? My daughter has access to a computer with many of those programs if she wants to use them. I've showed them to her and what you can do with them, and offered to help her learn if she wants. She still does all her video, graphics and image editing on her phone or an iPad, because she genuinely prefers it. In her mind the only purpose of a desktop computer is gaming.
  - vundercind 2y ago
    I agree that a lot of this is true while disagreeing that it renders mobile a consumption platform. It’s outstanding for many productive tasks that “real” computers are either much worse at or no good for at all. Being in a tiny long-battery-life package with tons of sensors and radios opens up a lot of possibilities, many of which are in fact realized by the platform, even if it’s not a very good platform for writing custom programs on the same device. It’s especially great when you need the real world and computing to interact, “in the field” as it were. I’d further agree that mobile’s used for far more consumption (or, presenting [multi-]media) than PCs! But I think that has more to do with PCs being a lot worse at those tasks than mobile devices (generally speaking), than mobile only being good for that. I think there’s only a little overlap between the productive tasks real computers are helpful for, and what mobile’s good for, and that mobile also happens to be better for presenting media in most cases. > The Mac is headed the same way I’ve been reading this stated as fact since like 2012 (I became a Mac user—in addition to Linux and Windows, which I still use for some things, especially Linux, in 2010 or 2011). I’ve seen no sign of it. > To that end they have avoided adding professional features to their mobile devices to reinforce the content consumption loop and artificially inflate demand for the Mac. I do believe that’s some of it, but I also think a lot of the features certain types of professional want them to add are absent for the good reason that few people want them and they’d likely harm ux or security. Not all such features! But probably some. > Instead of playing Fallout: New Vegas (like any respectable person should be able to do in 2024) Well that’s just true, yes. > Or maybe you just get frustrated trying to set up Delta It’s one of the easiest emulators-with-game-library I’ve ever set up :-) At least they do allow emulators now. Emulating a whole Nintendo DS is lighter on battery and faster to resume than nearly all the native iOS games in the App Store, which is just an absurd situation. Better overall game library, too.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

vundercind 2y ago

How is mobile a “consumption” device?

talldayo 2y ago
At least the way Apple treats it, mobile operating systems are where user capabilities go to die. You know all the professional software, on your desktop? Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Adobe Premiere, Blender, that stuff? It doesn't run on iPad; not just because the developers are stingy and don't want to make a native version, but because the iPad is fundamentally limited in what it's software can provide relative to Mac. On top of that, you cannot distribute software yourself which relegates you exclusively to using Apple's provided runtime and storefront. It's an insular system that prevents new and exciting features or experiences from getting made without Apple's express approval and profit. Or look at games. The iPad should be giving the Steam Deck a run for it's money; you've got a great GPU, strong single-core CPU performance and a big punchy display up front. Instead of playing Fallout: New Vegas (like any respectable person should be able to do in 2024), you're replaying Monument Valley and Angry Birds HD for the billionth time. Or maybe you just get frustrated trying to set up Delta or UTM and go watch House of Cards in resigned frustration. The Mac is headed the same way, but at least there's a core audience of vocal whistleblowers pushing back against pointless software limitations. Apple is desperate to crush any methods of content creation or consumption that does not directly benefit them. To that end they have avoided adding professional features to their mobile devices to reinforce the content consumption loop and artificially inflate demand for the Mac.
- dagw 2y ago
  You know all the professional software, on your desktop? My daughter has access to a computer with many of those programs if she wants to use them. I've showed them to her and what you can do with them, and offered to help her learn if she wants. She still does all her video, graphics and image editing on her phone or an iPad, because she genuinely prefers it. In her mind the only purpose of a desktop computer is gaming.
- vundercind 2y ago
  I agree that a lot of this is true while disagreeing that it renders mobile a consumption platform. It’s outstanding for many productive tasks that “real” computers are either much worse at or no good for at all. Being in a tiny long-battery-life package with tons of sensors and radios opens up a lot of possibilities, many of which are in fact realized by the platform, even if it’s not a very good platform for writing custom programs on the same device. It’s especially great when you need the real world and computing to interact, “in the field” as it were. I’d further agree that mobile’s used for far more consumption (or, presenting [multi-]media) than PCs! But I think that has more to do with PCs being a lot worse at those tasks than mobile devices (generally speaking), than mobile only being good for that. I think there’s only a little overlap between the productive tasks real computers are helpful for, and what mobile’s good for, and that mobile also happens to be better for presenting media in most cases. > The Mac is headed the same way I’ve been reading this stated as fact since like 2012 (I became a Mac user—in addition to Linux and Windows, which I still use for some things, especially Linux, in 2010 or 2011). I’ve seen no sign of it. > To that end they have avoided adding professional features to their mobile devices to reinforce the content consumption loop and artificially inflate demand for the Mac. I do believe that’s some of it, but I also think a lot of the features certain types of professional want them to add are absent for the good reason that few people want them and they’d likely harm ux or security. Not all such features! But probably some. > Instead of playing Fallout: New Vegas (like any respectable person should be able to do in 2024) Well that’s just true, yes. > Or maybe you just get frustrated trying to set up Delta It’s one of the easiest emulators-with-game-library I’ve ever set up :-) At least they do allow emulators now. Emulating a whole Nintendo DS is lighter on battery and faster to resume than nearly all the native iOS games in the App Store, which is just an absurd situation. Better overall game library, too.