5 ms·

So exactly how is an iPad limited for most people with iOS 26? Please don’t say because they need to run a terminal and Docker.

zamadatix 1y ago
I think it largely comes down to the App Store limitation at this point (the UI is... livable enough now, though it does still seem a waste to not just have the macOS UI in keyboard-attached mode). Consumers can't take things like their Steam library over and workers can't just run existing enterprise apps - it has to be Apple approved apps which fit the Apple architectural requirements and are purchased/distributed through the Apple Store. For a small subset that is absolutely also stuff like terminal and Docker, but there's nothing special about that group beyond "they use a different set of apps not allowed in the App Store".
- musicale 1y ago
  > workers can't just run existing enterprise apps On iOS, Microsoft apps and a web browser can get you fairly far for many business/corporate use cases.
  - zamadatix 1y ago
    That's pretty much Microsoft's approach on every system now - even if you install Outlook or Teams, it's just a web app. If it weren't for that I wonder if keyboards on iPads would even still be common at all. That said, there is a heck of a lot more to enterprise apps than things like email still out there. When I was still at a health system we'd try to use tablets for new things whenever possible (they are just physically convenient in many work environments) but we'd inevitably end up with "web stuff" on the tablet and "everything else" on a laptop (sometimes with mobile cart) for this exact reason.
    - JustExAWS 1y ago
      I also worked in B2B health SaaS companies. Even then some health systems used whatever you call the hosted Windows servers and people used their computers as dumb terminals to run apps. There were clients for iPads.
      - zamadatix 1y ago
        This is an option for a lot of things, e.g. we delivered Epic Hyperspace over Citrix, but it can be extremely expensive in terms of TCO to do for every app (we still had over 3,000+ individual on prem hosted apps maintained).
  - JustExAWS 1y ago
    I work in customer facing cloud consulting specializing in app dev. My days are spent: 1. Zoom 2. The AWS console in a web browser 3. The terminal - and I can bring up CloudShell for simple things from the AWS web console 4. Slack/Notion/GSuite apps/Jira 5. Visual Studio Code and using Docker. For that, I would just spin up a Windows based AWS WorkSpace with the iPad client app and wouldn’t be able to tell the difference when using a regular Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Most people don’t need #5
- scarface_74 1y ago
  Most “enterprise apps” these days are web based SaaS apps. The PC games market is really not that large in the grand scheme of things and what serious game player would want to play games on laptop class hardware? Even with the iPad Pro you are talking about MacBook Air level hardware with worse thermals for games. And the most popular office Apps - Microsoft Office and GSuite are a per seat license - for both home and office. Meaning you can use the apps on your phone, laptop, or mobile devices and sync apps between them. How many productivity apps don’t “fit in Apple’s guideline”?
  - zamadatix 1y ago
    You should talk to this person for me https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45399380 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45399380 since they argue these chips are already ideal for high intensity video games. It doesn't have to be AAA titles though, many games (simple and advance) make it to the "top paid apps" section of the app store once they "make the leap across" so to say. The thing is, not every game/app has made the leap, and when they do they don't all transfer ownership. I don't mean office apps, I mean enterprise apps. I do see them becoming more web focused with time (which I think is a good thing - it's ultra portable when they are) but we're certainly not ready to claim victory just because most email and document editing can be done from a webview. Hell, there's one app I have to use daily which is still officially only 32 bit Windows (it, thankfully, works in Crossover).
    - JustExAWS 1y ago
      What are these enterprise apps? And how many of them would run on an ARM based Mac? If they don’t port them to Macs, what are the chances they would port them to iPads?
      - zamadatix 1y ago
        I'll refer back to: > Hell, there's one app I have to use daily which is still officially only 32 bit Windows (it, thankfully, works in Crossover). As an example. This one is Intangi IRIS, a BOM and quoting tool for network products, and they officially support Crossover. They've been talking about native macOS support since before I started using it in 2019... but that's the speed of business for you :). It's the long tail of apps like these that can make it painful - not the bulk of the day (email, conference calls, and web ticketing systems) itself.

zamadatix 1y ago

I think it largely comes down to the App Store limitation at this point (the UI is... livable enough now, though it does still seem a waste to not just have the macOS UI in keyboard-attached mode). Consumers can't take things like their Steam library over and workers can't just run existing enterprise apps - it has to be Apple approved apps which fit the Apple architectural requirements and are purchased/distributed through the Apple Store. For a small subset that is absolutely also stuff like terminal and Docker, but there's nothing special about that group beyond "they use a different set of apps not allowed in the App Store".

musicale 1y ago
> workers can't just run existing enterprise apps On iOS, Microsoft apps and a web browser can get you fairly far for many business/corporate use cases.
- zamadatix 1y ago
  That's pretty much Microsoft's approach on every system now - even if you install Outlook or Teams, it's just a web app. If it weren't for that I wonder if keyboards on iPads would even still be common at all. That said, there is a heck of a lot more to enterprise apps than things like email still out there. When I was still at a health system we'd try to use tablets for new things whenever possible (they are just physically convenient in many work environments) but we'd inevitably end up with "web stuff" on the tablet and "everything else" on a laptop (sometimes with mobile cart) for this exact reason.
  - JustExAWS 1y ago
    I also worked in B2B health SaaS companies. Even then some health systems used whatever you call the hosted Windows servers and people used their computers as dumb terminals to run apps. There were clients for iPads.
    - zamadatix 1y ago
      This is an option for a lot of things, e.g. we delivered Epic Hyperspace over Citrix, but it can be extremely expensive in terms of TCO to do for every app (we still had over 3,000+ individual on prem hosted apps maintained).
- JustExAWS 1y ago
  I work in customer facing cloud consulting specializing in app dev. My days are spent: 1. Zoom 2. The AWS console in a web browser 3. The terminal - and I can bring up CloudShell for simple things from the AWS web console 4. Slack/Notion/GSuite apps/Jira 5. Visual Studio Code and using Docker. For that, I would just spin up a Windows based AWS WorkSpace with the iPad client app and wouldn’t be able to tell the difference when using a regular Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Most people don’t need #5
scarface_74 1y ago
Most “enterprise apps” these days are web based SaaS apps. The PC games market is really not that large in the grand scheme of things and what serious game player would want to play games on laptop class hardware? Even with the iPad Pro you are talking about MacBook Air level hardware with worse thermals for games. And the most popular office Apps - Microsoft Office and GSuite are a per seat license - for both home and office. Meaning you can use the apps on your phone, laptop, or mobile devices and sync apps between them. How many productivity apps don’t “fit in Apple’s guideline”?
- zamadatix 1y ago
  You should talk to this person for me https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45399380 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45399380 since they argue these chips are already ideal for high intensity video games. It doesn't have to be AAA titles though, many games (simple and advance) make it to the "top paid apps" section of the app store once they "make the leap across" so to say. The thing is, not every game/app has made the leap, and when they do they don't all transfer ownership. I don't mean office apps, I mean enterprise apps. I do see them becoming more web focused with time (which I think is a good thing - it's ultra portable when they are) but we're certainly not ready to claim victory just because most email and document editing can be done from a webview. Hell, there's one app I have to use daily which is still officially only 32 bit Windows (it, thankfully, works in Crossover).
  - JustExAWS 1y ago
    What are these enterprise apps? And how many of them would run on an ARM based Mac? If they don’t port them to Macs, what are the chances they would port them to iPads?
    - zamadatix 1y ago
      I'll refer back to: > Hell, there's one app I have to use daily which is still officially only 32 bit Windows (it, thankfully, works in Crossover). As an example. This one is Intangi IRIS, a BOM and quoting tool for network products, and they officially support Crossover. They've been talking about native macOS support since before I started using it in 2019... but that's the speed of business for you :). It's the long tail of apps like these that can make it painful - not the bulk of the day (email, conference calls, and web ticketing systems) itself.