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Honest question: once the Macbook reaches the (approximate) weight and convenience of the iPad -- and has touch input -- is there any future for the iPad? Sure

Honest question: once the Macbook reaches the (approximate) weight and convenience of the iPad -- and has touch input -- is there any future for the iPad? Sure, iPads are more convenient for giving to kids, but a Macbook with a surface-style keyboard and touchscreen kind of moots that entire line. I see tablets and the requisite limited tablet software/interface as a necessary evil we had to pass through before we could make full-fledged computers small enough to have the same convenience.

stephen_g 12y ago
Why do you think it will have touch input? Apple seems fairly determined that laptops and tablets are different form-factors that work better with different ways of interaction. I think there is definitely merit to this - Windows 8 showed how easy it is to get the hybrid approach wrong, and the gestures with the MacBook's multi-touch trackpads seem to me to be a better way than having to reach up to touch the screen all the time...
- nivla 12y ago
  > Windows 8 showed how easy it is to get the hybrid approach wrong On the contrary, a lot of people do find the hybrid approach very useful especially once they are accustomed to it. When travelling I take my Surface Pro instead of my laptop and by the time I am back, I am so used to touching and taping on my screen that I unconsciously do it on my laptop making me look like an idiot. I find touchscreens great and believe it is a means to complement your existing workflow, not replace it.
  - _broody 12y ago
    I agree. The hybrid touch paradigm is fantastic. What Windows 8 did wrong was messing with the familiar old-school interface a bit too much, which made many non-tech-savvy users confused and miserable. My dad had a terrible time with Windows 8. But me? The Surface pro is easily among my favorite devices ever.
- pbreit 12y ago
  How about it switches to MacOS when a physical keyboard is connected? Touch-screen on a notebook sounds like a nice-to-have but also awkward.
hkmurakami 12y ago
The opposite is true as well -- as the iPad increases in specs it will be able to do more of what the macbook does, for a particular subset of users who don't want any complexity behind their computing (less technical folks, for instance).
panic 12y ago
The kinds of interfaces that work on direct-manipulation touch screens are different from the kinds of interfaces that work with traditional keyboards and pointing devices. You'd need some way to adjust the interface to match the input method as the computer is running.
Jack000 12y ago
I think the lesson from the success of the iPad is that there is a large market out there that doesn't want an actual computer. Personally I'm waiting for the macbook air with skylake. The macbook haptic click is surprisingly usable, but the keyboard is a deal breaker for me. There is hardly any travel and it felt very awkward, worse than the surface keyboard IMO.

stephen_g 12y ago

Why do you think it will have touch input? Apple seems fairly determined that laptops and tablets are different form-factors that work better with different ways of interaction. I think there is definitely merit to this - Windows 8 showed how easy it is to get the hybrid approach wrong, and the gestures with the MacBook's multi-touch trackpads seem to me to be a better way than having to reach up to touch the screen all the time...

nivla 12y ago
> Windows 8 showed how easy it is to get the hybrid approach wrong On the contrary, a lot of people do find the hybrid approach very useful especially once they are accustomed to it. When travelling I take my Surface Pro instead of my laptop and by the time I am back, I am so used to touching and taping on my screen that I unconsciously do it on my laptop making me look like an idiot. I find touchscreens great and believe it is a means to complement your existing workflow, not replace it.
- _broody 12y ago
  I agree. The hybrid touch paradigm is fantastic. What Windows 8 did wrong was messing with the familiar old-school interface a bit too much, which made many non-tech-savvy users confused and miserable. My dad had a terrible time with Windows 8. But me? The Surface pro is easily among my favorite devices ever.
pbreit 12y ago
How about it switches to MacOS when a physical keyboard is connected? Touch-screen on a notebook sounds like a nice-to-have but also awkward.

hkmurakami 12y ago

The opposite is true as well -- as the iPad increases in specs it will be able to do more of what the macbook does, for a particular subset of users who don't want any complexity behind their computing (less technical folks, for instance).

panic 12y ago

The kinds of interfaces that work on direct-manipulation touch screens are different from the kinds of interfaces that work with traditional keyboards and pointing devices. You'd need some way to adjust the interface to match the input method as the computer is running.

Jack000 12y ago

I think the lesson from the success of the iPad is that there is a large market out there that doesn't want an actual computer. Personally I'm waiting for the macbook air with skylake. The macbook haptic click is surprisingly usable, but the keyboard is a deal breaker for me. There is hardly any travel and it felt very awkward, worse than the surface keyboard IMO.