In a recent Daring Fireball column, John Gruber said the iPad hasn’t come close to living up its potential. He’s right.
He says the hardware is great; it’s the software where Apple has gotten “lost.” In regards to multitasking, John says: “iPadOS’s ‘multitasking’ model is far more capable than the iPhone’s, yes, but somehow Apple has painted it into a corner in which it is far less consistent and coherent than the Mac’s, while also being far less capable. iPad multitasking: more complex, less powerful. That’s quite a combination.”
Pundits have offered various fixes to this problem, as well as other suggestions to improve the iPad such as a better file system and “true” mouse/trackpad support. However, I have another idea: ditch iPadOS, keep iOS on the iPhone, and move the iPad (at least the Pro models) to macOS.
I know, I know: Apple says it’s not going to make a hybrid tablet/laptop, but, as I’ve said before, it’s time for the tech giant to reconsider. If an iPad (or Mac) offered support for touch input and a mouse/trackpad, users could choose between the input that works best for them. And choice is a good thing
Would an iPad running macOS cannibalize Mac sales? I think it would certain ding MacBook Air and perhaps 13-inch MacBook Pro sales, but probably not sales of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Besides, as Phil Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, once said: Apple doesn’t mind one Apple product cannibalizing the sales of another Apple product.
And, yes, I know the company has repeatedly said it had no interest in a touchscreen Mac. However, a macOS iPad (Mac Pad?) would have the same form factor as an iPad, which has great hardware, but would run a more vibrant operating system.
