In a must-read Macworld article, Mahmoud Itani says with a touchscreen MacBook and folding iPhone coming, the iPad as we know it will soon be obsolete. I think he’s partially right.
You can read about the touchscreen MacBook (which could be dubbed the “MacBook Ultra”) here and the “iPhone Fold” (which could be called the “iPhone Ultra”) here.
Here are the key points from Itani’s op-ed:
° iPads and MacBooks are increasingly sharing features like touchscreen displays, M-series chips, and desktop-like software capabilities.
° The new MacBook Neo at $599 and upcoming iPhone Fold threaten iPad sales by offering similar functionality at competitive prices for students and compact device users.
° This convergence could eventually make iPads redundant as software becomes the primary differentiator, with Macs likely outlasting iPads in Apple’s long-term ecosystem.
I don’t think the iPad form factor will disappear. Apple isn’t going to quit selling tablets. I think, as I’ve said before, that the future might be an “Apple Pad.”
Image an iPad Pro form factor that works with a detachable keyboard, as well as a mouse and trackpad. Imagine such a device plugging into an “Apple Studio Display Pro” that has touch control AND gesture control. You could also plug in an external GPU for even better performance and connect external drives for more storage.
Voila! You’d have one device to replace your Mac desktop, Mac laptop, and iPad Pro. The Apple Pad would pack an Apple-developed processor and could be offered in various sizes: 11-inches, 13-inches, and 15-inches.
Under this scenario, when you want a big screen, keyboard, lots of processing power, etc., you would use the Apple Pad/Apple Vision/eGPU combo. When you’re on the go, detach the Apple Pad and take it with you.
Of course, that begs the question: what operating system would it use. If Apple is tweaking macOS to support at least some touchscreen features, perhaps it will go all in and add full touch features to the operating system for an “Apple Pad” (although I’m sure Apple could come up with a better name).
And, of course, it could still sell low cost laptops such as the MacBook Neo to serve those on a tight budget. And, as I’ve said before, the iPad mini could very well repositioned as a ebook reader.
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Also, check out my daughter-in-law’s “Scattered Words” website if you’re interested in unique, handcrafted jewelry made out of an array of vintage dictionaries, books, and even a few antiques.
