Hey, iPad Pro M4, be a full computer or be nothing

On the TV series, “Parks and Rec,” the outspoken Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman) had this to say about non-fat frozen yogurt: “Dear frozen yogurt: you are the celery of desserts. Be ice cream or nothing.”

That’s kinda how I feel about the M4 iPad Pro: be a full computer or nothing. If the M4 iPad Pro can’t get the operating system it needs to serve as a true laptop alternative, what’s the point of the device? The iPad Air will serve just fine to meet the tablet needs of most users.

Writing for MacWorld, David Price sums things up perfectly in his article, “Apple still has no idea what to do with the iPad.”

From his article (which you should read in full): Is the iPad a high-end creative tool? Is it a laptop replacement for business users, or a note-taker for people in hospitals and building sites? Or is it what it’s overwhelmingly used as right now, which is a low-end, instant-booting web surfer for users to mess around with on the couch while someone else watches Netflix on the big TV? …. 

If Apple wants the iPad to replace the MacBook, it needs to bring iPadOS closer to macOS in scope and organizational structure. It’s not like the software department at Cupertino hasn’t tried: numerous multitasking features and modes have been added to iPadOS over the years. But we’re still at a point where doing two things at the same time is a lot more of a hassle on an iPad than it would be on a Mac, and as long as that’s the case, you can’t expect it to take off as a mainstream laptop replacement.

Conversely, turning iPadOS into a sophisticated desktop-style OS will shrink the iPad’s appeal for its current userbase, by taking away the simple qualities that they value. And there’s no easy way to make both groups happy.

Apple should rebrand the iPad Pro the Mac Pad and let it run macOS. To me that would offer a great form factor and a great operating system for both work and play. 

Apple could continue making the iPad Air as a consumer oriented device running iPadOS. As for the iPad mini, as I’ve suggested before, Apple should rebrand it as an ebook reader.

As for the plain ‘ol iPad, just drop it entirely. These moves would help simplify the super-complicated iPad line-up.

And, most importantly, it will make it possible for the iPad Pro to finally grow up.

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