Software, not hardware, is what the iPad needs an upgrade in more than ever
Apple iPad Pro
Apple’s high-end iPad Pro feels incomplete without the right software. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
When Apple CEO Tim Cook and top honchos take the virtual stage on May 7 to introduce new iPads, they are going to spend a lot of time establishing one thing: the new iPads will be the best tablets on the market, especially the Pro models. One can already predict the script Cook and his team will be handed to make the pitch around newer iPads, including OLED screens and slimmer bodies, with the new Airs getting a bigger screen size, and updates to the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.
The iPad is without a doubt a great product. Neither the iPhone nor the Mac has destroyed the iPad, so the tablet’s continuing existence after over a decade of its launch is proof that people want a device that excels in bridging the gap between the iPhone and Mac. Some may argue that the iPhone does everything the iPad is capable of doing, and to some extent, they’re right. However, the sheer portability the device offers—especially the iPad Mini—and the Pencil support make it a delightful product. The iPad Pro, meanwhile, is a more complex device, and there are arguments against the device which are valid though it’s hard to question the existence of the Pro model all together.
Apple iPad
The iPadOS needs a makeover. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The iPad’s problem has never been the hardware. Apple has updated the iPads to have the best possible hardware and drool-worthy specs, especially the high-end iPad Pro. But where the iPad falters is the iPadOS software, which continues to be severely limited in making the tablet more adaptable for work tasks, for which users opt for a Windows PC or a Mac.
Despite many calling out Apple for not putting macOS into the iPad and fixing the software once and for all, Apple won’t do it. Cupertino has already made it clear that it will never put macOS on the iPad. Look, the iPad isn’t a Mac—both in form and usability. It’s something different—and people buy an iPad for reasons that might not be the same as those for buying a Mac. The iPad supports the Apple Pencil, and you can use the stylus for drawing or sketching, but the Mac doesn’t. The same goes for the Magic Keyboard, which adds a keyboard to the iPad – and it’s a good one considering it also comes with a decently sized trackpad.
The point many people often miss is that if the iPad becomes the Swiss Army knife and is good at everything, then what is the need for the Mac? There is a reason why Apple also makes the Mac and still sells the iPad. The argument is that if Apple adds macOS to the iPad, it would make the tablet just like the Mac doesn’t hold water. MacOS was never meant for use with a finger on a portable device. However, it’s also true that Apple can elevate the iPad to a certain level, even with accessories.
Apple iPad Macbook
The iPad Pro packs the full power of a laptop computer. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express0
But it still doesn’t change the fact that Apple can do so much to make the iPad’s software better. It simply requires the will to do so. And it all begins with things as basic as separate user profiles, which have been the most requested feature on the iPad. But Apple has completely ignored this. Multi-account support on a device like the iPad makes so much sense—after all, a tablet is used by families (unlike the iPhone, which is a more personal device). It’s a shared device, and it’s much too expensive or impractical to buy one for each individual. Having the ability to configure multiple user profiles on the iPad may increase sales of the iPad in the long run, rather than decrease sales as Apple might be worried. If the iPad is shared among users, it will only expand the usage of the tablet and eventually also drive subscriptions to Apple services through higher tiers.
Another way Apple can fix iPadOS is to give users more control over how apps are arranged. While Apple did make efforts to make iPadOS more customisable, the home screen remains unchanged. With the iPad’s screen continuing to increase in size, Apple needs to provide users with a way to place apps in different corners—something like an adjustable app grid. A complete redesign of the home screen is what is needed right now to vastly improve the user experience. The control center, too, needs a makeover. Maybe Apple can take some insights from how the control center is on the Mac and bring a touch-friendly version to the iPad.
Multitasking is another area where iPadOS needs work.
Although multitasking has improved in iPadOS 17, there’s still room for improvement. But some things are still a mess, and hardcore iPad users can’t use iPadOS for heavy multitasking workloads. In iPadOS, users are limited to four apps on the screen at one time, and Apple continues to restrict the sizing and position of apps to some degree. On a MacBook, you can keep several tabs and applications open on a screen at once, and you have so much more freedom to mess around. A MacBook can do more than the iPad. Period.
If you ask iPad Pro users, they will tell you: why can’t their device run macOS applications? After all, the hardware (at least at the chip level) is now the same on both the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air/Pro. Fundamentally, the iPad can run macOS apps, but Apple intentionally wants the iPad to do iPad things. Nobody knows why, but some things can be fixed if only Apple changes its mind. Take the case of Safari on iPad, which doesn’t quite reach desktop-level browser status despite Apple’s claims. At times, it feels like web apps like Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive) on iPad’s Safari are either limited or just the mobile version of the site.
This needs to be changed if Apple wants desktop-class apps to make inroads on the iPad.
iPad
Apple is holding a May 7 hardware event to announce new iPads. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Not that Apple has not made any progress in bringing desktop-class apps to the iPad. It has. Final Cut Pro on the iPad has made a lot of editors happy, and the future of desktop-grade apps on the iPad is bright, to say the least. FCP on the iPad is capable, even if it’s not exactly a desktop version found on the Mac. Comparisons of pro-grade apps will be made between an iPad version and a desktop version, but apps like FCP on the iPad show that desktop-grade apps require a rethink if they come to a device like the iPad because the whole interface and the workflows are now optimized for touch. This means the way you edit on the iPad vs. Mac will also change because of touch. But that doesn’t take away the fact that FCP is a functional editor on the iPad but not a complete studio from shoot to publish, as Apple likes to market.
While the iPad is a powerful device, it’s hard to make everyone happy. Even a MacBook can’t do everything we want it to, and neither can other devices. Right now, Apple’s best shot is to elevate the software experience on the iPad. It doesn’t need to make the iPadOS more like macOS or bring macOS-like multitasking. What might work for the iPad is how it builds the software and tunes multitasking to be better optimized for touch, keeping the form factor in mind.
All eyes are on Apple’s WWDC event in early June, where it announces iPadOS 18—the next version of the operating system that powers the iPad. There are all sorts of rumours around iPadOS 18, and how AI will put more focus on the software side of things. Hopefully, Apple does justice to the iPad and brings the differentiated software experience and app support the device needs the most at the moment.
For the latest news from across India, Political updates, Explainers, Sports News, Opinion, Entertainment Updates and more Top News, visit Indian Express. Subscribe to our award-winning Newsletter Download our App here Android & iOS