The 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the MacBook Air: they’ll be more similar than you think.
Scott Stein / CNET
It’s been almost five years since I wrote a passionate story about how Macs and iPads must merge. I’ve been thinking like that ever since … well, since the iPad came out in 2010. It’s now 2021 and iPads and Macs are still two completely different Apple product lines. But the merger is well underway. These are just a series of very slow steps.
I have always thought of the iPad as the more likely path to the computer I prefer in an ideal future universe. But I use Apple’s most recent M1 MacBook Air and it changed my mind. The laptop, although not exciting in design, is completely sleek and functional. It feels very perfect. And even the entry-level, 8GB RAM model I tried seems more than enough to handle just about everything I need.
The M1 Macs, use Apple’s own chips, points to a future where the line between Macs and iPads is indeed becoming very blurred. Apple is likely to announce new versions of its iPad Pro sometime this spring, a year after the relatively minor changes to the 2020 version. What would I expect? What would I want? In a post-MacBook M1 world, I start thinking about the iPad very different.
As we head towards a new iPad, this is how the MacBook M1 has already shifted my perspective. To twist a famous quote attributed to William Gibson, I see the same regarding Apple’s future computers.
With the Magic Keyboard on, the dimensions of the Air and the iPad Pro become quite similar. And yet different.
Scott Stein / CNET
What is an iPad now that the Mac is also instant?
I use the MacBook more now, first. It’s quick to start, blows no fans or blows it, and battery life overcomes it. The iPads used to have this advantage over Macs, but now I’m starting to think … What else can an iPad do for me?
The MacBook is easier for Zoom meetings. I can mount it without a casing and the camera is in the right direction. I can also perform anything from Zoom theater performances to writing classes. The iPad needs to recognize our new Zoom life and pay attention to the camera placement and the ease that browsers and apps can run side by side and not feel so walled off. On iPads, experiences still feel like too much work for my needs. On a MacBook, I can connect a monitor and double my screens.
The iPad is winning on portability … now. With a keyboard holder, the iPad Pro is not nearly as light or thin as you might think. The 12.9-inch iPad ultimately feels the same as a MacBook Air, but even denser.
The natural strengths of the iPad on the screen and touch screen … how much can they go further?
The iPad does have a better display, a better camera and better sounding speakers. It has Face ID, which I like more on a home tablet than on a phone. I prefer to watch movies on it, even with its more square ratio. I also prefer games on an iPad. And of course, touch and pencil support on iPads are excellent. There are many apps, documents I need to e-sign, and photo editing projects that I prefer to do on an iPad. MacBooks, without touch screen or pencil input, sometimes make me feel distant from the experiences on my screen. Using a mouse or touchpad is not always enough.
New iPad models are expected to be used Mini LED technology for a possibly improved performance. The iPad Pro screen already looks good, but the OLED screens on iPhones still look better (if smaller).
Scott Stein / CNET
iPadOS needs to turn into something similar to MacOS
Last year, the iPad added touchpad and mouse support, which ultimately made a big difference in the way I use the iPad with a keyboard case. With a Magic Keyboard attached (or a Logitech Case) everything starts to feel more laptop-like eventually – if I want to.
iPadOS may never look like the Mac, but it should continue to meet Macs halfway. I want (and expect) better ways to extend apps for multitasking and ultimately true monitor support for second screens (iPads mostly reflect this, unless a specific app utilizes it).
iPads offer apps faster and easier than Macs, which means my kids can use them quickly. But iPads still do not have multiple modes or accounts so kids can start their own space … or, so I can customize my own workspace when I go on the same iPad.
But most of all, I want better ways to access saved files. The Files app is a start, but I still feel very limited in how easily I can download and organize documents and videos and photos, bundle them, and share them with others as needed.
If the next iPad Pro gets an M1 chip, why can’t these things happen?
It’s likely that the next iPad Pro will have a processor that’s the same as the recent MacBooks … or it’s got a new A-series disc that’s so mentally close that it’ll effectively feel the same. The processor of the iPad has been extremely powerful for many years. Now that the new Macs have shown what M1 chips can really do, the iPad can do no more – and also handle more multitasking?
There’s no reason why an iPad can not be my everyday computer. Apple just needs to pick up the rest of the practice wheels.