{"id":84814,"date":"2019-01-09T23:03:02","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T07:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/?p=84814"},"modified":"2019-05-08T20:41:12","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T03:41:12","slug":"the-ipad-pro-needs-a-pro-version-of-ios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/the-ipad-pro-needs-a-pro-version-of-ios\/","title":{"rendered":"The iPad Pro needs a pro version of iOS; here’s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iPadApple’s new iPad Pro is an amazing tablet, but\u00a0as our review points out<\/a>, it comes at a price. Apple has priced this device at close to the cost of a laptop\u2014aka a “real computer”\u2014which means that for most people, buying an iPad Pro means making a commitment to using it as their main computing device.<\/p>\n

But the iPad Pro runs iOS, the same operating system that runs on the iPhone. While Apple says<\/a>, “And it works like your iPhone, so it\u2019s familiar to use,” this isn’t really a good thing. Some people may be able to replace their laptop with an iPad Pro<\/a>, but for the iPad Pro to really serve as a computer, it needs a pro version of iOS.<\/p>\n

Limitations of iOS<\/h3>\n

iOS was designed for the iPhone, and, while the iPad version has evolved a bit, its limitations are obvious. This starts with the nearly comical image of icons on the home screen. This display is the same on all iPads, from the petite iPad mini to the largest model, roughly twice its size. Even the 12.9″ version only offers four icons horizontally in portrait mode, and five in landscape. On the big iPad Pro, the wasted space is most apparent. Many people would like to have more icons visible, rather than stuffing them in folders, but Apple doesn’t seem to want to make\u00a0icon organization more flexible.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This scaling is apparent across iOS. Apps display larger or smaller according to the screen size, but offer few additional controls or features with larger displays.<\/p>\n

iOS still doesn’t have real multi-tasking. It’s gotten better with split-screen mode on the iPad, though using this feature is confusing, and depends on gestures<\/a>, so many people will never discover it. In addition, with the newest iPad Pro models, which feature Face ID and no home button, the gestures are different from the previous iPads, so any gestures that\u00a0users may have\u00a0discovered on previous models\u00a0will need to be re-learned. This is especially problematic if someone is using the newest iPad along with an older device.<\/p>\n

Working with files<\/h3>\n

\"macOSA lot of “real work” on computers involves files, but iOS was designed to keep files hidden, for the most part. Apple has made progress in recent versions of iOS, acceding to the demands of users who want to work with files, but this file management isn’t fully functional. What happens if you need to extract files from a ZIP archive? iOS doesn’t help you, so you need to download some third-party apps that will work with these archives<\/a>. The fact that Apple ignores this\u2014and forces users to seek out third-party solutions\u2014trivializes\u00a0how common such files are, and makes it harder to work with files.<\/p>\n

File management on iOS is clunky and complicated, and depends on the cloud, so\u00a0whenever you don’t have Internet access, you are hobbled when you need to move files around.<\/p>\n

Input devices<\/h3>\n

Apple’s new Pencil<\/a> has certainly improved the way you interact with the device. You can sketch and draw with the pencil, mark up documents, and use it to select and edit text, though text selection\u2014long one of the weakest areas of iOS\u2014is still more complicated than the same process on a computer. If your work involves editing text, then the iPad can be frustrating.
\n\"Everything
\nWhile you can use an external keyboard\u2014either Apple’s combination keyboard-case, or any Bluetooth keyboard\u2014you still can’t connect a mouse or trackpad to the iPad. So if you do use a keyboard, you’ll be raising your arms a lot to touch the screen. This can lead to pain in the shoulders, and potential repetitive stress injury. (Back in 2010, Steve Jobs said<\/a> that “Touchscreen on the display is ergonomically terrible for longer interactions.”) And Apple’s keyboard-case only offers two angles, so it won’t always be in an ergonomically ideal position.<\/p>\n

iOS does offer keyboard shortcuts when you have an external keyboard connected, but if you type on the iPad’s display itself, you have limited options in controlling the apps you work with.<\/p>\n

Undo<\/h3>\n

\"iOSIf there’s one failure of iOS it’s the way you undo an operation. You physically shake a device to undo the last thing you did. Most users only discover this when they drop their device, and see a dialog asking them to confirm their undo.<\/p>\n

As Daring Fireball points out<\/a>, there is an undo button on the virtual keyboard in iOS 12 on iPads, but it only affects text; you can press Command-Z if you are using an external keyboard; and some apps, such as graphics or photo editing tools, have adopted a counter-clockwise circular arrow button \u27f2 as an undo trigger. But this process\u2014one of the most important on any computing device\u2014remains a kludge.<\/p>\n

\"iOSThe text undo button, as it appears on iPad’s virtual keyboard\u00a0in iOS 12.<\/p>\n

And the cost<\/h3>\n

Apple is trying to sell people on the idea that the iPad Pro can replace a computer. As I’ve explained above, this isn’t entirely true, though it’s fair to say that for many users, the iPad Pro will do what they need.<\/p>\n

\"\"However, this comes at a cost. It’s not just the price of the iPad itself\u2014$799 or $999, according to its size\u2014but also the accessories that you need to be able to use it fully.\u00a0Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio\u2014a combination input device and case\u2014costs $179 or $199, and the Pencil costs $129 (and isn’t compatible with older iPads). That’s $1,107 or $1,327 to get the full package. The new 13″ retina MacBook Air starts at $1,199.<\/p>\n

If you just want standard protection without the physical keyboard, you can save $100 and buy Apple’s Smart Folio\u00a0(the new version of the Smart Cover)\u00a0for $79 or $99\u2014which is still 10% of the cost of the iPad Pro itself.<\/p>\n

The verdict<\/h3>\n

There’s no denying that the new iPad Pro is a fine device. I tried out the 12.9″ model, and it’s responsive, and easy to use\u2014notably because of Face ID\u2014but it’s heavy, and above all, expensive.<\/p>\n

If\u00a0Apple were to give it an operating system that matches its aspirations, the iPad Pro could replace a computer for many more users than it does now. But as it stands, the iPad Pro’s software hobbles its amazing build and internals. It’s time for Apple to make a pro version of iOS for those people who really want to replace computers with tablets.<\/p>\n

What else should Apple do to rethink and redesign iOS for iPads?\u00a0Should there be an iOS “pro edition”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apple’s new iPad Pro is an amazing tablet, but\u00a0as our review points out, it comes at a price. Apple has priced this device at close to the cost of a laptop\u2014aka a “real computer”\u2014which means that for most people, buying an iPad Pro means making a commitment to using it as their main computing device. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":85159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[3151,69,8,3034,707],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n