- ⏰ 39 mins ago
- Medhi Naitmazi
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In a new article for Bloomberg signed Mark Gurman, the journalist returns to an obvious lack of the iPad: an operating system closer to macOS and therefore aimed at professionals. Rather than imagining a port on the brand’s tablets, Gurman is thinking of a “Pro” mode in iPadOS, something that we had already mentioned when iPadOS 15 and especially the iPad Pro M1 were released.
iPadOS Pro could fill a gap between iPad and Mac
In 2010, when Apple launched the original iPad, the device lacked important features like multitasking, app folders, background audio playback, and a unified email inbox. . These omissions were quickly corrected, and today’s iPad has almost every feature you’d expect from a computer, with some obvious limitations. In fact, as Gurman recalls, the hardware of the iPad is more advanced than the software.
The device is now equipped with an M1 chip, the same processor that powers a 13-inch MacBook Pro or a 24-inch iMac. That’s a lot more powerful than what’s needed to run iPadOS, which is ultimately just a bloated, tweaked version of the iPhone’s iOS.
The American journalist believes that a large part is satisfied with iPadOS to browse Facebook, watch a Netflix series, play games in 120 Hz, but another, also important, cannot develop on it with Xcode, have several windows to see Slack, Messages and a ton of tabs on Safari for example.
The iPad is an in-between, between the iPhone and the Mac. In the sense that it must be powerful enough to meet the needs of the most demanding 20% of users and simple enough for the remaining 80%. Apple has succeeded in achieving this goal with its iPad hardware, but not with its software.
Today, Apple offers four main iPad models: the regular iPad, the iPad mini, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro. They have different capabilities – the iPad Pro has more storage, a ProMotion display and better cameras. The iPad mini, with its small screen, can almost be carried in a pocket. And the entry-level iPad has a much more basic screen, but just what most customers need.
Importantly, all of these iPads run the same version of iPadOS, as well as the same third-party apps. To keep the iPad simple – while making it more powerful for business users – Apple needs to take a new approach, Gurman says, something we already confirmed after testing the iPad Pro M1.
According to him, the iPad Pro should have three modes:
- A standard, touch-first mode, with the normal home screen that’s part of iPadOS today.
- A new option that activates when you connect an Apple Pencil, optimizing icons, controls and UI elements for this accessory.
- And above all, a new “pro” mode that activates when the iPad is connected to a keyboard and a trackpad, such as Apple’s Magic Keyboard, or to an external display.
I don’t think Apple will eventually port macOS to the iPad Pro (I still think it should), but creating a new pro mode is a good compromise.
So what should this “Pro” mode have to be useful enough for professional users, without cannibalizing Mac sales? Here are some answers:
- MacOS-style multitasking, or the ability to run multiple windows at once, one above the other and one next to the other. Apparently iPadOS 16 might bring floating windows. This would be ideal for the calculator, Apple TV remote, etc.
- A more dynamic dock where you can pin files and minimized apps. You should also be able to hold icons for a few seconds to quickly review information.
- A real desktop that lets you drop file folders, pictures, web shortcuts, and more alongside apps. It would also be nice to see more dynamic widgets, allowing you to use them as mini-apps rather than just informational insets.
These features would probably be far too complicated for the vast majority of users looking to escape the complexity of a Mac or PC. But they should be there for customers who want them.
For Mark Gurman, the next iPad Pro could even be bigger, with a 15-inch model that would make the most of all his ideas. Rumors suggest that Apple is currently testing OLED panels of this size.
What do you think of an iPadOS Pro? Good or bad idea ?
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