I know this sounds a bit mad and most people might say, just get an iPad with a magic keyboard but, considering the better keyboard integration that is slowly coming through, it seems one could, in theory, exclusively control an iPad with a keyboard and no touch gestures.
The advantage I find with iPad OS is just how tranquil it is. The separation of apps and the voiceover performance, to me, is superior to that of the mac for 95 % of purposes. I know many would like to see mac os on an iPad, but I really don't see the point myself. I would prefer to see a more modular version of mac os, so moving back the other way.
What do you think? Does anyone in the know know if this could be possible with the hardware of a mac? Could there be a dual boot functionality?
Comments
Apple would never do that :)
I'm very sure that Apple would never do that. Also, I won't prefer iPadOS as the main OS on an M1 Mac but it would be interesting to use iPadOS as a second OS via Multiboot. Maybe this becomes reality in the future, but when, only with third-party software I think.
Yeah, does feel more like a…
Yeah, does feel more like a hack of some sort, a VM maybe. You're right though, they'd rather we purchase an iPad and keep devices separate, none of them quite covering all bases.
iOS
the iOS for the iPad is limited and does not do more compare to the OS in the mac.
You can probably already…
You can probably already guess my opinion on that, eww!!! ☺️. I like my touch screen.
On the other hand, if it's ever going to happen, iPad OS will have to have better support for external monitors. Look for decent monitor and windowing support to turn up on iPad OS itself first, or else there'd be no point to it on a Mac.
I'm not saying it should be…
I'm not saying it should be a mac os replacement, just that it would be good to have an option to switch to the better accessibility supported IOS. It is simpler which may be helpful for some especially those who can't or don't want to use a touchscreen.
I wouldn't and couldn't get rid of my mac or, more specifically its os. I do 3d printing, a lot of server based control, 3d design and other such activities that, though you can do them on iOS, the experience is sub-optimal.
The other massive advantage of iPad os is the app store and the way apps are installed and can be removed.
I suppose I'm asking for something more like Mac OS lite, a hybrid of the two. As time goes by this is likely to appear organically, on the iPad at least.
similarly I'd like to be able to boot into tv os on my mac mini. It's more than capable when paired with a remote and tv os is far superior as a media centre than mac OS.
Considering the unification of architectures, it seems that this could be a good thing for the future. though I agreed that apple would never do this, I've had a chance to think about it. What apple wants is long term repeated subscription income. The devices, the consumer ones at least, are gateways to the app store, apple music, the iTunes store, apple fitness and so on. Mac, as it stands, is the outlier in that we can install apps easily from beyond the walled garden. By including the iPad experience, once it has matured a little more, apple regains the app store. By running TV OS on a mac mini, apple can get you to buy content through its platform and make a commission.
Things seem to be converging though the input methods remain varied but, even then, with iPad os having the magic keyboard, even that line is blurring.
I'm one of those who would prefer the other way
I have never gotten into the whole iPad thing. I have my Mac for a computer and phone for a mobile device. something that has struck me as an in between option is not appealing. However, I would get an iPad that can run Mac OS When I need to take the computer with me, I would rather have something that is a full computing device. Microsoft can do this on there systems, so Apple could choose to do likewise.
Well, for MacOS on an iPad,…
Well, for MacOS on an iPad, not to be a broken record, look out for a bigger screen iPad, ☺️. Remember, it's not how *we'd* use it, but how most people would use it, and MacOS on a screen the size of most iPads would be pretty useless for most people right now.
There used to be an 11 inch…
There used to be an 11 inch Mack air and the 12 inch MacBook so it would already work. Could be a good differentiator between the standard and pro line.
Mac for Mac, iPad for ipad
I really think they should keep these separate. Each system is built around its own operating system, and allowing you to switch between them would just be strange. I do not have an iPad, because that simple structure would drive me crazy, if I wanted that simple structure I would buy an iPad, not a Mac. I bought a MacBook Pro because I need a full computer, and I don't just use one thing at a time. If you want an iPad with a keyboard, get the new iPad Air and the magic keyboard to go along with it. You'd end up spending the same as a MacBook Air or close to it and you'd get iPad OS.
Nowhere near ready
Honestly Oliver, right now I think this would be a disaster. While iPad OS can theoretically be controlled fully with a keyboard, in reality in cannot. There are so many issues and bugs when trying to use it with the keyboard, that you just have to use the touch screen quite often. VoiceOver focus in particular is hugely unpredictable and inconsistent.
I too though would be in the other camp. I would love if my iPad behaved more like a Mac when I attach the keyboard, and more like a traditional iPad when I pick it up. 🤞🤞🤞
Dave
Mac
In a perfect world would like that the Mac have windows instead of what they use now.
Haha
Fair enough.
I've got an iPad mini, a MacBook air and a mac mini that runs as a server/bits and bobs machine that I access through jump desktop. I think it's just my frustrations with the mac platform and its abundance of accessibility bugs that is driving me in the iPad direction. Every single apple application is buggy for voiceover, safari not responding, mail losing focus and seemingly acting differently with different emails, messages just being a complex mess, terminal being a pain to use and so on... Though there are issues on iPad os, they are far less than those on the mac which is counterintuitive considering how long mac os has been kicking about.
Yes, I guess the lack of a touch screen on a mac is going to be an issue here and maybe it is docked mac os and mobile iPad os I really want, best of both worlds. Sadly they've consistently said they'll never do that... Whether that is true considering how they've returned to previous design concepts such as the MacBook pro, we can only hope that thinking is more flexible. There are rumours of a 20 inch foldable iPad/mac hybrid coming down the line but, to be honest, typing on a touchscreen for an extended period sounds like purgatory.
By the way, regarding the latest iPad air, I've read several comments that the build quality is pretty poor so, for any considering it, it is worth going to have a play in an apple store. The back plate is said to be exceedingly thing to the point that you can feel the battery and distort the screen.
Finally, I wasn't wanting a mac OS replacement, it was the option to duel boot. There may be an emulation out there at some point or VM, which I'd find very interesting. Kind of a work and play divide. After all, iOS apps ported to the mac are utter balls.
Messages app
Hi,
In my opinion, the messages app is constructed very well. The areas are separated properly and you can quickly find what you're looking for. But I agree to the other points, many apps from Apple are very buggy and full of long-standing issues and the whole OS seems to behave quite inconsistent in soo many places (e.g. Catalyst apps work differently with VoiceOver than traditional AppKit-based apps). But I still love macOS and the much easier structure than Windows, so Windows on a Mac would be a disaster for me :-)