macOS on iPad

macOS on M4 iPad Pro

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The M4 iPad Pro and macOS really should be an option moving forward with an iPad that is now definitely a Mac computer in all but the operating system. What do you think?

Let's face it, the "Pro" in iPad Pro should stand for something and that something would be the ability to run professional software and apps that are available on macOS.

Maybe Apple held back some info during the release event and maybe we get some favourable news at WWDC next month and macOS on iPad soon after. Or, we might see flying pigs 😆

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I'm David Harry. Thank you very much for watching this video, take care and goodbye now.

Cheers,
Dave.

#DavidHarry#LiverpoolTV

[djleslierossen]

Mate… there was long time ago a osx with a touch rinterface… (around the time when Windows 10 came out) and you still can get a desk image of it so what you do using Etcher and creating a bootable pen drive and then you’re bootting iPad from usb… can use windows, Linux… someone got a video of it but I would have to dig it out

[tek_soup]

ive been saying the same, it is the same dang hardware, Dual Boot!

[Valo]

I wish this was their plan. I had every intention of getting the new one, but now that it’s come out I really don’t think there’s any need to upgrade from my 2020. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[TheDivinepromise]

I would like to have a samsung dex implementation.

[NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin]

Some developers I know are actually working on macOS version of iPad, but they can’t share details… apparently you’ll have to have the 1 or 2Gb version and the new keyboard to switch on macOS sessions

[sweealamak]

Can you tell us what Mac application or function you wish to perform on the iPad? It might turn out that you're not even unleashing the full potential of your Mac in the first place, which could undermine your need for a full MacOS on an iPad. It could also be the opposite where you're using RAM/CPU intensive apps which the fanless iPad would struggle to run, unless putting in a fan in the iPad is what you want in order to run those apps.

[JamesWilliam]

I wouldn’t llimit os enabling to a keyboard track pad. I would want it enabling with the pencil as I don’t give two bits for the keyboard as an artist.

[andyH_England]

I know a niche demographic wants to dual boot macOS on iPadOS, but if you look at it from Apple's viewpoint, you will see it as a zero-sum game. Why:

1/ Why change a business model that is working great and surviving in two difficult, high-competitive markets (PCs and tablets)? Change for change's sake; ask LG how that went!
2/ What is Apple's upside? It likely will not increase demand, push sales away from their Macbook line, and make it more difficult for shareholders to meet profit targets. Look at the iPhone mini, which sold more than most Android phones yet failed Apple's core economic viability test—profitability.
3/ Forewarned is to be forearmed. Creating a hybrid, like W8, MS attempts to become a player in the tablet market, ending in abysmal comprehensive failure and another missed opportunity by MS to become relevant. That disaster is enough to steer the ship around the iceberg.
4/ Technical issues:
a/ Most iPad Pros only have 8GB of RAM, and we know that this is derided on YT comment sections and by creators. It is hypocrisy to say it is acceptable now. There is no 32GB option for iPad Pros. The 256GB models only have one NAND SSD so swap would be reduced.
b/ IO could be better on an iPad.
c/ Battery life on an iPad is significantly less than that of an MB Air. The battery would wear faster.
d/ 11-inch macOS would look horrid, so you must use it on a single display. Just buy a Mac Mini if that is what you need. macOS is not a touch UI.
e/ No fan; pro apps will throttle faster than an MB Air.
f/ Slower sequential transfer speeds on an iPad.
g/ Only the base M4; no M4 Pro or Max chip.
5/ The price: a 13-inch 1TB/16GB iPad Pro with keyboard and pen costs £2400, while I can get an MB Pro 14 M4 Pro 1TB/18GB for £2100! Buying an iPad Pro as an alternative to the MB Pro makes no sense.
6/ There are good reasons why Samsung does not dual-boot Windows on its Galaxy Tab S line and ditched Linux on Android. They are bad business models. Why do people expect Apple to do it and never complain that rivals are identical?

There must always be a balance between what consumers want and what is viable for Apple, et al. iPads running macOS is simply a bad idea for Apple. I worked this out a decade ago and have the idealistic plan of having both—no compromises and not waiting for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, as it doesn't and will never exist.

[erwinmeisel]

The best solution: Touch functionality for Mac OS

[silentgoblin]

While I would love for Apple to introduce dual-boot of MacOS and iPadOS, they probably won't do it because it will compete with Macbook sales. The only way I see it happening is if Samsung introduces it first with Windows on their tablets.

[BALLOOROOM]

I'm sure they're working on it and won't release something half-baked. You can see some limited convergence happening. Whether they'll succeed is another thing, they might abandon the effort if they can't make it work well enough.

[KevinMuldoon]

Great video David.

A dual operating tablet/laptop hybrid is something I've always wanted.

It has been done in the past. I'd need to search for the names of the tablets, but there's been a few from China that let you dual boot Android and Windows. If I remember right, a hard restart was required rather than a quick switch.

That is changing though. Lenovo announced this year at CES that one of their 2 in 1 Thinkpads will be Android and Windows.

The closest to what we need right now is Samsung's Tab range.

Following our discussion last week, I've been down the tablet rabbit hole, swaying between buying the new Apple iPad Pro, the last generation of iPad Pro or an Android tablet such as the Samsung Tab S9, S9+ or S9 Ultra. What I like about the Samsung Tab range is that when you connect the book cover keyboard, it instantly switches to Samsung DEX and you can use it like a laptop.

I actually lost out on an eBay auction for an S9 Ultra with keyboard cover. Perhaps I'll win the next one 😊

I'm still considering my options though. I think the combination of Android and Dex is closer to what I want; but I also know Dex is limited too. This is an area where macOS might be better in some situations as it supports Davinci Resolve (which, admittedly, isn't perfect on iPad).

Another option is a Windows 2 in 1. I've always like the Surface Pro range, but you just don't get the tablet experience with it.

Keep up the great work Dave 👍

Kevin

[elgonwilliams]

IDT the dual boot option makes sense. Integrating the iPad OS functionality into MacOS wouldn't be that difficult. And perhaps Apple can control that option to have it selected at the time of purchase, you select either IPad OS or Mac OS, likely pay more for the latter. Also, the could limited the option to the highest end configurations (minimum 1 TB drive, the 10 core processor, when sold with the keyboard. They would need to install a driver for the touch screen interface. I'm just not sure what the point would be of buying a super expensive iPad to run a full laptop OS while having only one USB C port. Also, the MacOS would cut into battery power significantly as the OS is a bigger load in memory with a number of background operations keeping the processor busy. This would defeat the purpose of having a tablet device to a large extent. MS has tried running lite versions of Windows on SUrface tablets for years and toyed with using different processors. This also made the OS specifically for operating a tablet and ended up having to back out of some functionality because of user complaints. I believe Apple has witnessed MS's fiasco with Windows 8 and Surface and decided to keep the iPads from becoming Macbooks via MacOS because of that. It is an interesting nich novelty at best that would suit a few power users, but ALWAYS there would be fuller functionality with MacBook and at a lower price. Apple is about designing a product with the intention of selling millions of them. I just doesn't see an army of techies driving volume sales for such a device. So that is why Apple has never done it.

[williammclean]

I forget what it's called but Samsung tablets have a function where you can go to desktop mode that mimics PC. Apple could do that. But I think the reason will never see that because Apple thinks they would lose money. Because if the iPad is basically a macbook then there would be no use in making MacBooks anymore because they would basically be a laptop. It even has the keyboard that you can attach to it.

They would want to make as many products as possible so they want to sell you a MacBook and an iPad. They would cut their profits in half. People have been asking for this for 10 years and they haven't done anything

[KrispyKrink]

Incrementally they’d been making MacOS more like the iPad (Launchpad, Widgets on the desktop) and the IPad OS more Mac (KB/mouse, external monitor, multi window multitasking). I really like the way they’ve introduced Stage Manager and that’s where they could make this work. They don’t need dual OS’s, what I’d love is when I dock in to run in Stage Manager I want my MacOS application to maybe run containerized. Make it a iPad Pro only feature. It’s the only reason I haven’t bought a new iPad in 8 years. I have applications I use daily that are MacOS only. If Apple can allow me to run them on the iPad, I would be all in.

[manuelstoeckl]

What is the main difference between iPadOS and macOS? In my opinion only to install apps from every source and not only an AppStore. And that’s why it is for me a better choice to have NO macOS on the iPad. I feel more saver with it.

[BSingh-onqr]

Not dual boot, but virtualising, so you can run it side by side seamlessly

[montaine]

With the release of more power hungry version of apps, I feel like this is sadly unlikely. Hoping for a refresh at WWDC

[markjob]

*How about a third option David ?: May I suggest that Apple takes the iOS operating system to new heights, allowing iOS to run both Windows and Linux, and Mac_OS applications within its iOS kernel ?*

[soroushahadi]

Just a huge update for mac os that make it more like ipad os. So listen if apple is going to make the mac touchable it wont look the same, it differs with huge buttons and touchable things...