We know that Apple has used the desktop M1 chip in the iPad Pro. The iPad and the new generation of MacBook have the same hardware platform. Earlier, Apple unified the development kits for Mac and iPad, using Mac Catalyst. Developed apps compatible with both platforms for macOS and iPadOS. The new M1 MacBook can even run iPad App…
access:
Apple Online Store (China)
It can be said that Apple has built a bridge between software and hardware for Mac and iPad, and speculation about whether Apple will unify these two platforms has been heard in the industry.
Mouse linkage between macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15
And in the recent WWDC 2021, Apple made another big news-Apple added a linkage control function called “Universal Control” in macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15, users can drag freely in Mac and iPad Use the mouse to perform operations such as dragging and dropping files.
Mac and iPad have taken a big step forward in terms of integration and linkage. So when the hardware platform and development kits are becoming more and more suitable, is it possible for Apple to merge the MacBook and iPad product lines? Let’s talk about it briefly.
Mac and iPad are already interoperable?
Let’s first take a brief look at how far the current Mac and iPad are interoperable.
The first is the hardware foundation.At present, the new iPad Pro and MacBook, iMac and Mac mini have already used the M1 chip based on the ARM architecture. According to Apple’s product plan, more Mac computers will join the M series ARM chip camp in the future. It can be said that the hardware foundation of iPad and Mac has become the same.
iPad Pro has already used the desktop M1 chip
The second is the development kit.In the past two years, Apple has introduced SwiftUI and Mac Catalyst to integrate the software ecosystem of iPad and Mac. Developers can use these kits to make the appearance and internals of the same application compatible with both iPad and Mac. In the future, it will be compatible with iPad and Mac. There will be more and more software applications.
Mac Catalyst can make a software application compatible with iPadOS and macOS at the same time
SwiftUI can adapt the UI of the same application to multiple Apple platforms at the same time
Then there is ecological compatibility.The M1 version of MacBook can be compatible with some iPad applications, which allows the poor gaming and entertainment ecosystem of the Mac platform to be watered by the iPad ecosystem. However, there are some problems in this part, which will be mentioned below.
Finally, there is further integration of experience.Many people have heard of the seamless connection of Apple’s ecology. Different devices can share data through iCloud and transfer files through AirDrop… These experiences are praiseworthy. After this WWDC, the multi-faceted experience of iPad and Mac has become more and more similar and can be seamlessly connected, including the following aspects.
·IPad supports mouse operation, and users can drag the mouse between Mac and iPad, and realize the functions of file drag, copy and paste;
·The Mac can be used as the screen of the iPad, and the content on the iPad can be presented on the screen of the Mac through AirPlay;
·The interfaces of iPad OS and macOS are becoming more and more similar. The control center and other elements from iPadOS have been added to macOS, and the visual elements and interaction design of the two parties are becoming more and more similar.
The design style of macOS moves closer to iPadOS
It can be said that Apple has opened up the bottom layer of the iPad and Mac platforms, and has also done a lot of work on the upper layer. Under such a premise, Apple has also issued the slogan “Why is the next computer a computer” for the iPad Pro. Is it possible for the iPad to be transformed into a desktop-level product, ushering in real productivity liberation?
Is it possible to merge iPad and Mac completely?
From the current observations, although Apple intends to remove the obstacles between the iPad and Mac collaboration, the iPad is still far from the “touch-screen version of the Mac” and the Mac is still far from the “desktop version of the iPad.”
First of all, iPadOS is still not in line with macOS in many mechanisms. Although the iPad has used desktop-level chips, iPadOS is still a thoroughly mobile operating system. Compared with the real desktop system, it still has many shackles.
·The multitasking mechanism is too weak.iPadOS cannot run large tasks in the background, nor can it present multiple windows that can be freely controlled in the foreground, and cannot handle the productivity environment that needs to handle multiple tasks at the same time;
The multi-window of iPadOS 15 still stays in a specific form and a limited degree, which cannot be compared with macOS
· The file system is incomplete.iPadOS does not open complete file access permissions. The file data transfer between software applications needs to be done around the corners. The file system is inefficient and cannot be the same as the desktop system;
· Poor scalability.Although the iPad uses a more general USB Type-C interface and opens up compatibility with Bluetooth peripherals, it still cannot support enough types of hardware. Whether you want to connect an external GPU or a digital tablet, iPadOS cannot make them work properly, which is far from a real desktop system.
iPadOS can connect to some peripherals, but it’s not enough
· There are restrictions on the system interface.The depth and breadth of the API provided by iPadOS cannot be compared with a real desktop system. Therefore, iPad applications still cannot achieve many desktop-level functions, such as developing drivers for specific hardware.
At this WWDC conference, Apple’s improvements to iPadOS are basically still on the surface, such as adding desktop controls, optimizing split-screen applications, and improving the ease of use of the memo. However, Apple has not made improvements to the mechanism mentioned above that shackles the iPad and cannot further become a reliable productivity factor.
Secondly, on the Mac platform, Apple has adopted stricter restrictions on the integration of the iPad ecosystem. Since the release of the M1 version of the MacBook, not only has the number of iPad apps that can be run have not changed, but some previously compatible iPad apps can no longer be installed and run. Previously, users can install IPA applications in macOS through some means, but after macOS is updated to 11.3, this method is restricted, and users can only install compatible iPad applications specified in the App Store. Perhaps Apple has considerations such as stability and experience integrity, but for users, the most intuitive feeling is that MacBook can’t run many iPad applications.
Simply put, iPadOS is still far from being a desktop-level, and macOS is not unconditional for compatibility with iPad applications. Obviously, at this stage, Apple does not have a plan to completely integrate the iPad and Mac.
to sum up
In general, although Apple has opened up the iPad and Mac at the bottom and ecology, Apple currently has no plans to make the iPad another form of Mac. Judging from the current product positioning, the iPad is still only a production aid, and it cannot independently undertake heavy productivity tasks. Using the iPad as the secondary screen of the Mac, or letting it handle some early light work when the Mac is not portable, is the more accurate positioning of the iPad.
The positioning of the iPad is still assisted by the Mac
In the short term, Apple will not build the iPad into a desktop-level product like Microsoft’s Surface. Then, in addition to using desktop-level chips, what will the iPad “Pro” have in the future? The future of the platform is promising, and the current iPadOS and Apple ecology are still far from playing their due power. Let us look forward to Apple’s next move.
.