Apple decides PC era is over?
Tim Cook is either masterfully self deluded or hopes others are easily confused. Read this article and was stunned by the sheer idiocy of the statement about people not wanting to buy a PC.
If you read it, the article basically says, through Cook's quotes, that the iPad Pro will replace PCs because people will realize all they need is a phone.
I'm not sure how that translates to iPad Pro sales AT ALL. Sure, it runs the same OS as your phone. But, if people only need a phone it doesn't mean that they will buy a tablet with that phone OS instead of a computer. In fact, if anything, it is almost an admission that Continuum is the ultimate answer to consumer problems. And that is a feature of Windows 10 Mobile, not iOS.
Also, problematically, tablet sales (including Apple's) are tanking across the board and their PC sales are actually picking up. Since the iPad Pro is really just a big tablet, I'd say that the market has already spoken.
I'm not disagreeing that for many consumers a phone is all the computer you need. But that is the problem right there. Phones are subsidized and the most portable personal computing device that meets most peoples computer needs. So, right away, many won't even need an iPad Pro. The next problem is the existing lineup of iPads and MacBooks. I don't see any benefit (in general, and completely ignoring the fact that the iPad Pro is more expensive than an iPad Air) over their existing tablet offerings. The screen is larger, but if you don't buy the keyboard (which makes it yet MORE expensive) that means you're perpetually holding it or using it in your lap. But at those distances the near 13 inch screen becomes too large. (Note: I feel the tablet component of the Surface Book is equally useless). Without the keyboard, it's just a tablet and at that size it simply isn't portable enough.
With the keyboard... you're basically confined to a desk or your lap, but that style of keyboard isn't really all that great on the lap either. Now you're stuck at a desk to get the most out of your tablet. Why didn't you buy a laptop again? Because you're an idiot. That's why. With the exception of a few niche markets, you're either going to hate it as a tablet or feel forced to use it as a laptop. Since it is a touch first UI, I think most people will decide a smaller iPad with a 3rd party keyboard solution is better all around and far cheaper.
And that is the other part about this being such a large tablet. Even touch first applications aren't really guaranteed to be a pleasure to use. Scaling everything up doesn't always work. This is exactly why EVERYONE who has done both a phone and a tablet has advocated for tablet specific UIs in their apps. I think the iPad Pro is large enough, relative to the original iPad to merit apps taking advantage of the increased space rather than just scaling up. Which means that the selection of truly iPad Pro optimized apps is NOT every app in the App Store and in fact a VERY small fraction.
Which brings me back to my first point. If Tim Cook is correct, then a few things need to be stated. Apple shouldn't have released another generation of Mac/MacBook products. The iPad Pro is a mistake. And Continuum to Windows Phone would be to ultimate solution if the "app gap" didn't exist.
Because, lets face it. If all you need is a phone, but then sometimes you need a bigger screen and physical keyboard and mouse, then the 950 with the Continuum dock is a high end phone that is cheaper than a similarly high end iPhone and then you can buy whatever keyboard, mouse and monitor you want (not restricted to 12.9 inch one) and probably still pay less than the cost of an iPad Pro. That solution is also cheaper to replace or upgrade while being more resilient in general.
Lastly, I want to tackle the Surface Pro vs. iPad Pro. A number of the comments I've read on sites ignores the idiocy of the iPad Pro and instead chooses to defend the device by saying that the iPad Pro without the keyboard is more usable than the Surface Pro without the keyboard. I'm going to ignore that most of these articles weren't even about comparing the two devices and they don't even target the same market. Outside of that, this CLEARLY focuses on touch first apps alone. And I want to say, I think the argument is completely flawed.
As I said above, as a portable tablet like device, the extra 2D space consumed by the iPad Pro degrades its utility as a standalone tablet. It isn't a matter of thin and light. Neither of these is trying to be purely a tablet. But if we wanted an absolute ruling, I'd say the 10.1 inch size of the original iPad is still pretty much the sweet spot between portability and screen size. But between these two as a standalone tablet (and irrespective of app availability) the Surface Pro wins by virtue of being smaller.
Without the keyboard, the iPad Pro has no ability to prop itself up. Reducing functionality as a media consumption device (combined with gaming, the other primary use for tablets), unless, once again it is on your lap or in your hands. Surface Pro still has the kickstand even without the cover. Once again, Surface Pro wins.
Now, it would be one sided if I didn't go into apps. And I think most would agree that even taking the following into account, the iPad Pro would still win on this point. But... on some levels the Surface Pro actually does win for Apps. The Surface lineup (as well as a multitude of touch friendly Windows devices) have been around for a few years now, and Windows has been running on larger screens since before tablets were a thing. As a result, there are actually likely to be more apps for Windows designed specifically for such larger screen touch devices than there are for iOS. There was never an iOS option with a screen this large before now.
And to that end, in many apps you'll find an over abundance or whitespace, or icons or UI elements that are too large and waste excessive space. You'll find the amount of displayed content lacking given the screen size. And games with things like dual onscreen joysticks will be placed so far apart as to be unusable. But, in most cases that will just be an annoyance and the situation will likely be resolved over time. But the point is somewhat valid.
The nail in the coffin. The Pen(cil)! One of the big pitches for both devices didn't rely on the keyboard at all. Devices pitch themselves as being great for artists of all sorts and the focus there beyond resolution and screen quality was the stylus. If you just buy an iPad Pro though, all you get is the tablet, which means you don't get that artistic angle. If you just buy a Surface Pro, the Surface Pen is included. So, the Surface Pro still serves a purpose (if uber niche) beyond simply being a tablet. Again, a win for the Surface Pro.
It sucks being a fan of Microsoft hardware right now. The only point they lose on above is one Apple cannot really take credit for. Apple doesn't make the apps that make the difference. Third parties do. And I'll concede that for many people the app problem alone is legitimately big enough to choose Apple over Microsoft. Though, choosing the iPad Pro over the iPad Air or Mini would make no sense in most cases.
If you read it, the article basically says, through Cook's quotes, that the iPad Pro will replace PCs because people will realize all they need is a phone.
I'm not sure how that translates to iPad Pro sales AT ALL. Sure, it runs the same OS as your phone. But, if people only need a phone it doesn't mean that they will buy a tablet with that phone OS instead of a computer. In fact, if anything, it is almost an admission that Continuum is the ultimate answer to consumer problems. And that is a feature of Windows 10 Mobile, not iOS.
Also, problematically, tablet sales (including Apple's) are tanking across the board and their PC sales are actually picking up. Since the iPad Pro is really just a big tablet, I'd say that the market has already spoken.
I'm not disagreeing that for many consumers a phone is all the computer you need. But that is the problem right there. Phones are subsidized and the most portable personal computing device that meets most peoples computer needs. So, right away, many won't even need an iPad Pro. The next problem is the existing lineup of iPads and MacBooks. I don't see any benefit (in general, and completely ignoring the fact that the iPad Pro is more expensive than an iPad Air) over their existing tablet offerings. The screen is larger, but if you don't buy the keyboard (which makes it yet MORE expensive) that means you're perpetually holding it or using it in your lap. But at those distances the near 13 inch screen becomes too large. (Note: I feel the tablet component of the Surface Book is equally useless). Without the keyboard, it's just a tablet and at that size it simply isn't portable enough.
With the keyboard... you're basically confined to a desk or your lap, but that style of keyboard isn't really all that great on the lap either. Now you're stuck at a desk to get the most out of your tablet. Why didn't you buy a laptop again? Because you're an idiot. That's why. With the exception of a few niche markets, you're either going to hate it as a tablet or feel forced to use it as a laptop. Since it is a touch first UI, I think most people will decide a smaller iPad with a 3rd party keyboard solution is better all around and far cheaper.
And that is the other part about this being such a large tablet. Even touch first applications aren't really guaranteed to be a pleasure to use. Scaling everything up doesn't always work. This is exactly why EVERYONE who has done both a phone and a tablet has advocated for tablet specific UIs in their apps. I think the iPad Pro is large enough, relative to the original iPad to merit apps taking advantage of the increased space rather than just scaling up. Which means that the selection of truly iPad Pro optimized apps is NOT every app in the App Store and in fact a VERY small fraction.
Which brings me back to my first point. If Tim Cook is correct, then a few things need to be stated. Apple shouldn't have released another generation of Mac/MacBook products. The iPad Pro is a mistake. And Continuum to Windows Phone would be to ultimate solution if the "app gap" didn't exist.
Because, lets face it. If all you need is a phone, but then sometimes you need a bigger screen and physical keyboard and mouse, then the 950 with the Continuum dock is a high end phone that is cheaper than a similarly high end iPhone and then you can buy whatever keyboard, mouse and monitor you want (not restricted to 12.9 inch one) and probably still pay less than the cost of an iPad Pro. That solution is also cheaper to replace or upgrade while being more resilient in general.
Lastly, I want to tackle the Surface Pro vs. iPad Pro. A number of the comments I've read on sites ignores the idiocy of the iPad Pro and instead chooses to defend the device by saying that the iPad Pro without the keyboard is more usable than the Surface Pro without the keyboard. I'm going to ignore that most of these articles weren't even about comparing the two devices and they don't even target the same market. Outside of that, this CLEARLY focuses on touch first apps alone. And I want to say, I think the argument is completely flawed.
As I said above, as a portable tablet like device, the extra 2D space consumed by the iPad Pro degrades its utility as a standalone tablet. It isn't a matter of thin and light. Neither of these is trying to be purely a tablet. But if we wanted an absolute ruling, I'd say the 10.1 inch size of the original iPad is still pretty much the sweet spot between portability and screen size. But between these two as a standalone tablet (and irrespective of app availability) the Surface Pro wins by virtue of being smaller.
Without the keyboard, the iPad Pro has no ability to prop itself up. Reducing functionality as a media consumption device (combined with gaming, the other primary use for tablets), unless, once again it is on your lap or in your hands. Surface Pro still has the kickstand even without the cover. Once again, Surface Pro wins.
Now, it would be one sided if I didn't go into apps. And I think most would agree that even taking the following into account, the iPad Pro would still win on this point. But... on some levels the Surface Pro actually does win for Apps. The Surface lineup (as well as a multitude of touch friendly Windows devices) have been around for a few years now, and Windows has been running on larger screens since before tablets were a thing. As a result, there are actually likely to be more apps for Windows designed specifically for such larger screen touch devices than there are for iOS. There was never an iOS option with a screen this large before now.
And to that end, in many apps you'll find an over abundance or whitespace, or icons or UI elements that are too large and waste excessive space. You'll find the amount of displayed content lacking given the screen size. And games with things like dual onscreen joysticks will be placed so far apart as to be unusable. But, in most cases that will just be an annoyance and the situation will likely be resolved over time. But the point is somewhat valid.
The nail in the coffin. The Pen(cil)! One of the big pitches for both devices didn't rely on the keyboard at all. Devices pitch themselves as being great for artists of all sorts and the focus there beyond resolution and screen quality was the stylus. If you just buy an iPad Pro though, all you get is the tablet, which means you don't get that artistic angle. If you just buy a Surface Pro, the Surface Pen is included. So, the Surface Pro still serves a purpose (if uber niche) beyond simply being a tablet. Again, a win for the Surface Pro.
It sucks being a fan of Microsoft hardware right now. The only point they lose on above is one Apple cannot really take credit for. Apple doesn't make the apps that make the difference. Third parties do. And I'll concede that for many people the app problem alone is legitimately big enough to choose Apple over Microsoft. Though, choosing the iPad Pro over the iPad Air or Mini would make no sense in most cases.
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