The state of the iPad in 2018

It's hard to believe that the iPad is now eight years old. I still remember hearing the rumors of the Apple tablet, watching the keynote speech and being shocked to see the price at $ 499. When you come back and look at the initial introduction, Steve Jobs asks the question: "Is there room for a third category of devices in the middle?"

flare

To create this device, Steve said it should be "much better in some ways."

What he said, would it be better with a smartphone and a laptop? He mentioned web browsing, emails, photos, videos, music, games and ebooks.

In 2010, when this device was launched, the iPhone screens were still tiny and the laptops still heavy. By 2018, iPhone screens can be gigantic and laptops are lighter and thinner than ever before. Is the iPad even better at these key things today? What is the status of the iPad today? These are the questions I want to answer.

Is IPad the best web browser?

Last June, I wrote about the feeling that Safari on mobile was holding the iPad.

I constantly ask myself the question: why are some tasks tedious on an iPad rather than a Mac? It is certainly not a material limitation. In 2017, 9to5Mac reported that the iPad Pro exceeded even the performance of a MacBook Pro in some situations. iPad is no problem hardware, but rather software.

I would say that the lack of a full web browser is one of the most limiting factors to the iPad. Until he can access all like on a Mac, it's a paralyzed device. The Mac has a better web browser than the iPad. The iPhone browser is paralyzed in some ways, but it is more portable.

Is the iPad the best messaging tool?

The iPad is a great tool for email, but I would not say it's the better tool. I can work with massive amounts of emails on my iPhone. But I prefer to treat my email on macOS. In my opinion, for email, the iPad brings a larger form factor to the iPhone's email messages. The email application on the iPad needs to be completely redesigned in the future.

Is the iPad the best way to enjoy photos?

Even if you prefer to organize your photos on macOS, the iPad has become a fantastic tool for editing photos. In fact, the entire iOS ecosystem has become a leading citizen in taking photos (making, organizing, sharing, editing, etc.). It's hard not to use the iPad as the best way to enjoy your photos.

Is the iPad the best way to watch a movie?

Because of its incredible screen, the iPad is my favorite way to watch videos on the go. It contains all the applications / services you want. You certainly do not need the iPad Pro to do it. The 6th generation iPad will work well here.

Is the iPad the best gaming device?

In terms of gaming, the iPad is undoubtedly better than the iPhone because of the increased size of the screen. Is it the best portable gaming device? While the iPad is a great device for basic gaming, the Nintendo Switch is significantly better than a simple gaming device.

Is the iPad the best ebook reader?

I would say that the iPad mini is probably the best way to read eBooks with iOS, but it's hard to justify the purchase for this feature alone. A Kindle Paperwhite is a better device for pure reading. On the other hand, an iPhone XS Max has a screen large enough for reading.

What is the state of the iPad in 2018?

The $ 329 iPad is an incredible value. If you want to use it for the same reasons as those mentioned by Steve in the keynote on the iPad, you get an incredible device for a price still lower than that of its launch in 2010. Regarding iPad Pro models, the hardware writes checks that the software can not cash. If an iPad must be priced at the Mac level, it must be able to do it all a Mac can do.

Many companies have shipped larger versions of the iPhone app for iPad that can not do everything their web interfaces can do (we're watching you, Google Docs / Spreadsheets / Slides). The web interfaces that appear when you browse them from an iPad offer an optimized version for mobile devices or require mouse precision to work properly. This situation is not Apple's fault, but it's their problem.

An iPad that costs as much as a Mac should be able to do everything a Mac can do, but it just can not. Often, even if a task can be accomplished, it is so heavy that it takes twice as long on iPad. I should not have to write a Siri shortcut to accomplish basic tasks.

Even with the new, awesome iPad Pro models coming out, the software is essentially the iPhone software developed for a larger form factor. Yes, there are some multitasking features, but apart from that, how is this so different from that of iOS on the iPhone?

When I see people comparing the hardware power of the iPad to that of Mac hardware in 2018, it reminds me of when PC users were comparing the price / specification ratio to the Mac in the early 2000s. People who want a Mac want it for the software. In my opinion, most people who want an iPad want it for their form factor. We should be much less concerned about the hardware specifications of the iPad, and much more concerned about the software.

So, what is the state of the iPad in 2018? The hardware specs of the iPad have stopped counting around the iPad Air 2. iOS can rarely push the iPad's hardware significantly for most people. It's high time for the iPad software to grow and adapt to the hardware. The time has come for Apple to make a big bet on the next generation of computing devices because right now they are trying to maintain everything in the status quo for iOS and MacOS.

There are a number of aspects where the iPad still frustrates me. Why can a photo editing app (or the Files application) not open items directly from a connected camera? Why can not iOS create a .zip file without using a third-party application? Why does "requesting the desktop version" of a website work rarely?

Can some people use the iPad to perform 100% of their work? Absolutely, but I have the impression that they have been the same people for five years without much change. Why does the iPad not improve in the tasks for which the Mac excels? This tweet perfectly summarizes my feelings on the iPad.

I can do 90% of my work on iPad. The problem is that it is 90% for years.

– Wojtek Pietrusiewicz (@ morid1n) November 7, 2018

Do you disagree? Let me know in the comments.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more information on Apple: