While I was very impressed with the quality and presentation of Apple’s WWDC presentation today, the actual content was a bit up and down. While the Mac was up big and iOS got it’s share of love, I have to say that iPadOS was unfortunately down. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Let’s take a look at some of the highs and lows in detail.
It’s June and WWDC is just a day away. A little later than usual this year and online-only thanks to the pandemic that we are all living through, but still here. The show will go on starting Monday at 9 AM Pacific.
It’s sure to be a lot different than what we are used to. but I’m betting that Apple will still deliver a polished and very professional presentation. They have quite a rep to uphold as the best in the business at this sort of thing. I doubt they will drop the ball, even under the more difficult circumstances.
Two and a half years ago, I wrote an article asking a simple question. If Apple were to create an iPad hybrid in the body of a MacBook, would you buy it? There were patents and speculation at the time that made it reasonable to consider such a question. That, and the iPad Pro was beginning to push the boundaries of what we expect from an Apple tablet.
Things have certainly changed today and such a device doesn’t seem nearly as far away. Over the last two years we have gotten a new iPad Pro design, a new Apple Pencil, iPadOS, USB-C and full touchpad support. We even have a Magic Keyboard with built-in touchpad that can virtually transform an iPad Pro into something very, very close to a laptop. However, I still think the question of an iPadOS device in the shell of a MacBook is relevant, at least enough to speculate over.
One of the primary complaints with Apple’s Magic Keyboard is the lack of a row of function keys. It’s a small gripe with an otherwise very strong accessory, but it is legitimate. Most competing Bluetooth keyboards have function keys that allow users to change basics like the volume, screen brightness and backlight intensity without having to touch the screen or open Control Center. In the case of the keyboard backlight, we are talking about having to either trigger a shortcut or dig a few layers into Settings to make that change.
I’m sure some will disagree with me on its importance, but there is a feature that iPad power users have wanted for years that is close enough to feel within reach now. If you look at the evolution of the iPad Pro over the last 18 months, it also makes perfect sense. Everything required for this to work properly is now lined up and in place. The feature I want to see added to iPadOS right now more than any other is multi-screen support.
Those of us on the Developer Beta track have gotten close to two full weeks to kick the tires on Apple’s new iPadOS trackpad support at this point. The early reviews have been almost universally positive and I have to agree based on what I’ve seen. So what is it exactly that has made this new feature such a hit? Here are a few reasons that stand out to me.
Contrary to what you might think after reading that headline, I am not a hater. Not at all. I have actually been a fan of John Gruber’s writing and podcasting for several years and I typically agree with his point of view regarding Apple and the tech world, in general. However, I can’t say that’s the case when it comes to the iPad.
I will be the first to admit that I don’t have a great track record with predictions. That’s probably because I tend to swing for the fence a lot. No guts, no glory, right? Well, that philosophy leads to a fair amount of strikeouts. However, it will also net you some home runs, as well.
I can’t help but feel like I got one thanks to yesterday’s report from The Information that Apple will be adding a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard. Before getting into the details of that, let’s check the tape for a moment.
In what sometimes seems like another life, I was a music student and then a professional musician (for a little while) and a teacher (for longer). I was a percussionist all through middle and high school and absolutely loved it. I won some awards over the years and made several honor bands, including All State my senior year. I got scholarship offers to several schools and ended up attending Louisiana State University for four years to study music. I got a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance and then got my Masters’ Degree from Florida State after that.
The iPad Pro has some limitations when you compare it to a traditional laptop with a touchscreen and pen compatibility. I think any fan of the device who’s honest with themselves understands that. There are fewer of them than there used to be thanks to Apple’s efforts to beef up the iPad on the software side over the last three years. The release of iPadOS this summer was a another big step in this process, freeing the iPad from the hardware and software schedule of the iPhone.
