The iPad Might Fail If Apple Doesn’t Make Massive Changes

5 Areas of Improvements for iPads to Succeed

Portability. The word that comes to my mind every time I read an article about the iPad, especially the Pro models. These devices are more than simple computers. They are changing the world, and I am super excited to be an iPad user.

I love iPad. More than any other computer I own. I owned multiple Macs, iPhones, PCs, but nothing gave me the same user experience as the iPad. I believe we are in the beginning stages of what a portable computer like iPads can do for humanity.

In this story, I will describe five areas of improvement for the iPads if they want to remain the best portable computer in the world.

1. Attract More Professionals By Including More Pro Apps

[ipad photo on a design app with apple pencil and the background of the photo with the text of some apps]

Currently, iPad Pros (and some iPad Air models) have a specific niche of users. Most people I’ve seen who use an iPad Pro typically use it for a particular profession. Some examples:

• Artists who use the Apple Pencil to create a drawing like typeface, logo, or illustrations such as designing a character.
• Designers who prototype and draw low-resolution wireframes.
• Developers who have started learning programming for iPhones, and web technologies.

The most significant complaint I have heard from such professionals is the lack of professional apps on iPadOS. For instance, UI designers have great apps like Sketch and Figma on Mac and those apps don’t have an iPad version.

I admire user research; The AppStore provides apps for conducting interviews while logging information about certain research topics. That being said, if I want to connect third-party accessories like Microphones and Webcams, I have to choose devices that explicitly support iPadOS. In most cases, those companies need to provide an official app for most compatibility.

2. Return The Money We Paid By Providing Exceptional Value

Apple devices are not cheap. They offer a premium experience and their overall features satisfy most customers. I believe that the iPad shouldn’t cost this much since the value it offers is limited. I have an iPad Pro 12.9" from 2020 and it is phenomenal, yet, it doesn’t give the wow factor which I get from other Apple devices.

Even at iPadOS 15 we still don’t have small get the small features we get on an iPhone; apps like the weather or a calculator. I paid a hefty amount of money for the iPad, so why should I pay for a calculator app on the AppStore? Something that should already exist and come for free.

From a financial point of view, paying for an iPad can get extremely expensive. Even if you get an iPad that only matches the specs of a basic MacBook Air, it still costs more while offering less.

Here is how much you have to pay to get a brand new iPad Pro with the same specs:

• $1199 for an iPad Pro 2020 (M1, 8GB RAM, WiFi, 256GB SSD)
• $129 for an Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
• $349 for a Magic Keyboard (5th generation)
• Total Cost: $1679

Here is how much you have to pay to get a brand new MacBook:

• $999 for a MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, WiFi, 256GB SSD)
• $249 for a Wacom Intuos Pro Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet
• Total Cost: $1248

The difference is not just the $431 you save by buying a MacBook. It is the fact that MacOS is more baked for professionals and it comes with many pro-level apps.

If the iPad wants to attract more professionals, it has to listen to how professionals on Mac use their platform.

3. Force The Mac To Innovate (Even More) By Competing With The iPad

I think Mac is currently the favorite child of Apple. In November 2020, Apple introduced macOS 11 Big Sur which completely redesigned the user interface of macOS software. The next software release came on October 2021 and with it, they brought a list of fantastic features that are part of my life now.

Features like:

• Redesigned Safari
• Siri Shortcuts
• Universal Control
• Better Battery Management
• AirPlay
• Continues Dictation
• Privacy Improvements
• Test Flight App

In September 2020, iPadOS 14 was released and it brought some iOS features, Apple Pencil improvements, privacy features, and many minor changes. In September 2021, iPadOS 15 was released to the public and despite many users asking for professional apps, it brought insignificant changes:

• A redesigned home screen that is most comfortable for iPad Pros in the landscape orientation
• Safari redesign with extension support
• Minor changes to multitasking
• Phone features from iOS 15

The fact that iPadOS gets such little care from Apple has made many reviewers ask Apple to just put macOS onto the iPads since their SoC is more than enough to run the operating system.

4. Elevate the Importance of Portable Computers

There was a time where laptops were heavy and bulky. People didn’t use them in public. Now, technology improvements brought many advancements. A MacBook Air is a beautiful piece of machinery that radiates technological advancements in public.

I remember when the great Steve Jobs introduced the first iPad and how he defined the iPad as a middle device between iPhones and Macs. It was a concept most people didn’t know they need, and it turned out to be a necessity for portable computing.

2021 is the year I can comfortably say that most Macs have a high-quality industrial design. Consider the MacBook Air M1, a beautiful laptop with a retina display and fantastic speakers. It is lightning-fast and supports almost all apps from the previous generation of Macs.

For an everyday consumer who needs a portable computer in their life, buying a MacBook makes more sense. That is because:

• Runs better more professional apps
• Comes with a great file manager to manage their storage
• The macOS can be customized to their liking
• Doesn’t weigh much more than an iPad with its accessories

For someone to get an iPad, it should have a specific set of features or a particular app to help them get more tasks done. I’ve seen many UI designers who own a MacBook Pro as their primary computer and an iPad Pro as their presentation device.

If Apple upgrades the iPadOS with intuitive professional features, then the Mac team will have to come up with even more innovation. Currently, when it comes to the user experience, Macs are superior to iPads.

5. Extend the Life of iPads

The iPad is a revolutionary portable computer that gets so much love from users like me and you. It should also receive the same level of attention from developers. To do that, Apple needs to show how they care about iPadOS and provide better development tools to create a version of their apps for iPads.

People used to buy iPads to read news, watch YouTube videos, read books and watch online classes. Now, I see people turning to Ebooks to read books. Use their iPhones for the news, and use their Macs to educate themselves.

It sure doesn’t seem like the time to define iPads as the category of computers that deserve a place in the professional world of tech consumers. That is unless Apple makes some massive changes to the platform.

Thank you for reading this story. I love iPads and only want to see them succeed because they changed how we use our computers and they deserve significant improvements from Apple.

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