Despite what Tim Cook wants you to believe, the iPad is still not a computer. Ten years ago, he claimed that 80% of his work was done on an iPad. After testing the new iPad Pro M4 with the Magic Keyboard for three days, I sent it back.
Here are some of the things it couldn't do:
- No custom app launcher like Alfred or Raycast.
- No local development.
- Inconsistent or non-existent keyboard shortcuts.
- Completely broken window management.
- No multiple audio streams.
- No browser extensions for Chrome or Brave.
- No granular firewall apps like Little Snitch.
- Can’t connect to my hardware crypto wallet.
- Can’t export or backup my email (Protonmail).
- Can’t backup my data (via Arc); iCloud is not a true backup solution.
- Can’t use Logseq plugins.
The iPad has excellent hardware, but it is not a productive device. iPadOS is designed with a consumption-first approach. Maybe WWDC 2024 might change this.
Update: Apple didn’t announce any exciting iPadOS specific updates in WWDC 2024. The main focus of the event was AI (Apple Intelligence).