Table of contents
🤖
AI-generated summary
Apple has been pushing the iPad as a Mac replacement for a while now. They’re putting real effort into building a so-called “pro” iPad that can stand in for a computer. The computing power of the iPad is considerable, especially compared to the entry-level MacBook. The True Tone display is genuinely impressive and is only available on the high-end MacBook and the iPad Pro — which tells you everything about how Apple is trying to sell you an iPad instead of a MacBook at the same price.
You get the picture: the iPad’s standout feature that makes it a professional machine is its screen.
And yet, as good as that screen is, you still can’t plug an iPad into an external monitor. These days I use an LG Ultrafine 4K, which lets me connect and charge my MacBook while enjoying a 21-inch screen for more comfortable work. And this capability — which has been available on laptops since day one as far as I know — is still not possible on an iPad, even the one Apple calls Pro. Go figure.
Is it a hardware problem, or a software one? Is it really that complicated to support an external display with iOS? I think Apple just doesn’t care — they’d rather sell you an iPad for mobility and a MacBook on top of that. Better to get two purchases out of you than one, right?
I dream of an iPad you could plug into an external display and have it show the current app. You’d use the iPad itself to interact with that app, and that would give you a truly “Pro” iPad. I understand there are ergonomic challenges, but the most valuable company in the world is better positioned than I am to think through the possibilities. Or maybe Apple will finally decide to add mouse support to our beloved iPad, the way Microsoft does so well with the Surface.
I’m always frustrated when I think about streamlining my gear and realize I still have to carry a computer and an iPad everywhere. If the iPad is the future of computing, then they really need to commit to that idea — unless keeping things ambiguous lets Apple sell more hardware? In that case, is “changing the world” just marketing talk after all?
