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Comment by user_7832 | Hacker News Reader

Good hardware restricted by software reminded me once again of the thing that iPadOS is. Despite excellent processors, the software is essentially iOS, with all its restrictions. Though chrome os is Linux based at least.

Question for any curious or innovative HN readers - what would you suggest to do with iPadOS' restrictions? I'm speaking both as an ipad owner disappointed with the software but also as an M1/Ax chip fan.

Potential solutions I can easily think of are: 1. Jailbreak - but it needs specific software and can be finicky, and very likely forces you to not get security updates

2. Physically remove the storage and *do something*. Except I don't know what even is possible, assuming that you're okay performing BGA soldering on a $$$ device.

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Wait and hope somewhere like the EU forces Apple to open up the software/store restrictions has seemed the most realistically hopeful path to me. Alternatives are wait for someone to find a way to hack the bootloader open and add Asahi support for it (for this and every device that comes out for the rest of time). Or Apple to allow the bootloader to be opened like they do on the PC counterparts but obviously that's not what Apple wants to do or they wouldn't have released the M1 iPad fully locked.

Even better, Apple could port MacOS to the M1 iPad. Maybe they could have both iOS and Mac OS merged together and allow people to switch between tablet and desktop mode (like what they have done with Samsung devices). They could sell an external keyboard + trackpad for the desktop mode.

They probably won't ever fully merge the UIs of macOS and iOS, but given that the underpinnings of the two are so similar it would make a lot of sense for iPadOS to be able to suspend its touch-based userland and boot up a macOS-based KB+mouse userland.

Mac Catalyst is basically UiKit userland for macOS. I think Springboard and Finder will remain discrete UI paradigms but I think iPadOS might be going towards a place where it can use either depending on what it has connected (see: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/06/apple-patent-ipad-with-...).

I would be entirely unsurprised if Apple doesn’t already have macOS builds targeting the M1 iPad…

For sure, there were A14 based mac minis given to devs during the switch. The only "missing" components are drivers for the display/speakers etc which is the smallest part of getting a working system (compared to the OS + kernel).

It's also this thing that infuriates me to some extent. Apple can do amazing things if it wanted but... it doesn't appear to care about consumer benefit.

More freedom for users is less money in their pocket.

A12Z-based.

Why is that even conjecture?

It’s the same processor as in the M1 Mac and the dev ARM kits had A14s.

Sadly, to fully use the M1/Ax processors I think the best thing to do with it is to sell it and buy a MacBook, and encourage others to not buy the high end iPads right now.

That is what I too think, however there are 2 issues that come to mind immediately: 1. There is a market for tablets - for note taking or reading magazines, it really is convenient. You could probably switch to a Samsung tablet and likely get a very decent experience, but a lot of the "good" apps are still iOS-only (Procreate, Goodnotes, Notability etc). Not to mention a decent aspect ratio.
2. If buying a proper computer, personally unless you only use MacOS it's prudent to get an x64 chip. Intel's 12th gen chips are (fortunately, finally!) again competitive even with M1s. An Intel/AMD chip can run Windows/Linux/MacOS/BSD/most OSes, but M1 Macs unfortunately can't.
Ironically I plan to upgrade from my Air to a Pro for the high refresh rate. Getting a 90hz phone really spoiled me in the most first-world way possible.

- Things 3 is another classic example of an app that would be very easy to port to other platforms if so wished, but the devs aren't interested in going outside Apple's Walled Garden. And if it makes them good money I can't even blame them.

The base iPad with an Apple Pencil under $500. I find 64gb to be workable, but if you want 256gb, it’s another $150 (ouch).

Granted, it’s not Samsung tablet cheap.

Samsung also makes very expensive and very high quality tablets. All they're missing imo is a bit more processor oomph.

> Things 3 is another classic example of an app that would be very easy to port to other platforms if so wished, but the devs aren't interested in going outside Apple's Walled Garden. And if it makes them good money I can't even blame them.

A big factor is likely the quality of the UI frameworks on other platforms. On Windows, only the older "legacy" frameworks come close to the depth of AppKit but are a bear to work with (and in questionable maintenance status). GTK isn't the worst, but version 3 and up makes no attempt to fit in on non-Linux desktops. Qt probably comes closest but it comes with the caveat of being tied to C++ or Python, and distribution can be a pain. With Electron you have to bring your own everything.

I follow some Apple platform devs (on top of being one myself) and there's will from them to produce software for other platforms, but only once there's an option as nice as AppKit/UIKit to do so with.

Yeah that's quite understandable. I just wish Microsoft/Google would attempt to improve this aspect - they probably already are doing things but from the sound of it not enough.

(Replying because I can't edit - the italics are accidental, I intended to use an asterisk for the Things 3 point)

A touch screen and pen support is just too good to pass up sometimes. I would love an M1 class android tablet that had all of this - thankfully we're getting close.

> and encourage others to not buy the high end iPads right now.

My entire group at work bought iPads as dedicated Zoom devices at the start of the pandemic. Did we make a mistake because our needs are different from yours?

You probably did make a mistake if you paid for top storage specs, keyboards and pencils, all exclusively for zoom.

Nope! Specifically meant this advice in the context of people who looked at the top of the line iPads and were hankering "to fully use the M1/Ax processors" to the point where they had considered cracking the hardware open or jailbreaking it. If you are looking for a computing appliance on the happy path then an iPad could be perfect.

Personally I would say I don't really know what the top of the line iPads are _for_ that the midrange ones can't handle but I can imagine there are apps out there that stress them when multitasking. My point is that if you want a general purpose computer to fully use the hardware we should just buy those instead of trying to make an iPad one of those.

Ah, I had no idea that's what you meant. Thanks for explaining.

> Question for any curious or innovative HN readers - what would you suggest to do with iPadOS' restrictions?

Sell it and get a proper computer.

If ipad os is restrictive for you then the ipad is not for you.

True but I already have a normal windows laptop. I just wish something as capable as the iPad could reach its potential.

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