> but instead it's just become a media consumption device for most people.
I don't think that is true. I think 'most people' don't need a computer for more than what an iPad can do, and that your use case is more exceptional than common.
Computers as we think of them, with a somewhat permissive operating system that let's you execute whatever you want are probably going to decrease in relevance to somewhere akin to how they were in the 90s -- incredibly powerful devices useful to some people who need them for particular reasons or just like using them. Everyone else will be fine with whatever the equivalent of the smartphone/tablet OS is.
Or, the computer manufacturers will try their best to stuff the Permissiveness Genie back into the bottle. It seems with every macOS release, Apple is determined to make more things previous Macs could do either impossible, hidden behind permissions or hidden behind default-off settings.
Sure, but I still see most people using iPads for media while having a MacBook for "real work," which is exactly what Apple wants, to not cannibalize their own products.
I'm actually not seeing that and the market numbers don't agree with ya on that. Many less "pro" consumers (not coders or the heavy engineering skew you find here on HN) in my circles have moved away from their traditional Macs as their iPads coupled with their keyboard case of choice or apple pencil (or both) do a lot of their on-the-go.
I've had people at work tell me their kid doesn't want a MacBook because their phone works fine for writing papers. My brain still can't process.
I've never made my iPad work for me on a business trip except for something very short where I won't really be writing. I also don't draw and, while I could probably do photo editing on it well enough, I wait until I get home and use old-school Lightroom.
I'd agree with this, with one little carve out... when I was traveling internationally, it was super helpful to have an iPad and be able to slip in a sim card for a local carrier. That plus slightly smaller size made the iPad a better option than carrying my laptop in those specific circumstances.
Fair point. I don't have an iPad with cellular. Honestly not sure when/if I'll get a new iPad--it's about 6 years old--and I have a long recreational international trip coming up; haven't decided if I'll bring a laptop or not.
Apps like Procreate have sold a lot of iPads to artists who use them for “real work”, as has the Sidecar capability which lets an iPad and Apple Pencil act like a Cintiq with a better screen that’s not desk-bound.
It’s true that they’re limited but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t work that’s well-suited for them.
I don't think that is true. I think 'most people' don't need a computer for more than what an iPad can do, and that your use case is more exceptional than common.
Computers as we think of them, with a somewhat permissive operating system that let's you execute whatever you want are probably going to decrease in relevance to somewhere akin to how they were in the 90s -- incredibly powerful devices useful to some people who need them for particular reasons or just like using them. Everyone else will be fine with whatever the equivalent of the smartphone/tablet OS is.