iPadOS review: The iPad is dead, long live the iPad(arstechnica.com)
arstechnica.com
iPadOS review: The iPad is dead, long live the iPad
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1582717
16 comments
When playing chords on the piano in Garageband, the new three finger gesture is activated. The new gesture cannot be deactivated on iPadOS. It makes making music on the iPad, really hard. Three finger gesture activates the undo function. Music you record suddenly gets deleted now and then.
At WWDC the speaker said that apps can deactivate the gesture if it conflicts with pre-existing functions. I don’t know why they haven’t.
Ah, so the user gets no control and the responsibility is on the authors of all the thousands of apps to update their apps that Apple broke.
Standard stuff.
Standard stuff.
Sounds excellent. Better than having the user scratch their heads and have to see why this happens, and how to deactivate this in apps where it makes no sense (which tons of users wouldn't figure out in a million years [1]).
Plus the apps can re-activate the feature automatically in other screens where it does make sense (e.g. de-activate it on the virtual piano screen, but re-activate it for other Garageband panels), which would soon get old for the user.
If Apple gave a customizability toggle for every BS like this, they'd end up with Emacs.
Their whole value proposition is that they try (and they're not perfect, but better than other OSes in that) to give you sane options for those things without too much customization.
[1] Heck, tons of users use Google search and enter "Facebook.com" and click the result to go to facebook, and you're expecting to figure how to disable a gesture?
Plus the apps can re-activate the feature automatically in other screens where it does make sense (e.g. de-activate it on the virtual piano screen, but re-activate it for other Garageband panels), which would soon get old for the user.
If Apple gave a customizability toggle for every BS like this, they'd end up with Emacs.
Their whole value proposition is that they try (and they're not perfect, but better than other OSes in that) to give you sane options for those things without too much customization.
[1] Heck, tons of users use Google search and enter "Facebook.com" and click the result to go to facebook, and you're expecting to figure how to disable a gesture?
I get it, of course.
The problem is that "our way or the highway" only works when your way is actually good. They have a responsibility to their users to never break things, if they intend to provide no means of workaround.
In cases like this, the responsible thing to do is to make potentially-breaking functionality opt-in instead of opt-out. That way, until the app gets updated, the user sees no change and nothing breaks. The clean way to do this is to make the app have a version manifest that says "I am built for iOS version <x>", and then the OS can be smart enough to disable functionality that might break it. That way apps don't have to opt-in to every new feature - they just certify "not broken on iOS <x>".
The wrong way to do it is to break the world, and punish the users for upgrading while expecting thousands of third parties to pick up the pieces.
(I don't know why this versioning technique isn't used more in general - if all programming languages required version declarations then breaking changes needn't be a thing.)
The problem is that "our way or the highway" only works when your way is actually good. They have a responsibility to their users to never break things, if they intend to provide no means of workaround.
In cases like this, the responsible thing to do is to make potentially-breaking functionality opt-in instead of opt-out. That way, until the app gets updated, the user sees no change and nothing breaks. The clean way to do this is to make the app have a version manifest that says "I am built for iOS version <x>", and then the OS can be smart enough to disable functionality that might break it. That way apps don't have to opt-in to every new feature - they just certify "not broken on iOS <x>".
The wrong way to do it is to break the world, and punish the users for upgrading while expecting thousands of third parties to pick up the pieces.
(I don't know why this versioning technique isn't used more in general - if all programming languages required version declarations then breaking changes needn't be a thing.)
>The problem is that "our way or the highway" only works when your way is actually good. They have a responsibility to their users to never break things, if they intend to provide no means of workaround.
Yes, but seeing that no human endeavor is 100% perfect, it's enough that they don't often break things, or that they get it right a lot more than they get it wrong -- I wouldn't really expect them to never break things.
In the end, we get to vote by using another OS if they fail at this too far...
And we can of course complain when an individual feature or other is badly implemented.
But my point is, if one adopts macOS, they should agree to the general idea ("we think of the better way for most things so you don't have to") -- and not complain on that level (which is basically amounts to wishing macOS was not macOS as opposed to being better in X or Y).
Yes, but seeing that no human endeavor is 100% perfect, it's enough that they don't often break things, or that they get it right a lot more than they get it wrong -- I wouldn't really expect them to never break things.
In the end, we get to vote by using another OS if they fail at this too far...
And we can of course complain when an individual feature or other is badly implemented.
But my point is, if one adopts macOS, they should agree to the general idea ("we think of the better way for most things so you don't have to") -- and not complain on that level (which is basically amounts to wishing macOS was not macOS as opposed to being better in X or Y).
Sounds like something they will fix in a point update...
Multitasking reminds me of the Windows 8 fiasco. Terrible discoverability, compounded by the fact not all apps can be multitasked by dragging from dock. Very confusing and inconsistent behavior. Personally I haven’t come across any situation where multitasking on iPad is actually more efficient and pleasant to use.
All apps will have to support multitasking soon.
For me, it is finding a music video I like, and then clicking another tab to read something. Now the music stopped. I'd like at least enough multitasking to allow that. Otherwise, we're weirdly back to something akin to the old DOS days... just prettier.
Background tabs keep playing audio for me, but only one thing at a time can play audio. Maybe it's a case of ads being able to steal media focus?
That used to happen to me all the time, but it's feels like it's gotten better in 13.
Usually if I want to make sure a video stays active I'll put it in PiP mode. You can throw it off to the side, but then it's easy to pull back up and start if something interrupts it. Not ideal, but not a huge inconvenience either.
That used to happen to me all the time, but it's feels like it's gotten better in 13.
Usually if I want to make sure a video stays active I'll put it in PiP mode. You can throw it off to the side, but then it's easy to pull back up and start if something interrupts it. Not ideal, but not a huge inconvenience either.
Might be because YouTube only allows background playback if you pay for Premium?
You can work around that with Firefox and this addon[0].
The whole Page Visibility API was a mistake to me. Under no circumstance I can think of I want a website to know if I am looking at it or not. In this case, I consider it to be plainly abused and turned user-hostile.
[0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-backgro...
The whole Page Visibility API was a mistake to me. Under no circumstance I can think of I want a website to know if I am looking at it or not. In this case, I consider it to be plainly abused and turned user-hostile.
[0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-backgro...
All browsers on iOS have to use the same engine, though, so you can't use Firefox add-ons there.
[deleted]
Don't know how it is on iPads, but on Android background audio from YouTube is a feature unlocked by subscribing to YouTube Premium.
Same on iOS. I would have to pay around 20 USD / month for YouTube Premium.
I pay 17.99 Euro for a 'Family' subscription, not for the background option, but simply because on the one hand I want to signal encouragement for an internet model not relying exclusively on advertisement and selling your data, and on the other hand having to play the watch-add/skip-but-not-until-you-have-been-exposed-enough just to watch a video each time is horrible.
...or installing newpipe (from f-droid) or similar.
That may be the case then. My desktops don't have that problem. A tablet-specific "feature."
It used to be disabled so Google could demonstrate how bad iOS was at multi-tasking (while a background audio API was available for a very long time), nowadays it’s disabled on both platforms because they want to sell premium.
TLDR: corporate greed
TLDR: corporate greed
That’s on YouTube.
On iPadOS it seems that you can play YouTube in the background again (previously YouTube blocked this on mobile, I guess the fact that iPadOS pretends to be a desktop browser nullifies this!), but you do have to resume playback from the “now playing” widget once the YouTube window goes into the background. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to swipe down control center from the top right, then press the Play icon in the Now Playing widget.
If you turn the screen off, the audio gets cut off pretty quickly, though.
If someone made something that'd let me play YouTube in the background, I'd jump on it! Was thinking of using Pythonista and youtube-dl, but that got sidetracked.
If someone made something that'd let me play YouTube in the background, I'd jump on it! Was thinking of using Pythonista and youtube-dl, but that got sidetracked.
Background play is a Premium subscription feature on YouTube.
Contrasting this with the shit show that is Catalina and the last 4 years of mbps, I don't think it's controversial to assert that this is where Apple is going long term. I ain't mad. I'm just not interested in sticking around for it. Perhaps I'm falling behind the times...
I don't really think Apple is serious about power users anymore. The company seems to have embraced the Starbucks crowd fully, leaving serious users dealing with crappy keyboards and increasingly poor operating systems. Whatever hardware they do have to satisfy power users is absurdly priced (Mac Pro).
I switched completely to Windows last month and built a PC. It's incredible the kind of hardware you can get for a third of the cost.
I switched completely to Windows last month and built a PC. It's incredible the kind of hardware you can get for a third of the cost.
The Starbucks crowd about sums it up yeah. Its a luxury brand now. A fashion accessory. No thanks.
I dual boot Windows and Pop OS (basically Ubuntu) with my new machine. So far the only thing I miss is the seamless messaging experience that iMessage brought to the table and Logic Pro (I'm using Pro Tools now and I hate it). A MacBook pro of similar specs to what I just bought cost over 4 grand. Double what I ended up paying in other words. Worse, what I get is a broken keyboard, "features" I don't want (touchbar, usb c for all the things, thinness for the sake of it) and a total lack of repair-ability. I specifically picked hardware that is upgrade-able and repairable. My new machine can be broken down and built back up, parts swapped out, etc all without voiding the warranty. All the screws are standard size and easy to replace if you lose one. Stuff like that. Contrast that with Macs with their glued down batteries underneath the motherboard. Its just upsetting to see it go this way after being such a fan for so long.
I'd be fine with paying a premium if I was actually getting a premium experience but that's not the case anymore.
I dual boot Windows and Pop OS (basically Ubuntu) with my new machine. So far the only thing I miss is the seamless messaging experience that iMessage brought to the table and Logic Pro (I'm using Pro Tools now and I hate it). A MacBook pro of similar specs to what I just bought cost over 4 grand. Double what I ended up paying in other words. Worse, what I get is a broken keyboard, "features" I don't want (touchbar, usb c for all the things, thinness for the sake of it) and a total lack of repair-ability. I specifically picked hardware that is upgrade-able and repairable. My new machine can be broken down and built back up, parts swapped out, etc all without voiding the warranty. All the screws are standard size and easy to replace if you lose one. Stuff like that. Contrast that with Macs with their glued down batteries underneath the motherboard. Its just upsetting to see it go this way after being such a fan for so long.
I'd be fine with paying a premium if I was actually getting a premium experience but that's not the case anymore.
But who is going to develop the apps for the iPad and iPhone if the Mac platform stagnates?
They can port Xcode to iPad, offload compilation to the cloud and you don't need Mac anymore.
I think the UX of this idea will be bad, just like the UX of the Mac has declined, both resulting in lower developer support for the platform over time.
Just a theory. Not sure why Cook wants to test it.
Just a theory. Not sure why Cook wants to test it.
The developers that actually have bought Apple computers to work on Swift and Objective-C, instead of a pretty UNIX to develop GNU/Linux applications.
Money helps here. People were writing software for Windows even during the darkest days of Vista. On a mac or linux, if possible.
Sounds like an apple problem, not a problem of us power users who moved to something better.
My point is Apple, and Cook, should be looking at this as an Apple problem.
My question is the question they should be asking themselves.
My question is the question they should be asking themselves.
It's easy to say this when your definition of 'power user' is based on it meeting your personal use case.
This notion that programmers have special requirements and that's why they object to a keyboard that breaks after a few months is absurd. This effects anybody who's profession involves typing, and there are no shortage of those.
A problematic keyboard, sure. The reliability is well beyond what someone might consider acceptable (which is probably why they're rumored to be changing it). That doesn't mean that it's not geared towards power users. It means that there is a flaw in their keyboard's design. What exactly does this have to do with catering towards 'power users?' The aforementioned Mac Pro doesn't come with said flawed keyboard, nor do any of their desktop computers.
The other part of his argument is that the operating system is increasingly poor, without really saying why he thinks that is the case.
The other part of his argument is that the operating system is increasingly poor, without really saying why he thinks that is the case.
The latest OS update has all kinds of breakage that would negatively impact anybody who uses the first party applications extensively (e.g. a "power user".) People have had the Mail app lose their mail, the postcast app lose their podcasts, etc. It's simply a mess for anybody who actually uses their computer instead of looking at it as a fashion accessory. There is no way in hell I'm upgrading for at least a few months and that has nothing to do with the fact that I program.
OS updates are a risk regardless of the platform you're using. You run the risk of breaking something, and Catalina is in particular probably going to break compatibility with something. Just last year with Windows 1809 there was a bug that deleted users' files.
If the features don't aren't worth it to your or you're unwilling to back up your data, then you don't need to update it. It's not forced on you. Security patches will still be pushed to Mojave at least until the next major version.
I just find it remarkable that you create a dichotomy of either people 'who actually use their computer' or see their computer as a 'fashion accessory.' That's simply not true and is a bad take.
If the features don't aren't worth it to your or you're unwilling to back up your data, then you don't need to update it. It's not forced on you. Security patches will still be pushed to Mojave at least until the next major version.
I just find it remarkable that you create a dichotomy of either people 'who actually use their computer' or see their computer as a 'fashion accessory.' That's simply not true and is a bad take.
I find my dichotomy a lot less remarkable than "the problems with Macs are only an issue for programmers." Any user who types lots of emails could be suffering but complaints about the circumstance are frequently dismissed on HN with comments to the effect of: "you're a programmer and therefore weird; your needs are weird and therefore your complaints are irrelevant."
(Also, comparing anything favorably to windows should be considered damning with faint praise. Windows is notorious for being trash.)
(Also, comparing anything favorably to windows should be considered damning with faint praise. Windows is notorious for being trash.)
I never made that claim that you're suggesting. What I did imply was that the term 'power user' is broad and just because apple's PCs don't work for a specific individual's use case, it doesn't mean that they're not for power users. It simply means that Apple fails to meet that person's needs.
A data scientist reliant on CUDA cores on nvidia hardware won't find a mac very useful because there aren't any current apple computers that have an nvidia card in it. Still, a musician or film editor might find a great workflow with mac hardware.
A data scientist reliant on CUDA cores on nvidia hardware won't find a mac very useful because there aren't any current apple computers that have an nvidia card in it. Still, a musician or film editor might find a great workflow with mac hardware.
I don't give a damn about CUDA. I'm talking about shoddy hardware and first party applications. None of this is programmer-specific. The decline of Apple product quality effects a broad class of users.
The term "power user", used originally upthread, is contrasted with "starbucks crowd", e.g. people who stare pensively at their computer without actually touching it, trying to look cultured and sophisticated with their luxury computer. It's not about programmers or any programming specific tasks. Power user in this context is very broad.
The term "power user", used originally upthread, is contrasted with "starbucks crowd", e.g. people who stare pensively at their computer without actually touching it, trying to look cultured and sophisticated with their luxury computer. It's not about programmers or any programming specific tasks. Power user in this context is very broad.
...and I'm saying that you're making up an idea in your head that there are people that buy their mac laptops and don't actually use them. The people at Starbucks do use their computers, just not in a way that you appreciate. That meme is propagated online but it doesn't actually reflect reality.
Shouldn't these Windows-like update issues NOT be happening in Apple since it's a closed system? Apple knows exactly what hardware their shiny new OS will run on.
The premium you pay for Apple used to be precisely to safeguard against these OS screwups.
I still think Apple makes some great hardware. But the massive premium isn't really worth the trouble anymore.
The premium you pay for Apple used to be precisely to safeguard against these OS screwups.
I still think Apple makes some great hardware. But the massive premium isn't really worth the trouble anymore.
It shouldn't happen, but it's software development. You know that it will happen.
> “If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth – and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.”
> ― Steve Jobs
> ― Steve Jobs
To be fair though, that quote is from 1996 just before the Steve rejoined Apple. He then went on to significantly increase Apple's share of the "PC" market over the next 15 years, creating some iconic models (iMac, MBP, MB-Air). That seems like more than milking it. Recently however ...
He did exactly what he said he would do. The Mac was the only product Apple had to sustain itself until they could produce more products.
Perhaps I'm falling behind the times...
I don't know, weren't iPad sales stagnant for years? [1] Peak iPad was from 2013-2015. It may be that (only) Apple believes that iPad is the future computing platform.
[1] https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-ipads-sold-1994296
I don't know, weren't iPad sales stagnant for years? [1] Peak iPad was from 2013-2015. It may be that (only) Apple believes that iPad is the future computing platform.
[1] https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-ipads-sold-1994296
Adobe Photoshop is supposed to be released this year.
https://www.cultofmac.com/562307/a-full-version-of-photoshop...
Hopefully, Xcode or a good web development tool will turn the iPad into a coding device.
https://www.cultofmac.com/562307/a-full-version-of-photoshop...
Hopefully, Xcode or a good web development tool will turn the iPad into a coding device.
Did Apple change their stance on compilers? It used to be forbidden for the longest time, then they allowed it strictly for educational purposes. It'd be strange if Apple would release Xcode for iPad that doesn't allow creating iPhone / iPad apps.
There’s no IDE that can compete with unix.
Pythonista is a nice IDE. I used to love the Raskell Haskell IDE for the iPad, but it has not been upgraded in a long time and I have file access problems with it now.
Does anyone have any idea how to close windows? I keep on accidentally opening new windows in Safari on the new IPad OS and have found no way to close them except for double-tapping the home button and swiping away the new copy of Safari, which feels like a hell of a lot of work for something I almost never want to be doing in the first place. CLOSE WIDGETS ARE USEFUL APPLE.
Long press the overlapped squares in the upper right, then Merge All Windows will at least turn it into a tab that can be closed
This crashed my iPad and lost all the tabs I had lingering in Safari when it came back up.
Heh. Tried this as I wasn’t aware of it. Crashed Springboard.
Try pinching your screen with all your five wingers (open hand to pinch). That will show you all the windows that you can close. Also long press on safari (or any app) in the doctors should pop up a menu that lets you view all the windows for that app.
The pinch just takes me back to the home screen.
Long press on the dock works though exiting Safari entirely to close a window I opened by accident is just incredibly awkward and annoying.
Long press on the dock works though exiting Safari entirely to close a window I opened by accident is just incredibly awkward and annoying.
I think swipe down from the top, then swipe up like you’re killing an app?
Nope. This just turns the side panel into a floating window.
Does anyone else like using your iPad less since the update?
My iPad is my only computer. iPadOS 13 is full of little bugs - especially switching back and forth between Google Docs in Safari and another window.
Often times, sites are frozen and not even a refresh fixes it: have to copy the URL, open a new tab, and paste it.
Using the iPad used to be fun; now it's had a bunch of stuff bolted onto it. I'm not your average user, but I find iPadOS confusing.
My iPad is my only computer. iPadOS 13 is full of little bugs - especially switching back and forth between Google Docs in Safari and another window.
Often times, sites are frozen and not even a refresh fixes it: have to copy the URL, open a new tab, and paste it.
Using the iPad used to be fun; now it's had a bunch of stuff bolted onto it. I'm not your average user, but I find iPadOS confusing.
Count me.
1) I've lost all my open Safari tabs twice due to crashes. Holding on URLs usually results unintended actions. Even rearranging tabs is a pain now.
On the plus side, Firefox works better than Safari on iOS/iPadOS for the first time.
2) Running apps usually can't be launched from the dock. You need to close the app and open again.
3) The PDF reader of Files doesn't keep track of its position most of the time.
4) I had to lost screen keyboard once. Needed to restart the iPad.
1) I've lost all my open Safari tabs twice due to crashes. Holding on URLs usually results unintended actions. Even rearranging tabs is a pain now.
On the plus side, Firefox works better than Safari on iOS/iPadOS for the first time.
2) Running apps usually can't be launched from the dock. You need to close the app and open again.
3) The PDF reader of Files doesn't keep track of its position most of the time.
4) I had to lost screen keyboard once. Needed to restart the iPad.
I’m using it to write software and find these little bugs pretty often and it makes the overall experience quite bad for advanced users
None of the changes reviewed in the article are what we need from a "pro" device. Some of these are:
- a real browser with a fully functional ad blocker like uBlock origin
- the ability to see MAC addresses for network troubleshooting
- a VOIP app that alerts reliably to voice calls and text messages and that doesn't get killed when backgrounded
- an SD card slot for expandable and transferable storage
- an extremely low-latency analog audio interface
- full USB C support
- a real browser with a fully functional ad blocker like uBlock origin
- the ability to see MAC addresses for network troubleshooting
- a VOIP app that alerts reliably to voice calls and text messages and that doesn't get killed when backgrounded
- an SD card slot for expandable and transferable storage
- an extremely low-latency analog audio interface
- full USB C support
This is all nice, but simply adding proper mouse support would be a bigger stride to laptop like productivity. They don’t do it though for fear of canibilising MacBook sales.
They did add mouse support in iOS 13. Unless you mean something more than they added?
https://www.imore.com/how-use-mouse-or-trackpad-your-iphone-...
https://www.imore.com/how-use-mouse-or-trackpad-your-iphone-...
It's basically just touch input controlled with a mouse. It's not really what one wants or expects when one thinks of mouse support. It's one of my few disappointments with iPadOS (next to multitasking still being a pain in the ass after all the changes they made with iOS 12).
Agreed, you can’t drag most HTML+javascript components in an app, making 80% of modern SAAS apps unusable.
> They don’t do it though for fear of canibilising MacBook sales.
Or perhaps because the OS is not optimized for a pointing device?
Or perhaps because the OS is not optimized for a pointing device?
As a long time Android user I bought in May iPad Mini for CPU speed, high DPI screen and OS updates. I was shocked to learn that it was impossible to increase the text size in Safari. So I wasn't using my iPad Mini as often as I intended. After OS upgrade a few weeks ago you finally can increase the text size. Only in Safari, Brave and Chrome are not yet updated.
However I often read web / watch YT lying on the bed so I have to lock the screen orientation. And to switch from portrait do landscape mode you have to: 1. open quick settings 2. toggle lock screen orientation 3. close quick settings 4. position iPad correctly so sensors cen detect orientation and switch screen mode 5. open quick settings 6. toggle lock screen orientation 7. close quick settings
Huawei recently added a feature to EMUI which automatically sets correct screen orientation using a selfie camera. I hope that Apple will copy that feature. But how many years it will take?
However I often read web / watch YT lying on the bed so I have to lock the screen orientation. And to switch from portrait do landscape mode you have to: 1. open quick settings 2. toggle lock screen orientation 3. close quick settings 4. position iPad correctly so sensors cen detect orientation and switch screen mode 5. open quick settings 6. toggle lock screen orientation 7. close quick settings
Huawei recently added a feature to EMUI which automatically sets correct screen orientation using a selfie camera. I hope that Apple will copy that feature. But how many years it will take?
Honestly, I have consistently found the changes in the last couple of versions of iOS on iPad to just make things worse and worse, for no reason.
Moving the control panel to the upper right despite this making no sense on the massive iPad screen as compared to the iPhone X this feature was developed for.
Making the new floating dock ... and then making the gesture both to raise the dock and to open the app switcher the same gesture, with only fractional timing between them.
And that's not all. There's an additional context menu on Dock items now if you hold them, but ... you also need to be able to hold on a Dock item if you want to drag it up and make a floating window. Once again, fractional timing differences: hold too long and you get the menu instead. Hold too little, and instead either the app switcher comes up, or worse, it tries to drag the whole dock up, even though the dock is not a movable element. So about half the time when I try to drag up to create a window, instead I wind up moving the actual dock a fraction of an inch, and then it bounces back and nothing else happens.
There's also new "cleverness" about how windows are organized, and by cleverness, I mean "Why in the nine hells would I want this?" Previously, if you made a floating window, it was just that app, and you could swipe it in and it would always be the same app regardless of whatever full-screen app was currently open. For example, I commonly would make my IRC client the current floating window, so I could swipe over to it while watching Youtube or reading in Firefox to check chat.
Except now, the current set of windows is app-specific. If I'm in Firefox and I make a floating Discord window, and then go switch to Youtube ... that window is gone. Swiping in will instead bring either nothing, or whatever window I happened to create the last time I was in Youtube. This constantly results in confusing surprises and manually having to reopen windows.
Oh, and they redesigned the Reminders app, and in the process managed to screw up my notifications and delete or corrupt several important medication reminders, so thanks for fucking with my health, Apple.
The rest of the changes are mostly useless or cosmetic. The only vaguely useful thing is something they should've done years ago, which is expanding the app grid dimensions to something more sane for this resolution. The rest just feels like overblown marketing hype, a push for a new "desktop-like" iPad feel ... without any features that actually make it feel like a desktop.
Pointless.
Moving the control panel to the upper right despite this making no sense on the massive iPad screen as compared to the iPhone X this feature was developed for.
Making the new floating dock ... and then making the gesture both to raise the dock and to open the app switcher the same gesture, with only fractional timing between them.
And that's not all. There's an additional context menu on Dock items now if you hold them, but ... you also need to be able to hold on a Dock item if you want to drag it up and make a floating window. Once again, fractional timing differences: hold too long and you get the menu instead. Hold too little, and instead either the app switcher comes up, or worse, it tries to drag the whole dock up, even though the dock is not a movable element. So about half the time when I try to drag up to create a window, instead I wind up moving the actual dock a fraction of an inch, and then it bounces back and nothing else happens.
There's also new "cleverness" about how windows are organized, and by cleverness, I mean "Why in the nine hells would I want this?" Previously, if you made a floating window, it was just that app, and you could swipe it in and it would always be the same app regardless of whatever full-screen app was currently open. For example, I commonly would make my IRC client the current floating window, so I could swipe over to it while watching Youtube or reading in Firefox to check chat.
Except now, the current set of windows is app-specific. If I'm in Firefox and I make a floating Discord window, and then go switch to Youtube ... that window is gone. Swiping in will instead bring either nothing, or whatever window I happened to create the last time I was in Youtube. This constantly results in confusing surprises and manually having to reopen windows.
Oh, and they redesigned the Reminders app, and in the process managed to screw up my notifications and delete or corrupt several important medication reminders, so thanks for fucking with my health, Apple.
The rest of the changes are mostly useless or cosmetic. The only vaguely useful thing is something they should've done years ago, which is expanding the app grid dimensions to something more sane for this resolution. The rest just feels like overblown marketing hype, a push for a new "desktop-like" iPad feel ... without any features that actually make it feel like a desktop.
Pointless.
As a test, I'd used the iPad Pro as a self-imposed "daily driver" instead of MacBook and Surface Pro for some time now.
As a content creator, the changes in iPadOS unblock the sense of being constrained within a modal UI. It now feels multi-tasking, yet without being a distracting clutter of unrelated tasks.
Once past the natural "something is different" discomfort, the removal of several constraints feels like a big step to a new kind of mobility: upgrading from tablet, making a laptop into an appliance.
PS. On the couple of your notes that aren't just bugs:
- There's a setting for the short or long press timing, try lengthening it.
- Apps (and their windows) are now organized into the concept of workspaces. Idea is that for a given kind of work on a primary window you'd most likely typically have a given set of correlated windows. Different mental model from the prior series of app cards, and fixed set of overlay applets.
While I appreciate the new capability, I struggle with this newness too, unclear when I'm shifting spaces vs. windows, for instance. Haven't yet found a well done summary or reference on interacting with the new model (Spaces + Expose) holistically.
As a content creator, the changes in iPadOS unblock the sense of being constrained within a modal UI. It now feels multi-tasking, yet without being a distracting clutter of unrelated tasks.
Once past the natural "something is different" discomfort, the removal of several constraints feels like a big step to a new kind of mobility: upgrading from tablet, making a laptop into an appliance.
PS. On the couple of your notes that aren't just bugs:
- There's a setting for the short or long press timing, try lengthening it.
- Apps (and their windows) are now organized into the concept of workspaces. Idea is that for a given kind of work on a primary window you'd most likely typically have a given set of correlated windows. Different mental model from the prior series of app cards, and fixed set of overlay applets.
While I appreciate the new capability, I struggle with this newness too, unclear when I'm shifting spaces vs. windows, for instance. Haven't yet found a well done summary or reference on interacting with the new model (Spaces + Expose) holistically.
ADDED: Related excerpt and synthesis of the Ars review on these points, here:
https://macdailynews.com/2019/10/11/ars-technica-reviews-app...
https://macdailynews.com/2019/10/11/ars-technica-reviews-app...
> you also need to be able to hold on a Dock item if you want to drag it up and make a floating window.
Jesus yes. That one frequently enrages me.
Also some apps that previously supported multitasking (like Mail) don’t seem to support it anymore.
As for the rest, I throughly enjoy the new multitasking. It was the reason I ran the beta since the start.
Jesus yes. That one frequently enrages me.
Also some apps that previously supported multitasking (like Mail) don’t seem to support it anymore.
As for the rest, I throughly enjoy the new multitasking. It was the reason I ran the beta since the start.
I don't understand why multitasking works the way it does. Why can't I drag something from the app drawer? Why can't I drag from the app drawer, open the multitask view, open an app there and drop it next to that? Why does it have to be from the dock? What's the expected process? Am I supposed to open the app, then open the next app, then drag the last app from the recent app part of the dock? How tedious.
I feel like nobody at Apple actually uses the multitasking part of iPadOS, because if I wanted something intuitive and simple and easy to use, it wouldn't look anything like it does now.
I feel like nobody at Apple actually uses the multitasking part of iPadOS, because if I wanted something intuitive and simple and easy to use, it wouldn't look anything like it does now.
REMINDERS DATABASE UPGRADE SCENARIOS:
TL;DR: If you upgrade Reminders database (optional on iOS 13, you can also keep the old DB), don’t create reminders on non-upgraded databases.
There’s a scenario where after you upgrade Reminders database on an iOS 13 or Catalina device, you can create non-upgraded Reminders on a non-upgraded device Reminders db that will not exist on the upgraded Reminders dbs. If you then upgrade that one into new, those reminders are lost.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210220
FTA:
Here's what you can expect after you upgrade your reminders:
- iCloud reminders created on a device that's running earlier software are visible only on other devices running earlier software. When you update that device to the latest software, those new reminders will be lost when you open the Reminders app.
TL;DR: If you upgrade Reminders database (optional on iOS 13, you can also keep the old DB), don’t create reminders on non-upgraded databases.
There’s a scenario where after you upgrade Reminders database on an iOS 13 or Catalina device, you can create non-upgraded Reminders on a non-upgraded device Reminders db that will not exist on the upgraded Reminders dbs. If you then upgrade that one into new, those reminders are lost.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210220
FTA:
Here's what you can expect after you upgrade your reminders:
- iCloud reminders created on a device that's running earlier software are visible only on other devices running earlier software. When you update that device to the latest software, those new reminders will be lost when you open the Reminders app.
Ubuntu Gnome, is that you?
I did think the top image looked like classic Unity rotated 90°.
And it only took 7 years from when Microsoft first copied it for Windows 8 for Apple to invent it.
That said, iPadOS on an iPad Pro is almost everything I wanted from a Linux tablet a decade ago, so I'm decidedly pleased.
And it only took 7 years from when Microsoft first copied it for Windows 8 for Apple to invent it.
That said, iPadOS on an iPad Pro is almost everything I wanted from a Linux tablet a decade ago, so I'm decidedly pleased.
For me the 13.1.2 update broke all networking on my ipad Air 2. Mobile, WiFi and Bluetooth all not functioning and looks like it is reasonably common issue as well. Only way to get it working again looks to be a factory reset from iTunes. It just works, I guess...
100+ 9.7 iPads,20+ iPad Pros, and about a bakers dozen of iPad Minis less less than 6 months old all have reported a 33 to 50% shorter battery life. Fucking wonderful iPadOS, same old apple bull shit.
Reminder that at every major update, battery life for the next days or week is affected by CPU intensive re-indexing and re-training ML on device.
Previously it was just Spotlight, but when Photos added Faces and object recognition, kept locally on every device and not sharing among them, the length of time it spends re-learning ballooned.
Previously it was just Spotlight, but when Photos added Faces and object recognition, kept locally on every device and not sharing among them, the length of time it spends re-learning ballooned.