The iPad's Creative Awakening: Apple Embraces a New Audience

Apple's "Let Loose" event unveiled a flurry of new iPads, some packing fancy new chips, others not so much. But amidst the typical Apple fanfare, a realization struck me: the iPad just isn't for me anymore. Those gorgeous new displays are tempting (seriously, I'm intrigued), but iPadOS's locked-down nature clashes with my tinkering tendencies. However, Apple also clarified a new audience it's courting: creative producers (audio, image, and video).

Apple clarified the iPad's raison d'être today, providing a cohesive update for the said audience while pitching to a new, distinct one.

The iPad is a touch-forward, simple (and simplified) intuitive user interface that prioritizes security. As a result, it's an excellent general-purpose computing platform for those seeking a straightforward computer.

With today's announcements, Apple targeted a new audience: creative professionals who work with images, audio, and video – and believe Mac's openness makes it too complex.

Storytelling has always been a critical part of the human experience. The prevalence of YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok attests that image, audio, and video storytelling are slowly becoming the de facto communication modes.

Apple seems to be iterating the touch-forward, intuitive (and locked-down) iPad to be an able computing platform for those engaged in these creative endeavors.

This is evident in the now solidified three (technically four) iPad tiers:

• iPad (price drop to $349): a great starting device prioritizing price (via previous-gen hardware) or where computing needs are minimal.
• iPad mini (no updates today): prioritizes size.
• iPad Air: with today's M2 updates, Apple's positioning this as the iPad once you know you want one. It's capable enough to handle newer creative production capabilities but cheaper due to older-gen silicon and hardware.
• iPad Pro: with today's M2 and new accessory updates, Apple's highlighting this primarily for creative professionals who don't want a Mac's open system.

To me, this clarity in the lineup is the clearest sign yet that the iPad is not a device intended for me. A Mac not only serves the necessary creative utilities I seek but also provides a more open operating system (at the expense of higher administration costs) that allows me to do more. It enables development and tinkering that the iPad locks down.

I think I finally accept that the iPad isn't a device for me: Development mandates opening up access to the operating system and its subsystems. This opening up is and will be in tension with a simplified, secured, locked-down operating system.

One could argue that this openness and the required complexity are also at odds when pursuing said creative endeavors.

It might be because of the starting point with iOS, or maybe it's a philosophy Apple believes in. However, today was the first time it clicked for me why despite trying, I could never adopt the iPad as my primary computing device.

This still leaves a part of me disappointed. I am the sucker for the new displays announced today. In a previous world, I'd have been trading in my older iPad to purchase the OLED iPad Pro on Day 1. However, I am glad I am saving that money and putting it into $AAPL today.

Miscellaneous

• A steady state of 1000 nits brightness across the 11" / 13" is still a remarkable technical achievement and I am very excited to see this in action 🤤

• Pro App updates to Logic and FCP allow them to be first class iPad apps - finally
• I am still flummoxed that Apple's not building better audio subsystems into iPad Pro to allow iPads to be out-of-the-box podcasting machines
• Using machine learning to tease apart various components from an audio stream is a neat application and I am hoping it will come to not just the iPad version of the Logic app / limited to M4.
• FCP Camera is very exciting and I am very interested in checking it out
• The iPad Air is now heavier than the iPad Pro 😅
• Looks like there’s more binning at work: 1TB and 2TB Pro models have more RAM (16GB) and one additional GPU core.
• $299 for the Magic Keyboard is still so steep. Glad they make it in more durable material now but I hope it’s lighter. Also personally I’ve found the magic keyboard kill battery life in the 11” version.
• Lastly, here's a tip I picked up once you lose access to HDR playback of certain titles in Mac OS. This especially works for Disney+ titles. What a workaround.