What's a computer?
Full Stack Creator - 005
Lately, I have been thinking, what is a computer? Is it your laptop, desktop, tablet or phone? Are they all computers? If so, then is your smartwatch or smart speaker a computer? Is a computer defined by the idea of being able to process information or what kind of information it can process? This idea of a computer keeps changing and evolving. I believe that all of these devices are computers, but some of them are suited for certain computing tasks over others. Is that due to the device or the limitation of the software on the device?
Welcome to the 5th installment of this letter, from my thought-stuffed brain to yours. Thanks for reading, as always! I’d love if you could share this with others, if this provides you value, an escape from the monotony, or at least gets you thinking a bit.
I bring up this question as I write this letter on my iPad Pro 11” 2020. About three months ago I upgraded from my 9.7” iPad Pro to this one. I was excited to get an iPad with a bigger screen, a newer Apple Pencil, and the new Magic Keyboard. I have loved the experience of the entire package since I got it in my hands. It is blazing fast, thin and light, and can be used in more interesting and different ways than my MacBook can be. As much as I have loved my iPad, Apple went and announced the move to ARM, their own silicon. I was already pondering about this idea of a computer, but now, more so than ever.
Apple moving to ARM is huge. Basically, this means that their PC line, MacBooks and desktops will eventually run similar chips to what are in iPhones and iPads. This unlocks a ton of benefits, but could unlock tons of issues too. Computers could be faster, thinner, lighter, run cooler and be considerably cheaper. You could even get cellular on your computer so you are always connected. This is super exciting in so many ways. But what really excites me is that software will need to get written and updated to support this new standard. Apple has transitioned in the past successfully. They moved from Power PC to Intel years ago, while making it seamless for the developers and the consumers. I foresee this being the same situation when transitioning to ARM. The reason why software is what excites me the most is because this theoretically means Mac Apps can now come to iPad. This would be amazing considering my iPad is my favorite computer I own. Yeah, I said it. It is.
I love my Macs, I really do. I have a 2016 15” MacBook Pro and a 2015 iMac 5K. Both are beautiful machines with decent power. They serve me well, most of the time. My biggest issue with them is speed and heat. The speed side is less about the hardware itself, but rather the lack of optimization for the hardware. I use a lot of Adobe products and none of them, minus XD and Lightroom CC feel even close to optimized. They are running on legacy software stacks and do not fully support Apple’s Metal framework. Apps that do, ie. Final Cut Pro and Motion are blazing fast, though I find too many limitations with them for most tasks. Secondly, heat. If you know me in real life, you know that I am generally very warm. I am the kind of person that loves cold. I keep my AC on 65 degrees (F) every night– ask my wife, she sleeps under three blankets. I would love to be able to put my MacBook on my lap for more than 10 minutes without sweating. As soon as my GPU kicks in, not only for editing, I am generally sweating, while ripping off layers of clothes. I tend to lean towards my iPad for most general tasks these days for both of these reasons. Most apps on iPad are super optimized, which makes them very fast. Also, the iPad stays generally very cool and all of the heat is behind the display anyway, keeping it off my lap and palms.
The biggest thing that has pushed me to using my iPad more than ever is the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad. The magic trackpad and the implementation of a cursor that Apple has done is great. If you are a nerd and want to learn the details watch this WWDC lesson, on designing for the pointer. I can do a lot on my iPad. I can accomplish tons of general admin stuff, consume without a problem, and make a lot without too many hiccups. The experience is just more fun and personal. With the addition of that cursor, it is also way more ergonomic, which means I can use it longer, with less discomfort.
In general, I am very excited to see where computing will go after Apple migrates to ARM. Will I be able to move most, if not all of my usage to iPad? Will I even need a desktop computer? I am not sure, but at the very least I am excited to see how the Mac evolves, while enjoying my iPad with Magic Keyboard.
Oh, and yes, it is pricey. But if you are the right person for it, you’ll love it.
iOS 14 is out for public beta testing. If you are interested, give it a download: https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/
Also, if some of your Apps started crashing on Friday, it wasn’t iOS14 or even the developers, it was Facebooks fault: https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/10/21319784/ios-apps-crashing-spotify-tiktok-pinterest-tinder-facebook-sdk-certification-issue
My issue with this is that companies should not be using the Facebook SDK to begin with. It should not be used for login, for advertising, and especially cross-app tracking. Respect your users privacy and only serve them apps in a ethical way.