iPadOS Is a Small Step in the Right
Direction, but Isn’t Enough
When the iPad Pro came out, Apple went
to great lengths to position it as a laptop
replacement. In CEO Tim Cook’s keynote, he
made a point of calling the iPad the “most
popular computer in the world.” At the time, I wrote an edito-
rial claiming that the iPad Pro was an amazing tablet but that
it could not replace a laptop for most people. The problem, I
argued, was that it ran iOS. Initially designed to work on the
3.5-inch screen of the original iPhone, iOS is built for ease of
use and simplicity rather than handling complex tasks.
With this in mind, creating a separate operating system for
the iPad makes a lot of sense. A dedicated iPadOS will allow
Apple to tailor the operating system to handle complex tasks.
Apple announced features including more robust multitasking,
desktop web browsing, and thumb drive support (see page
18 for more on iPadOS). That being said, Apple didn’t go far
enough. In order to make the iPad a true laptop replacement,
it will need to have mouse support and the ability to manage
multiple windows the same way you can using MacOS. This
is the path Microsoft took with its Surface tablet, which can
switch between a mobile app-based operating system and
the full desktop version of Windows, mouse and all. Hopefully
splitting operating systems is just the beginning, because as
of now, iPadOS is not much more than a name change.
The HomePod Is Now an Afterthought for
Apple
It’s hard to believe it’s already been two
years since Apple announced the HomePod
at WWDC 2017. Since that time, Apple has
not released any updates to the hardware
and has done very little to update the smart speaker’s oper-
ating system. Adding multi-user support this year is a signif-
icant improvement, but it’s a feature that the Google Home
and Amazon Echo have had for years and that the HomePod
should have had from the beginning (Siri has long had the abil-
ity to recognize individual voices). The HomePod still does not
have a third-party app store and is way behind the competition
in terms of functionality.
That being said, I actually love my HomePod. I have found
it to be easier to use than the Amazon Echo and much more
reliable in understanding commands. I appreciate the tight in-
tegrations with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem as well. I hope
that Apple decides to make its smart speaker a priority again.
In addition to a third-party app store, I’d love to see a smaller,
cheaper version comparable to the Amazon Echo Dot as well
as API support for third-party manufacturers so other speak-
ers can utilize HomePod features.Apple Is Doubling Down on Its
Commitment to Privacy
As both Android and iOS become mature
platforms, Apple is fi nding itself in need of
a new set of unique features to differentiate
itself from Android. It clearly has settled on
privacy as a key unique differentiator. This is a smart move on
Apple’s part, as it has a competitive advantage it can leverage.
Google’s primary revenue stream is display ads. In order to
effectively display the right ads to the right people, Google
collects as much information as possible about its users. Goo-
gle actually doesn’t charge phone makers a licensing fee for
Android. Instead, one of the primary goals of Android is as a
tool for collecting information on people.Since Apple’s primary revenue stream is consumer elec-
tronics, it doesn’t need to collect any data on its customers.
With iOS 13, Apple introduced a whole suite of new features
that take advantage of this fundamental difference. My favor-
ite of these features is Sign In with Apple, which gives me
the convenience of being able to easily sign in to websites
without sacrifi cing my privacy. I hate having to create unique
accounts and passwords for each website I visit, and so I
gravitate toward Facebook or Google Sign In. But when I use
those options, I’m allowing those companies to track my be-
havior across the web. While for the most part Facebook and
Google are using that data for benign purposes, it still makes
me vaguely uneasy. Of all the major tech companies, Apple is
the only one standing up for privacy. I’m excited and grateful
that they’re taking this stand on behalf of consumers.“OF ALL THE MAJOR
TECH COMPANIES,
APPLE IS THE ONLY
ONE STANDING UP FOR
PRIVACY.”
3
4
5
“AS OF NOW, IPADOS IS
NOT MUCH MORE THAN
A NAME CHANGE.”
“I HOPE APPLE
DECIDES TO MAKE ITS
SMART SPEAKER A
PRIORITY AGAIN.”
David Averbach is the CEO and Publisher of iPhone Lifemagazine. David has an obses-
sion with all things Apple. He grew up on Macs and now has a MacBook Pro, iPhone,
iPad, Apple TV, and an Apple Watch. David enjoys traveling and Ultimate Frisbee. He
has been to over 20 countries. To contact David, email him at [email protected].