Apple CEO Tim Cook recently spoke about the rise in popularity of 2-in-1 devices, so that the company was not looking into a convergence of the iPad and MacBook, despite the fact that a number of other companies, such as Microsoft and Lenovo, have done so.
“We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad,” said Cook in an interview with The Irish Independent. “Because what that would wind up doing, or what we’re worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants. So we want to make the best tablet in the world and the best Mac in the world. And putting those two together would not achieve either. You’d begin to compromise in different ways.”
The news comes shortly after Cook made comments about the future of computing and about the release of the iPad Pro, saying that he saw no reason why anyone would buy a PC anymore considering the fact that the iPad Pro was released. According to Cook, the iPad Pro is a replacement for the notebook for many people. Of course, he went on to clarify that he meant there was no longer a need for Windows-based PCs rather than Mac computers.
“What we’ve tried to do is to recognize that people use both iOS and Mac devices. So we’ve taken certain features and made them more seamless across the devices. So with things like Handoff we just made it really simple to work on one of our products and pick it up and work on the next product,” said Cook in an interview with The Telegraph.
Cook’s comments are certainly interesting, and while the iPad Pro does certainly blur the line between laptop and computer, there is one reason why some would consider a Windows hybrid over the iPad Pro – the iPad Pro still only runs iOS, which is a great operating system, but is a mobile one. Because of that, the device is limited by the apps on the App Store. While on many Windows-based hybrids, which run operating systems like Windows 10, could run software like Adobe’s Creative Cloud, the iPad Pro is only able to run mobile versions of the Creative Cloud, which are significantly less powerful.
Also, Cook’s comments don’t rule out Apple making some kind of hybrid in the future, just the near future. While if the company were to make one today it may compromise on quality, as technology improves its certainly possible that these compromises would cease to exist and that the company would be able to make something that adheres to Apple’s design and ease-of-use philosophy.
It’s also important to note that it is definitely in Apple’s best interests to push the value of distinct categories of computer hardware, not only because it doesn’t currently offer a hybrid, but also because of the fact that it also runs a hardware business.
Only time will tell if the hybrid business takes off on a level that convinces Apple that it needs to do something.