What does ‘Desktop-Class’ really mean?

With the recent announcement of the iPad Pro, the lines between a ‘desktop-class’ operating system and a ‘mobile’ one are starting to blur. Some will argue that these classes of operating systems aren’t worthy of comparison, but more of an apples vs. oranges difference. However, with the pricing of the iPad Pro, its feature set, and its initial marketing, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between it and another business-oriented tablet; the Microsoft Surface Pro series. Both fall within the same price point, both have first-party accessories like a stylus and keyboard cover. Both are being marketed as productivity devices. And while Apple won’t yet admit it, both are targeted as being full laptop replacements. So, where do the differences lie?

A History of ‘Desktop-Class’

It’s the 1980’s. Prior to now computers so far have been limited to command line terminals connected to a mainframe. Personal computers have been limited to hobbyists. These people are passionate about technology, willing to work through the learning curve, but there’s a catch. The rub here is that there isn’t much money in selling to hobbyists. Computer companies at the time were struggling with how to make the personal computer a truly mass-market device, something that even your grandma could understand.

Out of this necessity, the desktop UI is born. Rife with skeuomorphism, the desktop was the first real computing paradigm that stuck with a mainstream audience, simply because they could relate it to something they already knew, a physical desk. Rather than directories and a command line, we have files and folders, with a graphical user interface, enabling users to ‘see’ their computing for the first time. Users are able to literally spread out their files in front of them, just like sheets of paper on a drawing desk.

A Modern OS

Fast forward over 20 years to the late 2000’s. Computer operating systems haven’t had a major advance in user interface since the birth of the desktop. Meanwhile, a brand new segment of computing is just coming around the corner; the smartphone. The desktop motif doesn’t translate to a smaller screen size, warranting a complete rethink on the UI front. Technology hasn’t stood still in the intervening 20 years either. Capacitive touch changed the game, bringing dirt-simple, intuitive interactions to the user interface; just reach out and touch what you want, no mouse required. Users have kept up as well. The desktop is second nature, as a whole generation grew up using personal computers every day. Users aren’t afraid of their computers anymore.

This advancement, both in terms of technology and users, allowed Apple and Google (and later Microsoft) to come up with something new. Now instead of files and folders, we have apps and sharing, mobile assistants, notifications, etc. Speed of use is now at the forefront. When you have a device that is both always on, and always on you, every second of user interaction counts. Go straight to the app you need with as few touches as possible.

Which brings us to now

It’s been almost 9 years since the original iPhone announcement, and since then, the ‘mobile OS’ has expanded well beyond the original format of a small phone that fits in your pocket. Nowhere else is this more obvious than the iPad Pro. Running iOS 9, with some new features to take advantage of the increased screen real estate, the iPad Pro warrants a comparison no other iOS device has called for before. At a base price of $799 and over $1300 fully loaded with all the first-party accessories, the iPad Pro sits squarely in ultrabook territory. It isn’t the first device to enter this category as well. Microsoft’s Surface Pro series of convertible tablets falls into the same price point. The Surface Pro also has a stylus and keyboard attachment. So whats the difference ?

Apples vs Oranges? More Like Macintosh vs Granny Smith

The Surface Pro and iPad Pro are nearly a wash in terms of hardware, with one notable difference, which we’ll get to later. Both have large, high resolution screens. Both support pen input via a first-party accessory. Both have keyboard attachments for increased productivity. The only thing left is the the difference in operating systems. And while Apple’s iOS has been scaling up its UI for the larger screen, Windows has been scaling down for mobile devices.

With Windows 10 in particular, Microsoft as revamped their approach for mobile. ‘Write it once, use it anywhere’ is the current play for Microsoft. Windows at its heart is still a desktop-oriented operating system (Windows 8 be damned). Legacy software support is Microsoft’s bread and butter for the time being. Microsoft isn’t stupid however, nor are they standing still. They understand that touch is the future, as a new generation is growing up with touch-first computing. And while they’ve reigned back from forcing people headfirst into a touch oriented UI, they’re still gently nudging them in that direction. This is most apparent in the Surface Pro, where the UI you’re presented with is dependent on whether your using the attached keyboard or just the screen alone (though you can manually switch back as you wish). In many ways this, works to the Surface Pro’s advantage. You get both legacy desktop apps when you’re in laptop mode, as well as the modern, touch-friendly apps when you’re in tablet mode.

Now or Later

The Surface Pro sounds like the safe bet between the two then right? I’m not yet convinced, and it all comes down to apps. Apple’s biggest advantage here is its ability to pull in developers, which as of late has been Microsoft’s folly. So while it may not have the app support initially, the iPad Pro has, in my opinion, the best chance of getting high quality apps.

Here’s the thing: what features does iOS lack compared to Windows that you truly need? A true file browser? With inter-application sharing, I don’t think it’s a necessity. Mouse support? With integrated stylus support on the iPad Pro, you still have the same precision input as a mouse, with the intuitiveness of a pen. All of these are nice to have, but not really necessary for 90% of users. You only think you need it because that’s what you’re used to. There is only one thing that iOS truly lacks compared to Windows; maturity.

The core of Windows has remained mostly unchanged for the past 20 years: A desktop is still a desktop, a folder a folder, etc. As such, developers have squeezed everything out of Windows that it can possibly give, with much success. We have gorgeous high-def games, powerful photo and video software, and an expanse of tools built around the desktop. iOS has only been around less than half that, and didn’t get third party app support till a few years into its life. And yet we’re starting to see these ‘desktop-class’ applications come to iOS, from music creation to photo editing, to gaming. iOS’s most compelling feature so far is its ability to get out of the way. It’s able to break free of the cruft that Windows and OS X are saddled with. Simply put, its not 1984 anymore. I don’t think we’ve come close to seeing what these ‘mobile’ operating systems have to offer. Given the time, I think they’ll easily catch up, if not surpass, the ‘desktop-class’ operating systems we have now.

So, do you cling to legacy desktop apps with the hope that Microsoft can somehow wrangle developers back into their Modern UI ecosystem? Or do you go with Apple, where developers have been building quality apps since the beginning?

Caveats

There are a couple of important final considerations. First, back to the hardware. There is one big difference between the iPad Pro and Surface pro, the processors. The iPad pro has a 64-bit ARM processor with 4gb of ram. The Surface Pro has an Intel Core processor with either 4 or 8 gb of ram. And while Apple claims the new A9X chip powering the iPad Pro is to be viewed in the same light as its Intel counterpart, we won’t know for certain until the iPad Pro is out in the wild. Intel has been on a roll as of late with their processors. In my opinion, Intel Core processors have been getting more efficient in terms of power usage faster than ARM processors have been increasing computing power. This means, for the time being, that the Surface Pro should be able to last just as long as the iPad Pro with a more powerful CPU. While this won’t matter to the 90% of users, the other 10% that live on apps like Lightroom and Photoshop can still use them on the Surface Pro now, without waiting for something equivalent to come to the iPad Pro later.

Openness is another important one. One of the major misses on iOS currently is the inability to truly replace Apple’s first party apps with something else. Don’t like Safari? Too bad. Prefer Hangouts for texting over iMessage? You’re out of luck. Apple’s ‘walled garden’ approach has drawn criticism in the past, but we’ve put up with it since the beginning. However, as the lines blur between device categories, it is becoming more of an issue than before.

Decision Time

So it’s November and you have your $1300 in hand, ready to buy a ‘Pro’ tablet, which do you choose? Do you go with Apple’s iPad Pro, betting that developers will build quality apps for the new iOS device, as they have in the past? Or do you go with the Surface Pro 4, with legacy software support and a hope that maybe Microsoft got it right this time in terms of understanding how to win over developers with its ‘build it once’ ideology?

My money is on Apple.