The new iPads have great hardware, led by M1 and mini-LED, but iPadOS lacks proper second display support and pro apps like Final Cut Pro, Xcode, and Logic Pro
at least their operating systems. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : To me, it's becoming clearer and clearer what an iPad is and where it differs from a Mac, and I don't think it's the software. The iPad Pro is still Apple's hero computer, where they can learn, build and scale new technologies before bringing them to the larger devices Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith : I don't have an apt analogy, as the iPad Pro is absolutely not like a concept car — it ships in volume, after all — but I think it exists to lead & inspire the rest of the lineup (if not the industry) and to show what Apple can do when not encumbered by legacy Zach Laidlaw / @ztlaidlaw : iPad has had this problem for a long time. It's a svelte machine with loads of potential that's continuously kneecapped by its OS. Now with an M1 chip, it would be awesome to have a MacOS mode that bridges the gap between iPad's power and functionality. https://www.macworld.com/... David Barnard / @drbarnard : @stroughtonsmith You solve one important thing for customers... not having to buy/carry 2 devices. The 12-inch iPad Pro with macOS and a magic keyboard would be better than having both an iPad and a MacBook Air. You're probably right that Apple won't do it, but I do really want it. Dieter Bohn / @backlon : Conversation I expect many go-to family tech experts may be having this year: So should I get the new iPad Pro? It's pretty neat and fast! It has the same processor as the new Macs. So it runs Mac apps now? Cool! Well... Well? Well no. Oh.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s M1 iPad Pro launch paired a higher-end chip and mini-LED display with starting prices of $799 for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch model. The immediate coverage identified a mismatch between that hardware position and iPadOS’s support for external displays and Apple’s professional software.
That mismatch was not isolated: a later 2024 iPad Pro review again described iPadOS as trailing the hardware, while the 2025 coverage says the platform is becoming more Mac-like without fully resolving the value case as a secondary computer.
First-order effects
- Professional buyers who need Final Cut Pro, Xcode, Logic Pro, or proper second-display support have less reason to treat the M1 iPad Pro as a Mac replacement despite its chip and display upgrades.
- Apple’s iPad Pro hardware investment is immediately constrained by iPadOS capabilities, leaving the product’s premium positioning dependent on workflows it does not yet fully serve.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s Mac lineup retains an advantage for buyers whose work depends on the missing pro applications or more complete external-display use, sharpening the division between iPad and Mac rather than collapsing it.
- As iPad Pro pricing rises with its hardware, buyers evaluating it as a secondary computer face a tougher value comparison—a concern echoed in the M5 iPad Pro review.
Third-order effects
- The recurring gap between iPad hardware and iPadOS points to a durable product-segmentation strategy: Apple can introduce new computing technology on iPad Pro while preserving Mac-specific software workflows.
- If iPadOS continues to add Mac-like capabilities incrementally, the central competitive question becomes which professional tasks Apple is willing to move onto iPad rather than whether its hardware can run them.
The trend: iPad Pro is evolving as Apple’s advanced hardware platform, while software access and desktop-style workflows determine how far it can move into Mac territory.