The iPad has changed dramatically since it was first introduced way back in 2010. Of course, it still does everything it used to do, in more refined manners – web browsing, reading, watching digital content, and other such tasks. However, in the recent past, there has been a push from players such as Microsoft to fuse the tablet and the laptop.
Microsoft has had pure bad luck at making mobile devices but it did excel at making the Surface brand with its 2-in-1 detachable product. The Surface Pro offers the flexibility of using the device as a tablet with its touch sensitive screen while allowing users to magnetically connect a keyboard when required.
![iPad Pro shown in the image instead of iPad Air[Image for representational purpose]](https://www.ilounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/MacBook-Air-vs-iPad-Air-Magic-Keyboard.jpg)
Surface Pro was/is a game changer
The Surface Pro is one of the best devices that the tech industry has seen in years. No other company has been able to create such a distinctive product nor even copy. Other manufactures have created 2-in-1 laptops but having a detachable keyboard is mind-bending.
Apple understands the importance of a device like the Surface Pro and has been trying to push its iPad line with ‘Pro’ branded devices. The company first unveiled the iPad Pro back in 2015, however, it only offered some advantages such as better speakers, better display while only capable of doing basic iPad things.
The 2018 iPad Pro changed things slightly by offering a USB-C port which opened up the iPad to the rest of the tech industry. However, the major shift in the software side happened in 2019, when Apple introduced iPadOS – a version of iOS with iPad specific features – a spin-off.
With its 2015 iPad Pro model, Apple also released a keyboard case to try and emulate the Surface Pro but the lack of trackpad and the ability to run desktop class apps, did not help the iPad Pro take off. Apple is continuously working on bringing desktop grade apps to the iPad.
Last year, Apple enabled Safari to render desktop sites instead of mobile versions. This year, the company unveiled the optional Magic Keyboard which has a built-in trackpad. All these changes are pointing to a future where iPadOS and macOS could exist as a single operating system.
It looks like we are not far away from Apple launching its more intensive apps such as Final Cut Pro and Xcode for the iPad. Do you think Apple will release its desktop grade on the iPad? Let us know, down in the comments.
