The problem for Mac users is, its a Windows tablet.
Would Apple ever make a convertible MacBook?
Apples next round of MacBooks could be pretty radical.
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Freed from the constraints of hot Intel chips, Apple Silicon laptops could be as slim as an iPad.
So what might a future convertible Mac look like?
One thing is almost certainit wont be a macOS tablet.
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“Mac isnt a touch-focused machine.
Its neither a tablet nor a laptop.
Its cutting costs somewhere to be both.”
The Mac and Touch
Apples approach to tablet computers is quite different from Microsofts.
A Windows tablet is a modified Windows PC.
Apples iPad is a scaled-up iPhone.
And this difference is fundamental.
If you ever have tried to use the Mac via touch, youll know how bad it is.
you might try this out at any time by using Sidecar.
Sidecar lets you use the iPad as a second screen for your Mac.
Its almost impossible to tap accurately on anything without a mouse.
Mac isnt a touch-focused machine.
Even the Apple Pencil doesnt help much.
To make the Mac touch-ready would involve completely redesigning how the Mac user interface works.
And Apple already has redesigned OS X for touchthats iOS.
“Sidecar is a critical piece of software for me.
I regularly use my iPad as a secondary screen for my Mac.
But its literally a second screen,” says Meany.
Detachable iPad?
Right now, Meanys comment is right on the money.
If you use a desktop Mac, then the iPad is an amazing companion.
it’s possible for you to save any Mac-only tasks for when youre at your desk.
The iPad is more than capable of anything else.
And iCloud makes working back and forth between the two pretty seamless.
Meanwhile, the iPad is far superior in many situations.
Theres no way Id read a MacBook in bed, but I read my iPad there all the time.
As we mentioned above, the M1 Macs already can run iPad apps just fine.
You just install them from the Mac App Store.
Imagine, then, a MacBook with a detachable screen, like Lenovos ThinkPad X12.
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Only when you separate the screen, it turns into an iPad.
Or perhaps a touch-enabled Mac desktop.
Such a equipment might leave the touch-screen active when in “Mac Mode,” but only for convenience.
A quick tap on the screen is often easier than reaching for the mouse/trackpad.
This may sound crazy.
It may even be crazy.
But consider this: Apple already added mouse and trackpad support to the iPad and did it well.
You even can buy a Magic Keyboard accessory that turns your iPad into a laptop.
The iPad remains touch-first, but works great with desktop input, too.
Is it so wild to think that the Mac could move in the opposite direction?
