Which Do You Prefer: iOS Or OS X

[Smallwheels]

I went to the Apple site and watched videos of iOS devices and then read all of the features available on iPad and iPod Touch. They really are impressive devices.

I've had Leopard since late 2008 and it really is easy to use. I don't think I utilize all of the potential of the OS. I don't set up automated tasks or even do much photo editing. What I do in OS X is really allow it to make all of the tasks I do easier than they otherwise would be using Windows. That is essentially what I get out of Leopard OS X.

IOS is different because it focuses on programs called apps that must be approved by Apple. I haven't decided if that is a good thing for me or not. I understand the benefits of it. IOS productivity apps are growing all the time. Right now I think I could do word processing on iOS using an iPod. IWork is available for iPad now.

Which OS is your favorite? I realize they are different in some ways but really they're just OSs that run programs.

Would you prefer to have iOS do more OS X things or have OS X do more iOS things?

With the Lion previews it is clear Apple is making OS X more like iOS. We've all speculated about it or read the threads about it.

How do you feel about iOS compared to OS X? Would you say "If iOS only had _____________ I'd use it all the time instead of OS X"?

To make this simple just assume that you have a keyboard that you can use with your iOS device.

Will there come a time when iOS and OS X are in a battle for survival in the consumer market? Will iOS be the consumer device OS and OS X will become the special add on that goes with Mac Pros? I tend to believe iOS will take over in a year or two as more apps are created for the workplace.

Remember that Apple now earns more money from phones than computers and it is expanding too.


Smallwheels

www.MySpace.com/Beninate
http://DoNotDieYet.blogspot.com

[Bandit Bill]

Smallwheels,

All I can say is the lines are getting blurred.

I don't have much time to type on the forum tonight, but...

1 major drawback to iOS is printer support. This is something that people deal with on a daily basis. Currently you are okay if your printer is AirPrint enabled but that is limited to a dozen HP models.

The other thing is although there are apps, often consumer apps just don't cut it. This may change some day as well eg. Adobe is developing Photoshop for the iPad, but how good is it. We will have to wait and see.

[belder]

I updated my old Mini from Leopard to Snow Leopard and it went flawlessly. I'm posting this reply from my iPad 2 which I use most of the day now. It's the first computer I use in the morning an the last at night. But, for sheer horsepower, video editing and audio work its the Mac Mini. (With thanks. This forum was a huge help in making my decision.)

This is my first iPad. I think when Steve Jobs sees the iPad he hears angels sing...the same ones when I'm in a hardware store looking at power tools. His vision is for every computer to be like this. If he had his way we'd order the billion dollar upgrade package with 27" touch screen monitor and iOS. It won't be long before we'll be moving things around on the mini with our fingers like we do the iPad. When I watch demonstrations of the new iOX I see a track pad being used. Personally, I'm not sure I'm ready to make the jump on my Mini. The mouse works too well for me. But, the track pad will allow me to use Lion the way they intended which is the first step to everything reacting like an iPad.

I did install a Twitter app on the mini (bought from the new apps icon) which was flawless and works like every other install with the exception of not having to drag anything to the applications folder.

Sorry to be so long winded here.

[Cypher]

I like bits of both but I prefer Mac OS X. iOS is great but I hate the lack of system wide file support, I like to see my files and have access via the finder and to choose which apps I want to open a file with, you have to jump through too many hoops with iOS, it is better now that most apps have dropbox support but you shouldn't have to have dropbox to add that functionality.

.
_________________
Phil

Mac Mini 2.53GHz - iMac 2.0Ghz - Macbook Pro 2.4GHz - iPad 1 32GB 3G
6TB Netgear Ready NAS NV+ - 6TB Drobo S

[ReliantLion]

[Smallwheels]

Would you say "If iOS only had system wide filing support and easy printing support I'd use it all the time instead of OS X"?

If the iDevices add Thunderbolt support then they could be connected to other peripheral devices. Then again there are wireless solutions for connecting devices now.

Smallwheels

www.MySpace.com/Beninate
http://DoNotDieYet.blogspot.com

[Cypher]

I think if iOS had the additional bits I want it would be Mac OS X I think it's these features that differentiate the two OS's. With iOS sandboxing the apps and hiding the underlaying file system from you and keeping the apps separated from each other.

I think there is a place for both OS's - Mac OS X on the desktops and laptops and iOS on the handhelds. iOS however may cross over to the desktops as an alternative way of working.
_________________
Phil

Mac Mini 2.53GHz - iMac 2.0Ghz - Macbook Pro 2.4GHz - iPad 1 32GB 3G
6TB Netgear Ready NAS NV+ - 6TB Drobo S

[Smallwheels]

Shrinkage! Devices are getting smaller, that is, the internal parts needed to do the jobs we want done are getting smaller.

The Mac Book Air 11" could have the same processors as a Mac Pro. It would just need better cooling and battery life.

The current iPhone has a better processor than my 2003 desktop computer. The days of the desktop computer are numbered. I don't know when Apple will stop making them, but it will be fairly soon.

Consumers drive the computer market. Most of us aren't scientists or movie makers. We don't need super computers. We just need to stream video without stuttering and make calls that don't get dropped. IMovie is already a powerful movie editing program for the general public. These things can be done on phones today.

I see Apple dropping their desktop computers in the future. They'll soup up Apple TV using iOS or just make it possible to synchronize the next generation of iPads to it in order to use a TV as a personal computer screen. Apple already has Bluetooth keyboards for people wanting to type. Eventually powerful CPUs will be inside phones. Those devices will be our personal computers. This could be done today if only the software were available. Also Apple and other companies drag out their innovations slowly so that they can keep producing things and earning a profit with slow upgrades. We don't get leading edge products. We get incremental improvements.

Doesn't OS X already do everything we need it to do? What improvements to it would make it a better OS? It went from 32 bit to 64 bit processing. It utilizes multiple cores too. IOS also utilizes multiple cores.

I think iOS will push out OS X. Apple will drop the conventional desktop and laptop computers and make multiple size tablets. Very large ones will lay flat on a desk and be operated by touch. There will probably be some type of stand so it could also be propped up for watching movies.

What do you think? Is iOS just a couple of software updates away from being your favorite OS?

[Cypher]

[Smallwheels]

It is interesting that you thought of having a choice of which OS to run on a future device. Having both would certainly take the need for a choice away. That would cause a problem with needing to switch between the two.

I have a computer with Vista and Ubuntu. I really want to use Ubuntu more and more but I don't because for now Leopard is working fine andit is on a desktop that uses more power than my Mac Book. Even when I'm using the HP I don't like to spend the time to switch between Linux and Vista. It takes quite a while since Vista takes two minutes to open and another to be ready for input. Ubuntu is much faster but it still requires logging in each time.

I don't have much experience with iOS. I demoed an iPad last year and again this year. I found it difficult to navigate using them because I didn't have the instructions. Sure I got around OK but I needed to press too many things and experiment due to not having instructions.

IOS seems like it would be nearly as fast as Leopard when it comes to selecting things. Maybe it is faster for some people who know it well.

Smallwheels

www.MySpace.com/Beninate
http://DoNotDieYet.blogspot.com