Gabe Weatherhead at Macdrifter:
I don’t count bloggers and podcasters as normal iPad users. There’s a different kind of drive for these folks. Part of that drive is being able to write about their impressive accomplishments with an iPad. That will always take some of the sting out of losing hours trying to figure out how to upload a file to a website.
Gabe Weatherhead was writing about a post by Thomas Verschoren, who highlights some of the limitations of iOS. Weatherhead’s comment got me thinking about how iOS usually satisfies the needs of power users and basic users, but not those in the middle. Power users cook up workflows with tools like the Shortcuts app to overcome almost any hurdle, and casual users never run into those hurdles in the first place.
It’s the people in between who need to get over those hurdles, and don’t want to build a tool or workflow to do so. They just want something that works. The iPad won’t be a laptop replacement for those users until those gaps are filled.
Most users aren’t like us. They don’t want to have to build a workflow that, in their eyes, is a Rube Goldberg machine. Most of my automation workflows on the Mac are to speed up processes I can already perform without automation. Too many of my automation workflows on iOS are to perform tasks I couldn’t otherwise perform at all. 1
Siri Shortcuts, not to be confused with the Shortcuts app, is the exception to this.↩
ChrisJWilson says:
@40Tech Totally agree. I’ve developed a couple of different thoughts or expressions for the iPad’s current problems. It needs to be better at what it’s bad at and better at certain boring tasks. I’m not too woried about pro apps like XCode/final cut eventually coming to the iPad (espeically with where adobe is moving) but getting over the issues with crap bank websites or key features missing from SaaS apps/websites will help propel the iPad forward much fast IMO.
November 6, 2018 — 9:55 am
Michael Carroll says:
I consider myself a relatively tech-savvy person but the issue you raise is a substantial problem with iOS. I don’t want to have to write code to create workflows in order to use the tool. The fact that to be a power user of the tool I have to create workflows is a major problem with the platform. For the same reason I abandoned OmniFocus (and other task management apps) where there is all kinds of time spent in process and not enough time in doing.
November 6, 2018 — 12:38 pm
40Tech says:
@ChrisJWilson Banking websites are a constant problem for me. Yes, the issues is probably on their end, but with so many, at some point it becomes Apple’s problem.
November 8, 2018 — 12:47 pm
ChrisJWilson says:
@40Tech A year ago I thought that Apple should wait them out/provide incentives to change, now I’m more on board the “It’s Apple’s problem, it’s been a problem for years, it doesn’t show signs of improving, they need to do something.” I’m really optimistic for iOS and I guess it’s not all that long till the WWDC and the first betas.
November 8, 2018 — 1:00 pm