Apple's Greg Joswiak: No Plans to Merge Mac and iPad

Apple earlier this week introduced refreshed 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with few external changes but one notable internal change - the introduction of the same M1 chip that was also used in the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini refreshes back in November.

m1 ipad pro display
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak and hardware chief John Ternus this week did an interview with The Independent to talk about the new tablets. The use of an ‌M1‌ chip in an iPad naturally has led to speculation about the merging of the ‌iPad‌ and Mac lineups, a topic that resurfaces over and over again, but Joswiak says that's not the goal.

Rather than merging the two product lines, he claims that Apple is just trying to make the best products in their respective categories.

"There's two conflicting stories people like to tell about the iPad and Mac," says Joz, as he starts on a clarification that will lead him at one point to apologise for his passion. "On the one hand, people say that they are in conflict with each other. That somebody has to decide whether they want a Mac, or they want an iPad.

"Or people say that we're merging them into one: that there's really this grand conspiracy we have, to eliminate the two categories and make them one. And the reality is neither is true. We're quite proud of the fact that we work really, really hard to create the best products in their respective category."

Ternus added that Apple doesn't aim to limit one device in order to avoid impacting another device. "We're pushing to make the best Mac we can make; we're pushing to make the best ‌iPad‌ we can make," said Ternus.

Apple plans to keep making both products better and is not going to "get all caught up in" theories of "merging or anything like that."

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ models arguably have more power than is necessary for a tablet that does not have the option of pro software like Final Cut Pro, but Ternus and Joswiak declined to comment on software that might be coming in the future. Joswiak instead said that the extra performance gives developers more space to find new ways to expand their apps. "Our developers are pretty quick about taking advantage," he said. "It isn't like it languishes for years."

He also said that it's great for customers to know that they can buy a system "that still has headroom" and won't be "immediately obsolete." As an explanation for why Apple opted for the ‌M1‌ chip over an A-series chip, Ternus said that the best Apple silicon has "always gone into the ‌iPad Pro‌," and right now, the ‌M1‌ is "is the best" Apple silicon Apple has available.

The two also commented on the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌'s new mini-LED display, which is the highest quality display that's been used in an ‌iPad‌ to date and rivals the Pro Display XDR. Ternus said that shrinking it was a "huge undertaking" that required more LEDs because of the size constraints.

"Shrinking it was a huge undertaking," says Ternus. "If you just look at the two products, obviously the iPad is a lot thinner than a Pro Display XDR, and the way the architecture works - you have the LED backlight behind the display."

Apple added one other new feature to the ‌iPad Pro‌ -- an Ultra Wide front-facing camera with a new "Center Stage" feature that's designed to allow you to stay in frame while moving about a room. Ternus said that it's "liberating" to be able to move around, and it's also useful for FaceTiming with large groups.

Joswiak and Ternus's full interview contains additional tidbits about the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models, and it can be read over at The Independent.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

dannyyankou Avatar
32 months ago
They keep saying that, but every year they’re more and more alike
Score: 85 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fenderbass146 Avatar
32 months ago
Merge no...make a device that can run both OS depending on the current setup....yes for the love of god please. The Magic Keyboard has shown how good this could be. Attach a magic keyboard it becomes MacOS, no keyboard or trackpad, good ole iOS. That justify that $300+ keyboard more.
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oliversl Avatar
32 months ago
But they use the same hardware, exactly the same
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rpmurray Avatar
32 months ago

The use of an M1 chip in an iPad naturally has led to speculation about the merging of the iPad and Mac lineups, a topic that resurfaces over and over again, but Joswiak says that's not the goal.
Oh? Then why does every new version of macOS get dumbed down further and further to behave more like iOS? To the point where features are taken away from macOS to make it have feature parity with iOS, and features of iOS are added to macOS.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fenderbass146 Avatar
32 months ago

No... a Mac uses different hardware input than an iPad. Hence the reason they should not be merged.
guess you haven't heard of the magic keyboard which literally makes an ipad have the exact same input hardware.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
countryside Avatar
32 months ago
Good. But would they really tell us otherwise?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
emojipedia 15 1 emoji

Emoji Coming to Future iOS 17 Update Include Shaking Head, Brown Mushroom, Lime, Phoenix and More

Tuesday September 19, 2023 12:43 pm PDT by
As Apple was announcing new iPhone models last week, the Unicode Consortium was officially approving new emoji characters that are set to be added to smartphones starting in 2024. Mockup of new emoji from Emojipedia Approved Unicode 15.1 emoji include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken...