No, no, no! Please don't put macOS on iPads

May 15, 2021

Some people think porting the Mac's operating system to the iPad makes sense. We don't. Find out why that would be a horrible nightmare in this week's top story.

Also, don't miss our Q&A with Ian Zelbo, the 17-year-old New Yorker who's been blasting out concept artwork based on the latest Apple leaks. The high schooler behind RendersbyIan tells what gear he uses and reveals some of his rendering secrets in our Setups post.

Then, of course, you'll want to check out Zelbo's colorful MacBook Air renders and the rest of the week's juiciest Apple news, rumors, how-tos and reviews.

-- Lewis Wallace, managing editor

News and opinion

Apple’s smart decision to build an M1 processor into the 2021 iPad Pro renewed calls to port macOS to the tablet. “Put macOS on the iPad, you cowards,” read one particularly misguided headline. Doing so would be a mistake so severe it would damage sales of both iPad and Mac.

It’s not every day you come across a teen running a successful tech biz – never mind one whose 3D renderings are routinely seen by thousands of people. But that’s the case with 17-year-old New Yorker Ian Zelbo of RendersbyIan.

Plus, more Setups:

The upcoming redesign, as shown in renders produced by Ian Zelbo in collaboration with leaker Jon Prosser, abandons the MacBook Air’s classic tapered look.

Plus, more Apple rumors:

Apple customers are seemingly always on the lookout for the next big thing when it comes to new products. That may not be quite true for the iPhone 13, though.

The screen notch isn’t anyone’s favorite iPhone feature, and a new concept makes a radical suggestion for repositioning it.

How-tos

There's no need to say “Hey Siri” when dealing with incoming iPhone calls. In this tutorial, we cover which headphones work with this new feature, and how to get it set up.

If you like to store music on your iPhone so you don’t need a data connection to listen to your favorite tracks, you may wind up short on space. You can prevent that by optimizing music storage on your device.

We’ll show you how to use this new feature to easily organize your to-do lists.

So, you accidentally disabled Bluetooth on your Mac, and now you can’t use your wireless mouse or trackpad. You could dig out a wired mouse to reenable it, but that’s a lot of effort. Instead, just use your keyboard.

Deals

Don’t let ScoutPro’s small size fool you. This portable charger packs a punch with 24,000mAh of power. That’s enough to charge up five of your devices all at once.

Plus, more hardware deals:

Mujjo’s luxurious leather cases offer great protection without making your pricey iPhone feel cheap and tacky. Bag select models from the Cult of Mac Store today to enjoy 25% off the usual price. This is a limited-time discount, so enjoy it while you can.

This week, we're giving away two aluminum Qruno straps in cosmic grey. If you are looking for a high-quality metal band to match the Apple Watch’s high-grade design, enter this Juuk giveaway.

Get lifetime subs to Rosetta Stone, KeepSolid VPN Unlimited and 12min Premium Micro Book Library for one discounted price.

Plus, more software and services deals:

Reviews

MagSafe is a huge step forward in wireless charging for iPhone. But Apple’s own MagSafe Charger is somewhat boring and pretty overpriced. The Wood Charger from Limited77 is a great alternative.

Woolnut’s slim leather cases look fantastic enough that you might not mourn covering up your beautiful iPhone.

Thanks to a last-minute call to a new ally, things seem to be looking up for the Foxes in this week’s episode. But have they left the frying pan and stepped into the fire?

You can activate up to six preprogrammed HomeKit scenes or accessories with the push of a button on Belkin’s Wemo Stage Scene Controller.