Putting XCode into iOS / iPad OS, Apple may have just found a weapon to give Android a fatal blow

Based on leaker leaks, iOS / iPadOS 14 will witness the first appearance of XCode, the software development application (IDE). As a must-use software if you want to release applications for iOS and macOS, XCode is also a familiar choice for developers.

In our opinion, first of all Apple may put XCode on its “professional” tablet line, the iPad Pro. Most coders will not give up the MacBook Pro to switch to code on tablets. But that does not mean that this event does not help the Apple mobile war: on the contrary, XCode on iPad OS could be the basis for Apple to make a deadly blow to the Android ecosystem in the future. .

Android weaknesses

First of all, let’s start from tablet field. In this market, Apple is still holding the No. 1 position, not letting any other Android rivals outperform. Based on the latest data released by IDC, Apple accounts for 35% of tablet sales worldwide. At No. 2, Samsung’s market share is not even half that of Apple; Other competitors like Huawei or Amazon could not gain 10% market share.

The dominance of the iPad is a clear testament to the quality of the bad software on Android tablets.

The dominance of the iPad is the clearest evidence of Android’s inherent weakness: application quality. Just like on smartphones, Android tablets come in different sizes, resolutions and hardware. This feature forces app developers to spend time elaborating on app versions on tablets, pushing development costs. Android, ironically, is the app market … less fertile than the App Store , making the few developers willing to put effort into perfecting the tablet app.

Experience the software on an Android tablet so it is always bad. Even Google itself has suffered a loss when it stopped developing Android tablets since 2016. In 2019, Google announced the death of Pixel Slate (running ChromeOS) when the product was less than 1 year of age, implicitly admitted to withdrawing. completely off the tablet field.

Putting office into iPhone?

The appearance of XCode on iPad will make the tablet war more in favor of the iPad. As a coder’s tool, XCode will prove that the iPad can become a true working machine.

If the iPad becomes a working tool, the iPhone can also become the “heart” for a professional experience.

If the iPad Pro can run XCode, the prospect of a “regular” iPad or an iPhone capable of running business applications is not far away. The iPad OS has only been detached from iOS since last year, there’s no reason Apple can’t “bundle ‘iPad OS back into the hardware power of the iPhone 12 or iPad Air 2020. iFans have the right to dream of a The full desktop school, which runs inside the iPhone, allows them to perform tasks such as code, design, or office applications.

This vision is not unheard of: Continuum on Microsoft’s Lumia 950 or DeX on Samsung’s Galaxy S8 / Note8 are good examples. To avoid failure as rivals / partners before, Apple is holding 3 important weapons: iOS, iPadOS and macOS. All three operating systems have a large number of users, even the same origin (iPhone OS 2007 was developed from the Mac OS X core shortened). Apple may be the first giant to create the “unified” computing experience that other giants have been pursuing and failing.

Apple advantage

Of course, the experience of iPadOS or macOS inside an iPhone is still a distant idea right now. But the undeniable truth right now is, if you bring mobile devices deeper into the professional user group, Apple will create a competitive advantage that Android can not overcome.

Professional application developers like Microsoft will always favor iOS over Android.

Because unlike games or social networks, the experience of office applications has an impact on user income . They take up most of the digital life of users. Therefore, these applications require very high level of elaboration. If Android developers still can’t solve the layout problem on tablets, the likelihood of them creating quality apps on Android is also very low.

Not surprisingly, application developers, especially the professional application group, have always favored Apple. In 2014, Microsoft organized an event to uncover Office for iPad – this is also the event chosen by CEO Satya Nadella to debut in the press. The software giant then sent employees many times to Apple events to promote Office, but never once at BUILD events (Android) or Google’s Pixel.

Or, Adobe has only developed “full” Photoshop for iPad so far. Even the stripped down Photoshop Mix offers iPad users more features than Android users. When XCode is uncovered on iOS / iPadOS, the difference between the two platforms will surely increase.

Deathblow for Android

An unthinkable thing happens when the iPad (and iPhone) turn into real working machines: they become devices … saving money for buyers. The cost of buying an iPad and keyboard will still be lower than the cost of buying a tablet and laptop. Due to the high cohesion of Apple products, the savings can be saved for iPhones – especially when the price difference between iPhones and Android smartphones is lower than ever.

Android brands will not be able to win Apple’s place in the business world.

In the situation where Apple tries to bring iPad OS to iPhone, the level of savings will be even higher. Users who buy a smartphone with the ability to transform into a working machine will not need to buy a full tablet or laptop anymore, instead switching to “transfiguration” accessories that are much cheaper. By eliminating the biggest advantage – the price, the iPhone is fully capable of regretting before Android smartphones.

The only question left is, when will Apple fire the first shot – by officially unveiling the XCode screen on iOS / iPadOS? If Apple’s schedule is not greatly influenced by Covid-19, it is likely that this step will be taken at the WWDC event in June. At the annual event for developers, Apple will launch XCode on mobile devices to direct the attention of the entire technology world to a strength that Android cannot keep up with: applications / tasks. Tools for working people.