Tag: iPad

Time for Apple To Come Clean About iCloud: Part 2

It’s been a week and Apple needs to tell users what happened on April 27 when so many had to change their passwords causing confusion

Last week, beginning on Friday April 27, quite a few Apple users experienced a disturbance in the force when all of sudden they were prompted to relog into their Apple ID on their devices. On attempting to do so many discovered their accounts were locked for “security reasons” and needed to change their passwords in order to get back in.  Eventually the situation righted itself as everyone eventually was allowed to change their passwords (there’s more to that part of the story later). It’s been a week and Apple has yet to publicly comment on what caused the issue. That’s a problem.

Apple and other companies spend enormous resources to keep users and systems safe, guarding against privacy attacks and security hacks. Apple also spends mountains of marketing money touting its approach to security and privacy as a key selling point. All that’s well and good. We live in an age of online paranoia when every security alert, every email, every text, every phone call, every link we are prompted to click on is suspect. Apple Security Notifications are now in that list.

When folks started receiving prompts on their Apple devices to change their passwords and then discovering that they were locked out of their devices, that paranoia rippled across the Internet as social networks, forums, and support networks burbled with users wondering if this was a hack, a glitch on Apple’s end, or just another run of the mill online inconvenience. Depending on which Apple Support rep you got on the phone you were told there wasn’t a problem or helped to relog back in. The event was blamed on all sorts of culprits from foreign countries to AT&T after its recently revealed compromise. There was no messaging from Apple. There’s been none since.

There are some signs that it might have been a system update on Apple’s end. Gone wrong or right no one knows. Was Apple hacked and did it pull a maneuver to protect users? Was Apple attempting to update or perform system maintanence? No one knows. No one knows still.

John Gruber on Daring Fireball pointed to Apple’s Developer System Status dashboard that showed maintenance scheduled for that Friday evening and another scheduled for the next day under “Account.” So that may be a possibility. Without any communication from Apple users are left in the dark.

In my opinion most likely this incident may have been related to a backend maintainence issue. Yes, that’s a speculative opinion, but it’s based on my long (too long) experience trying to sort out ongoing iCloud failures with Apple Support. My personal conclusion is that Apple has problems with its backend operations that it either can’t figure out or is unwlling to devote enough resources to fix in a timely manner before it cycles into finishing up the next OS release.

Before I get to that, and what I experienced on April 27, let me just say that Apple (hell all companies because every company is online and subject to hacks) owe users open communication at the very least. Equally as important, Apple owes its own tech support personnel open and better communication on these problems. That’s the reason for the Part 2 in the title of this post. Apple not only refuses to give users accurate information, but does the same with its own tech support personnel. It’s been an ongoing issue and in the wake of this latest situation apparently extends far beyond the typically convenient and meaningless excuse that only “a small percentage of users were affected.” The events of April 27 may not have affected all users, but this time there was more than a “small percentage.”

Selfishly, as the evening unfolded and things started to feel very familiar, I actually hoped that the larger number of users reporting complaints might actually lead to some communication that could possibly help resolve my ongoing issues. But so far that’s not the case.

Friday Night’s Apple ID Fracas

My wife and I were watching an episode of Palm Royale on Apple TV+ via an Apple TV. A message popped up on the screen saying I needed to update my Apple ID password. I thought this was strange as I never recall having to enter my Apple ID password on an Apple TV before. Typically with my iPhone nearby signing in just “magically” happened.

I grabbed my iPhone and noticed the same message there and then the Apple ID Locked message appeared. My first thought, like so many others, was that I had been hacked or there was an issue on Apple’s end. I went to my iMac and fired up social media apps and also headed to Apple’s System Status webpage. Nothing helpful there, which isn’t surprising. But on social media I started seeing the typical “Is this happening to anyone else or is it just me?” posts start to scroll through my feeds. Chance Miller at 9to5 Mac was the first publication to report on the issue.

I then got the same notification on my iMac which cascaded to my other Apple devices. As the event unfolded I experienced a very similar series of events as told by Michael Tasi in his excellent blog post Janky Apple ID Security. There were some differences. Bottom line: I just couldn’t log back in after several attempts to change my password on my iPhone.

Logging in with a new password would fail, spinners would spin, and prompts would overlay causing a guessing game as to which button to push. At one point I got the following screen on my iMac.

It’s curious. The date I’m publishing this post is May 3 and as you can see above there’s supposedly a new device on my account that can’t be used to edit my information until May 3, 2024. Which device? Who knows? I’ve had use of all of my devices since I successfully relogged them back in with the new password on April 27 and I’ve since edited account details from the iMac, which I assume is the device in question since that’s were the notification popped up. But who knows?

At one point while attempting to change the password on my MacBook Air I was asked to enter the device password for my iPad mini. Again that’s curious. I had not yet attempted to change the password on that device or even attempted to wake it up.

After successfully changing my iCloud password and relogging back in to my iPhone, iPads and Macs, I was still unable to do so with my Apple TV and Apple Watch until I manually entered the new password on each device. Again, I’ve never previously had to enter an iCloud password on either device. Also curious, as of this writing I no longer am able to control my Apple TV with my iPhone or Apple Watch. Is that the mysterious “until May 3” device? So far that hasn’t resolved if it is.

The “Not” Fun and Games Didn’t Stop on Friday Night

After feeling relatively confident that my passwords on each device had been changed succesfully we finished watching the episode for Palm Royale and retired for the night. Note that my wife’s iPhone and iPad did not experience any of these issues. Neither did other family members I support.

The next morning I discovered that I had more to do in order to bring my devices back up to full speed. First, I had to relog in to Messages on each of my devices. I also discovered that all my App Speciifc Passwords had been deleted, which of course required creating new ones. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve done so with all of the apps that require them yet because all of the passwords were erased. I can’t remember which apps required them and which ones didn’t. Those I use frequently, such as Fantastical, let me know right away. I assume I’ll hear from the others as they rotate back into usage.

After searching social media and other sites I began to notice that users who had fallen prey to whatever this was experienced a range of issues, but not all of the same issues I did. Some experienced more and different ones. Those running HomeKit and HomePods (I don’t) had their own set of different issues. Folks were confused and waiting for an answer.

One of the confusing discoveries is how Stolen Device Protection is supposed to work. Supposedly if you’re in a “Familiar Location” you don’t have to endure the waiting period unless you set up the system to require it at all times. But others, searching Settings for “Familiar” or “Significant” Locations, (Settings/Privacy&Security/Location Services/System Services/Significant Locations) discovered that their “Familiar” home or work locations were recorded outside of the radius for it to be “trusted” leading to the one hour delay.

Tying This Incident to Ongoing Issues 

I won’t go into a blow by blow account with my iCloud Migraine issues. You can find those specifics in blog posts here, here, here, and here. That said, having to re-log into Messages after this event leads me to continue to believe that Apple has deeply rooted issues with iCloud. I’ve been fighting these issues (and Apple) for well over a year. Within the last five months or so a workaround that Dwight Silverman clued me into has been a way to get the ship righted in most instances when they reoccur.

Briefly, when I lose Universal Control, Sign in with Apple Watch, Handoff, Copy and Paste between devices, the fix is to sign out of Messages in iCloud and to sign back in. When these fuctions disappear from my Macs they are still available on iOS devices. I know it’s iCloud related from my conversations with Apple Support and because I always receive a notification that says I have to sign my Apple Watch into iCloud via my iPhone.

Note that there is no option to do so in the Apple Watch settings on the iPhone. An Apple Watch is signed in to iCloud when it is paired to an iPhone.

Dwight’s fix has worked most of the time. Often it will work right away. Other times I won’t be able to sign back in immediately, resulting in an endless spinner that eventaully times out.

One of the other odd things about this workaround is that often executing it on one of my Macs will fix the situation on both. Sometimes it will require me to execute the fix on each Mac. Occasionally it will fix things on one Mac and not on the other even when executed on both. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to this riddle.

I’ll know the workaround works when I get a notification that tells me WiFi calling is now an available option on my Macs follwed by notifications on my iOS devices that a new Mac is now available in iCloud. Which is strange given that a check of Settings always reveals both Macs being available on the account before, during and after the event.

When this doesn’t work I’ll perform a dance of the devices, turning them off and on in various sequences. Sometimes that works. Sometimes not. Sometimes I just need to wait things out and eventually things will right themselves.

That waiting corresponds with what I and other users have been cryptically (often very cryptically) told by Apple Support. Here’s a quote from Dan Moren’s experience:

. . . after perhaps 20 minutes on the phone, he seemed to hit on something. I heard him laugh and say something along the lines of “that explains it” and then, with my consent, put me on hold. When he came back, he said—and I’m not exactly quoting, but close enough: “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you any more than this, but all your services should be back up pretty much exactly 12 hours after they went down.”

I and others have also been told to wait 24 hours. Regardless of the length of the waiting period the “I can’t tell you any more than this” is always consistent.

Some Theories

I can’t offer any conclusion about the events of April 27 beyond what I’ve previously stated as speculation. What I can offer is that whatever caused that issue and how it was rectified by Apple has many similarities with these ongoing iCloud issues.

What is consistent is that they resurface each time Apple issues a beta update for iOS and macOS or a full release of same. What’s inconsistent is that sometimes the issues surface the morning of a release, sometimes the day after, sometimes the day before. NOTE: I do not run Betas on any of my devices.

What this tells me is that concurrent with those device operating system updates, beta or otherwise, Apple is issuing corresponding updates on the iCloud backend. That’s only logical, and it points up a flaw in the process. If you’re a beta tester you can and should expect issues. That’s what betas are for: to find issues. However, If you’re NOT a beta tester you should not be subjected to issues related to betas. 

When I’ve raised this timing issue with Apple Support I’ve gotten tacit agreement that it is an issue, but no definitive answer. My support dialogues through much of 2024 have consisted of me sending sysdiag files to Apple each and every time an OS update is released.

However, while I still religiously collect sysdiags to send each time the issues occur, the requests to send them stopped in March. That followed a period of time when I was asked to wait until after the next point release before submitting any further updates.

There was also a moment last fall when I was told that Apple engineers had recently put the issue back under investigation after the officlal release of Sonoma. I was told they thought they had solved it with Sonoma but realized shortly after they had not.

My theory of the moment, which I’ve expressed to Apple Support and gotten no official response to, is that with WWDC quickly approaching Apple has once again has put this on the back burner for current users in order to possibly address it in the next OS release. If my theory holds we might see the issue disappear at some point in this summer’s beta cycle or it will continue as it has since the days of Monterey.

Another theory I have, and that may tie in with the events of April 27, is that this somehow relates to when a user first set up an Apple ID. My initial Apple ID was a mac.com address and that’s followed me through the MobileMe era into the iCloud era. A number of users who experienced the problems on April 27 had mac.com addresses. I can’t speak to whether or not that was always the case with every user, but in trying to find solutions to my ongoing problems, many I’ve spoken with also acquired their first Apple IDs in the mac.com era.

Note that my wife and the family members I support all began their relationship with Apple in the iCloud generation. None of them experienced issues on April 27. None of them have experienced any of these issues that continue to plague me. That’s a small sample, but it fits within this theory of mine. I’ve also heard from some others who did not experience this April 27 issue that some have mac.com addresses at the root and some do not. So again, who knows?

Bottom Line: Fix and Communicate

Apple needs to solve whatever this long running problem with iCloud and Apple needs to communicate with its users and support personnel better. Certainly they need to do so when there are more acute failures such as that which occured on April 27, whether they be security related or just attempts to find a better solution. A week is much too long to wait for some sort of statement. We may all be At The Mercy of The Backend, but we don’t need to be at the mercy of poor communication. That’s a choice by a company. Contrary to what some might think or fear, saying there’s an issue and we can’t yet pin it down is a less bad PR move than going silent.

I use Apple products and follow Apple news throughout the evolutions of beta cycles into full blown releases. I like to follow that news. I don’t like and choose not to live and work through them. Each time Apple tries to improve things or add new features I know I’m going to experience failures before I can actually use the products and ecosystem as designed and advertised. And even after the situation may be fixed, worked around or righted, so far there’s no solution that has been able to solve the problems. To me that’s unacceptable.

It reminds me of days from my youth when I’d go out to start my old beater of a car and hold my breath wondering if it would actually turn over and start. Always a relief when it did. Always a pain in the ass when it didn’t and I’d have to lug out the jumper cables. Apple doesn’t make or sell beaters. But these issues sure are beating me down.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.

The iPad Is My Perfect Theatre Rehearsal Tool

For some the iPad can be a strange beast. For some the iPad is just what they need. Of course that depends on which iPad you might have or use. That’s where the “strange” comes in. Most of the follow the leader tech press thinks the iPad lineup is confusing. Following along, I happen to agree to an extent. If you know what you’re looking for it’s not that difficult a choice. But if you are in the market for the first time it can be confusing. There’s size differences. There’s iPad Pros, iPad Airs, just plain iPads, and then there’s the iPad mini.

Apple hasn’t helped with the confusion because it’s sent mixed signals along the way. I’m not one to be that concerned because my needs are clearly defined. I’m not looking to use an iPad as full computer replacement, though there have been times I’ve used it as such and reliably well. I’m in the game for mobility for both work and play. Frankly, while the lineup may seem confusing to the easily distracted,  the variety in the lineup does offer an array of choices.

My family is one example. For my wife an iPad is primarily a content consumption device. For me it serves that purpose, and is also an indispensible work platform. I keep up to date with current hardware. That’s my gadget geek side. My wife is still quite happy with a much older version. (It still has a Home button!) My wife defines the case for many that frustrates the “must have new hardware” and “growth at all costs” crowds. For lack of a better analogy, she sits in the larger main section of the theatre often referred to as the orchestra. I sit in the “always ready for the new thing” smaller mezzaine or balcony. That analogy flips the pricing equation on its head, given that the main floor tickets are usually higher priced, but I think it holds in terms of numbers.

I own the latest models of an 11-inch iPad Pro and also an iPad mini. Love them both. I use them in similar but different ways, fitting the tool to the job of the moment. I may be a gadget geek, but I’m primarily a theatre professional. Most of my work is directing plays. Both serve me well in my job. Currently, I’m working out of town on staging The Lehman Trilogy. Both the iPad Pro and the iPad mini suitably fill my down hours with entertainment and are reliable work horses for the gig. To be honest, their roles as tools are so familiar that to call my usage “rote” would be accurate.

Background

Back in the day I was a Tablet PC fan boy. I used them primarily as a work device in the theatre. I was at one time a Microsoft MVP for Tablet PC. Those devices allowed me to quit using paper scripts in rehearsal and write my notes directly into a digital script. I could set aside my beloved yellow legal pads and not so beloved folders of research and have everything handy in digital format on a Tablet PC. The debates then were over slates versus convertible Tablet PCs.

Microsoft screwed the pooch with Tablet PCs leaving the door open for Apple. And along came the iPad. It certainly wasn’t perfect for my work initially, but it offered promise. I can’t remember  how many different stylus solutions I went through (from Adonit to Zagg) until the Apple Pencil came along. Along the way I’ve tried most of the other tablet solutions but as far as my work needs are concerned the iPad is hands down the only viable choice. I include Microsoft’s Surface tablets in the reject pile.

My Work

When I’m doing a show, work includes reading and working from scripts; research gathering and consumption; using, taking and making notes in rehearsal as well as on the research. Working with scripts, once a page gets too filled with my indescipherable scribbles, I simply open another copy and start afresh. GoodNotes is my app of choice for this. (I’ve tried them all.) It’s an easy solution for scribbling notes in the margins of a script in prep or in actual rehearsal. It also provides a way for me to archive scripts once I’m done with a show.

As a director I often walk into rehearsal with a clean copy of the script so that I’m more focused on the actors and the text and less on my notes. It’s a snap (swipe?) to switch back and forth when I need to reference my notes or research. Time is money and a limited commodity in rehearsal and I have to maximize what time I’m given.

In the early days of staging I’m primarily using the iPad Pro. It’s a Goldilocks device as far as size goes. The text and my notes are large enough to read at a glance and the size of the device is easy to tote when I move around the theatre or rehearsal room. In the stages of rehearsal when I’m mostly taking notes as the actors rehearse what we’ve done, I switch to the iPad mini for even more mobility and a bit of discretion.

My research is ongoing, but primarily done prior to rehearsals beginning. I do some of that on the iPads, but use a Mac for quite a bit of it. Apple Notes is my app of choice for all of that research gathering, though I’ve tried many others and still do. Prepping for a day’s rehearsal when I may need specific research I’ll create a note with links to those notes, the research directly, or a work list and have them handy via Slide Over. I’m still not a fan of Stage Manager although I’ve given it several attempts to win me over.

Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message” in the 1960’s about human communication. For me, the same is true with my work tools. When I’m staging and working scenes the larger iPad Pro is the medium of choice and feels natural as I’m moving actors and scenery from moment to moment. When I’m watching and note-taking as the actors move through scenes on their own, the smaller iPad mini serves to remind me that I’m an observer, not a participant in the moment. If I move about the theatre while the actors are working it can be distracting if they see me a take a note. They can fall out of the moment and into a “what did I do wrong” mode of self-monitoring. So I try to be as discreet as possible.

Once we’re down to the final days of rehearsals and I have limited hours for giving notes I’ll actually return back to my Mac for preparation and organizing my notes for efficiently relaying them via email or in note sessions with the cast. Often I’ll use the Notes app on my iPhone when giving those notes in person. Once we invite the audience in for previews, I’ll stick with the smaller iPad mini for taking those notes, again for discretion purposes. When you tell an audience to put away their smartphones it’s not a good look to see a larger iPad light up while the director is taking notes. There was a time that I used a Samsung Galaxy Note in this scenario using OneNote or Evernote as the note-taking app. But those days are gone as my routine has become more focused.

For this current gig, we conducted some early table work and read-throughs of the script using Zoom. I’d be on my Mac, but have my script on the iPad Pro. My actors were using iPads for their scripts as well.

My work also consists of a lot of meetings and since I’m a now happily a freelance director I often travel for work. That means I’m often doing pre-production virtually using whatever video conferencing app the theatre uses. I’m also auditioning actors in virtual auditions. Video submissions also play a significant role. Both devices serve well in those aspects of the job, though I typically prefer the iPad Pro in those cases.

Play

Throughout this article I’ve also mentioned that I use both iPads for play as well as work. That is indeed the case. There’s downtime, and like many I use an iPad for consuming media and reading. I read a lot of scripts. The iPad mini is perfect for this whether I read the scripts as PDFs imported into Apple’s Books app, (my preference), in the Kindle app or in a PDF reader. As I’m working on this article on my Mac, I’m watching two football games in the background, one on the iPad Pro and one on the iPad mini.

Stall Surfing

Back in the day I often spoke and wrote about Tablet PCs as great Stall Surfing devices. Yeah, Stall Surfing. That thing you do when sitting on the toilet. You know you do it, whether it’s on a smartphone or a tablet. I’m here to tell you, that if nothing else, the iPad mini is the perfect Stall Surfing device. It’s sure beats reading scripts in paper or bound versions. I doubt we’ll ever see a marketing campaign featuring Stall Surfing, though.

Future Wishes

If I had a wish list for future iPads (both Pro and mini) it would be simple. I’ve heard talk that Apple might be moving away from the 11-inch size of the Pro models, thinking the Air liineup might be sufficient for most who need that size. I hope that’s not the case. It’s the perfect size and power house for my line of work. Sure, improve the larger Pros or make even larger ones, but don’t forget those of us who move around while we work and want a document sized device to work from that offers us power when we need it.

As for the iPad mini, I’d love to see that power up a bit in the next generation with an M-series processor. As to the design of both, I know new iPads without significant design changes can be boring to many. I’m not in that camp. I’d be content with these hardware designs for quite awhile to come. Both work exceptionally well for me as is. But I’m sure I’ll jump at the next models that come out regardless.

After all, I’m both a gadget and theatre geek.

The iPad Mystery That Isn’t Really a Mystery

Apple is about to unleash its annual storm of iPhone news next week when it unveils the 2023 edition of the computer that changed everything. There will be a flood of impressions initially, good and less than good, and we’ll be wading through high water right into the holiday season.

So why is it raining thoughts about iPads?

Goldiipads

Probably because it doesn’t look there will be much in the way of iPad news at this event. And from what we know of iPadOS the big news seems to be correcting the goofy mistakes made last year with Stage Manager. I also think that since this year’s iPhones and Apple Watches are rumored to be more interative than innovative, and much of the pent up energy is focused ahead to next year’s release of Apple’s Vision Pro, AND the predominant iPad rumor is that the 2024 iPad will feature big design changes, there’s room to kvetch a bit.

Don’t get me wrong about the iPhone. I don’t think iterative is a bad thing. The iPhone is mature platform. In and of itself that’s a great thing. But that doesn’t set the tech pundit heartbeats a-fluttering as much as the potential for bigger innovations.

Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the Internet. So why not talk about everyone’s favorite Apple mystery: iPad.

Why a mystery? No one seems to know exactly how to define this device. Including Apple.

Before moving on let me say this. I’m an iPad fan. I’ve owned most of them, currently the latest versions of the 11-inch iPad Pro and iPad mini. I use them both daily (along with Macs) for both work and play. I’m typing this currently on the iPad Pro while visiting family. There hasn’t been one too far from my reach since the first version. It’s my favorite work device and my favorite stall surfing device.

Here’s a quick summary of what some are saying:

Jason Snell of Six Colors kicked off this current wave by saying he’s Giving up the iPad-Only Travel Dream. He’d like to see the iPad capable of more functionality with Apple opening the platform up for developers and users to more easily extend it to their heart’s content.

John Gruber picked up and extended that argument on Daring Fireball.

Wes Davis on The Verge hammers the iPad sits in an awkward place argument.

Harry McCracken calls it a beautiful disappointment.

Jason McFadden asks the question Why do some want the iPad to be more than just a good tablet?

Denny Henke of Beardy Guy Musings thinks we’re perpertually moving goal posts in the discussion between touch-first casual users and power users who pound keyboards for a living.

I’m sure I missed a few.

None of them are wrong.

Much of the mystery isn’t really mysterious. It’s that there seems to be no Goldilocks answer. The pro-users want more and the extremes in that camp won’t be content until the Mac and the iPad are one and the same. In the middle, the iPad Air line offers most users much of what the Pro offers but holds back a bit. The iPad without a modifer offers even less, but compensates with a price point that makes it popular for those who just want to stream entertainment, do some browsing, FaceTime, or shut their kids up by letting them stream CoComelon.

And the iPad mini is caught somewhere in the middle. In my view the iPad mini is the most hindered by Apple’s attempts at segregating the lineup beyond size. Goldilocks might have called it “just right.” It’s the device I pick up the most.

Unless you measure success merely by sales charts, there’s nothing wrong with there being some confusing segmentation. On the other, what we currently know (and use) in all computing categories is constantly changing around and underneath our finger tips. Apple Silcon changed everything, including, I think, Apple’s plans. All you had to do was watch the “What’s a computer” commercials in the last decade to see where things seemed to be headed.

And if you think that spatial computing, the concept behind Apple’s Vision Pro, wasn’t in the works when those commericals were approved and aired, you’re mistaken. Whatever spatial computing is going to be it is going to profoundly change things.

It’s hard for the pundits when Apple’s cues aren’t easily decipherable. In my view it’s less, but still so for consumers. I’ve yet to read a review of any product in any category that calls it perfect without calling for more. Goodness knows how confusing things will be in the future if spatial computing’s future offers a lineup of products resembling anything  close to current speculation, from contact lenses to powerhouse gaming headsets.

So I say enjoy the ride while the riding’s good. There’s no Goldilocks iPad for all. There’s no Goldilocks computing platform for all. There probably shouldn’t be and I hope that always remains the case. Niches can be nice. And besides, we’d all be bored and begging for more anyway if the game just stopped. Just look at the lack of excitement about this year’s iPhones and Apple Watches.

Bloomberg: Apple Working on Touchscreen Macs for 2025

Oh my.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has published a rumor that Apple is working on touchscreen Macs aiming at 2025. Already the socials are filling up with excitement, consternation and predictions. This rumor/news will launch a half-zillion blog posts and fill up hours of podcast time between now and whenever, if ever, Apple does this.

Apple, Inc is working on adding touch screens to its Mac computers, a move that would defy long-held company orthodoxy and embrace an approach that co-founder Steve Jobs once called “ergonomically terrible.”

Apple engineers are actively engaged in the project, indicating that the company is seriously considering producing touch-screen Macs for the first time, according to people familiar with the efforts. Still, a launch hasn’t been finalized and the plans could change.

Already those who don’t like iPads are are jumping on the doom wagon for that class of devices. There’s room for plenty of speculation on that, but if and when this comes to be I doubt very seriously we’ll see the iPad disappear. And while Gurman talks about this defying company orthodoxy I find it a little tough to swallow that Apple hasn’t had a touchscreen Mac or two floating around its design studios until now.

But I’m not going to play the prediction game on any of this. It’s time to sit back and enjoy the show regardless of what device you’re enjoying it on.