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the automatic
the automatic
Participant
April 21, 2021
Answered

M1 iPad Pro Applications

  • April 21, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 2499 views

Hi, 

 

I administer a group of 30 or so Mac's for our design department, Video and photography departments, we are due to upgrade in the near future, I was hoping to go for a Hybrid model for our teams going forward so was looking at these new M1 iPad pros as the devices for use in our teams with screens and keyboards remaining in the office and the same remaining at team members homes. So my question is really will Adobe be releasing universal apps which equally run on the Desktops and iPad's with the same feature set. posted her in the InDesign area as Im looking to upgrade the design team first.

 

So is it going to happen? 

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Dov Isaacs

    The problem is very simple. 

     

    The full power of InDesign is predicated on the ability to access a file system. Best practice with InDesign typically has a minimal base InDesign .INDD file with externally-stored assets (images, vector artwork, fonts, etc.). iPadOS assumes that a program's assets are stored with the application itself or that the application relies on cloud storage. Then there are the issues of fonts, ICC color profiles, spot color definitions, etc.

    It was actually much easier to have MacOS <=> Windows compatibility for InDesign (which was there from day 1 for InDesign 1.0) that it would be to have MacOS <=> iPadOS compatibility!

     

    And in terms of actual use, of all the Adobe applications other than FrameMaker, InDesign is generally text intensive which certainly doesn't bode well for a device that doesn't have a native keyboard and for which the add-on keyboards are generally anything but industrial-strength and ergonomically sound.

    By the time you are done getting an iPad Pro with a “large” screen along with an accessory pen as well as a keyboard, you might as well get a MacBook.

     

    In terms of M1 chip-equipped Macs, I would strongly recommend not attempting to run InDesign on such systems using Rosetta 2. An ARM-native version of InDesign is in development and should be available in the not too distant future.

     

    3 replies

    Dov Isaacs
    Dov IsaacsCorrect answer
    Legend
    April 21, 2021

    The problem is very simple. 

     

    The full power of InDesign is predicated on the ability to access a file system. Best practice with InDesign typically has a minimal base InDesign .INDD file with externally-stored assets (images, vector artwork, fonts, etc.). iPadOS assumes that a program's assets are stored with the application itself or that the application relies on cloud storage. Then there are the issues of fonts, ICC color profiles, spot color definitions, etc.

    It was actually much easier to have MacOS <=> Windows compatibility for InDesign (which was there from day 1 for InDesign 1.0) that it would be to have MacOS <=> iPadOS compatibility!

     

    And in terms of actual use, of all the Adobe applications other than FrameMaker, InDesign is generally text intensive which certainly doesn't bode well for a device that doesn't have a native keyboard and for which the add-on keyboards are generally anything but industrial-strength and ergonomically sound.

    By the time you are done getting an iPad Pro with a “large” screen along with an accessory pen as well as a keyboard, you might as well get a MacBook.

     

    In terms of M1 chip-equipped Macs, I would strongly recommend not attempting to run InDesign on such systems using Rosetta 2. An ARM-native version of InDesign is in development and should be available in the not too distant future.

     

    - Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
      the automatic
      the automaticAuthor
      Participant
      April 22, 2021

      Brilliant, just the answer  needed, thanks for taking the time to fully explain.

       

      Best

       

      Chris

       

      L
      Community Expert
      LaubenderCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      April 21, 2021

      Well, the dim future is exactly that, "dim".

       

      Regards,
      Uwe Laubender

      ( ACP )

        L
        Community Expert
        LaubenderCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        April 21, 2021

        In regards to InDesign, for a foreseeable future: No.

         

        Regards,
        Uwe Laubender

        ( ACP )

        the automatic
        the automaticAuthor
        Participant
        April 21, 2021

        Ahh, ok. so in the dim future, Maybe?

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