Apple took a giant step in closing the gap between iPads and traditional computers this year, thanks to the iPad Pro launch. In reality, Apple’s 2020 iPad Pro is not marketed as a laptop replacement, but it comes with a series of changes that make it a compelling laptop alternative on the market.
To get a sense of iPad’s progress, YouTuber Hacking Jules shows a video that tells you how to install Mac OS X Leopard on the 2020 iPad Pro without jail-breaking the device. I already watched the video and was blown away with what the new iPad Pro could do.
Performance
Let’s start with the performance. The new iPad Pro features the Apple A12Z Bionic processor under the hood. Basically, that’s the same as the A12X Bionic chip used in the 2018 model, but with eight processing cores instead of seven. The new chip can reach a clock speed of 2.49GHz, which is closer to the most common CPUs found in advanced notebooks today.
Also read: 2020 MacBook Air vs 2020 IPad Pro: Which to buy
In reality, I got the chance the use the iPad Pro for some time, and I did not see a huge difference between the 2020 model and 2018 model. Both handled everything we threw at them, but the octa-core CPU really makes a difference when it comes to photo-editing tasks. Indeed, the 2020 model was about 10 seconds faster when I performed some complex edits in Affinity Photo. It was also faster than the 2020 MacBook Air with 1.1GHz Dual-Core Core i3 Processor.
So, can the 2020 iPad Pro run Mac OS X?
The answer is Yes. Apple’s latest tablet can run Mac OS X Leopard without any flaws. In his video, Hacking Jules tried to install Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 on 2020 iPad Pro using UTM Emulator and it worked like a charm.
For those who don’t know, the UTM Emulator is a popular app that allows you to run virtual machines on iOS devices. With UTM, you can even run Windows 10 and Linux on your iPhone or iPad without any restrictions.
However, the YouTube only showed off running macOS X Leopard on the iPad Pro. Well, that’s an old version of macOS which was first released 2007. And I am not sure if the tablet can run a modern macOS version.
In the video, he installed the macOS X Leopard on the 2020 iPad Pro (11-inch) running iPadOS 13.4.1. You should see that he can choose which operating system he wants his tablet to boot into (macOS X or Windows XP). The tablet took about 20 seconds to boot into macOS X. You can see the Terminal, some of MacOS built-in apps, the classic Dock, and even Microsoft Office.
With iPadOS 13.4.1, the iPad Pro now supports computer mice, keyboard, and trackpads, making a good laptop replacement. However, I don’t recommend you try installing macOS X, as running virtual machines on the iPad Pro remains unstable.
The Bottom Line
Apple is moving towards closing the gap between the iPad Pro and laptops. With fast performance, long-lasting battery life, and trackpad support, the 2020 iPad Pro is great alternative to traditional notebooks.
However, iPadOS is still not as capable as macOS and Windows. To be honest, iPadOS was specifically designed to work on mobile in mind, so a lot of apps currently lack a great many features found in the desktop version.
The iPad Pro may be a good option for artists and designers who want to use their tablet as a second monitor or a drawing device for their Mac or PC. We are still not at the point where the iPad is a full-fledged computer, but Apple just took a big step to accomplishing that goal when it released the 2020 iPad Pro.
Got any questions? Let us know in the comments below.
