The entry price for a virtualization-optimized iPad Pro (née Ultra?) is $1600 USD for 4 performance cores, 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. Keyboard, pencil, LTE will push the cost over $2K.
Is that sufficient tribute for Apple to unlock M4 and iOS 18 support for nested virtualization of macOS and Linux? Until then, iSH Linux emulation on iPad Pro offers a functional CLI, patience exercises and redlined CPU cores for hand warming.
Different form factors and different use cases. They don't want to make a sub-par laptop out of an industry-leading tablet.
Why spend expensive silicon real estate on hardware virtualization rather than AI with Neural Engine?
Why make a Macbook-aesthetic Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro?
Why was iOS implemented as a subsystem of macOS?
> They don't want to make a sub-par laptop out of an industry-leading tablet
Fortunately for healthy competition, Microsoft/HP/Dell/Lenovo don't have that constraint for their new Arm devices, based on M3-competitive Qualcomm SoC from former Apple Silicon talent.
> Why spend expensive silicon real estate on hardware virtualization rather than AI with Neural Engine?
Security is one good reason. Virtualisation allows near-complete sandboxing of applications or application sets for mixed personal/corporate use.
> Why make a Macbook-aesthetic Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro?
Because people use iPads for writing e-mails sometimes.
> Why was iOS implemented as a subsystem of macOS?
Because it'd be easier to develop a single core for two different user interfaces.
> Fortunately for healthy competition, Microsoft/HP/Dell/Lenovo don't have that constraint for their new Arm devices, based on M3-competitive Qualcomm SoC from former Apple Silicon talent.
I'll not hold my breath waiting for Qualcomm (or anyone else, for that matter) to catch up. At least for now, Apple has blocked a lot of production capacity at leading process nodes.