Is the iPad Pro good enough to double as a serious desktop computer? If you ask Steven Sinofsky, former president of the Windows division at Microsoft, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
In a recent tweet, Sinofsky shared a photo of the setup for his “new desktop PC.” And, for a guy who made his name working for one of Apple’s long-time biggest competitors, it’s pretty darn Apple-centric.
New desktop PC. pic.twitter.com/b2OcaEgLEK
— Steven Sinofsky (@stevesi) May 25, 2020
In a separate tweet, Sinofsky breaks down the components for his new setup. These include a large 256GB iPad Pro, stand, Magic Keyboard, Trackpad 2, and Apple Pencil. Throw in a right angle cable for $5 and a 7-in-1 dongle for $10 and that comes to $1,561.
For everything people — including Microsoft — might say about an “Apple tax,” that’s a pretty reasonable cost for a desktop that can do a lot of what Sinofsky wants from it.
“The trackpad is a significant surprise in how fast and fluent it is,” Sinofsky writes. He notes that the “apps that don’t support the trackpad stand out and are essentially unusable.”
One of the many people to reply to the Twitter thread is former Mac executive, Jean-Louis Gassée. “Can’t wait to see how this will inspire others,” Gassée wrote.
Is Windows boss’s ‘desktop PC’ iPad setup for you?
Steven Sinofsky worked at Microsoft as president of the Windows division from mid-2009 until late 2012. His main contribution was the successful launch of Windows 7 after the disastrous Windows Vista. Since leaving Microsoft, Sinofsky has taken on a role as board partner at investor firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Would this “desktop PC” setup work for you? Do you have anything similar that you currently use as your day-to-day computing rig? Let us know in the comments below.
