As much as I like Samsung’s new foldable phone, their DeX program which debuted about two years ago is ultimately a more meaningful development.
I love the direction that Samsung is going with their DeX program for their Galaxy line of phones. I’m not “envious” of it because a lot of the software for Android sucks on large screens. But something like this on the iOS platform would be killer. Software for the iPad is relatively plentiful and would scale up to a monitor quite well. This article from Tom’s Guide came out last fall and I’ve been meaning to write about it ever since because it stoked a desire which I have that just won’t go away.
Overall, the Note 9 and DeX worked hand in glove with each other. They kept me on track with my work, and when I finished all my tasks, DeX kept me entertained on a bigger screen than the one that my phone offered.
For that reason, DeX seems like magic to me: I was able to use a big display to write, do research and edit images without feeling cramped. Yet, I was carrying a phone, not a notebook, making DeX an essential part of traveling light.—Brian Nadel, Tom’s Guide
For years, I’ve been watching various types of “hybrid” office professionals struggle with using their corporate issued iOS phones and Windows laptops together. It all seems so wasteful. People take their phones everywhere with them and use them to manage their to-do items or calendar. And yet, they do most of their heavy-lifting work at their desk on a laptop computer.
Production supervisors, warehouse managers, and quality control analysts are all examples of jobs where people are trying to juggle two separate walled-off devices. Manufacturing plants, warehouses, and retail stores all have professionals who spend much of their time away from their desk. Sales people are a whole other group that probably outnumbers everyone else. Then there’s corporate professionals like myself who travel a lot and have to lug a big heavy laptop home every day or through airports. It makes no sense. No one values the attached 13” laptop screen or keyboard. We all want at least 22” monitors and big keyboards with a number pad.
With phone and tablet processors now rivaling intel processors one has to ask why it is necessary to have separate devices any more? Why can’t we just hook our phones up to monitors? Imagine that Apple made AirPlay computer monitors that could display apps from your iPhone? It would be so nice to just put my phone in my pocket and go home for the day versus packing up my laptop and strapping on my backpack. <<< sigh >>> One can dream
Journalists and developers are the two biggest groups who write commentary on Apple’s hardware. And yet, these are the two biggest groups who are the least likely to understand everyone else’s fascination with using mobile devices as their main workhorse. These are people who sit at their desk all the time and assume that’s how most work is done. As a consequence, no one is pushing Apple to go down this road.
But the corporate IT department, who controls the purse strings, may actually get on board with a phone-centric ecosystem. This group typically cares more about their annual budget than they do about adding value to the organization. Sorry, but that’s been the truth every where I’ve worked. As an aside, it’s a mistake to allow a separate department own the budget for all corporate tech purchases. But even this myopic group may see the value in only buying one $1,000 device versus a $1,000 laptop and a $700 phone.
Samsung has made a promising start with their DeX system. That’s where the future needs to go. But unfortunately, no one on the Apple side besides me seems to be able to see it.
Overall, the Note 9 and DeX worked hand in glove with each other. They kept me on track with my work, and when I finished all my tasks, DeX kept me entertained on a bigger screen than the one that my phone offered.
For that reason, DeX seems like magic to me: I was able to use a big display to write, do research and edit images without feeling cramped. Yet, I was carrying a phone, not a notebook, making DeX an essential part of traveling light.—Brian Nadel, Tom’s Guide
For years, I’ve been watching various types of “hybrid” office professionals struggle with using their corporate issued iOS phones and Windows laptops together. It all seems so wasteful. People take their phones everywhere with them and use them to manage their to-do items or calendar. And yet, they do most of their heavy-lifting work at their desk on a laptop computer.
Production supervisors, warehouse managers, and quality control analysts are all examples of jobs where people are trying to juggle two separate walled-off devices. Manufacturing plants, warehouses, and retail stores all have professionals who spend much of their time away from their desk. Sales people are a whole other group that probably outnumbers everyone else. Then there’s corporate professionals like myself who travel a lot and have to lug a big heavy laptop home every day or through airports. It makes no sense. No one values the attached 13” laptop screen or keyboard. We all want at least 22” monitors and big keyboards with a number pad.
With phone and tablet processors now rivaling intel processors one has to ask why it is necessary to have separate devices any more? Why can’t we just hook our phones up to monitors? Imagine that Apple made AirPlay computer monitors that could display apps from your iPhone? It would be so nice to just put my phone in my pocket and go home for the day versus packing up my laptop and strapping on my backpack. <<< sigh >>> One can dream
Journalists and developers are the two biggest groups who write commentary on Apple’s hardware. And yet, these are the two biggest groups who are the least likely to understand everyone else’s fascination with using mobile devices as their main workhorse. These are people who sit at their desk all the time and assume that’s how most work is done. As a consequence, no one is pushing Apple to go down this road.
But the corporate IT department, who controls the purse strings, may actually get on board with a phone-centric ecosystem. This group typically cares more about their annual budget than they do about adding value to the organization. Sorry, but that’s been the truth every where I’ve worked. As an aside, it’s a mistake to allow a separate department own the budget for all corporate tech purchases. But even this myopic group may see the value in only buying one $1,000 device versus a $1,000 laptop and a $700 phone.
Samsung has made a promising start with their DeX system. That’s where the future needs to go. But unfortunately, no one on the Apple side besides me seems to be able to see it.
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