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Ask HN: How long until docked phones provide fully featured desktop experience?

4 points by dojitza1 ↗ HN
With the advent of M1 macs, how long until we see a fully featured desktop OS-level experience on a docked phone? I believe this will be the next big product by Apple. How about Windows? Microsoft imagined Windows 10 as a hybrid platform, but the phones never took off. Will we see a new android based desktop experience from Google? How far from this is the libre community with their solutions (like Pine and Purism)?

9 comments

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emteycz
5 years ago, when my new phone got as good as my laptop.

Now the software... I feel like it's being redone for the fourth time.

pjc50
Microsoft Continuum, some years ago. Or even the Motorola Lapdock.

It turns out that the UX affordances are sufficiently different between a small touchscreen and keyboard/mouse/monitor that the software has to look completely different. Attempting to get it to automatically adapt (Metro) is an even bigger stretch than responsive web design.

While it's quite possible that Apple will eventually release an iOS desktop, I don't think using the same device for both will ever work properly.

dojitza1
I don't see why you can't share some and keep some isolated. Share the file system that stores media and documents, and isolate the platform specific files. Use the same cpu/ram/gpu for both. This way you don't reinvent neither the mobile or the desktop os. To me it seems the only work is in glueing the two systems together and making sure that apps actually run on the desktop version and the underlying hardware (currently in progress for M1 macs)
pjc50
> Share the file system that stores media and documents

This is what the cloud is for. You're now going to tell me that you don't like that and would prefer local-only storage, but it seems like the vast majority of home and corporate users prefer otherwise.

> Use the same cpu/ram/gpu for both.

.. attached to your display and keyboard by a single USB-C connector. Or I suppose Miracast.

This turns into "would you like to buy a surprisingly not-cheap dock that's useless without the phone, or a separate computer that's properly adapted for its use case". Like 3D movies, it's something that the industry periodically comes up with, pushes for a while, and nobody actually wants because the compromises are too much of a downside.

It's far more likely that "smart home" and "smart TV" stuff will, very slowly, converge into a single integrated ecosystem where you can easily use your phone to control Netflix on the TV. "Casting" (a la chromecast) shows the way forwards.

Someone
Why would Apple provide that, and sell you one device where, now, they sell you two? I don’t see them increasing phone prices to make up for that.

Also, quite a few people say they need 32/64 Gb of RAM, multiple high resolution monitors, large disks, huge graphics cards, etc. I don’t see a phone-sized device ever driving that, as needs will grow with hardware speed ups.

dojitza1
Some of the ultrabooks aren't far from the specs of a modern flagship smartphone. Also, I believe that you are dismissing what seems to be the predominant smartphone customer - one who uses the device to consume entertainment.

As for the 'there is no money in that' argument I believe that there is plenty of money in various iDOCKS, accessories, doodads and similar.

Because of that, I don't buy this particular theory - the first of the big players that provides a workable and friction free product will surely have it worth their while.

Someone
I think it is a stretch to claim ultrabooks provide the full desktop experience.

Also, for that predominant customer houses the device for consuming entertainment, I would think Apple TV + HomePod is more friction-free than a desktop could be.

Televisions have larger screens and are placed in better locations inside the house for that role.

linmob
Sorry for replying so late, I don’t scan Hacker News all the time.

I have been following this phantasy for a long time (starting with the Atrix lapdock, continuing with the Nexus 4 running Ubuntu Touch and a SlimPort dongle, Nexus 5 and MaruOS and ...

Now I have a PinePhone and even made a few videos for YouTube (PeerTube, LBRY) demoing Phosh (the Phone Shell developed by Purism), Plasma Mobile and also Plasma Desktop and Gnome (the Mobile Shells have improved since, as they are still in early development). Honestly, Gnome and Plasma Desktop felt way better than their mobile counterparts. I think that this is not just familiarity, but also that they are made for the use case primarily.