The Orchestra
That has been the answer so far and it seems that it will remain this way as it is Apple's vision and belief (which is and has been working just fine) up until today. MacBooks and iPads will NOT merge like Microsofts Surface Book which came out recently.
You see... it's not like there isn't a target market for this kind of product, UK Business Insider mag published that an expectation of 50 to 100 thousand units can be expected to be sold in the fourth quarter of 2015 for Microsoft. The real fact is that Apple truly believes in the strength in the gap between tablets and computer and smartphones; not just for profit but specially with the digital environment that these products entail.
Bringing these products together means you would have to fuse iOS and OSX which is a BIG mistake. Don't believe me? Ask ANY iPad Pro user in the last weeks if they believe that the iPad Pro could replace their MacBook? The answer is NO, not because it lacks processing power (even if it is a TITAN at working with multiple apps and even multiple heavy apps), but actually because there still is a gap between their ecosystem of apps and more importantly Software.
But fear not, continuity is always here to help you more than ever and that is something Android or Windows cannot yet truly understand or apply. Let's take Windows 10 as an example, Continuum is what they call their version of diluting their gap between computers and smartphones. It came to the market earlier this year and what it does essentially is what windows knows best: make PCs, and in this case turn your mobile device into a PC. The apps you are running on your phone will go full screen mode on a PC and you can work from there, of course that is good to help you work on something like mail but really the idea shouldn't be to TURN your phone INTO a PC... Think about it... They are different devices for different purposes: you computer creates and works in a very different way than your tablet, which is why it is a better device for consuming video or to read or play games, and that contrasts with your smartphone in that it is an everyday use (texting, calling, social media) and will create better video and photo content and will notify you better (MUCH BETTER) with a smartwatch. You can't expect to fuse these categories in search of "one device to rule them all".
I do understand that this "gap" also is utilized to create more profit, but I also do believe that if one day we do get an "all-in-one" device and it gets rid of the need for multiple devices for different uses it will not be these laptop/tablets that have been coming out. Those are not even the "beginning of something larger"; as is the smartwatch industry which when you get a hold of an Apple Watch you realize that this first generation product could become something much larger.
I do understand that this "gap" also is utilized to create more profit, but I also do believe that if one day we do get an "all-in-one" device and it gets rid of the need for multiple devices for different uses it will not be these laptop/tablets that have been coming out. Those are not even the "beginning of something larger"; as is the smartwatch industry which when you get a hold of an Apple Watch you realize that this first generation product could become something much larger.
Put in a different more clear way: Apple takes their devices and makes the transition between them seamless. I use my Apple watch all day to know when the notifications i get are important and only then take my iPhone out. Then have my iPad with me at all times to sit back and read or watch videos or write some ideas down... or now all at the same time thanks to side by side in iOS 9; then come home to enjoy working through my ideas and get work done with my MacBook Air while i AirPlay video content onto my AppleTV. I do not want to be confused by trying to do all of the above in one device, an ecosystem is much more complex and fulfilling than a single confusing organism which tries to play every part in the play and expect you to be amazed with a one man band when you want to applaud an orchestra.
