Driving 4K screens from a tablet isn't that far off. It depends what you want to show on them of course, but just outputting 4K isn't that hard.
> connect to multiple peripherals at once
You're not supposed to have peripherals any more. Your touch screen, the cloud, and that's it. If necessary, hardware devices now connect to the cloud directly (while joining a botnet).
> talk to disk drives
You're supposed to buy more iCloud storage and have an infinite throughput connection.
As I wrote, work that people can do with tablets, which fits with the above, they already do. But people care for desktops/laptops for all the other work you can't do without "peripherals", and with just "the cloud and that's it".
If we all just used web apps nobody would have cared for a desktop that much.
Besides, last time I've checked, the speed of light, which provides the lower limit for latency, is not changing anytime soon.
>You're supposed to buy more iCloud storage and have an infinite throughput connection.
A, I get it, it's a mockery of some supposed Apple idea. I don't think they are to that. If anything Google, with the Google office suite, Google run-everything-within-Chrome chromebooks etc is.
Apple is not really about convergence on the iOS -- they get the different uses cases for PC vs tablet-phone form factors and have made several statements to that effect -- they just don't care that much for the former.
I don't disagree. But is that market large enough for Apple to care about? Apple is pretty focused with its product line and it might not make sense for them to continue investing into the desktop market.
Some huge breakthrough in CPU power and technology aside, including changes to the laws of physics and basic ergonomics, we are not going to be doing desktopy-style work on iOS style devices -- unless they get the ability to drive large 4K+ monitors, connect to multiple peripherals at once, talk to disk drives, etc.
And even that would require hooking them with keyboards, stands etc for comfortable working.
People care for laptops/desktops for all the OTHER work and usage patterns that are not good fit for iOS/iDevice form factors.