UTM Burns through the iPad Air 13!
Technically, it is done. The tedious task of coaxing the full-fledged UTM (not SE!) to run on the Apple iPad Air 13 was completed with the help of my MacBook Pro M2 Pro, exchanging pairing codes, Jitterbug package and enabling JIT…the whole works.
I chose Debian OS for the trial and the installation sped through the tablet in a blaze, with the tablet very quickly turning from warm to unpleasant to the touch in a span of minutes. Mind you, this is just a M2 silicon we are talking about, not the A17 Pro.
Comparatively, enabling JIT gave the OS significant freedom to crunch through the ARM OS installation, abandoning what Apple miserly only allowed - TCTI under UTM SE.
As I hacked through the layers of protective elements of the iPad OS 17.5.1, I could finally, after a full day, see the results of my trial…at a huge expense of her processor and battery life.
In short, yes a full-fledged OS can finally be hosted on an Apple tablet but only enough to navigate past the most basic workflows. Is it enough for prime time? I am afraid I have to disappoint today by saying a no.
Would a M4 make a real difference here? No to this question too. I honestly do not believe it would.
I may have to give in and possibly return this tablet back to Apple and resume my life with the iPad Pro 12.9 A12X instead. She did not deliver what I hope she would…even with her mighty M processor.
A deliberate move that truly demands a deliberate response - To return the Apple iPad Air 13 and get a full refund.
Apology to those who was hoping it could have turned out differently…
