Been scoping around the IKM forum since acquiring some IKM tools.  Man, these guys are HEAVY into iToyz for music.  I can't believe how many posts there are from active iProducers.
 
I can't imagine in my wildest thoughts wanting to use my phone or tablet for serious music stuff.  I mean, I don't even LISTEN to music on little toys, why MAKE music on them?
 
Whippersnappers - hrrrrummmph!

I can see using a tablet live for certain things, besides the obvious lyrics and charts. Considering that many keyboard players have been using laptops on stage for years, a tablet is not that much of a stretch - a current day iPad probably has more processing power than what they were using 5 or 6 years ago.
 
On the other hand, I think that maybe those iProducts have a lot of appeal for people who probably wouldn't be doing music otherwise. The iPad is everyman's "studio" and beat making device - not every one has a musical ear or a sense of rhythm, but nowadays, that no longer stop anyone.

+1
Seems  to me, most of them just like quick results and their creativity only comes from what's included in the electronic device.
 
There's no substitute for talent.....
 
 

On the other hand...
 
A very brilliant keyboard player friend of ours once got his iPhone out during dinner and start playing with a little keyboard. When I asked him about it, he said he used it all the time to record ideas and whatnot, on the subway and every where. Now, that guy is the exact opposite of a beat maker - he's a virtuoso keyboard player/musical director and works with the biggest names in the industry... And very tech-savvy.

I just sold a Tom Schultz Rockman that I had since 1981.  It was a pretty descent little practice tool for back in the day.  Was is something that I would seriously try to record from and cut an album on, no.   I wish I had all of these toys available to me when I was 18, many years ago.  They would have been really handy to write songs from and get basic arrangements laid out with other band members.   
 
In all honesty, I think Amplitube for iPad sounds better than that Rockman.  I guess I see them the same way, same type of tool, for the same application.  
 
I find IK products to be pretty descent.  Their T Racks plug ins are really good, Amplitube is my go to Sim and there iKlips and stage tools do a really good job for what they are intended.  Am I an IK Fanbouy, not really.  I just spend my money on things that work well and don't on the things I have no use for. 

michaelhanson
I just sold a Tom Schultz Rockman that I had since 1981.  It was a pretty descent little practice tool for back in the day.  Was is something that I would seriously try to record from and cut an album on, no.   I wish I had all of these toys available to me when I was 18, many years ago.  They would have been really handy to write songs from and get basic arrangements laid out with other band members.   
 
In all honesty, I think Amplitube for iPad sounds better than that Rockman.  I guess I see them the same way, same type of tool, for the same application.  
 
I find IK products to be pretty descent.  Their T Racks plug ins are really good, Amplitube is my go to Sim and there iKlips and stage tools do a really good job for what they are intended.  Am I an IK Fanbouy, not really.  I just spend my money on things that work well and don't on the things I have no use for. 

I'm really liking SampleTank and T-RackS.  I guess what got me thinking about this is it seems IK are going really far to the iSide.  I would hate to see the DAW tools get forgotten.

An iPhone or iPad is really just a mini computer. While it doesn't have the power of a fully blown DAW there is no reason why you can't use them for getting musical ideas off the ground or controlling other musical equipment. I mean look at the photo editing you can do on a phone. I have Lightroom on my iPhone and it's amazing.

Bingo, Sharke. It's pretty amazing what you can do on tablets and phones these days. I believe that anything IK sells for iPone/ IPad is available for Android as well. There is a pretty huge market potential for phone owners.

IK is like any company that plans on staying in business, they manufacture what sells. If Plug Ins sell, they will keep producing them. Us older guys with sustainable incomes are buying DAWs and Plug Ins, hence the Home Recording boom. Not to say that might change, but if there is a sustainable market, people will keep producing what sells.

Yeah they're just showing business savvy by catering to the younger crowd. For those of us who grew up without smartphones it does seem weird to use a phone for music but for Millennials who came of age with all of this mobile technology it seems like the most natural thing in the world to use a phone or tablet in this way. Music companies like IK wouldn't be able to survive on the revenue of us get-off-my-lawn'ers alone, so we can thank the bleepy blippy whippersnappers for keeping our favorite plugin manufacturers alive. Having said that, get off my friggin lawn!

Incidentally, I hear the Maschine app for iOS is a great little beatmaking tool, but I am unclear about whether it's useful to non-Maschine users. This thread has reminded me to investigate.