iOS applications aren't all toys, far from it. The iPhone screen size is very limiting, but the Retina iPads such as the Air with 2048x1536 resolution are quite usable for a lot of stuff.

The iOS emulation of the EMS Synthi is perhaps the best there is. And just as weird and difficult to get a tune out of as the original.

I use Korg's iOS Ms-20 emulation quite a lot, it gives me something to construct patches on when I've a few minutes and don't want to fire up the real thing and it's also a useful kind of visual patch librarian for the hardware. The emulation isn't quite the same as my hardware but wmulations rarely are.

Inter-app audio makes quite a lot of things possible on an iPad, including multi-tracking into Cubasis or a similar "mini DAW". Nothing like as powerful or user friendly as a modern PC/Mac application and track freezing is pretty much essential, but it's certainly usable. Things like Korg's Gadget are much simpler, but that doesn't mean music can't be made with them.

iOS also MIDI networks very well which opens up all kinds of possibilities, including as a control surface.

As tablets get more powerful I can see them taking over from laptops for a lot of live performance work.

tlw

As tablets get more powerful I can see them taking over from laptops for a lot of live performance work.

Woootttt ... I can mail in my performance!

Moshkito

tlw

As tablets get more powerful I can see them taking over from laptops for a lot of live performance work.

Woootttt ... I can mail in my performance!

First you need to get Sample Tank2 to work rooooight?
 
Oh Craig??

Mesh

Moshkito

tlw

As tablets get more powerful I can see them taking over from laptops for a lot of live performance work.

Woootttt ... I can mail in my performance!

First you need to get Sample Tank2 to work rooooight?
 
Oh Craig??

Have it ... I hope to be able to do more music next month, when I have some time off.
 

I have a 10" Android (ICS) tablet that I've been using as a Big Chair Surfer for a couple of years.  I've tried more sophisticated apps, but I just can't make myself use it for anything remotely serious.
 
I don't think I'm THAT old ... certainly not as old as some The Ancients here. 
 
I do keep a DR-05 handy when I'm away to hum and otherwise make noises into when I get an idea away from home.  But I just use my phone for talking.  I do some TEXTing using an auto speech-to-text-to-speech feature that's pretty cool

Given the option, I'll always prefer mouse, keyboard and hardware controller to anything touch-screen. I can't imagine doing serious work for long periods of time with a touch screen. No matter how the display is set, it always seems uncomfortable and anti-ergonomic.
 
But there's a new generation out there who seem to be physically well-adapted to those devices.

Rain
But there's a new generation out there who seem to be physically well-adapted to those devices.

Yep.

Rain
Given the option, I'll always prefer mouse, keyboard and hardware controller to anything touch-screen. I can't imagine doing serious work for long periods of time with a touch screen. No matter how the display is set, it always seems uncomfortable and anti-ergonomic.
 
But there's a new generation out there who seem to be physically well-adapted to those devices.

How do they gain any experiences in life to write music about if they spend all of their time glued to their phones?