Windows Tablet App - urgently needed.

[CJGould]

TLDR: We urgently need a Windows tablet app, as a growing proportion of creatives work on Surface devices (or similar) and Affinity products simply do not work on these. 

I am going to copy paste a post I made elsewhere, as I think that this is a crucial issue.

 

PC's are no longer just desktops. A good proportion of Windows users use a two in one device - essentially a tablet (like an iPad). Yet, we do not have a specific tablet app for windows. In addition, users have been requesting this for many years now, and it still has not been addressed. It is almost impossible to work with any Affinity app on a Surface (or similar) device - yet 3-in-1 (or Windows tablet) are the preferred platforms for creatives. The inability to use the touchscreen to rotate the canvas, or double tap for undo, as well as trying to work with an interface designed for larger screens has had me looking for alternatives. Yet, I am fixed in my ways and have been using Serif products since the first DTP - way, way back. Therefore, I am hoping for a solution from Serif.

For the time being, I am using an app called Leonardo (which has all of the features that Photo and Designer should have) for drawing and preliminary work, then finishing on desktop (good job I still have one!). 

This is an issue the Affinity needs to address urgently, or they will be left behind and alternative will rise to the surface (pun intended).

Here is some data to back this up (from AI)

 

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Desktop to Laptop Shift

• Global laptop revenue is projected to hit $150 billion by 2025, while desktop PC sales are expected to drop by $54 billion in the same period.
• In the U.S., laptop sales are expected to generate $37 billion by 2025, compared to a 12% drop in desktop sales.
• The shift is driven by mobility, remote work, and hybrid lifestyles, with users favoring devices that can move between home, office, and travel.

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Laptop to 2-in-1 Devices Shift

• The 2-in-1 laptop market is growing at a CAGR of 14–21%, depending on the source, with forecasts reaching $34 billion by 2032.
• These devices combine the portability of tablets with the productivity of laptops, making them ideal for professionals, students, and creatives.
• Detachable Chromebooks and Windows-based convertibles are gaining traction, especially in education and budget-conscious markets.
• Features like stylus support, 360° hinges, and detachable keyboards are driving adoption across sectors — from business to healthcare to design.

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Future Trends & Market Signals

• Remote work and online learning continue to fuel demand for flexible devices.
• Stylus-enabled 2-in-1s are becoming more popular among creatives and professionals who need precision input.
• Windows remains dominant, but Chrome OS and Android are growing in education and entry-level segments.
• Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region, with rising demand in India and China.
• Manufacturers like Microsoft, Asus, Lenovo, HP, and Dell are investing heavily in R&D to push innovation in this space.

[Alfred]

11 minutes ago, CJGould said:

I am going to copy paste a post I made elsewhere, as I think that this is a crucial issue.

Why copy and paste? Doesn’t a crucial issue deserve a link to the previous discussion so that we can see what other users have already said?

 

[CJGould]

UI change on Windows with Surface Pro - Feedback for the Affinity V2 Suite of Products - Affinity | Forum

 

[Junk Stuff]

I 100% agree. There needs to be a tablet MODE for this software. And even within Tablet mode should have subcategories like drawing or Photo editing est. 

[CJGould]

"should have subcategories like drawing or Photo editing" that sure would be nice. Photo is not great for drawing. At the moment I use Leonardo or Clip Studio (which has an even more cluttered UI) but is far superior for sketching or drawing. 

I think the clue is in the title Affinity Photo (rather than 'Affinity Draw'). Affinity has two routes (if they want to take either). First, they could challenge the supremacy of Photoshop by making the drawing experience more robust. Or they work on a separate member of the family focused more on drawing and digital art. I would prefer the latter (which would also bring Serif more income, which would be important for a non-subscription model). However, by adding just two features, (ability to rotate canvas with touch, and having the menus slide out of view when the pen touches the actual canvas) would add enough functionality to satisfy most digital artists. 

I left Photoshop long before it was fashionable to do so and have a long-standing loyalty to the Affinity brand, which is why I would wish for a separate 'Affinity Draw'.

For now, a work around is this:

Get a small handheld gamepad (I use the 8Bitdo Lite, which is small enough to sit flat in your palm).

Get a program called 'Joytokey' - which allows you to map the buttons on the gamepad to the main Affinity shortcuts that you need (for example, I map Zoom in and out and rotate left and right to the left cross pad on the controller). Not ideal, but once the muscle memory kicks in it is pretty intuitive. 

 

[Alfred]

4 hours ago, CJGould said:

I would wish for a separate 'Affinity Draw'

Affinity Designer is a hybrid vector/raster drawing app, but (unlike Affinity Photo) it doesn’t support Photoshop-compatible ‘Effects’ filters. Manipulation of vectors in Affinity Photo is relatively limited.

[Just Asking Questions]

As someone who sells, installs, and maintains computer systems for everything from grandma to use for Facebook to cities/PDs/FDs etc and has for the past 30+ years, I will have to disagree with your AI generated stats. Yes, while people and some companies are moving from desktops to laptops, the only Surface tablets I have customers using right now are used in place of desktops, rarely moving at all. 100% of the "creative" types (predominately in-house design teams, and small design companies) are using Apple products. While I do occasionally have customers with 2-in-1 laptops, I have never actually seen one of them use it as a tablet. Yes, I only see a very small segment, but it is still real experience vs AI guesses. 

Looking for real stats online reveals articles such as https://www.techedt.com/microsofts-q4-cloud-revenue-soars-while-surface-sales-dip which says "Surface revenue has declined for seven straight quarters." That includes up to Q4 2024 so pretty recent. This is not meant to be antagonistic, just pointing out why Affinity may not be in a big hurry to jump in a declining market segment.

Another hurdle would be the new ARM platform. Do Affinity apps run on this platform at all? Does Leonardo? Or are you only talking about the Intel powered ones?

That being said, it seems they could possibly work towards being more Windows tablet friendly without investing a huge amount of time and money to do so. My gut tells me you might get more traction asking for features that would make your experience on Surface devices better instead of suggesting a new "app". Just my opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it.

[Alfred]

19 minutes ago, Just Asking Questions said:

Another hurdle would be the new ARM platform. Do Affinity apps run on this platform at all?

Each of the current Windows versions of the Affinity apps offers a choice between MSIX and MSI/EXE, and between x64 and ARM64.

[CJGould]

@Just asking questions.

Obviously, I will confer (to some extent) to your real-world experience over an AI generated response (which is why I made it clear that it was an AI response).

However, I made it clear in my original post that I am specifically talking about the need for a Windows based tablet solution (Affinity already provide one for iPad/Apple users) and this is the central thrust of my post. 

Secondly, I said Surface (or similar) devices. I am not at all surprised that Surface devices are losing sales, as you can get similar devices for the same price as a surface with cover and keyboard included (case in point the Asus ProArt PZ13 or the even cheaper MINISFORUM V3). I may not work in computer systems, but I do work in the creative industry and talk to a lot of people who are migrating to these machines at a pace (for obvious reasons).

I do not think that the points that you have made negate the needs for a solution for windows users who are using tablets and 2-in-1s on a daily basis. 

My motivation for this post is to ask Serif to face the shifting market with Windows based creative users and provide us with a solution. 

"My gut tells me you might get more traction asking for features that would make your experience on Surface devices better instead of suggesting a new "app"."

Well, there are really two levels to my post (and perhaps I should have not confused the issue by contemplating the second - but it was on my mind). The 'urgent' need is for Windows users to have parity with Apple users - as simple at that. As you mention, this should not be a difficult feat, as this option has been implemented for the iPad (the code may not be there, but the concept is). 

The broader point (which is not really part of this suggestion - so, 'my bad') is that Affinity products are not adequate for drawing and painting, which is why most artists use alternatives. The point is that there is a potential market to 'draw' revenue from. It seems logical to me (from a business perspective, and a logical perspective), that this would be easier to develop (and more profitable) outside of the existing apps.

@Alfred Indeed you are right (although, until I get a Pro-Art, I have not been able to test it). This shows that Serif is aware of the shift to arm-based processors - but have not (as of yet) considered the nature of the units fitted with these processors (tablets and tablet convertibles). 

It seems to me (through my contacts in the creative industry) that the future is in these more portable machines (with the backup of a more beefy PC for finishing). Whilst a discussion on the sales figures (that I unwittingly instigated) is interesting, the bigger issue is that of providing adequate software for creatives using such platforms.