What's a computer? It's whatever helps me get my work done. I love new ideas for what computers can be, but traditional work tools still win out. For my job, it's generally a PC or Mac. When I travel, an iPad is often convenient, but it's not the same, so I often bring both.
The "why not both" approach is exactly what Apple has been pitching with iPads and Macs for years, but Apple has also been adamant that these platforms will never merge. I remember the stage announcement that said as much back in 2018. And back then, I said MacOS and iOS needed to combine.
I'm willing to take the long game here, a game Apple is often playing with its tech. And I'm ready to step a few years down the path and wait for this merge moment to happen. But really, this moment should be happening right now. And it is: I thought the latest iPad Pro was the Mac I wanted in another form, minus the software I was looking for. That software is coming now, but things need to go even further.
Watch this: The One Thing Keeping iPads from Killing the Mac 04:35
iPadOS 26 is a strong sign that the merge is already underway. Lo and behold, the more Mac-like experience is already here if you explore the developer beta. (A public beta is coming this summer, ahead of a fall release, I'd suggest you wait for before downloading.)
While Apple always kept conversations about Macs and iPads very separate, this WWDC, Apple described iPad OS 26 as Mac-like quite a few times. Added support for more windows, a mouse pointer that's now an arrow and not a large circle, menu bars, a Preview app that shows files just like a Mac does, and folders that can be organized like a Mac — mostly — are some of features that already have me nodding my head in appreciation. With a trackpad/keyboard attached, the iPad can now start feeling even more flexible, able to multitask, and possibly, able to get serious work done efficiently.
What concerns me, though, is it's still not a Mac. The closer anything gets to an expectation point without fully getting there is a zone that's ripe for uncanny valley disappointment. When will I use the latest iPadOS 26, get into a flow, and suddenly realize there's a part of the OS that's not quite the same as a Mac, and it throws me off? I don't know yet. Maybe it'll never happen. But my suspicion is that this new almost-Mac-like iPadOS will still, in some important ways, not be a Mac.
The iPad Pro with the developer beta of iPadOS 26 is already getting so much closer to being a Mac. Scott Stein/CNET
It's so close now. You can finish the job, Apple!
Most iPads and Macs share the same M-series hardware and work with similar-feeling keyboards and trackpads. There's absolutely no reason I can see why an iPad couldn't also be a Mac, other than Apple deciding the software should be functionally different. (As for a Mac being an iPad, well, you'd need a touchscreen for that, and you'd need Pencil support, so it would be more complicated.)
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