iPad users have been asking for software that matches the device’s powerful hardware for years, and with iPadOS 26 this year, Apple may be set to truly deliver that. Here’s why iPadOS 26 feels like the major shift we’ve all been asking for.
iPad has a reputation for being held back by software
I’ve been an iPad user since the first model in 2010, and used an iPad Pro as my primary computer nearly a decade.
In many ways, I appreciate the iPad’s limitations. The default one-app-at-a-time UI is a fantastic focus aid, and also makes the device approachable for new users.
But like many iPad “power users,” on plenty of occasions I’ve lamented certain limitations that you would never find on a Mac.
Working with multiple apps simultaneously has long been a challenge, for example.
Apple has shipped several versions of iPadOS multitasking over the years. My personal favorites were Split View and Slide Over, but those features were also very limited compared to freeform windowing.
Podcasting from an iPad has been another difficulty. And certain file management tasks. Oh, and background processes.
Also, did you know that only the Mac lets you create playlist folders in Apple Music?
Random, I know. But that’s been one of the handful of features that’s made me always keep a Mac close by.
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