When Apple introduce the all-redesigned iPad Pro in October 2018, it marked the biggest leap in the iPad’s history since the original iPad, adopting USB-C connectivity, a powerful silicon-on-a-chip that even bested out the entry-level Intel MacBook Air back then, and an all-new edge-to-edge screen design that lets you see more of your content. Fast forward to November 2020, Apple introduced its first Macs with Apple Silicon with the M1 chip, and several months later, Apple even brought the same chip to the iPad Pro. Since then, both the iPad Air/Pro have shared the same M-series chips with the entry-level Macs. Although the hardware for the iPad Pro has been way ahead of its time, the biggest limitation is that the software (iPadOS) has been holding that tablet back as a potential “true” laptop replacement.
Well, it looks like this problem may finally be remedied soon as according to Mark Gurman’s latest report on his weekly Powered On newsletter, iPadOS 19 will finally bring more Mac-like capabilities by improving on three key areas: productivity, multitasking, and app window management. We’ve been Apple bringing more iPad-exclusive features over the past decade:
- iOS 9 brought Slide Over, Picture-in-Picture, and Split View support.
- iOS 11 brought the Dock.
- iOS for iPad was rebranded as iPadOS starting with iPadOS 13, and it brought desktop-class browsing with Safari and support for multiple windows for apps
- iPadOS 16 brought support for Stage Manager and external monitor support on select iPad Air/Pro models
Although, Gurman hasn’t provided any additional details, the iPad may finally get the huge software upgrade it deserves for so many years, and it looks like Apple could finally be heading in the right direction, especially with the rocky rollout of Apple Intelligence and how Apple heavily promoted such half-baked AI features found in iPadOS 18 including the indefinitely delayed Siri.
What remains to be seen is whether at least some of the upcoming features in iPadOS 19 will be exclusive to the higher-end models such as the iPad Pro like we’ve had with Stage Manager. If that turns out to be true, then it may be worth justifying choosing the iPad Air/Pro over something like the base iPad.
Whatever the future holds, this could be the iPad’s biggest break yet software-wise.
