Apple reveals why it allowed the iPad to finally behave more like a Mac — and why it took so long
At WWDC 2025, Apple announced major changes to iPadOS 26, including a more desktop-style multitasking system that feels closer than ever to the Mac. This long-requested update brings overlapping windows, a visible menu bar, and better support for background tasks. But as Apple executives explained in a recent interview, the road to this moment was far from simple. Speaking with Ars Technica, Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, acknowledged that the new interface may seem obvious now, but the company had its reasons for holding off. Early iPads lacked the processing power, memory, and responsiveness to support true multitasking. That limitation shaped how Apple designed iPadOS for years.
— Craig Federighi , Senior VP of Software Engineering, Apple
In addition to hardware constraints, many iPad and iPhone apps weren't built to adapt to different screen sizes or be resized like desktop apps. So while users asked for more flexibility, the software and hardware both needed to evolve.
That evolution eventually came. With Apple's newer chips powering the iPad Pro and accessories like trackpads and keyboards becoming more common, Apple began to shift its focus. According to Federighi, "the stars kind of aligned" to allow iPads to do more of what users typically expect from a Mac, while still staying true to the iPad's identity.
This isn't Apple's first attempt at improving multitasking. Stage Manager, introduced in iPadOS 16, was a step in that direction but came with limitations. It only worked on newer models and had performance issues that led to delays. Apple now admits it didn't want to create a watered-down version of Stage Manager for older devices. This time, the company chose a different strategy: offering the full experience where possible, and a modified one elsewhere.
Thanks to behind-the-scenes improvements to how the system handles windows and background tasks, the new multitasking model in iPadOS 26 works on a wider range of iPads, though high-end models will still perform better.
Still, Apple maintains that the iPad and Mac serve different purposes. That means no touchscreens for the Mac, and some Mac features that remain out of reach for iPad users.
— Craig Federighi , Senior VP of Software Engineering, Apple
While some limitations remain—such as restrictions on certain background tasks—iPadOS 26 seems like a step in the right direction. It gives power users more tools without forcing changes on those who prefer the simple, one-app-at-a-time tablet experience.
In my opinion, iPad OS 26 has been a pivotal point for those of us who enjoy working out of a mobile, less convoluted, operating system. I have been trying my hand at doing my day to day job (writing for PhoneArena) out of my 11" M4 iPad Pro, a failed experiment I tried once last year, and so far it's been great. I know at some point I'll be running into some roadblocks, but learning how to get around them and developing new workflows is part of the fun. Hopefully as iPad OS 26 progresses and comes out of beta, there will be less bugs and things will become stable to make my iPad worthy of the title "computer."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Phone Arena
31 minutes ago
- Phone Arena
The high-class AirPods Pro 2 are flying off the shelves at 32% off on Amazon
In case you missed it, Amazon launched a very generous 32% discount on the high-class AirPods Pro 2 about two weeks ago. The promo is available today, meaning you can still get them for less than $170 instead of $250. As one of the best wireless earbuds in 2025, they're definitely worth it, so you shouldn't miss out. $80 off (32%) The impressive AirPods Pro 2 remain an excellent pick at 32% off their original price on Amazon. With a comfortable fit, stunning audio quality and top-notch ANC performance, they're easily the best earbuds for iOS users. Buy at Amazon While this is among the best discounts we've seen, it's worth noting that they've been slightly cheaper in the past. One standout deal, for instance, slashed nearly $100 off their original price. Still, this current $80 price cut is the best offer available right now, with neither Walmart nor Best Buy beating impressive earbuds stand out with excellent sound quality, outstanding ANC performance, and extras like Spatial Audio. That alone makes them the absolute best earbuds for iPhone users. In our AirPods Pro 2 review, we emphasized the earbuds don't deliver head-crushing bass out of the box. That's certainly not a drawback, however, as you get balanced audio, crisp highs, and a wide soundstage that makes most music genres shine. As mentioned, ANC performance is spot-on as well. In fact, these earbuds can shut down the world around you, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your favorite jams. Of course, they also feature a transparency mode whenever you want to stay in tune with your terms of battery life, the earbuds deliver up to six hours of music per charge (5.5 hours with Spatial Audio). If you store them in the charging case between listening sessions, you can extend total playtime to as much as 30 hours. Overall, the AirPods Pro 2 are an excellent pick—they're worth it even at their standard price. But now that you can grab them for 32% off on Amazon, they're an absolute best-seller you just can't ignore. Hurry up and save $80 before it's too late. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Phone Arena
5 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Apple offers college students a presentation designed to get their parents to spring for a MacBook
Depending on where in the U.S. you live, the 2024-2025 school year might have just come to an end. Even though another school year has just concluded and is in the books, Apple has already announced its Back to School promotion which began on June 17th. Students, parents, and faculty purchasing a new qualifying Apple device will receive a gift card with their purchase. Apple also released a video that shows college students, "How to convince your parents to get you a Mac." The video, originally posted on Apple's YouTube channel, runs for about seven minutes and shows a group of students who are being shown how to properly ask their parents to buy them a Mac for college instead of a PC. The guy in the video who is teaching the students how to approach their parents suggests trying to sell them on the idea that their sons and daughters will have a healthier spine if they own a MacBook as opposed to a Windows-powered laptop. Apple has taken down the supposedly hilarious video teaching college students how to ask their parents for a MacBook. | Image credit-YouTube "Can't put a price on a healthy spine," says the instructor. "One of the main factors affecting spine health in teens is, you guessed it, school bag weight. And the MacBook Air only weighs 2.7 pounds. Hey, maybe your parents don't care about your spine. I doubt that, right?" This talk about spinal health hits a little too close to home for yours truly who has scoliosis, severe spinal stenosis, and cauda equina compression. But I digress. The instructor closes his pitch by saying, "So to wrap things up, you can either buy a MacBook Air for $899, or you can buy a PC, but you also have to buy antivirus software, a manual backup software, a protective case, a guard dog to protect it from your roommate, an external power bank…I mean, it's insane." One of the slides from Apple's The Parent Presentation. | Image credit-Apple I'd love to tell you that this video is a riot, but alas I can't do it. Not because it isn't funny but because for some reason, Apple pulled the video from its YouTube channel. But Apple did leave up a presentation that students can show their parents. It includes "45 undeniable reasons why a Mac is essential for college." Available for free in PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote formats, make sure that your parents see this if they are footing the bill for your journey through higher learning. Even if you're well past college age, show this to your parents anyway. You still might end up with a MacBook on their dime. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
Phone Arena
10 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Apple doesn't mind that its new processors won't be as powerful as Qualcomm's new AP
The A19 and A19 Pro application processors (APs) will be focusing on efficiency this year instead of performance. As a result, when compared to Apple's 2025 APs, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy will probably be able to outperform the chips earmarked for the iPhone 17 series. On China's Weibo social media platform, tipster Fixed Focus Digital says that Apple is focusing on making the iPhone 17 series the best when it comes to battery life and doesn't mind giving away the top of the performance leaderboard to the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy. Apple's goal for the A19 Pro AP, which will be produced using TSMC's third-generation 3nm process node (N3P), is to score single-core and multi-core scores on Geekbench of 4000+ and 10000+ respectively. As a measure of comparison, the A18 Pro, which powers the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, had Geekbench scores of 3539 (single-core) and 8772 (multi-core). While MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 (produced on TSMC's third-generation 3nm node) and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 both will be looking to blow away the A19 and A19 Pro with their performance numbers, Apple's application processors should deliver improved battery life for the iPhone 17 series. The A19 and A19 Pro APs will focus on efficiency instead of performance. | Image credit-Wccftech Where the focus on efficiency over power for the A19 and A19 Pro APs will come in handy will be with the iPhone 17 Air. Thanks to its thin build, the device is expected to come to market with a puny battery with a capacity of 2800 mAh. The A19 and A19 Pro can handle more work than the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 over the same time period. That's because the new Apple APs have higher Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) scores than the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. This means that Apple's chipset will have more efficient CPU cores. A higher IPC means that the CPU can do more work per clock tick. Even if the A19 has a lower clock speed than the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, if it handles more instructions per cycle, it can do more work in a shorter period of time. Here's a shocker. Should Samsung Foundry get its yield on 2nm production up to 60% or higher, the 2nm Exynos 2600 AP could end up powering the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 + in most markets. That could make those two models the first smartphones to be powered by a 2nm chipset. Recently, the iPhone has been the first to the marketplace with a 7nm AP (iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, A12 Bionic, September 2018), a 5nm AP (iPhone 12 series, A14 Bionic, October and November 2020), and a 3nm AP (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, A17 Pro, September 2024). Unless Samsung is unable to obtain enough 2nm chips for the Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A26+, the iPhone will not be the first smartphone to feature a cutting-edge 2nm chip. That honor appears to be heading to the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 +. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
