Finally, Apple is releasing a separate OS for the iPad series. I am quite excited about this development. I have felt (since the first generation iPad Pro) that iOS was limiting the Pro series’ full potential. I am surprised it took Apple this long to do this. Hopefully, we can finally see just how powerful the iPad Pros are.
Are iPad Pros as powerful as Apple has claimed them to be? If they are, can we truly maximise their potential? Considering how expensive they get each successive year, I think those are fairly good questions. The iPadOS promises a lot of amazing features. Here are the ones I am most excited about:
- Working with the same app across multiple spaces: This ability to split view the same app side by side is game-changing! I wonder just how many notes I will be able to compare in Notability (considering the app has an in-app split view). My iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch screen just got smaller.
- The new home screen: more applications and widgets on the same screen. Scrolling can be tiresome. It also just makes more sense: a bigger screen accommodating more apps. Some things are so simple; it baffles me how Apple doesn’t do some fundamental things.
- Improved Notes app: I wonder if Apple Notes will finally be a fully functional note-taking app so we don’t need to purchase third-party apps.
- Improved Safari: bringing desktop browsing to Safari on the iPad is incredible. Maybe now we can start considering the possibility of iPads replacing Macs. However, I must admit, it will take much more than just Safari to make that happen.
- Improved Files app: Up to this point, the Files app has been nothing but a pain! This much-needed upgrade will enhance the user experience on the iPad. It is probably my favourite upgrade.
- USB/Hard drive support: Only God knows why it took Apple so long to have this, especially for the iPad Pro series. While I am not excited about it (because I felt like it was too basic a function not to have on such devices in 2019), I still appreciate its addition. Its daily applications are endless. I can’t believe Apple deprived us of this essential feature! It’s shocking how Apple manages to get away with certain things.
- Dark mode: I like it. It’s easier on the eyes, which helps everything pop out of the screen. It’s a pleasant addition.
For the most part, I am quite excited about this, but that’s not to say I love everything about the updates. Some of them are just too basic to be excited about—no innovation at all on Apple’s part. Android has had this technology for years now. Perhaps I don’t get how useful the updates will be. Here are a few thoughts on the not-so-great updates
- Mouse support: This one will take me a while to appreciate. I have always thought the whole point of having a touch screen (especially one as precise and as sensitive as that on ALL our mobile devices in 2019) was to get rid of the mouse! I am not sure how having mouse support on the iPad will be useful. It’s great to have. Give Apple another reason to empty your bank account. We all know how great they are at doing that! Just how practically useful is a mouse for an iPad?
- USB support: It’s unbelievable how Apple has deprived us of this for so many years and actually got away with it. Simply unbelievable! So no, I am not excited about it. In fact, I’m angry it took them this long to implement that feature.
- Lower latency for the Apple Pencil: cool! Not something I can actually appreciate in a real-life situation. I am not even sure it’s worth mentioning.
After four years of waiting for iPadOS, I hope it was worth it. Either way, even if the iPadOS turns out to be terrible for everyday use, we are headed in the right direction. I simply could never get over the fact that my iPhone and IPAD PRO share the same OS. That drove me nuts!!!
