Apple Aiming to Make iPad More Mac-Like With iPadOS 16 Multitasking Changes

[bcortens]

You're right, but they have done a good job of keeping it simple while making the multitasking more "discoverable."

If the rumors are true, I hope they can manage to maintain that trend.

I would say that the multitasking stuff is not discoverable enough in some ways - but the tradeoff would be that for those who don't want complex multitasking exposing it more might make it more confusing.

I really really really hope they don't bring in macOS style multitasking... just fix external monitor support when you have a pointer and keyboard connected and then focus on the underlying structural issues and making better apps.

 

[klasma]

I haven’t been a Windows guy for a while but a few times I’ve thought of leaving the Apple ecosystem and going with a Surface. One device that does just about everything? It’s so tempting due to its simplicity.

It’s tempting, but I can tell you that the touch experience is pretty bad in comparison.

 

[bcortens]

I don't understand how "multi-windowing" is supposed to make the iPad a "productivity" system... to me it's not about how many windows are open instead it's about how software on the iPad literally does not have the same functionality as their Mac counterparts. It's not about having every button but having 1:1 functionality parity.

For instance,

• there's no Smart Folders (essentially just a saved search) in Mail, Files, iPhoto, Music and so on.
• Many functions for file management just don't exist in the files app.
• No Terminal. Sure sandbox the snot out of it so we can't see the system file structure but still let us run ping, netstat, install utilities like rclone and so on.
• We didn't get the functionality to change the date on photos in the photos app while the rest of the metadata is out of reach.
• In Music on Mac I can add my own songs and edit their metadata. on iOS I can only add songs from the general library.
• How the USB port on the iPad is limited to specific functions. For instance connecting a printer or scanner over USB does nothing.

So much this...
YouTubers and users here seem to be distracted by the obvious differences in windowing and don't understand that the issues have nothing to do with the iPad UI. Apple might successfully make them think they are solving problems if they give us multi-windowing and continue to push the underlying problems down the road.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

As someone who has owned every iPad and iPad accessory, from Apple, I can’t fathom how people still justify buying an iPad Pro with MK+AP. iPads no longer get better battery life than MacBooks and now that ProMotion and miniLED are on MBPs it makes an even tougher sale. Factor in aspect ratio which takes the 12.9” to about a 10” screen with all the black bars and it’s not even a good media consumption device. The MK is cool but limited and can actually be a hindrance in most cases.

Would be great to improve iPadOS as I do think iPads have a place but up till now they aren’t worth the asking price with the evolution of the MB lineup. Not only do they need a better OS for the Pro lineup but in order to win some customers back they need to drop the price especially in this economy.

 

[jonnyb098]

Oh they’re gonna do all this and more…..and still make us download a third party calculator app. Just watch.

 

[bcortens]

As someone who has owned every iPad and iPad accessory, from Apple, I can’t fathom how people still justify buying an iPad Pro with MK+AP. iPads no longer get better battery life than MacBooks and now that ProMotion and miniLED are on MBPs it makes an even tougher sale. Factor in aspect ratio with takes the 12.9” to about a 10” screen with all the black bars and it’s not even a good media consumption device. The MK is cool but limited and can actually be a hindrance in most cases.

Would be great to improve iPadOS as I do think iPads have a place but up till now they aren’t worth the asking price with the evolution of the MB lineup. Not only do they need a better OS for the Pro lineup but in order to win some customers back they need to drop the price especially in this economy.

Some of us actually prefer the UI of iPad OS - I would rather work on an iPad but the problem is the underlying OS structure (as I've said many times in this thread).

 

[StudioMacs]

I would say that the multitasking stuff is not discoverable enough in some ways - but the tradeoff would be that for those who don't want complex multitasking exposing it more might make it more confusing.

I really really really hope they don't bring in macOS style multitasking... just fix external monitor support when you have a pointer and keyboard connected and then focus on the underlying structural issues and making better apps.

Proper external monitor support is the big thing that's missing, with a full-screen extended desktop rather than mirroring the display with pillar bars on the sides.

 

[klasma]

Steve said a lot of things. He said Apple wouldn’t make an iPad mini because if they did they’d need to include sandpaper in the box for you to file down your fingertips.

While I’m a big iPad mini fan (aside from the latest iteration), he actually did have a point here. A Display Zoom mode for the iPad would be nice.

 

[koelsh]

As far as multi-windowing I really like how iPadOS handles it. It's very easy to setup two apps side by side with an extra in the drawer. Really I'd prefer that macOS learned more of this from iPad as the way macOS handles fullscreen apps is slower and breaks/bugs out on me fairly often.

 

[JosephAW]

Just offer dual boot capabilities

 

[bice]

Resizable windows? Welcome to 1990! ?

Windows 3.0 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Well, since we are also talking about adding some rudimentary multitasking, it feels more like 1987 and Multifinder extension of System 5.

 

[Realityck]

Apple wants to make the iPad behave more like a laptop than a smartphone and plans to implement changes in iPadOS 16 to further that goal, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

iPadOS 16 will feature a redesigned multitasking interface that makes it easier to swap between tasks and see which apps are open, plus it will allow users to resize windows. Apple plans to implement new ways for users to deal with multiple apps at once, in what sounds like a much more Mac-like multitasking experience.

Apple wants, more like everyone else wants iPadOS to allow multitasking. But hey this whole rumor is derived from this twitter post.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1529836983874469891

 

[bcortens]

As far as multi-windowing I really like how iPadOS handles it. It's very easy to setup two apps side by side with an extra in the drawer. Really I'd prefer that macOS learned more of this from iPad as the way macOS handles fullscreen apps is slower and breaks/bugs out on me fairly often.

I keep my "utility" apps in slide-over and then have one or two main apps in split view, it's fantastic for focus and speed!

Agree on macOS, the split view and fullscreen tech on macOS is so far behind iPadOS that I don't use it anymore, I use the magnet app now to basically manually replicate the iPad OS multitasking UI.
You can't even bring up the dock in macOS fullscreen, so pointless.

 

[bcortens]

Apple wants, more like everyone else wants iPadOS to allow multitasking. But hey this whole rumor is derived from this twitter post.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1529836983874469891

Everyone doesn't want this kind of multitasking - this doesn't solve the problems that exist in iPad OS. App quality and features, swap file space to allow larger projects, background processing, etc...
This kind of multitasking is a flashy way of apple distracting everyone from the problems by giving them what they say they want rather than what they need.

 

[bice]

Don’t know why everyone wants a tablet to be a Mac so much. Steve Jobs said himself during the iPads introduction that the iPad is a “third category device between a laptop and a smartphone”.
...

And still they treated it like a phone for a good 10 years... A phone with larger screen and without the ability to make calls and send texts.

 

[junkmail509]

I would like to see an option for a reduced functionality mode in parallel with these changes—basically an original iPad mode. It’s been increasing difficult to support my father with his iPad since about iOS 12. Things that used to be one touch are now located in unexpected places. Gestures that were simple now cause unexpected outcomes (trying to swipe from the top middle, really Apple?). The only computer that he has ever used in his life is an iPad, so at least for him, these changes to make the iPad more “computer” like are not needed and may even cause him to use the device less.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Lots of high hopes here... be cautious, guys.

As for me, I want Apple to fix the current issues like file management/transfers to external drives, and output to a larger screen.

As far as Mac features, floating windows is low on my priority list, and I hope they make the Mac/iPadOS swap thing optional, just in case I don't like it.

I can't wait to see what they do, but I like the iPad as an iPad.

Not looking forward to having to re-learn gestures AGAIN though.

 

[sherwinzadeh]

On the other hand, the Mac has some severe limitations because of it's tiny touch targets, which prevent it from going touch screen. The iPad could be that solution, allowing it to do all the things people want from a touch screen Mac... if Apple will only let that happen.

I tried using my iPad with Magic Keyboard as a laptop when I travel for a while. (I use a MacBook Pro as my main device). It's actually pretty great for just email and web. But the problem I have is the Magic Keyboard pretty much LOCKS you into using it as a laptop. It's not a tablet anymore. Sure you can snap it off, but then it feels weird and "detached". More and more I'm thinking the Smart Keyboard Cover is the most ideal setup for the iPad so you can completely flip it back and use it like a tablet properly. You just lose out on the trackpad but so what... it's a touch screen and if I really want I can bring along a bluetooth mouse.

 

[Razorpit]

We all saw it coming. They were testing the water with resizable windows for notes. I bet it’s going to be quiet similar to that and not like mac.
I actually hope they just don’t copy the mac.

Not following you on this one. You can resize the windows for Notes? How?

 

[Hastings101]

Finally I can hopefully put all the extraneous performance of my 2017 10.5 iPad Pro into use after 5 years!!!

I have the suspicion the new multitasking won't support the 10.5 Pro and other older models due to the "needing the power of the M1 chip" or something, which is silly because mine is still pretty much as fast as the day I got it Summer 2017 minus the battery going downhill a bit. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[bcortens]

Not following you on this one. You can resize the windows for Notes? How?

I actually kind of hate the quick notes window - it can capture context from the current app (something that is not exposed to all developers) and is wider than windows in slide-over.
The capture context should be more widely available (though I don't know exactly how you'd present that securely to the user) and slide-over should be able to have different widths.
I also am annoyed by the fact that it sometimes triggers when I try to get slide-over.
We should be able to have any app in the quick access panel but it should open in slide-over instead of this random window.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Because of it's limitations, my 12.9" iPad Pro has been sitting under my coffee table for the past two months untouched. They need to do something with the iPads to make them more usable as a computer like they claim it is.

When I got my iPad it took time for me to get used to HOW things are done.

It feels more like an extension of my iPhone, which keeps things consistent and easy (once I learned the OS), and it quickly became my primary device. But it wasn't without frustrations, similar to when I migrated from the PC to the Mac.

Still, the MBA is the one device I recommend for those that are coming from a Mac/PC. It's cheaper too.

You really need to use both devices in order to determine whether you don't need the Mac or the iPad.

 

[Realityck]

Everyone doesn't want this kind of multitasking - this doesn't solve the problems that exist in iPad OS. App quality and features, swap file space to allow larger projects, background processing, etc...
This kind of multitasking is a flashy way of apple distracting everyone from the problems by giving them what they say they want rather than what they need.

Initially I heard this was just increased flexibility against spilt screen options, so not limited to horizontal but allowed vertical so in portrait mode you could watch a video on top 1/3 and bottom 2/3 could be web browsing as a example. So you might be able to work with 3 or 4 panes depending on screen size. Don't assume this has to do with MacOS like multitasking until you see its implementation.

 

[Populus]

I'm all for iPad improvements. But some of the speculation about basically making it turn into a Mac-like interface seems a terrible idea. Let the Mac have a Mac interface. Let the iPad spread its wings and have multiple monitor support (touch-on-monitor would be awesome). Windows if they can do it without making touch targets that only a mouse can find.

Yep, I agree with you, Cappy. Each time I read people complaining because their iPad doesn’t have a macOS-like operating system I roll my eyes. The iPad is a tablet, a tablet with a lot of potential, but a tablet nonetheless.

I hope Apple gives iPadOS a bit more of depth, or even a new dimension, as long as they remains conscious of what’s an iPad actually (spoiler: no, it is not a Mac)

 

[bcortens]

Initially I heard this was just increased flexibility against spilt screen options, so not limited to horizontal but allowed vertical so in portrait mode you could watch a video on top 1/3 and bottom 2/3 could be web browsing as a example. So you might be able to work with 3 or 4 panes depending on screen size. Don't assume this has to do with MacOS like multitasking until you see its implementation.

I actually don't like this if it exists on the iPad screen because it hurts the iPad OS modularity/flexibility. Unplugging an external screen and having the windows be rearranged is fine but if you are using the iPad screen you should never have vertically stacked windows because it can break when you rotate or bring up the software keyboard (if you tear off from the magic keyboard which I do frequently).

I hope we don't get macOS multitasking - and I hope its just more flexibility in the existing system but I'm worried given recent rumours.