If my lowly jailbroken iPad 7 can run multiple windowed apps simultaneously, then every iPad made since 2017/18 should also. There's just no excuse for Stage Manager or any other lame multi-tasking implementation be limited to iPad Pro devices. Just showing you all what is possible:
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All iPads Apple can and should do much better multitasking for ALL iPads
- Thread starter supergt
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Amazing how many people want Stage Manager despite thinking it lame.
I think most consumers just want a useable multitasking solution across the entire iPad lineup. Seems reasonable enough to me.
Splitscreen is usable and so is Stage Manager. Tiny text like you have doesn’t seem very useable to me on your screen size.
Respectfully disagree. When you can essentially place four iphone 7 screens within the footprint of an iPad 11, the app and/or text is perfectly useable in each window.
Splitview and slideover is far from ‘lame’, and works accross the Line uo. Stage manager is just another solution for the machines that are compatible. iPad wise, they do the trick. General everyday iPhone users probably don’t have the same consumer needs or wants that you’re alluding too. How many apps do you need on screen? I admit - multitasking is limited on these devices - but it’s backgrounding that remains the issue to be solved, not multiple windows.
Fair points all the way around. I’ll say the split screen and slide over is probably fine for general everyday mainstream use.
I guess there are two things on my iPad OS multitask wishlist that I currently can do on a jailbroken device: windowed resizable apps (I think a limit of three is fine as I never have more than that open even though I can minimize them) and a freely resizable pip window. Admittedly I’m somewhat of a power user but I think a lot of folks could take advantage of these features.
I doubt more than a handful of people buying the lower end iPads would use what you are describing. As you say, you are a power user and your needs are atypical. Most people don't want multitasking on their iPads and certainly don't need complicated resizable systems.
I'm not sure that your statement saying "most people don't want multitasking on their iPads" is correct. Apple's implementation on the iPad has been clunky at the very best and has dissuaded users from multitasking in the past. It has improved over the last few iterations with the dedicated ... button.
I don't really consider this to be a "power user" feature. We have been using resizable windows on computers since the 80s.
We've also been mostly using a mouse & keyboard interface since the 80s, and touchscreen tablets are relatively new. Multitasking is important to have but it also needs to fit a touch/finger UI if it's going to work on an iPad, and whatever UX/UI design guidelines they have with iOS. Though I'm not surprised Apple still prioritizes making it look sparkly and fancy over functonal.
The iPads don’t have enough resources to do true multitasking similar to Windows. Encode a video in one window while recalcing a spreadsheet in another…etc.
Wanting multiple resizable windows that can be placed anywhere is one thing, but that’s not multitasking - unless you are saying that windows in the background keep processing as if they were in front. At some point with an unlimited number of windows suspending and restoring will lead to a sub-par user experience.
Wanting multiple resizable windows that can be placed anywhere is one thing, but that’s not multitasking - unless you are saying that windows in the background keep processing as if they were in front. At some point with an unlimited number of windows suspending and restoring will lead to a sub-par user experience.
I’d wager the vast majority of iPad users still use it as a simple single app device 🤷♂️
That’s the beauty of an iPad, it’s the computer your parents and grandparents can use.
It’s amazing that Apple has been able to balance all these multi-tasking features introduced over the past few years with the original design of iOS/iPadOS. They’ve done it by keeping new features practically buried unless you know where to look. My guess is that Apple didn’t want iPadOS to evolve into essentially MacOS and become a convoluted mess on the iPad. It would drive away their primary users - folks who want a computing device that is as simple to use as their iPhone. I’m pretty sure Apple is looking at all the analytical data that’s being generated by iPad users and they see a clear picture of which features are being used the most. When I think of all the iPad users I know I’d say 1/5 even know what Slide Over is. Makes it more understandable why Stage Manager is off by default on the higher-end models.
All in all I think you’ll get your multi-tasking dream if and when Apple decides to create a new product line (or new sub-section of the iPad line) specifically for users like you.
All in all I think you’ll get your multi-tasking dream if and when Apple decides to create a new product line (or new sub-section of the iPad line) specifically for users like you.