Apple Debuts App Windows, Full External Display Support, and More for M1 iPads

[Stromos]

iPad Mini less than a year old is already being shafted on features in one update. It seemed like they finally gave the mini some attention last year and realized its not a "cheap" device just smaller form factor but I guess I was mistaken.

Prices keep going up insane amounts with Apple while they gate features to "premium" models. Everything Apple is premium price nowadays.

I don't want a laptop with a fan to drive 2 QHD screens and I don't want a giant tablet. Apple is really losing me on everything except the phones.

New Air is more expensive than my Zenbook Pro which has a 3:2 screen and can effortlessly drive two QHD screens. It runs circles around my M1 Air rendering models in Cura.

Anyone else realizing Apple is playing the game of how loyal are they? I have always been a Windows/Linux user with my only Apple device being the iPhone. M1 technology caught my interest and I wanted a bigger but manageable mobile display so I picked up a Mini. The fact that my M1 Air was pretty much obsolete in less than a year and it wasn't a base model and now the iPad Mini is in the same boat I am not playing the game and sorry I'm not loyal.

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

Typical Apple - going back to form, really.
Don't provide the basic features that are expected on anything other than the flagship new iPads, leaving anything purchased in the last couple of years behind.
iPad Mini - powerful enough for nearly anything, perfect as both a media consumption and creation device, but don't give it the ability to extend it's display! That might prevent users from buying the latest and greatest.
Frankly - I am less inclined to buy anything Apple as a result.

 

[Anony-mouse]

So my two year old iPad Pro will *never* get proper external display support? Seething.

Actually from my own experience the iPad Pro line is poor value in terms of longevity. I've only been using the iPad Pro 9.7" (for Pro iPads).

Out of 3 units of iPad Pro 9.7" I've been using, one died of a bulging battery, and the replacement unit from Apple died within one year (won't power up at all). The second unit also had a run-down battery which after ~3 years couldn't be replaced by servicing by third parties (it wasn't worth sending it to Apple since it's out of AppleCare coverage, and Apple basically just does a device swap for any iPads sent for repair) and now hobbles along needing to be charged every 3 hours, despite being able to run the latest iPadOS 15.x. Only one unit remains functional, and that was due to the fact that it wasn't used constantly during the pandemic.

I have an iPad 3 (purchased 6 months before the iPad 4 came out), which still functions albeit slowly today. The battery capacity still allows for a sleep duration of weeks. Personally I think the thin and light design of the iPad Pro series just causes too much heat stress on the battery, coupled with the much lower battery capacity, making it unlikely to be still functional after 3 or so years if you use it heavily and regularly.

Conversely, the basic iPad (7th gen etc.) seems to be built much more solidly and with higher battery capacity, so I expect it to still be usable in the future compared to similar iPad Pros of the same vintage.

 

[kaardowiq]

So anyone with iPadOS Beta on iPad mini? Does it work with fullscreen external display? I can see the reasons for stage manager, but fullscreen… hopefully external fullscreen finally works on the iPad mini as well.

 

[pcote]

Next step: compatibility with macOS Apps! 🤞

 

[macduke]

The inclusion of virtual memory swapping is absolutely huge and should not be understated. RAM limitations have been one of the biggest things holding many pro apps from the iPad which are now lifted.

I commented the same thing during the keynote. This will take iPad Pro apps to another level. Apple rarely talks about under the hood stuff during keynotes, so the fact that they even mentioned this should show people how big this is. I expect more Mac apps to come to the iPad now specifically because of this. And existing apps should get even more powerful. I imagine this will enable them to release Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad in the future.

I feel like the iPad will soon be about 90% as useful as the Mac for me. Just perhaps not doing everything as quickly/efficiently. A lot of this is up to developers. There are a few key apps I really want on the iPad, namely Nova by Panic. They had an old version of Coda on iPad back in the day, the predecessor to Nova. I also need Adobe to make PS, Illustrator and XD more fully featured and have an actual web inspector for Safari that doesn’t require connecting to a Mac. It would also be nice to have the actual Chrome, Firefox and Edge web engines for troubleshooting browser-specific issues that sometimes arise, but I don’t see Apple ever doing that.

 

[groove-agent]

I just don’t understand why they don’t let you flip over to running macOS if you have a keyboard and mouse/trackpad connected. What’s the problem?

I feel like a convergence is coming between MacOS and iPadOS … some day.

 

[groove-agent]

Next step: compatibility with macOS Apps! 🤞

Ideally yes. Apple has made every other item on my wish list happen. The last one is being able to run pro apps on an iPad “pro”. I’m very happy about the external monitor support.

 

[groove-agent]

It's coming to iPadOS, why wouldn't it be available for non M1 iPads?

Different System on a Chip. M1 is a powerhouse while non-M1s are more designed for phones.

 

[Propine]

iPad Mini less than a year old is already being shafted on features in one update. It seemed like they finally gave the mini some attention last year and realized its not a "cheap" device just smaller form factor but I guess I was mistaken.

Prices keep going up insane amounts with Apple while they gate features to "premium" models. Everything Apple is premium price nowadays.

I don't want a laptop with a fan to drive 2 QHD screens and I don't want a giant tablet. Apple is really losing me on everything except the phones.

New Air is more expensive than my Zenbook Pro which has a 3:2 screen and can effortlessly drive two QHD screens. It runs circles around my M1 Air rendering models in Cura.

Anyone else realizing Apple is playing the game of how loyal are they? I have always been a Windows/Linux user with my only Apple device being the iPhone. M1 technology caught my interest and I wanted a bigger but manageable mobile display so I picked up a Mini. The fact that my M1 Air was pretty much obsolete in less than a year and it wasn't a base model and now the iPad Mini is in the same boat I am not playing the game and sorry I'm not loyal.

Having multiple windows isn’t what fits an 8” inch iPad. Just doesn’t make any sense. Besides that RAM is an additional limitation.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Having multiple windows isn’t what fits an 8” inch iPad. Just doesn’t make any sense. Besides that RAM is an additional limitation.

No I wouldn’t want the multitasking feature for my iPad mini but the external display support would have been welcome and appropriate.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Imagine the 2020 iPad Pro is no more capable than the 5th gen entry level iPad.

 

[Abazigal]

Actually from my own experience the iPad Pro line is poor value in terms of longevity. I've only been using the iPad Pro 9.7" (for Pro iPads).

Out of 3 units of iPad Pro 9.7" I've been using, one died of a bulging battery, and the replacement unit from Apple died within one year (won't power up at all). The second unit also had a run-down battery which after ~3 years couldn't be replaced by servicing by third parties (it wasn't worth sending it to Apple since it's out of AppleCare coverage, and Apple basically just does a device swap for any iPads sent for repair) and now hobbles along needing to be charged every 3 hours, despite being able to run the latest iPadOS 15.x. Only one unit remains functional, and that was due to the fact that it wasn't used constantly during the pandemic.

I have an iPad 3 (purchased 6 months before the iPad 4 came out), which still functions albeit slowly today. The battery capacity still allows for a sleep duration of weeks. Personally I think the thin and light design of the iPad Pro series just causes too much heat stress on the battery, coupled with the much lower battery capacity, making it unlikely to be still functional after 3 or so years if you use it heavily and regularly.

Conversely, the basic iPad (7th gen etc.) seems to be built much more solidly and with higher battery capacity, so I expect it to still be usable in the future compared to similar iPad Pros of the same vintage.

I have been using the 2018 iPad Pro since the day it was released, so it would be about 3.5 years, close to 4 nearing the end of the year. I figure that I may be able to eke out 1 more year if I don't really care about the external monitor support, or if Apple doesn't announce an M2 iPad Pro later this year. I guess we will just have to see.

It hasn't been cheap, and I have gone through a number of smart keyboards because those things just don't seem to last, but overall, I have been quite satisfied with the experience. The screen is great, performance is great, the usb-c port is always nice, being able to stick the pencil on the top is pretty neat; it's just a number of nice little refinements that I don't get in the base iPad. And for someone who uses his iPad both for work and leisure throughout the entire day, I don't mind spending more for a better experience all around.

 

[Anony-mouse]

It hasn't been cheap, and I have gone through a number of smart keyboards because those things just don't seem to last, but overall, I have been quite satisfied with the experience. The screen is great, performance is great, the usb-c port is always nice, being able to stick the pencil on the top is pretty neat; it's just a number of nice little refinements that I don't get in the base iPad. And for someone who uses his iPad both for work and leisure throughout the entire day, I don't mind spending more for a better experience all around.

if you're using it as a productivity and leisure tool then yes, it can be worth it. So if it meets your needs at the time of purchase, sure, go ahead. I used my iPad Pros extensively too.

But it's not something that you should think of as an 'investment' as it won't have the same longevity as compared to a laptop just because of the hardware (especially the battery) wearing out over time, without any reasonably priced way of repair / replacement.
I guess a similar argument can also be made regarding all the new Apple Silicon-based MacBooks with non-upgradable parts, though there is more headroom for them, but I'm digressing. However, I do expect the MacBooks to last longer (in terms of still being in working order) than the slim iPad Pros by virtue of their design.

 

[slplss]

Still no calculator, maybe next year…

You know you can use Spotlight (the search bar, however they call it) for some simple +- x: calculations. Not very pretty but convenient.

 

[Abazigal]

You know you can use Spotlight (the search bar, however they call it) for some simple +- x: calculations. Not very pretty but convenient.

I feel it's still far from an elegant solution. You may as well tell users to use Siri to work out the total instead.

My personal favourite calculator app is Tydlig, though it doesn't seem to have been updated in ages. What I would like to see is the ability to bring up the calculator app by swiping up from the corner, the same way we trigger quick note today, so I don't actually have to leave the app. Maybe a future option to customise which app we wish to attach to the quick-app feature?

I know there's always Pcalc in slide-over mode as well, but something that's locked in and always accessible no matter how I cycle through my apps. 😬

 

[slplss]

I feel it's still far from an elegant solution. You may as well tell users to use Siri to work out the total instead.

My personal favourite calculator app is Tydlig, though it doesn't seem to have been updated in ages. What I would like to see is the ability to bring up the calculator app by swiping up from the corner, the same way we trigger quick note today, so I don't actually have to leave the app. Maybe a future option to customise which app we wish to attach to the quick-app feature?

I know there's always Pcalc in slide-over mode as well, but something that's locked in and always accessible no matter how I cycle through my apps. 😬

As someone who doesn't use Quick Notes that much often, I'd welcome that solution too. Maybe if Apple let us customize what app can we pull from each corner.

 

[StudioMacs]

As someone who doesn't use Quick Notes that much often, I'd welcome that solution too. Maybe if Apple let us customize what app can we pull from each corner.

I’ve only accidentally invoked quick notes on my iPad and on Mac.

I guess there are some power consumption and RAM issues behind the reasoning for not allowing us to keep any app open and running in the background for quick use, but it would be nice if Apple let us choose from a set of their own utilities, like calculator, reminders, etc…

 

[CarlJ]

Still no calculator, maybe next year…

Maybe you could set up a GoFundMe to raise money so you can get a calculator app for your iPad.

 

[ericwn]

It’s not about promise but about being fairly sure this is an arbitrary restriction given that we know the A12X/Z can handle virtual memory (given the dev kits existence) and the existence of shift screen … we can justifiably complain about apples decisions that look greedy… Apple advertises the fact that they support devices for longer so limiting the new features to only the newest and most expensive products goes against that message.

If it’s phrased as if a promise was broken, I’ll ask for where that was promised. Apple is well known to restrict newer functionality to newer hardware as much as that annoys us, it’s been in place for as long as I can remember.

 

[bcortens]

If it’s phrased as if a promise was broken, I’ll ask for where that was promised. Apple is well known to restrict newer functionality to newer hardware as much as that annoys us, it’s been in place for as long as I can remember.

Its more about expectations, when split screen multitasking rolled out in iOS 11 it wasn’t limited to just the most powerful latest iPads but was available to iPads that were (at the time) 4 years old. Sure it wasn’t as full featured on those iPads (no simultaneous PiP and Split View) but it was still available.
We also do expect our OS updates to bring new features not just just bug fixes, especially when the release is advertised on all its new features and half of them have asterisks…

 

[johnhackworth]

If it’s phrased as if a promise was broken, I’ll ask for where that was promised. Apple is well known to restrict newer functionality to newer hardware as much as that annoys us, it’s been in place for as long as I can remember.

It's not a promise which has been broken. However, for the last few years there has been a sense that the iPad Pro is really great, powerful hardware but iPadOS doesn't really exploit all that power or capability. There was a sense that we were waiting for the OS to catch up with the hardware. Now that the OS has taken a great leap forward we've now been left stranded with hardware which is still not really exploited properly by the latest OS.

So, no, no promises were broken. But I still feel let down by Apple. A device which was over-specced for its OS and was still on sale a little over a year ago has been abandoned (in terms of support for *major* OS features) by Apple. I won't be buying another iPad Pro.

 

[bcortens]

It's not a promise which has been broken. However, for the last few years there has been a sense that the iPad Pro is really great, powerful hardware but iPadOS doesn't really exploit all that power or capability. There was a sense that we were waiting for the OS to catch up with the hardware. Now that the OS has taken a great leap forward we've now been left stranded with hardware which is still not really exploited properly by the latest OS.

So, no, no promises were broken. But I still feel let down by Apple. A device which was over-specced for its OS and was still on sale a little over a year ago has been abandoned (in terms of support for *major* OS features) by Apple. I won't be buying another iPad Pro.

Yeah, people keep saying the M1 is somehow more revolutionary but the A12X/Z were basically the same idea just a few years older. I know hardware moves fast but even at the time of their introduction the A12X/Z offered the same core configuration as the M1 (4x4 CPU and 7/8 GPU) with most of the same IO capabilities. Sure the M1 is faster but that’s only because its newer not because the A12X/Z weren’t super powerful already… at the time of introduction people were comparing the A12X/Z favourable to intels lower power Core series.

 

[StudioMacs]

for the last few years there has been a sense that the iPad Pro is really great, powerful hardware but iPadOS doesn't really exploit all that power or capability. There was a sense that we were waiting for the OS to catch up with the hardware.

The real thing that has been holding back the iPad has not been an inability to have overlapping resizable windows, but rather the fact that most iPad apps have not had the full feature set and functionality of their desktop counterparts.

Many of you are ignoring the fact that based on what we saw during the keynote, iPadOS 16 is addressing many of the actual functional differences between stock apps on the iPad and on the Mac that have been holding the iPad back – and I don't recall any of those being limited to newer iPads.

Apple has known for some time that it can't source enough components from suppliers to meet current demand for the iPad. It's a supply issue, not a demand issue, that is holding back iPad sales, so there is no reason for Apple to artificially limit features on older iPads to drive sales as some in this thread are suggesting.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

Poor choice of words on my part, however the point stands that this is not about UX but is about encouraging new sales. We KNOW that the A12 class chips can run a full macOS environment without any restrictions (the apple silicon Mac existed) and as such it should be possible for at least the A12 class iPads to support fullscreen external displays (even if they don’t get stage managers).

It is possible that it can work but not well enough for them to want to release it. That would be my assumption.