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Apple Explains Why iPad Multitasking Took So Long to Arrive
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I like stage manager. So suit yourself, but don’t insist on taking it away from others.
I probably won’t use it after I update to iPadOS 26, but I’m sure some will.
I will bet against that and the pretentious tool that makes that show impossible to watch along with Laporte. Lindsay cried out for macOS to be licensed a la the Mac clones market. In order to make the iPad like the MacBook Air, they would essentially just be making a touchscreen MacBook Air like device that costs more and is less capable than what already exists. Clamshell laptops have been running 35 + years strong for a reason. Nothing hard core about sensible abilities and sensible packaging for sensible consumers. The “real work” argument with 10,000 shortcuts and extensions is fine for the Viticci style user, but for the mainstream consumer, after 15 years of iPad, all I see is a massive skew in the direction of a consumption device with a fabulous screen. Add to that the era of subscription apps and the native OS continues to falls short.
Would you send your kid to college in 2 years with an iPad Pro or a MacBook Air if you could only choose one? When that is clearly answered in large numbers in favour of the iPad, only then would the iPad have leverage. Apple could discontinue the iPad tomorrow and the world would move on less painlessly than if they did the MacBook Air or the iPhone. That is a reflection of Apple’s poor execution more than the product itself. Should we praise them for obvious window management that has existed for decades?
You missed the point. He is head of software and as such the overseer of iPad OS as well. The liquid glass was an analogy.
Yeah, he's just lying.
No computer has ever been able to "run an unlimited number of windowed apps with perfect responsiveness". It's a stupid thing to say, and he knows better.
And he also knows that the operating system is inherently multitasking, and has been since iPhoneOS 1.0. It's a freaking Unix at the core, and that's been multitasking since the '70s. The iPad 2 has a dual-core chip, I know lots of you will remember how mostly useless dual G4s were until Mac OS X.
You will love it I am enjoying on my M4 13 inch iPad Pro right now will never go back to old way
“This is the way” ;-)
This PR talk doesn't even make sense considering my old iPad Air from 2020 is getting this even though it never got stage center. They could just be honest and say WE LISTENED TO FEEDBACK.
sounds much better too
sounds much better too
And it makes even less sense on a mac. Having two docks on your screen which behave differently makes no sense.
I think it’s just an egregious example of Apple holding back features that they could well implement, but they don’t, as it might affect the sale of macs.
As you say, it is possible as they have implemented this for schools.
And they must know that iPads tend to be shared by couples and families - who all have to use the same iCloud account.
Which rather punctures apple’s commitment to privacy.
Or is their stance - ‘hey, if you want privacy, everyone needs to have their own iPad.’?
Is stage manager still in macOS 26? If so surely it will go in 27.
What is the point of this? I work in the IT space, and I can't stand full OS on small screens. Surface style Windows is stupid. Mac OS on the 13" Air isn't bad, but still isn't good, imo. That is why people who do serious work on them, use a dock/adapter with a larger monitor, external keyboard, and mouse. Same for any laptop, really. It doesn't make sense. You can technically do the work, but people don't normally enjoy having to only use that screen 24/7. Why change everything to try to act like people want to use it that way? They may think they do, but once they try, it sucks (looking at you stage manager).
Why do you want to clutter up your screen with small windows all over? You have to position them just right to be able to touch them and activate them to be on top. I just don't see the benefit in efficiency. Maybe once it is docked, like a modified stage manager (which I don't care for either). For my use, I love side by side. I use it all the time because I only need to move data between two apps, usually, and they resize fine. I'm in a niche situation, I assume. Most people use an iPad for casual use. One app needed at a time, and easily swipe to switch. MacBooks are far better for serious work with a physically stable design. None of the iPad keyboard accessories (I've used all styles) are as good as my MacBook Air or Windows laptop when it comes to just being good to type on and easy to put on my lap. If I am using my iPad, and I need to get some serious work done (VMs, Remote support, heavy multitasking, etc) I swap to my desktop or laptop/MacBook connected to an external display.
Please stop trying to make the iPad a MacBook. You will make it so complicated and involving to use people will turn from it. People think they want this, but they will realize it doesn't make sense and just go back to a full size system to do "normal" work. In the meantime, it will ruin why the iPad is so loved.
These are just my opinions. I work for a very large corporation. I see this stuff all the time.
Why do you want to clutter up your screen with small windows all over? You have to position them just right to be able to touch them and activate them to be on top. I just don't see the benefit in efficiency. Maybe once it is docked, like a modified stage manager (which I don't care for either). For my use, I love side by side. I use it all the time because I only need to move data between two apps, usually, and they resize fine. I'm in a niche situation, I assume. Most people use an iPad for casual use. One app needed at a time, and easily swipe to switch. MacBooks are far better for serious work with a physically stable design. None of the iPad keyboard accessories (I've used all styles) are as good as my MacBook Air or Windows laptop when it comes to just being good to type on and easy to put on my lap. If I am using my iPad, and I need to get some serious work done (VMs, Remote support, heavy multitasking, etc) I swap to my desktop or laptop/MacBook connected to an external display.
Please stop trying to make the iPad a MacBook. You will make it so complicated and involving to use people will turn from it. People think they want this, but they will realize it doesn't make sense and just go back to a full size system to do "normal" work. In the meantime, it will ruin why the iPad is so loved.
These are just my opinions. I work for a very large corporation. I see this stuff all the time.
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This took this long for "bu$ine$$ rea$on$"
Everything else they offer up is just retconning justification BS.
Apple PR has become insufferable.
Everything else they offer up is just retconning justification BS.
Apple PR has become insufferable.
I won't complain despite Federighi's silly explanation as to why Apple dragged its feet (low business value for Apple is my guess), it's about time they do something about it.
My Air M2 is ready, a decent OS at long last.
My Air M2 is ready, a decent OS at long last.
This is a load of BS. My "psychic contract with the device" is broken on my M4 iPad Pro that constantly stutters all over the OS. When Pro Motion was introduced back in 2017 is was SILKY SMOOTH. There was never a hiccup at all , not a micro stutter in animation anywhere to be found....in 2017. Here we are with insanely powerful chips and Apple doesn't properly optimize anything anymore.
The real reason is people are pissed and annoyed and not buying iPads like they used to. As well as given up hope Apple would put their arrogance aside.
Ironically they are now ditching the ONE MULTITASKING FEATURE they got right and so many of us love , slide over.
The real reason is people are pissed and annoyed and not buying iPads like they used to. As well as given up hope Apple would put their arrogance aside.
Ironically they are now ditching the ONE MULTITASKING FEATURE they got right and so many of us love , slide over.
Apple is confused. They don’t know what’s makes an iPad and what’s makes a Mac.
Technical limitations aside, Federighi is a great problem solving engineer. However, he is no visionary or designer. Cook has the style sensibility of beige. The original iMac would have never happened under him. The moment they brought the menu bar with pointer into iPadOS, they killed the iPad. Jobs is rolling in his grave.
This would have never happened under Jobs and/or Ives.
I am not talking about multi-tasking; that would have happened. The technical limitation makes sense. I am talking about how it’s implemented.
There is too much emphasis on using the iPad with a keyboard or a trackpad like a laptop. The iPad is first and foremost a fingered device.
RIP iPad. Long live iPad.
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" original iPads lacked the power for true multitasking". Oh come on. The motorola 68000 series could do multitasking. Ditto the x86s. It is a question of how much is built on top of it using the extra power for non-essentials vs multitasking. In short it is about priorities. (I'd add that even the 6502 could do multitasking - there were OSs written for it that allowed it to.)
Exactly how I feel.
All of this windowing stuff seems specifically geared towards docked w/ a KB & pointing device usage of an iPad.
i.e. "MacBook mode"
They just can't seem to decide on a true direction for the lineup and stick with it.
Imagine buying a Windows 11 laptop for that price and expecting it to open Microsoft’s office apps adequately🤣
P.S: I once did. Had to do lots of magic f…iddling to make it able to at least open a web browser.
And now Apple offers a world of apps for just that. Add slightly more and you get a fully-functioning M-series iPad Air.
I can proudly say Apple is no more overpriced option
Sure Craig is the head of software, but he didn’t just pull “liquid glass” out of thin air without the designers.
Very true.
One question when I installed and started beta 1 on my M4 iPad Pro I was not given option to choose but found out later however I loved how it worked on my M4 13 inch iPad Pro defaulted to the stage manager mode with most options for me. Maybe with M4 it just defaults does it ask on the less capable iPad devices? Just curious for some friends of mine who are not using M series iPads yet
...aaaaand stuff like this exactly is why "they" mock us, and rightfully so.
However, the problem also is that Apple rarely communicates about their decisions on a technical level that would enable technically educated people to follow their thought process and the trade-offs involved. They like to put up a pretense of high-tech perfection, while at the same time dumbing-down their communication so much that it becomes difficult to tell if there’s any good technical reason for what they do, or if it’s rather business or marketing reasons. And given the instances where they backpedaled on earlier restrictions, it’s also hard to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Stage Manager works with the new windowing system. It feels like more useful now, more like Spaces on a Mac.
Oh come on. The real reason is they didn't want ipad sales cannibalizing macbook sales. End of story.