Five Useful Features We'd Like to See Added to iPadOS

[amartinez1660]

Can’t believe no one has mentioned this but how about launching ANY app from the dock? I can’t stand that I need to leave an app and switch context when I just want to add another app in split screen mode. Imagine a 9-dot icon on the left of the dock which brings up the spotlight search (probably in a new window on top of the running app or semi-transparent) and then you just drag-n-drop any app from there to split screen or slide over. This is #1 thing for me making “your next computer is not a computer” so untrue. Damn, is it THAT hard to implement?

I don’t think anything is hard to implement especially when it has been implemented somewhere else under the same libraries, UI/Web/Swift/etc Kits.
I find it insane that widgets are not the same on iOS and iPad, that makes no sense to me especially when they boast about the very first iOS being derived from OS X, iPadOS and iOS being the same base code, etc. Someone is lying, either iPadOS duplicates a lot of existing code from iOS and always has to play catch up, or the devices are not that quite compatible so there are other hardware requirements that we don’t know about (maybe inside the chips themselves and said libraries used), and spotlight and all that? Maybe not that much derive from OS X then... weather app? Calculator apps? If they can ‘Catalyst’ the heck out of apps back and forth, run iPhone apps in emulation mode on the iPad (remember those beginnings?), etc THEN WHY the feature parity is not 1:1 on the things that makes sense.
This does drive me mad a bit... I’ll chalk it to being a massive company with a lot of bureaucracy giving friction to absolutely every minor decision and action, far from agile for sure.

Hint: I think this could help for what you mean but needs a keyboard attached. On any app active, Cmd + Space for spotlight, pick from the suggestions or search for the app, on it do tap-hold then drag (what I find a confusing gesture specially in home) and place it on the right edge for split screen or around it for a floating app panel.

 

[sracer]

iPad will never become a competent computer replacement, unless MacOS & iPadOS merge. which will probably happen with the ARM architecture, in 2-3 years.

It is not necessary to merge MacOS and iPadOS in order for an iPad to become a competent computer replacement.

First, it already is a competent computer replacement for those with basic computer needs... even though an iPad Pro is less functional than a chromebook in many scenarios.

iPadOS needs only a few tweaks to make the iPad a competent computer replacement for a wider audience.

1. Eliminate the per-app storage sandbox. (that sandboxing creates some awkward workflows)
2. Expand support for USB and Bluetooth peripherals.
3. True extended display support.


I think a convergence of MacOS and iPadOS is a very bad idea... but that is a topic for a different thread.

 

[RumorConsumer]

It's there for education and business now though, so apple have clearly been working on it and the slftware exists for iPads.
Apple's support info for business use says it stores each users files locally, or bumps them off to a server if the iPad is short on space.
I'm sure with apple's developer force they can fix the "ugly and slow" aspects, and make it work with iCloud for home use.
I currently refuse to buy a new iPad unless it gets multi-user support, and if support is ever added I'll most likely subscribe to extra iCloud storage to allow for user files to be bumped up to the cloud if needed.


Ah yes, just like the 'I'Mac that has only ever supported one user logging on.

haha good one on the iMac.

I dont think we will see this on iDevices. Its too small a market of people who want to use one iPad with more than one person who will have functionally difficult times doing this.

Though I wish it were true, your comment about Apple's "developer force" is laughable to me that they would invest in a feature like multi user. I will happily eat my words if that turns out to be wrong but there is zero sign that Apple will suddenly shift their marketing to "One iPad for the whole family". Thats at crossed purposes to the whole sales zeitgeist where you get the case you want, some professional, some personal, etc. Its all about the single user.

 

[shapesinaframe]

I’m hoping iPadOS starts to finds it place after Big Sur is released. It’s in a weird place right now, with iOS having just made a huge leap forward in iOS 14 and macOS about to do the same with Big Sur. For whatever reason, right now iPadOS seems to be playing catch-up with both.

The one feature I am hoping for is to use the touch screen on the iPad when using it with sidecar on macOS. The new macOS UI seems to be perfect for it.

 

[7thson]

Mostly appreciating iPadOS 14.2 and will second these improvements. What stymies me is the weather widget launches not a weather app, but the weather channel in the browser. What the...? Even though I have the weather channel app installed, the widget launches to a browser? Ten years later and this is where Apple is at with weather on the iPad.
Edit: it occurred to me that maybe there is a weather channel widget and there is. So I installed that. But Apple bought Dark Sky. I thought for sure that meant they were getting serious about the weather app.