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ahostmadsen

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 28, 2009
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I wonder if the 11" iPad pro is too small to really use stage manager? It seems stage manager wastes a lot of screen space?
 
you can use it on the ipad air 5 but you want want to.. most of the time.

Its perfect on an external screen. Desktop like experience.
 
As you feared, most of the screen real estate has been used up for things like dock, app switch portion etc. Had Apple even bothered to create resizable dock for iPadOS the issue wouldn’t be that pronounced.

Aside from external display, 14” or bigger iPad would be the most ideal candidate for stage manager, which puts iPad in competition with MacBook Pro, a machine running full macOS and can do more than iPadOS.

Some other limits include:
1. Full screen only app wont be allowed to overlay another window on top under stage manager.

2. Window can only be resized in predetermined aspect ratios, down to iPhone app size, up to the entire screen.

3. Moving window around using touch still isn’t great. Mouse is recommended. Also, like resizing, you can only move windows to predetermined positions, though with greater flexibility than before.

4. You can have multiple windows side by side, but they will eventually all be squished to iPhone app size if you put enough windows. On 11” max number would be 3.

Yes, all above is from first beta, but I seriously doubt design change will happen during the beta cycle.
 
For me the big win is stage manager on my external display. If I’m just on my iPad, I prefer the old multitasking. The great thing is if you simply turn off stage manager, it reverts back to the side by side split screen tiles.
 
Yes it is. Both the iPad Air 5 and the current iPad Pro 11” have an M1.
And that is kind of why I ask the question. Should I upgrade my 11” iPad Pro (first generation) to an M2 (when it comes out)? The only gain would be Stage Manager, but since I don’t want larger than 11”, it might not be relevant.
 
And that is kind of why I ask the question. Should I upgrade my 11” iPad Pro (first generation) to an M2 (when it comes out)? The only gain would be Stage Manager, but since I don’t want larger than 11”, it might not be relevant.
Um.. you actually have to ask yourself do you care for window-sizing management? Is SplitView and SlideOver enough for you? Regardless if its a 11 inch display, there's the option to hook it up to an external display.

Because most iPad users prefer the single-app approach while occasionally using SplitView or SlideOver.
 
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I want to get a M2 11" iPad Pro (hopefully with mini-LED & RAM options), and pair it with a LG UltraFine 27UN880-B 27" 4K display...

27UN880-B.jpg


This would allow a single USB-C connection to the 11" iPad Pro; and allow me to connect my keyboard, mouse, & audio to the UltraFine display...
 
I want to get a M2 11" iPad Pro (hopefully with mini-LED & RAM options), and pair it with a LG UltraFine 27UN880-B 27" 4K display...

View attachment 2017364

This would allow a single USB-C connection to the 11" iPad Pro; and allow me to connect my keyboard, mouse, & audio to the UltraFine display...

Yeah, it’s pretty sweet when you only have one connection and don’t have to worry about running down your battery.

Although, a cheaper route might be to get a dock like the Kensington StudioDock and then choose any monitor.

6E4499E2-8B2B-4841-8D47-96AACBAEBB49.jpeg
 
And that is kind of why I ask the question. Should I upgrade my 11” iPad Pro (first generation) to an M2 (when it comes out)? The only gain would be Stage Manager, but since I don’t want larger than 11”, it might not be relevant.

I think Stage Manager is more useful if you plan on connecting an external display.

On the iPad only, for me the windows are too small and contained too little content even with "More Space" mode. I much prefer fullscreen mode. I rarely even use split view on that size and I've never even bothered with slide over.
 
Yeah, it’s pretty sweet when you only have one connection and don’t have to worry about running down your battery.

Although, a cheaper route might be to get a dock like the Kensington StudioDock and then choose any monitor.

View attachment 2017491

I like the positioning options the LG monitor offers, especially the pivot-to-portrait; and that StudioDock is a bit pricey, about 2/3rds the cost of the LG monitor...
 
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As you feared, most of the screen real estate has been used up for things like dock, app switch portion etc. Had Apple even bothered to create resizable dock for iPadOS the issue wouldn’t be that pronounced.

Aside from external display, 14” or bigger iPad would be the most ideal candidate for stage manager, which puts iPad in competition with MacBook Pro, a machine running full macOS and can do more than iPadOS.

Some other limits include:
1. Full screen only app wont be allowed to overlay another window on top under stage manager.

2. Window can only be resized in predetermined aspect ratios, down to iPhone app size, up to the entire screen.

3. Moving window around using touch still isn’t great. Mouse is recommended. Also, like resizing, you can only move windows to predetermined positions, though with greater flexibility than before.

4. You can have multiple windows side by side, but they will eventually all be squished to iPhone app size if you put enough windows. On 11” max number would be 3.

Yes, all above is from first beta, but I seriously doubt design change will happen during the beta cycle.
This is a good post - thanks. It seems to me, based on this post and others, that the only really practical use of Stage Manager on a 10.9” screen (my Air 5) would be the ability to use an external display. Since I’m never going to do that, because 1.) I prize the iPad’s comparitively small size and portability, and 2.) with the Magic Keyboard multitasking is intuitive and easy, it’s looking more and more like Stage Manager will be just fluff. But, like @JahBoolean stated in post 2 — We’ll see.
 
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Been using the new OS since yesterday on iPad Pro 11. So far it’s great. Stage manager allows hiding of the dock and side icons thus more real estate. Have safari open with spotify open in a smaller window. I can drag in the news app, notes. I feel like I’m already using more of the iPads potential. So far it’s great for beta 1. Stage manager is great can’t wait to try an external monitor 👍
 
Been using the new OS since yesterday on iPad Pro 11. So far it’s great. Stage manager allows hiding of the dock and side icons thus more real estate. Have safari open with spotify open in a smaller window. I can drag in the news app, notes. I feel like I’m already using more of the iPads potential. So far it’s great for beta 1. Stage manager is great can’t wait to try an external monitor 👍
So, it is indeed useful on 11". Perhaps I will then upgrade when the M2 gets out.
 
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