iPadOS 16 Includes Internal Mode for Testing Stage Manager on Older iPads

[klasma]

So why are we here arguing?

The controversy came up because:

• Many people have found the existing iPad multitasking and/or external display experience to be lacking for quite some time.
• Stage Manager promises to remedy the situation. (It’s debatable whether it actually does, but that’s the general premise).
• Apple is basically saying that now with the M1 models they can finally provide a great multitasking and external display experience, and that it wasn’t possible with earlier models.
• For a variety of reasons, people call bullsh*t on the perceived claim that a better experience wouldn’t have been possible on existing models.

Basically, it’s an expression of the long-standing dissatisfaction with the multitasking and external display experience on iPad, and knowing/feeling that it could have been much better since at least when the Pro line was established.

 

[HackMacDaddy]

I'm ready to bet an iPhone 5C that most people are not going to use Stage Manager anyways. I know for sure I won't!

 

[1284814]

Stage manager could work on older devices if they allow us to run 3 apps 1 on the iPad and 2 on on the screen,
8 apps is overkill. But 3 apps is less then a half. How is Apple still arguing? Procreate does it with layer and everybody Is ok with it ( not contented but ok with it). Procreate does notlock Canvas because you can’t get a certain amount of layer. They lock them away because no iPad can run them efficientply.
Last thing I want to talk about is how the people backing Apple with their M1 is short sided.
if you allow Apple to BS you with this basic feature you will never get an actua pro experience.
PRO FEATURES FOR M1 WOULD BE : multi users, performance mode ( allowing you to use the memory trick for specific apps while connected) , mac Os app suppport, support for dual Boot ( having access to the old applications is important for professionals) dual monitor support, and etc.
stop falling for the power user crap of Apple. I swear I think Apple needs an actual competitor on the iPas so front.
qnd this **** is making my opinion on Apple vs epic shift slightly.
for Non m1 iPad users
why is the file system so basics ?( open System files for all 3rd party softwares )

 

[antiprotest]

Must be disheartening for the small fries that worked hard on this feature only to have the decision-makers botch the PR aspect of the launch so badly.

 

[citysnaps]

My god do people have nothing better to do than to manufacture a stupid controversy? Stage Manager isn't the end all iPad feature.

It's an opportunity for many to have a good whine and feel better about themselves. Rather than step up and send a message to Apple by voting with their wallet.

 

[Hopefully Smarter]

Alright already. We need to move on from this.

You're all f88king peasants as far as I can see- John Lennon

 

[citysnaps]

People will complain if they enable it. The M1 crowd will say "Then why even get the M1?" and the "And the others will complain it doesn't work well with some apps.".

Sadly, yes. Doesn't make any difference what the issue is. It's about telling the world how (faux) outraged one is, and feeling powerful, yet not feeling any embarrassment about it.

Much easier than voting with one's wallet and finding happiness with a competitive product. But that doesn't give someone that desired little blip of power.

 

[blackcrayon]

I hope that someone gets this mod working, and then hopefully if Apple's claims are found to be true this controversy can be put to rest. If Apple are caught out then at least we know where we stand I suppose. Each individual can then decide for themselves whether they want to continue to supporting the iPad/Apple or not.

No, if someone gets it working, and it works well, it will be fuel for pages and pages of hate. If someone gets it working, and it works poorly, then "Apple put that in on purpose to trick people into thinking it would be slow!", and that will be fuel for conspiracies and pages and pages of hate 😀

 

[tkaravou]

Personally I think Apple should stand their ground on this one.

Planned obsolescence is a terrible road to continue going down

 

[Haiku_Oezu]

Some users have questioned why Apple does not allow Stage Manager to work on older devices by capping the external display resolution or limiting the number of apps that can be used at the same time. Others have pointed out that Stage Manager is also included in macOS Ventura, which works on Intel Macs that were released as early as 2017.

Probably something to do with the fact that macOS has always been designed with Windows in mind and AppKit is a completely different beast.

I have used some Catalyst apps on my Intel Macs and boy did some of them struggle when resized or even just running normally.

Also Intel chips don’t think twice about drawing insane amounts of power to do what they have to do, M1’s not so much.

 

[Chad Johnson]

my 2000 dell laptop runs Ubuntu 2GB ram and multiple windows on two monitors. iPads must be really slow.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

I bet the next “gate” will be when people see that stage manager runs like crap on older iPads, and then accuse Apple of deliberately rigging the software to not be optimised on those devices.

And what if it runs perfectly? Or works but without external display support above 1440p?

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Probably something to do with the fact that macOS has always been designed with Windows in mind and AppKit is a completely different beast.

I have used some Catalyst apps on my Intel Macs and boy did some of them struggle when resized or even just running normally.

Also Intel chips don’t think twice about drawing insane amounts of power to do what they have to do, M1’s not so much.

Well isn’t it well established Apple A12 etc chips are more powerful than all intelmacbook pros?

 

[TimB21]

Sadly, yes. Doesn't make any difference what the issue is. It's about telling the world how (faux) outraged one is, and feeling powerful, yet not feeling any embarrassment about it.

Much easier than voting with one's wallet and finding happiness with a competitive product. But that doesn't give someone that desired little blip of power.

...or not finding a competitive product.

 

[TimB21]

Or 2k,4k

Turn it up to 11, whatever it takes! 😉

 

[DCW]

It's fun to stop and think about WHY we are all arguing about this.

Will Apple change their mind on this issue? Perhaps, but I'd say the odds are strongly against it.

And Apple certainly won't be basing their decision on what all of us say on MR forums (it's depressing, I know).

So why are we here arguing?

My belief is that it's because each of us has some narrative about why Apple has made this choice and - by god - each of us wants to be right. It just feels sooooo good to win an argument.

So what we do is we cherry pick data points - from Apple's past behavior, what other tech companies are doing, and our personal beliefs about how the world of business works - that fit our pre-chosen narrative and we go:

"See?! It's clear as day that Apple's motivation is XYZ. Only a deluded f00l would think differently."

And that's what we mostly do here.

We shout and we argue but we don't really listen (myself included).

That said, there are some folks here that aren't proclaiming to know The Truth™, but are instead here to discuss, offer viewpoints, and learn from the conversation.

To those few of you, I tip my cap. I aspire to be like you, although often I fall short of the mark. You're the reason this place is worth coming back to each day.

Hopefully, we can all do a bit better today than we did yesterday.

That would be a good start.

Best post today.

 

[chrono1081]

My god do people have nothing better to do than to manufacture a stupid controversy? Stage Manager isn't the end all iPad feature.

Why complain about it or comment on topics if it doesn't affect you? I for one want it on my iPad that was literally released 8 months ago, even if I can only use it on device and without an external monitor.

Not offering the biggest (for many) iPad OS feature on brand new iPads is unacceptable.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

I agree with the posts that point out how silly it is to go on about this.

For my part, I'd been following the iPad since its original release, and upon buying an using the original (I still have) I came to notice really quick that it was NOT what I wanted it to be: a Mac in tablet form.

Over the years I also came to notice that despite all the improvements (processor, software, added features, etc.) it STILL did not become what I wanted.

My older Macs still ran rings around it, and staved off obsolescence when the iPads became paperweights.

Until M1, that is. THAT was the moment where finally the iPad had the processor power, RAM, connectivity, AND software enhancements to replace my Macs, BECAUSE it was on par with Apple's desktop hardware.

Apple has thus drawn the line in the sand there. They still have to do some software trickery to be able to run iPadOS on older, 3GB-of RAM base iPads, but it seems now they are forking iPadOS in the background based on iPad model (or rather, processor), and Stage Manager appears to be evidence of this.

That way Apple can keep the base iPad to be just that, and take the Pro and Air lines closer to Mac parity (without losing what makes an iPad the BEST tablet).

 

[Haiku_Oezu]

Well isn’t it well established Apple A12 etc chips are more powerful than all intelmacbook pros?

Its not really about power, it’s about efficiency, also those Intel Macs come at the very least with 8GBs of RAM that they can swap freely.
There’s also much less of an expectation that a computer will never slow down - people are much more tolerant of computers freezing up when you do too much with them - tablets not so much

Also that was just a footnote, my actual hypothesis was about software - not hardware.

 

[yabeweb]

Planned obsolescence is a terrible road to continue going down

How is this making your iPad doing less than when you bought it? Were you promised this feature when you bought your iPad? Where you led to believe that your iPad would get all new features of all new supported os?

 

[LeadingHeat]

Whyyy is this such a huge issue to macrumors? It’s a cool way to organize the different apps sure, but it’s not the end all be all feature of iPadOS 16

 

[BootsWalking]

Alright already. We need to move on from this.

You're free to ignore the articles about this, however it is a continuing interest to some of us.

 

[DNichter]

I don't see why this is a story, of course they do. Whether they want to apply the feature to older iPad's or not is up to Apple, even if it is a ploy to get people to buy newer hardware. This stuff happens. I say this as someone with an iPad Pro from 2018.

 

[jdnTO20]

Alright already. We need to move on from this.

Agreed… this is not a big deal. New features come out… for free, I’ll add… and they get to decide what machines they’ll be implemented on.

If iPadOS 16 was REMOVING functionality from your iPad, then I’d get the hysteria. But this isn’t the case… new features sometimes come to only the newest and latest models… that’s life.

I’ve got a previous generation iPad Pro… and I’m taking this update like an adult. Moving on…

 

[Wildkraut]

Hey MR, how about not stoking the fire on this? I know you love clicks and engagement but this is not productive!!!

Just look away if you can’t stand the truth.