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Should there be an iPadOS forum at MacRumors?


  • Total voters
    125

Feenician

macrumors 603
Jun 13, 2016
5,313
5,100
Most definitely there should be a separate iPadOS forum. I now have iPadOS installed on an iPad Pro and iOS 13 installed on an iPhone SE.

They just feel so different now, more so than iOS 12 did.

I'd struggle to name even 3 things that are different on iPadOS compared to iOS 13 that weren't already different (e.g. multitasking). Sidecar and Safari's desktop superpowers are about all I can think of. The vast majority of functionality is completely in common.
 
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Ansath

macrumors demi-god
Jun 9, 2018
4,460
4,827
England
I'd struggle to name even 3 things that are different on iPadOS compared to iOS 13 that weren't already different (e.g. multitasking). Sidecar and Safari's desktop superpowers are about all I can think of. The vast majority of functionality is completely in common.

Exactly. That is pretty much the only difference, so there’d end up with duplicate threads
 
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EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
13,738
11,432
I'd struggle to name even 3 things that are different on iPadOS compared to iOS 13 that weren't already different (e.g. multitasking). Sidecar and Safari's desktop superpowers are about all I can think of. The vast majority of functionality is completely in common.
Maybe you're in need of an iPadOS 13 sub-forum even more then, since there are several other differences. Actually, I think Apple should have separated iPadOS out years ago, but iPadOS 13 goes much further.

Sidecar
Multitasking update <-- Very different. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Big learning curve.
Dock (similar to iOS 12 but nonetheless a huge difference from iOS 13)
Notifications
Expose
Desktop Safari
Home screen widgets
Apple Pencil improvements (as a part of ProMotion, which doesn't even exist on the iPhone or iPod)
Apple Pencil screenshots
Markup tool palette interface
Mouse and trackpad support <-- This works on iOS 13, but is kinda pointless there.
Shrinkable keyboard that floats
Files app interface differences
USB-C support and compatibility with external devices

Some of the above are partially hardware dependent, but nonetheless they highlight the differences between iPadOS 13 and iOS 13.
 
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Feenician

macrumors 603
Jun 13, 2016
5,313
5,100
Maybe you're in need of an iPadOS 13 sub-forum even more then, since there are several other differences. Actually, I think Apple should have separated iPadOS out years ago, but iPadOS 13 goes much further.

Sidecar
Multitasking update <-- Very different. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Big learning curve.
Dock (similar to iOS 12 but nonetheless a huge difference from iOS 13)
Notifications
Expose
Desktop Safari
Home screen widgets
Apple Pencil improvements (as a part of ProMotion, which doesn't even exist on the iPhone or iPod)
Apple Pencil screenshots
Markup tool palette interface
Mouse and trackpad support <-- This works on iOS 13, but is kinda pointless there.
Shrinkable keyboard that floats
Files app interface differences
USB-C support and compatibility with external devices

Some of the above are partially hardware dependent, but nonetheless they highlight the differences between iPadOS 13 and iOS 13.

For me, some of these are a real stretch in saying ipados requires a subforum (iPad has keyboard differences almost forever), some are duplicates really (expose is part if multitasking and an extension of what we've had for some time) and at least one (external usb devices) is also true of iOS 13.

I honestly think that separate forums will be more of a hindrance than a help at this stage, as people might miss answers on the shared 95% of functionality.

YMMV and there's obviously room for other opinions.
 
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EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
13,738
11,432
For me, some of these are a real stretch in saying ipados requires a subforum (iPad has keyboard differences almost forever)
As mentioned, I think Apple should have separated iPadOS a long time ago, because the differences were already large enough years ago.

some are duplicates really (expose is part if multitasking and an extension of what we've had for some time)
It is still different, and it's only one of several items I listed.

Similarly, Files app is present on iOS 13, but the interface is different.

and at least one (external usb devices) is also true of iOS 13.
I said USB-C. There are no USB-C iDevices at all supported by iOS 13. That may change in the future, but it's not true now.

I honestly think that separate forums will be more of a hindrance than a help at this stage, as people might miss answers on the shared 95% of functionality.

YMMV and there's obviously room for other opinions.
Personally I find it irritating having to sift through posts about the iPhone to read about the iPad.

For me, iOS 13 on the iPhone is a nice update. iPadOS 13 on the iPad is a game changer.
 
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annk

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 18, 2004
15,140
9,342
Somewhere over the rainbow
now.
Personally I find it irritating having to sift through posts about the iPhone to read about the iPad.

If you mean the iOS 13 section here, all you have to do is click on the iPad prefix on any of the threads when you go to the section. Then you'll see only iPad-related threads.
 
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EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
13,738
11,432
If you mean the iOS 13 section here, all you have to do is click on the iPad prefix on any of the threads when you go to the section. Then you'll see only iPad-related threads.
Well, the issue is that some of the posts would be in "All Devices" threads.
 

ventmore

macrumors 6502a
Jul 13, 2008
787
331
https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/ios-13.207/?prefix_id=32

Just click on one of the iPad prefixes to get this link that only shows iPad iOS 13 discussion.
This honestly seems like the best compromise for right now.

Well, the issue is that some of the posts would be in "All Devices" threads.
This post just highlights the problem of a separate subforum. When you have an issue affecting all devices, which subforum would you post in?
 
Last edited:

OldCorpse

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2005
1,758
347
compost heap
What it says on the tin. I know we've had many threads in the other forum (iOS) about breaking out a subforum just for iPadOS, and I guess the same applies to this forum - it would be nice to have a separate subforum that deals with iPadOS apps.

Now, I understand that it can be slightly tricky insofar as many apps appear on both iOS and iPadOS and there may not be any differences between them, but there are apps that are more specific to iPadOS and are simply not practical on iOS, even if they nominally could be used there too - examples are many, such as drawing apps, or word-processing apps and so on.

Now that iPadOS is officially out, I think it is time to implement these subforums.

Personally, while I do use my iPhone, I'm far more interested in working with my iPad Air 3, and so naturally, I check for apps and iPadOS relevant threads, and it would be nice to have a separate subforum for those, instead of wading through a mass of irrelevant threads that apply to iOS and iOS apps. I hope this makes sense! Thanks for reading!
 

Ashka

macrumors 6502a
Aug 9, 2008
603
67
New Zealand
I get the feeling that the guys running macrumors just dislike any Apple gear the isn't a phone.
When an iphone can have multiple apps open on the screen plus a mouse & keyboard then the phones may be allowed in the iPad / iPadOS forums which is as stupid as the arrangement at the present time.
 

fredrik9

macrumors 6502
Sep 30, 2018
353
439
Sweden
It’s iOS 13 with a stunt name. Only macOS deserves to have its own OS name. It’s still iPhone software put on to an iPad and extended for the larger screen. It’s not a separate OS, it’s just apple trying to make you wanna buy an iPad

I would argue that it is sufficiently different from iOS. Sure, the foundations of the OSs are the same and they function basically the same. However, there’s so much one can do now on iPadOS that isn’t possible on iPhone at all. Like having multitasking, multiple spaces, app exposé and several windows open at the same time, doing PiP and all discussions regarding that etc. For example writing this post, I do it on my iPad not on my iPhone. I had to get my iPad to write this post because it would be too tiresome to type it all out on the phone’s screen. I can do real work on iPadOS but I can’t on my iPhone. That’s a big difference between these two OSs right now, iPadOS can do pretty much everything a laptop can, iOS cannot.

All of these discussions would just clog up the iOS 13 threads would they not? Since there are a ton more people that own an iPhone than iPad owners wouldn‘t all those posts about iPadOS just get in their way? I am certainly not very interested by problems on OSs that my own OS doesn’t even support. When I post questions about iPadOS in a iOS thread, they might get lost by the sheer quantity of iOS posts.
 

AustinIllini

macrumors G5
Oct 20, 2011
12,680
10,516
Austin, TX
It’s iOS 13 with a stunt name. Only macOS deserves to have its own OS name. It’s still iPhone software put on to an iPad and extended for the larger screen. It’s not a separate OS, it’s just apple trying to make you wanna buy an iPad
The way I see it, iOS is the overarching OS architecture and iPadOS is really just part of it. So the opposite of Android is still iOS, regardless of whether or not the device is an iPhone or an iPad.
 
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