Video: Check Out the 5 Best iPadOS 16 Features

[MacRumors]

iPadOS 16, Apple's operating system that runs on the iPad, is getting almost all of the great features coming to iOS 16, but there are also iPad-specific additions that make the iPad more Mac-like than ever. In our latest YouTube video, we show off the five best features coming to the iPad this fall.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

• Stage Manager - Stage Manager is a new multitasking interface that's also available on the Mac in macOS Ventura. Stage Manager supports multiple windows that are resizable, and it is a much different experience than the standard Split View. Your main app is front and center and others are right off to the left for easy access, plus you can group apps together and overlap windows for more control over your workspace. Stage Manager is unfortunately limited to the iPad models with an M1 chip.
• External Display Support - iPadOS 16 brings full external display support to the iPad Pro with M1 chip, allowing that iPad to drive a display with up to 6K resolution. You can use a single external display with the M1 iPad Pro running iPadOS 16.
• New Display Modes - For pros who need color accuracy, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display can provide reference color for popular color standards and video formats. The iPad Pro is able to serve as a secondary reference display for the Mac using Sidecar.
• Weather app - The Weather app has finally come to the iPad, and it's pretty much identical to the iOS 16 Weather app. It can take advantage of the larger display of the iPad to provide more modules on one screen, and you can tap into any weather module to get additional information.
• Freeform app - Later this year, Apple will launch a new Freeform app that's designed to be a collaborative canvas for working on projects with others. It supports real-time collaboration and can be used for brainstorming, outlining new projects, and more. It supports Apple Pencil for a digital whiteboard experience, and it works with SharePlay in FaceTime and Messages.

What are your favorite iPadOS 16 features? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Video: Check Out the 5 Best iPadOS 16 Features

 

[rui no onna]

Lol, 3 out of 5 are M1 only. 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Yr Blues]

Calculator?

 

[Realityck]

Sad Stage Manager requires the M1.

 

[bluespider]

It's really annoying that apps are being considered features. They are apps, should be considered separate from OS built-in features. Yes, it's great finally having weather ap, it will be cool to have a whiteboard "freeform" app from Apple, but they are NOT features.

 

[Yr Blues]

whiteboard "freeform" app

Any examples of what you're talking about? Sounds cool.

 

[jav6454]

M1's power is apparent with many of those exclusive to it.

 

[Moonlight]

Stage Manager is the first step to true multitasking on the iPad. Very excited to test it out.

 

[_Spinn_]

Stage Manager looks very useful. I know it is a total pipe dream but I would love it if Apple allows a future iPhone to be plugged into a dock and then have the Stage Manager UI on the external screen.

 

[Gobeatty]

I have a smaller M1 iPad Pro and am curious if the app windows in Stage Manager view will be too small. It seems like screen space on the left is taken up by app stacks and the usable on-screen space is reduced.

I will download the first public beta to see and I can’t wait 😜

 

[bluespider]

Any examples of what you're talking about? Sounds cool.

• Freeform app - Later this year, Apple will launch a new Freeform app that's designed to be a collaborative canvas for working on projects with others. It supports real-time collaboration and can be used for brainstorming, outlining new projects, and more. It supports Apple Pencil for a digital whiteboard experience, and it works with SharePlay in FaceTime and Messages.

 

[Johnny907]

Lol, 3 out of 5 are M1 only. 🤣🤣🤣

Due to RAM constraints. Expect iPad refreshes to do what Apple should have done years ago: beef up the RAM.

 

[Johnny907]

I have a smaller M1 iPad Pro and am curious if the app windows in Stage Manager view will be too small. It seems like screen space on the left is taken up by app stacks and the usable on-screen space is reduced.

I will download the first public beta to see and I can’t wait 😜

They are. Stage Manager on the 11" Pro sucks. The screen becomes cluttered and the apps hanging out on the side of the screen are way too large, take up too much space and are visually distracting. I expect Apple to greatly simply that aspect first in the next beta update. It's not as bad when connected to an external monitor, but so far real world use falls way, way below what was promised in the keynote.

 

[Johnny907]

M1's power is apparent with many of those exclusive to it.

Not really. Those exclusives are due to RAM constraints, not SoC requirements. Apple hasn't come close to taxing the M1 on the iPad platform yet.

 

[rui no onna]

They are. Stage Manager on the 11" Pro sucks. The screen becomes cluttered and the apps hanging out on the side of the screen are way too large, take up too much space and are visually distracting. I expect Apple to greatly simply that aspect first in the next beta update. It's not as bad when connected to an external monitor, but so far real world use falls way, way below what was promised in the keynote.

Well, they were showing off the new feature on the 12.9” not 11” during the keynote.

 

[Psychicbob]

Think we’ll be able to use the iPad Pro in clamshell (Smart Cover closed) mode when plugged in to an external monitor? You’d have to be using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse of course

 

[tomtendo]

in Stage Manager ... can you work on the apps side by side or is this just basically expose?

 

[44267547]

I’m just thankful we finally have the weather App on the iPad display. I mean…it only took the better part of ten years to make it happen.

 

[darngooddesign]

Not really. Those exclusives are due to RAM constraints, not SoC requirements. Apple hasn't come close to taxing the M1 on the iPad platform yet.

The M1 iPads get Swap Memory and that is required for Stage Manager, so Stage Manager has an SoC requirement not a RAM requirement.

 

[darngooddesign]

in Stage Manager ... can you work on the apps side by side or is this just basically expose?

You can do side-by-side.

 

[WWPD]

It has a web browser, it's like touching the Internet.

 

[johnnytravels]

So Stage Manager runs on Intel but not on the latest A processors??

 

[fwmireault]

So Stage Manager runs on Intel but not on the latest A processors??

The problem is not the power processing, it’s the RAM avaible. At least that’s what Apple is saying to justify the lack of support of Stage Manager to any A series iPad

 

[Rory76]

They are. Stage Manager on the 11" Pro sucks. The screen becomes cluttered and the apps hanging out on the side of the screen are way too large, take up too much space and are visually distracting. I expect Apple to greatly simply that aspect first in the next beta update. It's not as bad when connected to an external monitor, but so far real world use falls way, way below what was promised in the keynote.

Is it true that it only gives you four active windows vs the three (split screen and slide over) currently available in iPadOS 15? Do you think that the current “multi screen” options (the latter listed above) is better suited for the 11” Pro?

 

[pdaholic]

These windows are small and the apps on the side are taking up too much room. And we have a dock below it all taking up more space. Amazing how Apple is trying to do everything they can to revamp the traditional windows gui, only to make something more cumbersome and resource intensive (we really need an M1 just to do that???).