Notorious Apple Leaker Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is planning a greater revision of the iPados (Operating System’s iPads) to make it work a lot like macos – and I think this could be a good move, although it also comes with plenty of danger.
Gurman is very respected when it comes to Apple leaks, so while we probably won’t get any official idea of how iPados 19 is formed until Apple’s WWDC event in June, this can still be a big tip in the direction Apple is planning to take its tablet operating system.
In his weekly power on newsletter to Bloomberg, Gurman claims that “this year’s upgrade will focus on productivity, multitasking and app window control – with an eye on the device that works more like a Mac,” and Apple is eager to make its operating systems (macos, ispados, iOS and visionos primarily) more consistent.
As a person using the M4-driven iPad Pro is this music for my ears. Ever since I underwent the past year, I’ve been confused by the iPad Pro. It was Apple’s first product that came with M4 chip, a powerful bit of hardware that is now more commonly found in Macs and MacBooks (former M-class chips were used only in Apple’s Mac computers, rather than iPad tablets).
Despite offering the kind of performance you would expect from a MacBook, I found that the power of the M4 chip was largely wasted with the iPad Pro because of it still using iPados, and was limited to running simplified iPad apps rather than full desktop applications.
Even if this trait still means you can’t run macOS apps on the iPad Pro, it can still make a massive difference, especially when it comes to multitasking (running multiple apps at the same time and switching between them). If Apple nails this, it would go a long way to make the iPad Pro a real MacBook alternative.
But to make iPados more like macos could also bring disadvantages, so I have erected five reasons why this can be a good move – and three reasons why it could all go wrong.
5 reasons why it’s a good idea to make iPados more like macOS
1. This means that iPad Pro makes more sense
The biggest victory when it comes to making iPados more like macos is with the powerful iPad Pro. In terms of hardware, the iPad Pro is hard to blame with a fantastic screen, thin and lightweight design and powerful components.
Despite its groundbreaking hardware, it can only run iPad apps. These are generally simple and straightforward apps designed to be used with a touch screen. These apps should also be able to run on less powerful iPads.
This means that advanced features are often left to the desktop version of the app, and any performance improvement owners of the iPad Pro come over people using the iPad Mini will be modest. When I use the iPad Pro, it certainly feels that a lot of its power and potential is limited by this – so much of the expensive hardware will waste.
To make iPados more like macos – in an ideal world – could lead to the opportunity to run Mac applications on the iPad Pro. At least it may mean that some app designers get their iPad apps to come up with a Mac-like option.
If it means that multitasking is lighter, it will also be welcome. One of the things I struggled with when I was trying to use the iPad Pro for work instead of my MacBook was to have multiple apps open at once and quickly moved between them. Cutting and inserting content between apps was particularly cumbersome, not helped by the web browser I used (Chrome) as the mobile version that does not support extensions.
It made tasks that would take seconds on a MacBook much more trouble – a critical problem that meant I quickly moved back to my MacBook Pro to work.
2. It could be just in time for M5-powered iPad-Proff
If this big change to iPados, which is jerky, will be announced on Apple’s WWDC 2025 event, it could nicely coincide with the rumor detection of a new iPad project driven by the M5 chip.
Although I am not 100% convinced of an M5 iPad Pro as Apple still releases M4 devices, the timing would make sense. If Apple actually announces an even more powerful iPad Pro, iPados in its current form would feel even more limiting.
But if Apple announces both a new M5 iPad Pro and An overhaul of iPados to make use of this power, it could actually be very exciting. And with WWDC being an event that is primarily aimed at developers, it can be a great opportunity for Apple to show the new look iPados and encourage these developers to start manufacturing apps that take full advantage of the new and improved operating system.
3. It makes it easier for Mac owners to get into the iPad -o -ecosystem
Gurman’s mention of Apple, who wants to make his operating systems more consistent, is very interesting. One of Apple’s great strengths is in its ecosystem. If you have an iPhone, you are more likely to get an Apple guard over another smartwatch and that means you may also have an Apple Music subscription and AirPods.
Making iPados more like macOS (and iOS and other Apple operating systems) can benefit both Apple and its customers.
If a MacBook owner decides to buy an iPad (Apple’s dream scenario) and the software looks and works in a similar way, they are likely to be very happy as it means their new device is well known and easy to use. And that could mean that they buy even more products, which in turn will be just what Apple wants.
4. It would give iPados more of an identity
I don’t know about you, but I’m just thinking of iPados like just iOS (Operating System for iPhones) with larger icons. Maybe it’s unfair, but when the iPad was first launched, it was running iOS, and even with the launch of iPados in 2019, there are only a handful of features and apps that don’t work on both operating systems.
By making iPados a combination of iOS and macos, it would ironically mean that iPados would feel like a more unique operating system, and it could finally go out of the shade thrown off iOS while still taking advantage of being able to run almost all apps found in iPhone’s massive app Library.
5. It may mean that macos become a little more like iPados
IPados get macOS features could work both weighing-so could we get some iPad-like features on a Mac or MacBook? There are things that iPados do better, such as being more user -friendly for beginners and transforming an iPad into another screen into a nearby MacBook. All this would be nice to see in macos.
Having the choice of a larger interface that works well with touch screens could even pave the way for one of the devices people most requested from Apple: a touch screen MacBook.
3 reasons why it’s a bad idea to make iPados more like macOS
1. It could overcomplate things
One of iPados’ best features is its simplicity, and although I feel the simplicity holds a device back like the iPad Pro, for more relaxed users on their iPad, iPad Mini or iPad Air, the easy use is a huge bonus.
If iPados were to become more like macos, it could please the iPad Pro owners, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that iPad Pro is a niche device that is too expensive for most people. MacOS-like features of an iPad Mini, for example, just don’t make sense, and Apple would be silly to make a major change that annoys most of its customers to please a few.
2. It can cause a deviation with iOS – and lead to fewer apps
The iPad, originally launched with iOS, was an excellent decision from Apple as it meant people who had bought the new product had immediate access to thousands of iPhone apps.
While it wasn’t perfect at first- some apps didn’t work well with the iPad’s bigger screen- it was probably much easier than if the iPad had launched with a whole new operating system that then needed developers to create tailor-made applications for it.
Think about it this way: If you were an app developer with limited resources (both time and money), would you create an app for a system that already had millions of users or risk creating an app for a new product with a small user base? The answer is simple – you would go for the big user base (almost) every time, so if it wasn’t launched with iOS and access to the App Store, the original iPad could have been a floppy. Just look at Microsoft’s trials with Windows Phone – it needed developers to create a third version of their apps along with iOS and Android versions. Very few developers wanted to do it, which meant that Windows Phone devices were launched with far fewer apps than Android and iPhone rivals.
If iPados is moving closer to macos could we see fewer apps getting to iPad? While iPads are incredibly popular, they are still nowhere near as popular as iPhones, so if DEVS has to choose between which audience to make an app for, you can bet it will be for iPhone.
But if future iPados apps will essentially remain iOS apps, but with an optional macOS-like interface, it may still mean that the new look has died on arrival, as developers prefer to concentrate on the interface that can be used by the widest audience rather than just iPad Pro users.
3. You probably need expensive peripheral units to make the most of it
iPados works so well because it is designed from the bottom of being used on a touch of touch. You can buy a new iPad and all you have to do is hit the screen to get started.
However, MacOS is designed for keyboard and mouse/trackpad, so if you want to make the most of a future version of iPados that acts as macOS, you will need to invest in peripheral devices – and some of them can be very expensive.
The magic keyboard for the iPad Pro is a brilliant bit of kit that is quickly attached to iPad and makes it a laptop-like device with a physical keyboard and touchpad, but it also costs $ 299 / £ 299 / AU $ 499-a hectic extra expense, and I can almost guarantee that using all macos-like features in iPados, This will either make things too expensive for many people or if you choose a cheaper alternative, such as a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, then remove it from the simplicity of using an iPad.
This can mean that fewer people are actually using the macOS-like elements, which in turn would mean that there is less incentive for app developers to implement features and designs that only a small part of iPad users will use.
So I’m all for more macOS features for my iPad Pro -but I’m also very aware that I’m in the minority when it comes to iPad owners and Apple should be careful not to lose what made the iPad as successful at first just to place people (like me) moaning about iPads that was too much like iPads. Maybe it would just be better if I sat with my MacBook instead.
