(Credit: Tyler Hayes)
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I've been using the M4 iPad Pro as my sole portable computer for over a year, and it's a great productivity device. Apple's iPadOS 26 makes it feel even more like a laptop, but after spending time with the beta version of the mobile operating system, there are a few things that still prevent it from becoming a true laptop replacement for everyone. Before trading in your MacBook Air for an iPad, here are three things to keep in mind.
1. Windowing Is Still Limited
A headline feature of iPadOS 26 is windowing mode, which lets you stack your open apps. You can move them around like a regular window, minimize, or close them. As big a change as this is, it also feels pretty natural and is probably how this interface should have worked the whole time.
There are two ways that windowing on iPadOS 26 doesn’t quite match a Mac. The first is the simple reality of screen size. On my 11-inch iPad Pro, it's tough to see more than one or two stacked apps at a time, so using Exposé to switch between windows is a must. Apple makes 13-inch iPads, but I suspect most people are using the 11-inch versions.
Second, the muscle memory sending me back to the home screen was strong. Out of the gate, I negated some of the windowing benefits by constantly returning home. I had to teach myself to flick up the dock or move my cursor to the bottom of the screen. Don't forget to fill up that dock with your most-used apps. This will help you make the most of windowing.
2. Don't Forget About the Menu Bar!
The addition of the menu bar is a huge win for productivity. Now, instead of hunting through an app’s interface, all the features appear at the top of the screen. The problem is that the menu bar auto-hides by default, so it's easy to forget about it. I don't care that it's centered instead of on the left. I just want an option to see it all the time.
The good news is that if you connect your iPad to an external monitor, you can see it automatically when an app opens; no need to hover the mouse at the top. This makes the experience a lot more Mac-like, but how many of us are using monitors? Fingers crossed that a future iPadOS update adds the option for a persistent menu bar.
3. The Preview App Isn't Exactly the Same as macOS
When Apple first previewed iPadOS 26 at WWDC, the feature that stood out most to me was the Preview app. I was thrilled to see better windowing, Exposé for window sorting, the stoplight buttons, and the menu bar, but Preview was the most surprising.
Preview is one of those invisible apps that acts as a glue to hold all kinds of things together on the Mac. I use it all the time for random tasks, and couldn’t be more excited to see it on the iPad. Unfortunately, the Preview app doesn’t fully mirror the Mac on iPadOS.
One example is that there's no crop option under Tools in the menu bar for Preview. If you select a portion of an image or PDF, you’ll need to click or tap on the selected part to bring up a copy or crop option. It's not in the menu bar, even with a keyboard attached. The View section in the menu bar is truncated in the iPad app, too.
If you rely on Preview and are hoping it's the same as it is on a laptop, you may be disappointed. Maybe it doesn't make sense for this new app to mirror the Mac version one-to-one, but it's worth noting that it might not be the exact power tool you need.
How to Try iPadOS 26
Apple released a public beta of its newest OSes in July, so you can check out iPadOS 26 right now. But betas can be buggy, so I'd recommend either installing it on a spare iPad or holding out for the stable version. You don't have to wait long. Apple is holding a hardware event on Sept 9, where it will likely announce the iPadOS 26 release date. Expect it sometime during the week of Sept. 15.