(Credit: Apple)
Since trading my MacBook Air for the Mac mini M4 last year, the 11-inch iPad Pro has become my default laptop. Its cellular connectivity and thin frame make it a perfectly portable device. Unfortunately, its current iPadOS 18 software limits its raw hardware power.
Enter iPadOS 26. Announced at WWDC this week and coming out in the fall, the new iPad operating system looks poised to address all my current concerns about productivity and software functionality. It has the possibility to turn tablets running the OS into full-fledged computers, if that’s what you want.
There are plenty of features coming to iPadOS 26. From a redesigned Files app and tweaked audio subsystem to live translation in Messages, it's no slouch. But for people desperate to have a powerful, cellular-connected Apple computer, these are the four features that should really change how you use the device. It’s about to be iPad-as-a-laptop season!
1. Windowed Apps
(Credit: Apple)The iPad has supported multitasking for years, but even the more full-featured Stage Manager never truly solved the problem. It groups apps together awkwardly and keeps them there. Each time you open a new app, it appears by itself, unless you manually re-group it with others. I find it jarring.
In iPadOS 26, there will be an option for “Windowed Apps,” which will act more like macOS. If you have one app open and then click on Safari, it will open alongside that first app. Another tiny detail here is that apps will remember their size and position when re-launched. So, when you stretch and move windows around, they won't jump to new places next time.
Unlike Stage Manager, the new app windowing will not be tied to a specific processor type. (iPad mini enthusiasts, rejoice!) It also won't have the same limit for the number of windows you can have on screen.
For people who don't want things to change much, you will still be able to default to full-screen apps or Stage Manager as a setting for the primary way to manage your apps.
2. Expose
(Credit: Apple)If you’re able to stack windows freely, then how do you make sense of the chaotic mess? The answer is Expose, the same solution used on macOS. Swipe up or tap a keyboard shortcut, and you’ll be able to see all your windows neatly organized. Tap one to bring it to the front of the other windows. Having this organization paradigm across systems will mean less mental load as you move back and forth between a Mac and an iPad.
3. A Menu Bar
(Credit: Apple)The addition of a menu bar across the top of the screen, accessible with a swipe or by hovering the cursor, is probably the most noticeable Mac-like interface change. The menu bar isn't just a visual symbol, however. It should actually be a boost to productivity.
Right now, with iPadOS 18 and earlier, it’s too hard to access every feature an app offers. Even if you can remember all the available keyboard shortcuts, not all features are mapped to a keyboard command. Adding a menu bar to iPadOS 26 will solve this problem. Since the menu bar can disappear into the top of the screen, its benefits shouldn't come at the expense of reduced screen real estate.
Red, yellow, and green buttons to close, minimize, or expand windows are now present too, providing a sense of familiarity for Mac users. That's great, but I think the menu bar addition will prove to be a bigger deal than if it had just been the addition of those buttons.
4. Preview App
(Credit: Apple)Whether they realize it or not, I’m willing to bet that most Mac users interact with the Preview app a lot. Not only is it a PDF viewer, but it can manipulate images with photo tools like resizing.
Until now, PDF tools have been added to iPadOS through apps like Notes and Files. There just hasn’t been a cohesive way to perform all the actions that the Preview app offers.
All of the changes coming to iPadOS 26 are needed to turn it into a true laptop replacement, but, as a bridge that links a lot of things together, the Preview app might be the biggest unsung hero. I expect it to become indispensable among those using their iPads as laptop replacements.