Apple announced big changes to iPadOS at its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, with those updates to arrive for the iPad later this year. Some headline visual changes include easier-to-use multitasking controls, Home Screen Widgets, and an App Library. The Safari browser was improved with tab groups and developers can now create iPhone and iPad apps using an iPad. Overall, iPadOS 15 is already looking like one of the most dramatic updates for Apple's iPad tablet line.
In April, Apple launched the most powerful iPad ever created, the M1 iPad Pro. This tablet boasts the same system-on-a-chip and the same memory capacity as the newest Mac computers. With so much performance available, the iPad truly matches and surpasses many laptops in terms of processing speed. The 12.9 iPad Pro also featured Apple's first mini-LED display, containing 10,000 backlight zones and allowing an impressive one-million-to-one contrast ratio. Even an iPad that is older contains a processor as powerful as many laptops, but the software has advanced more slowly. The upcoming iPadOS 15 changes will better highlight the capabilities of Apple's industry-leading tablets.
Apple's 2021 WWDC event provided a preview of what is coming for the iPad later this year and it looks very exciting for users. iPadOS 15 will finally allow app developers to code and even publish iPhone and iPad apps to the App Store from an iPad via the Swift Playgrounds app, which will become much more capable itself. Most iPad owners are not developers, but several other changes were made that will benefit a larger audience, such as much easier multitasking, better-integrated Widgets that can be placed anywhere on the Home Screen, and more size options than are available on an iPhone. Safari will also be improved with tab groups and extensions across all Apple devices, and there is a new Focus app to make dividing time between work and personal life easier.
SharePlay, App Library, Quick Note & More
SharePlay works with FaceTime to share music, TV shows, and movies with friends and family, keeping them in sync while making remote listening and viewing with groups more fun and natural. The iPad will have the same App Library that iPhone owners have been enjoying in iOS 14, decluttering the Home Screen so the most important apps are easily accessible while the rest will be available on the last page in the library. Naturally, those apps can be launched from a Spotlight search or Siri command as well.
A new system-wide feature, Quick Note, can be started with a swipe from the lower-right corner of the screen and integrates with Safari on the iPad, reminding the user of notes taken while viewing a web page and highlighting content that was excerpted in the note when returning to the website. This is likely to be a great time-saver for anyone working with websites. The Notes app will be able to use tags and tag-based Smart Folders to help identify a particular note and a new 'mentions' feature will notify other collaborators, making the app much more useful for group work. With so many changes coming to iPadOS 15, Apple's beta release may prove more popular than usual as way to enjoy the new features before the official launch later this year.
Source: Apple