The next version of iPadOS will almost certainly be previewed at next week’s (virtual) Apple Worldwide Developer Conference. And I hope it adds features that make it as easy to use as my MacBook Pro. Here’s my wish list for version 15.
Top item: better multitasking
iPadOS has multitasking, but it’s much less flexible and intuitive than that of macOS. This needs to change.
With iPadOS 14, you can two and only two apps in Split View. Of course, you can also access other apps with Slide Over. However, this is a kludgy workaround. What’s more, Slide Over app always obscures one of the two apps in Split View.
Better external display support
Connect an iPad to an external display and, for the most part, it simply mirrors what’s shown on the tablet. I want to be able to use such a screen with my iPad the way I do with my Mac.
Along these lines, Radoslav Minkov of PhoneArena has a great suggestion:
“…. let us use more apps at once in a new windowed mode, with support for intelligent window snapping to screen corners and sides, for true desktop-like multitasking. And with that, I’d like to have the option for the iPad app dock to always be visible, saving us one extra gesture when switching between apps. In addition, make the dock smaller so it takes less vertical screen space, or let us resize it freely.”
A beefed-up Files app
Addition of the Files app to iPadOS is handy, but needs some bulking up. Let us delete a file in the Files browser. Also, we should be able to access Photos and Music files via the app. What’s more, have the Files app show us detailed info about files as needed. Finally, have Files play nice with any folder, not just those in iCloud Drive. This includes Dropbox, OneDrive, and more.
Enable multiple users
Currently, the situation is: one iPad, one user. That needs to change. Sometimes my grandkids use my iPad; it doesn’t always go well. I want to be able to set up an “Elizabeth” user account for the six-year-old and a “Gabriel” account for the two-year-old.
Where’s the Pro software? Even with all these changes, I’d still use my iMac for my daily work. (I just want to be able to keep running Apple World Today on my iPad Pro when traveling.) But some folks want to see Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and other pro apps running on the iPad. Since it now packs an M1 processor, there shouldn’t be too many roadblocks to making this happen.
The accompanying iPadOS 15 mockups are courtesy of Cult of Mac and iThinkDifferent.
