Following up on my last post, while iPadOS 16 will bring Stage Manager, and a purportedly more Mac-like experience for using multiple apps at the same time and managing windows, not all iPads will benefit:
Stage Manager will be available exclusive to the M1 iPad Air and M1 iPad Pro. Here’s what you can do with this iPadOS 16 feature:
- Resizable windows: Resize your windows to make them the perfect size for your task;
- Center app: Focus on the app you’re working with without going full screen;
- Fast access to windows and apps: The windows of the apps you’re working in is displayed prominently in the center, and other apps are arranged on the left side in order of recent use;
- Overlapping windows: Create overlapping windows of different sizes in a single view, giving you the control to arrange your ideal workspace;
- Group apps together: Drag and drop windows from the side or open apps from the Dock to create app sets that you can always to get back to.
So you really need an M1 iPad to reap the power-user-focused benefits of the new OS. This makes some sense to me; the default behavior of an iPad is, at its heart, a (welcome) simplification for many users. Window management bedevils even competent people to this day, and smaller screens invite full-screen usage. iPads even have a single app mode that we use in public education for students who need iPad apps such as TouchChat as communication devices; errantly swiping away from your communication app would defeat the purpose of the iPad’s function in this use case.
If you want to manage windows on an iPad, you know who you are: and you quite possibly already have an M1 iPad. 1
1If you bought a 2020 iPad for the mini LED screen, you’re probabaly a little hot right now.