Call it not a Mac-I went hands-on with iPados 26 with real multitasking, renewed files and a menu bar, this is what you need to know
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Well, for the iPad Trouw, Apple’s WWDC 2025 Keynote was the day that faith was rewarded. Just like countless others, I have waited for a large upgrade for iPados and delivered the Tech giant-based tech giant.
Yes, iPados 26 brings it along Liquid glassBut even more important for all iPads that support it, you actually get multitasking with windows, the ability to drop folders in the dock, a menu bar up-top, one of the most addictive gestures I used and the possibility for tasks that are performed in the background.
It was easy the striking moment of the keynote, and I had to go for a short hand with iPados 26 13-inch iPad Pro with M4 attached to a magical keyboard with a Apple Pencil pro.
Now let’s address the elephant in the room – so that the milestone functions that I have mentioned above, the iPad look like a Mac, but this does not mention this. Yes, Apple has taken a number of functions of the Mac instead of reinventing the entire concept – say, for closing, minimizing or expanding buttons at the top left or the menu bar – but this is all well thought out for the iPad and benefits from one of the best parts of an iPad.
Multitouch.
With the approach of the iPad it is a kind of molar-your-own adventure, while on the Mac, the keyboard and trackpad. I used it and saw a demo of fingers that control the windows, as well as the use of the Apple pencil to move items and even the cursor. It’s all about checking, no matter how you see it and want to use it, you can do this to get more out of your iPad. Let’s talk about why.
Let’s start with the most exciting part – from each app you can pull from the bottom corner – it is set with an effect, a slightly dark edge at the bottom right – to easily change the window through it back and forth. So from the full screen you just pull it to the other side to make it smaller, at width or height, and then you can grab the top of the window to place it where you want.
With the help of the Dock you can then drag another app and put it down or a swipe to the Peek mode to access your home screen and place each app in this layout. It is really flexible and finally let you have your ultimate iPad lay -out. Maybe that’s a Safari Window opened for a Google meeting in the corner, the memories -app for your checklist and your e -mail at the start of your day.
You can also split the screen with an image and then open an app such as procreate so that you can see your starting point while drawing something great. It really lets you adjust the experience to how you consider it necessary.
Now this new Windows -Setup SplitView and Slideover replace, and although that didn’t excite me when I heard it for the first time, I like it, the different pre -set options where you can choose via a long press in the top left corner of a window and the new gesture.
With a film to the left or right, you can effortlessly split your screen and then adjust it further by moving the slider in the middle if necessary. This feels like an easier way to achieve a similar result as a SplitView, and is frankly fun to do.
You can also tap the top of the screen of the iPad to gain access to a menu bar for things like more precise settings or simple exports – it is the most similar part of the experience as the Mac. Still, since it is hidden until you need it, I think iPad Power users will probably get the most out of this.
It feels very natural in this implementation, and not a cookie-cutter copy and paste of the Mac, given the updated elements and the possibility to operate with both touch and a trackpad.
In addition to the new multitasking approach, a considerably improved files -app and a dock that can now display a live folder. The app will feel familiar, but a new list view with the possibility to adjust modifications, also known as the columns you see, let you really adjust this for your specific needs.
For example, I saw myself sorting by being changed for the last time and then pulling the folder with images to the dock to edit, export and then upload it to a content management system for a story building. Changes that you make in folders or with these layouts can be synchronized on different devices and updated iCloud also. If you are a fan of colored folders and like to give a name with emojis, you will also get this.
Those larger exports, perhaps a batch photo editor or video export of Final Cut Pro, can now be performed in the background. I got a demo from this and it lives at the top of your device with a progress bar or in a small icon near your time in which you can follow multiple export or tasks.
The really exciting part, even of these demos and a small use, is the fact that this is not only limited to the iPad Pro with M4 or the iPad Air with M3 or even another step-up model. This new multitasking experience is the result of a new ‘window prioritization model’ that works in combination with the performance and resource manager. It is completely re -architated to be executed on every iPad that supports iPados 26.
This means that the 9th Gen iPad – one of the best values that Apple has ever released – gets this new multitasking experience, the same for the 10th, 11th or 13th gene, the iPad Air, iPad Mini and Pro. You may not be able to open there in one go in one go, but it lets you push the chip further inside.
For now, iPados 26 is in a beta of developer, which means that it is not for your main device, because bugs and problems are to be expected, but a public beta will arrive in July, and this will be released for anyone with an eligible device in the fall. I am super excited to spend time with it and ultimately give it a complete assessment treatment, but for now it is the upgrade we have waited for that clearly feels like an iPad.
Of course, the Mac has long been the ultimate productivity, but that fog touches and is really designed for keyboard and trackpad. The iPad is first Multitouch and Apple has really done the time to make an experience that feels targeted for multiple inputs, with touch first.
Just honest warning, I use a lot, many windows.
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