We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our editorial policies.
Every year we call out for a big update to iPadOS. Give us something – anything that takes advantage of all that Apple silicon power, please, Tim.
This ‘big update’ never materialises. However, I’m not entirely sure what we’re all calling for – and I’m speaking as one of those people who has been crying out for a significant iPadOS upgrade for years now.
If you’re in the same boat, think about it for a moment: what can Apple do to iPadOS to make it access the deep capabilities of those M series chips? I’ve thought about it, and I’m not sure what I’ve been asking for, to be honest – it feels like I’ve been getting expectant and disappointed for no reason at all.
The only way the iPad M chips will ever be fully utilised is via apps. iPadOS is simply the platform on which that stuff runs, and it’s one of the most enjoyable to use on a mobile device. Sure, it remains a big version of iOS, but, once again, what more do we need?
Before I fall too deeply into Apple Apologist Mode, let’s turn our attention to iPadOS 18, which was revealed at WWDC this week by Apple. There are four features in particular that I’m looking forward to and one question which remains unanswered.
Let’s get into it.
Feature 1: Smart Script
I have dreadful handwriting. People who have witnessed it have referred to my desperate scribbles as “doctors’ handwriting”, which I think is a bit unfair on doctors.
Despite this, I enjoy taking handwritten notes on my iPad. At least, that’s what I tell myself. Given how expensive the Apple Pencil Pro is, and the fact that I have zero drawing talent, I feel like I need to put it to use in some way, and writing is the obvious solution.
The problem is that I truly hate my own handwriting and get unjustifiably angry with how bad it is at times. Smart Script looks set to make my handwriting experience far more enjoyable, because it uses machine learning to learn how you write and then tidies up the crap you leave in the wake of your Apple Pencil’s tip – in real time.
I’ve only seen Apple’s demo of Smart Script which was, predictably, awesome-looking. But if it works half as good as the demo, it will immediately solve my handwriting woes. You can even spell check your handwriting, move it around, and paste copied text into your handwriting.
What a world we live in, eh?
Feature 2: Customised Home Screen
Ok, I know – Android devices have had this for donkeys years. Apple doesn’t care, though. Like so many feature additions that feel decidedly familiar, the ability to customise the home screen of your device without the teeth-pulling restriction of Jiggle Mode was launched with characteristic nonchalance.
They framed it brilliantly – literally. Craig Federighi proudly noted that the sudden ability to move app icons to specific locations on the Home Screen would enable you to frame them nicely around your chosen wallpaper.
Smart. And knowingly silly. This is Apple at its self-effacing best.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my iPad’s Home Screen, but I will unashamedly bask in the glory of moving those jiggly icons wherever I choose without them snapping to the last place in the rigid row above.
There’s a nice looking dark mode for app icons in iPadOS 18, too, and the ability to change the colour tint based on your wallpaper or to any colour of your choosing. I’m not one to get lost in this stuff, but I’m glad iPadOS has finally come of age in terms of personalisation.
Feature 3: Calculator
Oh, yeah – another “what took you so long?” iPadOS update. That’s right – later this year, iPad owners will finally get a first-party calculator app from Apple. So, no need to rummage around the App Store looking for third-party options that don’t interrupt your mathematical equations with adverts for package holidays.
Can we get excited about a calculator app? Not really, but it does make the iPad more useful from my perspective, and means I won’t have to pick up my phone whenever I want to add two numbers together. I’m British – it’s the small things in life that excite me.
The other reason this makes the list is rather ironic, because I won’t make use of the feature in question, but I do admire it and I’m excited for those who will devour Math Notes.
This is a handwriting-based calculator feature which enables users to write out equations and have their iPad solve them by simply writing an equals sign. The demo looked amazing – you can even adjust expressions you’ve already written and Math Notes will update the result accordingly.
It almost makes me want to get back into math.
Actually, no, it doesn’t.
Feature 4: Apple Intelligence
There’s way too much to unpack here, but all of my ‘this is what I can’t wait for from <insert Apple operating system here>’ listicles leading up to the public releases later this year will include Apple Intelligence by default.
I noted earlier this week that it’s the one significant update to Apple’s ecosystem that could draw me back to the iPhone from the clutches of the S24 Ultra. It’s also very exciting when I think about my future with the iPad.
Now that I’ve switched to the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro from its big brother, I’m falling deeply into the iPad camp. Bar serious production work, that little combo with the brilliant new Magic Keyboard is so addictive, and an incredibly convenient travel companion. The addition of a finally-not-rubbish Siri and artificial intelligence that truly understands what’s going on in my life could increase my dependence on the iPad significantly.
However, I remain cautiously optimistic about what Apple Intelligence will actually be like to use. It arrives in beta form later this year, which means there are likely to be a few rough edges and missing features. That’s fine – we’re in no rush for this (my word, we’ve had it up to our necks with AI-everything, haven’t we?) but Siri is already living on borrowed time.
Will Apple Intelligence revolutionise the iPad? Possibly, but I’m reserving any hyperbolic responses for now.
Final thought: what about the M4 chip?
Ok, back to the demand for a more power hungry iPadOS. Specifically – let’s quickly talk about that M4 iPad Pro.
To be clear, there was nothing announced this week at WWDC for iPadOS 18 that specifically requires the M4 chip to run. Even the headliner, Apple Intelligence, will be backwards compatible with iPads running the M1 and M2 chips.
This means a big question still remains: why do we have an M4 iPad Pro? What is going to make use of that re-engineered neural engine? Should Apple simply have placed the M3 in there, and, therefore, avoided the weird scenario in which we now find ourselves with an iPad that is technically more capable than any Mac you can buy?
I don’t have any of these answers, obviously. Part of me wonders if Apple has something else up its sleeve to fully unleash the capabilities of the M4. Perhaps we won’t see it until WWDC 25. Maybe there’ll be additional functionality added to Apple Intelligence next year which will demand that new chip.
I’m stumped. But I’m also very excited about what’s to come later this year.
