Why iPadOS Rocks

16
Aug
iPadOS
Why iPadOS Rocks

At long last, Apple has customized iOS for iPad. iPadOS promises to seriously smooth out the experience of using an iPad, taking advantage of its particular screen size and adding features that cater to the unique ways people use the iPad as compared to an iPhone or MacBook.

Which new features are the same on iOS and iPadOS?
iPadOS is essentially iOS 13 with customizations specifically for the iPad, so it includes almost all the same upgrades iOS 13 provides, such as:

  • System-wide dark mode–Changes the whole operating system and all native Apple apps from light to dark according to a schedule you set
  • Revamped Photos app–Includes smarter highlights and categories
  • Smart-Sign-in –Uses your Touch ID to securely access saved passwords on your device
  • Easier text editing and gesture response–Interacts more naturally with your hand movements (including three-finger functions for copy, paste, and undo, which might be harder on an iPhone)
  • Folder sharing–Supports sharing of whole folders in the Files app
  • Find My Phone–Locates both people and devices when they are lost

Which features are unique for the iPad?
Even though iPadOS shares many of the same features as iOS 13, the unique features are what we love best.

App view and organization

  • New home screen–Smaller icons mean you can fit more apps on a page, and you can organize the screen to include easy-to-access widgets on the left in landscape mode.
  • Split view–Open more than one window from the same app (or different apps) to view side by side, more like you could on a laptop.
  • Slide over—It’s easier to switch between apps by simply sliding over.
  • App Exposé–Long-tap on any app to see and choose between open windows.

Drawing and markup

  • Markup expansion–Now, you can mark up almost anything on an iPad. The tool palette is easier to navigate and has a new pixel eraser.
  • Reduced Apple Pencil latency–The Apple Pencil feels way more responsive, with a latency of 9ms instead of 20ms.
  • Floating keyboard–You can now move the keyboard anywhere on the screen and toggle it for one-handed typing.
  • Mouse–When you need the precision of a mouse, you can now connect one in the Accessibility settings.

Web browsing

  • Desktop view–In Safari, you’ll see the desktop versions of websites (or tablet versions of adaptive websites) instead of always being directed to mobile sites.
  • Safari download manager–You can easily see what you’ve downloaded and access and manage those files in fewer clicks.
  • New shortcuts–Apple added a bunch of useful shortcuts to Safari.

Display, performance, and everything else

  • Sidecar–Use your iPad as a secondary display with any computer running macOS Catalina. This means you can access full versions of Photoshop or Illustrator on your computer and use Apple Pencil on your iPad to draw within those apps.
  • External drives–Finally! Use data from a USB drive or SD card.
  • Hi res previews–See bigger, sharper previews of files instead of guessing what you’re clicking on.
  • Speed it up–Everything should move a little faster since iPadOS is built for iPads specifically.
  • Audio sharing–Pair two sets of AirPods with one iPad.

Will iPadOS work on my iPad?
The iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, and iPad Mini 3 are not eligible to upgrade, but all iPad Pros and the other items on this list from Apple are compatible with iPadOS:

  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro
  • 11-inch iPad Pro
  • 10.5-inch iPad Pro
  • 9.7-inch iPad Pro
  • iPad (6th generation)
  • iPad (5th generation)
  • iPad mini (5th generation)
  • iPad mini 4
  • iPad Air (3rd generation)
  • iPad Air 2

How to get on the public beta of iPadOS
Right now, iPadOS is only available to Apple app developers and people who have signed up for the Apple Beta Software Program. Go to Apple’s website to sign up for free so you can see iPadOS for yourself.

Fortunately, if past trends are any indication, the final version of iPadOS should be released in September. So, you won’t have to wait long to enjoy these new features.

Questions about iPadOS?
Contact Fix Apple Now to chat about your Apple products today. Do you need a new iPad? Or, can we fix the one you’ve got. We’re here to troubleshoot, repair, and maintain all of your Apple devices, so swing by or mail us your product. We’re here for you when and where you need your fix.

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