One of the earliest articles I wrote here at Forbes was an opinion piece criticizing the iPad for claiming to be a computer replacement when it was, at the time (2016), far from it.
Apple has since made incremental steps to make the iPad more like a computer. 2017’s iOS 11 for iPad introduced the ability to open two apps at the same time. A year later, with the launch of a redesigned iPad Pro and a dedicated iPadOS, came the files app. In recent years Apple has improved the filing system, and added the ability to open apps in resizable window mode, albeit in limited format.
But this September, the iPad will truly, finally, be a legit computer replacement. Introduced this week at its annual developer conference, Apple’s upcoming software for the iPad, named iPadOS 26, finally brings a series of changes to iPadOS — some foundational changes — that makes the iPad software feel the most like MacOS yet.
I attended WWDC and got to demo a beta version of the software, and I came away very impressed and excited. Here are the biggest changes coming to your iPad this September.
Unrestricted windowing system
For iPadOS 26, Apple has redesigned from the ground up how the iPad run apps. When you open an app for the first time, it still opens stretched across the whole screen as it always has, but now users have the option to resize that app into a window of any shape, and sit anywhere on the screen. After that, the iPad remembers that setting the next time you open an app, it opens in that window shape and on that specific portion of the screen. You can keep doing this and open up to five or more apps to show on the screen at once. Of course, given that the largest iPad only has a 13-inch screen, you probably want to max out at four to five apps.
Yes, the iPad could open apps in resizable windows already with “Stage Manager,” a feature launched in 2022, but this new version is more robust, and is meant to be used natively as part of the software instead of being a separate mode that you need to toggle into.
Essentially, you can now open multiple apps at the same time on an iPad and have them sit and behave on the screen like you would with a conventional computer operating system.
Apple has designed clever gestures to allow these windows to be maneuvered via touch. For example, if you have two apps opened in windows and want to quickly have them lock into a split-screen grid with each app taking up half the screen, you can simply touch and hold on the app with your finger, flick your finger left or right, and the app flies to that portion of the screen and locks into a grid. Software animation has been designed to have weight and momentum, so the harder or lighter you flick the app, the faster or slower it flies.
In typical Apple fashion, the gestures feel very intuitive and natural.
A much improved file system
iPadOS 26 also revamps the Files app by making it behave just like a MacOS filing system, with ability to display multiple resizable columns, view files in a list view. Folders are also collapsible, allowing the user to see all their files in one go.
You can also place a download folder directly into the homescreen dock, something the majority of MacOS users do.
As someone who uses the iPad for work often, iPadOS’ previous file system was too simplistic and limited, often slowing down my work flow. This new update is going to improve my efficiency drastically.
Liquid Glass visual overhaul
Of course, iPadOS 26 also gets the new Liquid Glass aesthetic overhaul coming to all of Apple’s operating system. The change mostly comes in UI elements like menu bars and on-screen buttons in the corners. Most of these now are made to resemble a piece of physical glass that sits on top of the digital content. I use the word “physical” because Apple has designed it to replicate real-world physics, with momentum and weight. Also, if a background with bold colors is behind the glass, the light refracts off the glass menu button in a different shade. Look at the below screenshot for an example: check out how the background can be seen through the glass menu on the right.
The biggest software update to an iPad ever
Apple has been marketing the iPad Pro as a computer replacement for almost a decade — a claim that many power users dispute. But with iPadOS 26 coming this fall, the iPad finally is as capable as a Mac. I know for me, these updates will allow me to even further leave the MacBook behind and use the iPad even more, perhaps as my main computing device going forward.
