At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled its biggest iPadOS update yet, bringing the iPad platform closer than ever to being like a MacBook. But it doesn't seem that Apple plans on making the iPad your laptop replacement a possibility anytime soon.
WWDC was huge for iPadOS, and arguably it the upgraded iPad operating system was the highlight of the show. Along with the rest of Apple's operating systems, the new iPadOS will be numbered by year and have an all-new "Liquid Glass" look.
But looks aren't what makes the freshly minted iPadOS 26 such a huge step up for the iPad.
The latest version of iPadOS, expected to arrive this fall, comes shockingly close to being the update iPad users have longed for, making it all the more disappointing that Apple refused to push things further.
How close can iPadOS get to macOS without being macOS?
Apple announced some huge changes coming to iPadOS 26 during Monday's WWDC keynote, including some I've been hoping to see for a while now. Here's a quick look at the highlights:
- Stackable windows you can resize and move freely
- Mac-like mouse cursor
- Mac-style window buttons
- Menu bar on all windows
- Improved iPadOS Files app
- Improved window tiling
- Background tasks (i.e. exporting a video)
- Local audio/video capture
- Addition of Preview app from macOS
These changes might seem small, but they could make the iPad user experience more fluid, functional, and... Mac-like. Some of these features are pulled directly from macOS, which Apple compared during the presentation.
iPadOS 26 is obviously intended to take the iPad in a more Mac-inspired direction. That just makes it even more perplexing that iPadOS still exists.
iPads and MacBooks have never been more similar. They're even using the same M-series processors! iPadOS 26 will introduce a more Mac-like UI tailored to people who use their iPad with a Magic Keyboard (which can be pricey, but I have to admit it's a pretty good experience).
We've effectively reached a point where iPadOS 26 is turning the iPad into the de facto 2-in-1 MacBook.
It raises the question: Why not enable touch-input on macOS and put it on the iPad? After all, Apple specifically mentioned during its WWDC 2025 keynote that the Liquid Glass look will unify the visuals of all its operating systems, so iPadOS and macOS are already going to look virtually indistinguishable.
Apple is effectively knee-capping its own premium iPads by not putting macOS on them
The core differentiating factor at this point is app compatibility. There's no clear reason why the M-series iPads can't run the same apps as the M-series MacBooks besides iPadOS.
Apple is effectively knee-capping its own premium iPads by not running macOS on them, and this becomes clearer the more iPadOS resembles macOS without being macOS.
Can an iPad ever compete with a MacBook? Not with this operating system
The introduction of the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro (and now iPad Air) made it clear that Apple hopes you consider the iPad an alternative to the MacBook. iPadOS barreling toward a collision with macOS only reinforces that idea.
And yet, the iPad and the MacBook are still not truly comparable.
The iPad is in an awkward spot in Apple's lineup, especially the pricey iPad Pro (though it's frequently on sale). Thanks to iPadOS, the iPad Pro is essentially as expensive as a MacBook, yet not as capable in many ways.
With a few specific exceptions, if you want a device for getting work done, you get a MacBook. iPads are still generally considered entertainment devices, despite now having the same processors as MacBooks.
The iPad can potentially be Apple's version of a versatile 2-in-1 laptop, but that won't happen as long as it is limited to a mobile operating system rather than the full macOS experience.
So, iPadOS 26 is bittersweet for iPad fans. It comes close to what the iPad truly needs, yet still falls short.
