Apple’s next big iPad software update is coming
Every year Apple announces a new round of software updates for all of its platforms, and 2024 is going to be no different. With iOS 18 also expected to debut alongside macOS Sonoma, watchOS 11, and tvOS 18, iPadOS 18 is just one of the many anticipated additions. But for iPad owners, it’s likely to be the biggest one in terms of anticipation.
That anticipation comes around every year and it often comes from the hope that Apple will finally deliver on its claims that the iPad can be a laptop replacement. A machine that goes beyond the gaming and media consumption that so many use it for and becomes a productivity powerhouse like the MacBook Air or, in the case of the iPad Pro, the MacBook Pro.
Apple has gone some way to making that happen in recent updates with varying degrees of success, and Stage Manager is a prime example of Apple’s efforts to meld the simplicity of the iPad with the multitasking, multiwindow features required from people who spend eight hours a day in front of a keyboard and display. Whether that display runs iPadOS depends on how well Apple can merge the two things. Will iPadOS 18 improve matters beyond what iPadOS 17 was able to achieve? We’ll find out by September — here’s what we can expect.
The story so far
Just like previous years, September 2023 saw Apple unveil iPadOS 17, its late
