According to analyst Mark Gurman, by the time Apple releases an M5-powered iPad, iPadOS may feel closer to working on a Mac rather than macOS running on a tablet.
Updates will focus on productivity, multitasking and app window management with an eye on the device operating more like a Mac, says Gurman, although he gave no indication of what Apple’s updated multitasking will look like.
In 2022, Apple introduced Stage Manager to iPadOS 16, enabling windowing and grouping app windows together in a dock-like collection on the side of the display, but the release felt half-hearted.
Since then, Apple has let users resize windows more freely in iPadOS 17, but the approach still feels more iPad than Mac.
iPadOS 19 is set to be unveiled by Apple in June, which may indicate how close iPadOS is getting to feeling like using a Mac.