iPad has backed Apple into a corner and I don’t know how it’s going to wriggle out

The iPad is one of Apple’s greatest innovations – for years it’s been the perfect accompaniment to the MacBook or iMac – but it felt significant when Apple launched the first iPad Pro with an M-series silicon chip. The best iPad was finally powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with the best MacBooks. And yet – nearly four years later – the iPad Pro is still in no danger of challenging Apple’s computers.

But it’s not because iPads aren’t powerful enough, it’s because of the limitations of the iPadOS operating system. And while I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors over at Apple Park, I can’t help but wonder if iPad innovation has become something of a conundrum for the good folks at Cupertino.

The iPad Pro (M4) is the most powerful tablet on the market. After all, it’s packing Apple’s latest M-series chip. But for most usages, it feels a little like stuffing a Bugatti W16 engine into a Fiat 500. The fact is, Apple’s flagship iPad barely breaks into a sweat, because most applications, and iPadOS itself, simply don’t tax it enough. You see, macOS is much more complex than iPadOS.

It can run intensive ‘full-fat’ versions of applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Gives users the freedom to download a much wider range of programs and plug-ins from all over the web. Provides access to full-fledged browsers – with browser extensions – that are not just a ‘reskin’ of the Safari app (which is essentially what happens on iPadOS). Connect to an infinitely larger pool of peripherals. And all while presenting a much more complex user interface and filing system.

For anyone wanting to perform more complex tasks, macOS is quite simply better than iPadOS. This has left many users lusting after macOS on iPad. But here’s the thing, macOS – as it stands – would be a disaster on iPad. It’s simply not optimized for a tablet interface. You can’t have your cake and eat it when it comes to touchscreen and mouse-and-keyboard functionality.

Microsoft learned this the hard way. I was an early adopter of the PC bigwig’s follow-up to its beloved Windows 7 and, well… Windows 8.1 turned out to be a Frankenstein-esque hodgepodge of desktop functionality optimized for touchscreen. Suffice to say, there’s a reason why subsequent updates walked back the touchscreen changes and brought the operating system more in line with Windows 7.

The knock-on effect of Apple fiddling with the iPadOS formula could be hugely damaging. After all, the iPad is very popular with casual computer users. People who do little more on their devices than browse the web, check social media, and stream their favorite shows are the core iPad audience.

What makes iPads so attractive to them is that they’re often much cheaper than an Apple computer and iPadOS is simple and intuitive to use. There’s no way Apple is going to alienate this crucial demographic. Nor should it. And besides, if macOS did make its way onto iPad, Apple’s touchscreen devices and Macs would be in direct competition with each other. Not good for business.

And here lies Apple’s conundrum. Progressively powerful iPad hardware updates have long outgrown iPadOS and most of its applications. But how can Apple put all that power to good use without overcomplicating the sleek and simple formula that made the iPad so popular in the first place? Well, I don't think there's an easy answer. But I do wonder if the iPad Pro is the key.

The iPad Pro is where that casual core iPad audience drops off. But apart from the larger screen – which is now available on the iPad Air (2024) – a few quality-of-life upgrades and the latest M-series chip, the iPad Pro has never quite lived up to its name and/or potential. What I’d like to see is a series of iPad Pro-only applications and/or the release of an iPadOS+ (or whatever you want to call it) with perhaps a little more macOS functionality without ruining the core simplicity of iPadOS.

Maybe we can have our cake and eat it after all...

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