iPadOS 16 Could Give Apple's iPad Its Most Controversial Update

Apple is prepping some major software upgrades for the iPad, and if Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is to be believed, one of the biggest revelations from the upcoming WWDC event will be about iPadOS 16. Citing people familiar with the latest developments at Apple, Gurman claims that iPadOS 16 will bring a "redesigned multitasking experience" that will let users easily switch between tasks and apps.

The report doesn't go into details about how exactly these multitasking refinements will pan out, but the end goal is to achieve an interface that feels like that of macOS. More importantly, the upcoming OS update will finally allow users to resize app windows. Notably, changes made to Apple's WebKit recently hinted at a new "multitasking mode" that would likely enable freely resizable windows on Apple's tablets.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who spotted the aforementioned tweaks on Github, remarked that the "multitasking mode" could turn out similar to Windows 10's tablet mode, which automatically tailors the UI for touch or keyboard and mouse-based experience. The current iPadOS 15 builds allow users to run two apps side by side, while the third one is relegated to the side with a slide-over view.

Bloomberg's report claims that iPadOS 16 "will expand upon" the multitasking interface that is currently available on the latest version of iPadOS. The upcoming update will reportedly introduce new ways to run multiple applications simultaneously. It would be interesting to see how those changes are implemented, considering the fact that Apple's tablets now come in three distinct sizes with different screen sizes and aspect ratios.

The upcoming iPadOS 16 changes sound promising for the iPad Pro and Air lineup, thanks to their screen size and laptop-like aspect ratio. Plus, the latest-gen tablets from both the Pro and Air lines now dip into the firepower of the M1 chip, the same silicon that also powers Apple's Mac line of computers and is capable of handling complex multitasking with ease.

Apple has also made no secret about its ambitions to push the iPad as a serious computing machine, which now commands its own ecosystem of desktop-centric accessories. Moreover, Universal Control further consolidated the iPad's position as a serious companion machine, if not a true-blue desktop alternative. Apple has even ported over desktop-grade pro apps to the iPad ecosystem. It will be interesting to see where Apple draws the line because too many computing-grade software tricks might just push the iPad into the market Apple's traditionally reserved for macOS desktop and notebook machines.