ipadAccording to people with knowledge of the matter, the company is trying to push the update towards making the device more a laptop than a phone.
The iPadOS 16 is the new software update for iPads. This is redesigned to have a multitasking interface- thereby facilitating a smoother visualisation of apps that are open, switching between apps. This new update will also let the users resize app windows and offer new ways for users to handle multiple apps at once.
The iPad interface will be the one of the biggest upgrades announced at the conference. Currently, iPad users can either run apps in a full-screen view like on an iPhone or run two apps side by side. The company also lets users add a scaled-down version of a third app by sliding it over from the side. The changes will expand upon that interface.
At the conference further upgrades in software of iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV will be announced.
According to available data, the iPad accounts for nearly 9% of annual Apple’s sales, and that percentage has inched up in recent years. The iPad’s hardware, which now includes the same M1 chip as some of Apple’s laptops, has grown increasingly powerful, and in some ways the software hasn’t kept up.
Professional users of the iPad have always clamored for an interface that feels more like a laptop experience.
For iOS 16, the next version of the iPhone’s software, Apple is planning several changes, including a new lock screen featuring widgets, Bloomberg has reported.
The company also will refresh the Health app and add new audio and social-networking features to Messages. Redesigned apps for macOS are coming as well, including a revamp to System Preferences, its app for managing a Mac’s settings.
For the Apple Watch, the company is planning changes to watch faces, system navigation and several of the device’s apps, including a notable update to the fitness-tracking features. The company is also planning a new low-power mode that will let users operate the device when battery life is running short. The current low-power mode can only show the time.
The software updates will help propel Apple’s future hardware. The company is planning four new iPhone 14 models for the fall, an updated iPad Pro, three new Apple Watches and several Macs with next-generation M2 chips. For the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple is planning an always-on display option that will be powered by iOS 16.
While the new software is being announced on 6 June, the company typically doesn’t release the updates to consumers until the fall, around the same time that it ships new devices.
However, Apple will release initial beta versions to developers next week. Public beta tests for more users will begin sometime next month.
