If the iPad dominates the tablet market today, it is partly thanks to iPadOS. While the older models used iOS, the most recent run on iPadOS, an operating system derived from iOS, but whose interface has been adjusted to take better advantage of the XXL screens of the iPads.
Thanks to this, Apple now offers, on its tablets, an interface more suitable for multitasking, with support for mice and keyboards. But the firm can still improve this interface.
And currently, as we approach the date of the WWDC conference, rumors suggest that for iPadOS 16, Apple may introduce a new feature that will allow floating windows on the iPad.
In a series of tweets, developer Steve Troughton-Smith mentions the existence of elements in the code of WebKit which could suggest that Apple is preparing the launch of these floating windows.
“WebKit just added a framework for a ‘multitasking mode’ on iOS that looks like a system toggle that allows freely resizable windows”we read in the publication.
I know better than to get excited about improvements to iPad, because we’ve been burned so many times…
But WebKit just added infrastructure for a ‘multitasking mode’ on iOS that sure looks like it’s a system toggle that enables freely-resizable windows https://t.co/NBNGhHiaxB
—Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) May 26, 2022
“It appears that ‘multitasking mode’ can change at runtime, so apps can jump in and out of it. I could imagine something like Windows 10’s ‘tablet mode’ which you can toggle at any time to restructure the UI for touch versus mouse and keyboard”wrote the developer in another tweet.
Of course, it is important to remain cautious, while waiting for the official presentation of iPadOS 16. However, the arrival of floating windows on the iPad would be a major transformation for Apple’s tablets.
Will the iPad turn into a computer?
Admittedly, iPadOS already allows you to open several apps at the same time, but the floating windows that could be resized would transform the iPads into real computers.
Moreover, Steve Troughton-Smith explains that the arrival of this feature would pave the way for new formats for iPadOS, such as iPads even larger than the iPad Pro, or even real computers using this operating system.
Note also that this is not the first time that sources have mentioned the arrival of floating windows on the iPad. “Majin Bu”, a source which is sometimes relayed by the media, had already mentioned this in March.
Apple is developing a smart system for iPadOS. Apps will continue to open full screen but automatically shrink when connected to keyboard and trackpad. Internally it is called Apple Mixer. We don’t know if it will be included in iPadOS 16 or not, It should be M1 iPad exclusive. pic.twitter.com/1WfMj5TGue
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) March 15, 2022
“Apple is developing an intelligent system for iPadOS. Apps will continue to open full screen, but will automatically minimize when connected to the keyboard and trackpad. Internally it is called Apple Mixer. We don’t know if it will be included in iPadOS 16 or not, it should be exclusive to iPad M1”had written the Twitter account.
Mark Gurman, journalist at Bloomberg, had meanwhile raised the possibility of Apple launching “a new interface for iPadOS” at the WWDC conference.
Anyway, we will be fixed soon. Indeed, Apple’s WWDC conference, its great mass for developers, will begin on June 6. The firm will present the new versions of its operating systems iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and macOS. And according to rumors, it could even take this opportunity to unveil realityOS, a new operating system for AR / VR products.
