The iPad Pro 2024 stands as evidence that Apple should overhaul iPadOS completely

 Bringing macOS to the iPad could be the next logical step in its evolution.

It's been over 12 years since Tim Cook mentioned the possibility of merging Apple's laptop and tablet products.

"You can combine a toaster and a refrigerator, but they won't be pleasing to the user," as reported by ABC News.

That reasoning may have been valid over a decade ago when Windows 8 was still new, but we're now in a different era of computing. The iPad Pro 2024 serves as evidence of this shift.

The best tablet but for what?

The new iPad Pro stands as the ultimate tablet in terms of hardware. It's the first Apple device of any kind to incorporate the groundbreaking M4 chip, surpassing even the performance of the top Windows 2-in-1 laptops and the best Android tablets.

For instance, benchmarks of the iPad Pro M4 demonstrate that the new iPad nearly triples the score of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Geekbench multi-core CPU test. Its score even surpasses that of the Dell XPS 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 chip.

Then there's the 13-inch display, which utilizes a new Tandem OLED panel to deliver remarkably high levels of brightness. In our testing, we observed over 1,500 nits, compared to just 592 for the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Moreover, the color saturation, black levels, and contrast combine to offer one of the most impressive screens we've seen on any device.

There's more good news. The iPad Pro lasted over 13 hours in our battery testing, which involves surfing the web over Wi-Fi. That exceeds Samsung's tablet by over 2.5 hours.

Even the Magic Keyboard is exceptional, featuring a new function row (finally), sturdier aluminum deck, and a larger touchpad. You might be thinking, "this could replace my Mac!" However, I'm here to tell you that it can't, and the reason is iPadOS.

The issue with iPadOS is that it was initially crafted with content consumption in mind. I recall Steve Jobs reclining in a leather chair during the original iPad launch in 2010, demonstrating how effortless it was to surf the web, check email, and perform other tasks. However, productivity was certainly not the tablet's primary focus at that time.

iPadOS multitasking still leaves much to be desired

The iPad 2024 boasts impressive power, but Stage Manager feels like a diluted approach to multitasking.

Fast forward to 2024, and while iPadOS attempts to offer multitasking, the Stage Manager feature places the current app front and center while other open apps fan out in the background to the left, facilitating easy switching between them. However, if you wish to run two apps side by side, you must disable Stage Manager (in Control Panel) and use Split View, which can be confusing.

Meanwhile, macOS simplifies the process of using two or three apps on screen simultaneously. I take a shortcut by using a third-party app called Rectangle for the Mac, which makes it easier to snap windows to the left or right simply by dragging them.

During my review of the iPad Air 2024, which is another impressive tablet, I attempted to carry out my usual workflow that I do on my MacBook Pro M2 but failed miserably. Why? Because I heavily rely on the Chrome browser and Google Workspace apps like Excel and Google Docs, and I dislike being compelled to use discrete apps instead of browser tabs.

Moreover, Google has done a poor job optimizing its iPad apps for larger screens. Tasks like selecting from drop-down menus in Google Sheets, for example, had me bouncing around the screen unnecessarily. It essentially feels like using an iPhone app blown up to fit the iPad screen.

To be fair, there are numerous apps optimized for the iPad, which is why it continues to be the top tablet choice. However, Apple must take a significant step forward and provide us with macOS on the iPad or something akin to it. I would suggest starting with iPadOS 18, which is expected to be unveiled at WWDC 2024 in June.