Apple just announced 'iPadOS,' a brand-new operating system for the iPad
- Apple on Monday unveiled "iPadOS," a new software ecosystem for the iPad.
- This means the iPad will no longer run on the same software as the iPhone and iPod.
- iPadOS will allow developers to write more apps specifically for the iPad.
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Apple on Monday unveiled "iPadOS," a new software ecosystem for the iPad.
The news was actually shared just minutes before the event started, on Twitter:
Apple's Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman confirmed the news prior to the start of the WWDC keynote.
Apple's Craig Federighi introduced iPadOS on the WWDC stage. "It takes the distinct experience of iPad even further," Tim Cook said later in the event.
On iPadOS, you can:
- Have widgets appear right on your home screen
- Have two notes, side by side, in split-screen view - or two Microsoft Word documents side by side, or two Mail messages side by side, etc.
- You can also share folders through iCloud Drive for the first time, and share files to specific computers.
- App Expose from the Mac comes over to iPad, so you can see all of the apps in various spaces you have on the iPad.
More about how iPadOS works
- Files are getting a big rework. You can view your files in icons, lists, and now columns, so you can dig through file hierarchies. You also now get file previews and quick actions, like you do on the Mac.
- Gestures have gotten a rework. You can copy entire paragraphs of text by highlighting it with one finger, and pinching with three fingers to copy and paste.
- You can pinch your keyboard with two fingers to make it smaller, which also moves it to the side. This is great for typing with one hand, or just a thumb.
- You can use the Apple Pencil to mark up almost any application. You can even mark up webpages on Safari.
- iPadOS also supports USB thumb drives! External disk drives, SD cards and more will show up right in the Files app. The USB port will also let you import photos directly from your camera.
- Safari on iPads will now give you a full desktop-class experience. This means apps like Google Docs and Squarespace will look like they do on a traditional computer. You can also have tabs like you do on the desktop, and finally, a download manager!