iPadOS 26 just made the iPad a true Mac replacement

Apple's WWDC 2025 event is a chance to get a sneak peek at what's coming to its products later in the year, both new and current in the form of software updates. It's also often a hint to what we might see product-wise and shows the direction the company is going. No more so than with the upcoming iPadOS 26.

Now adopting a unified number relevant to the year (instead of what would have been iOS 19), all of Apple's devices will run a '26 version in 2026. That goes across the iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, Apple Watch and Mac – though the MacOS also gets a new name of Tahoe.

iPadOS has previously aligned itself closer to the iPhone OS than anything else. However, in recent years as the iPad has become faster and more frequently used with a keyboard, it has developed more Mac-like features.

Using your iPad as a laptop

The iPad Air and iPad Pro devices now run Apple silicon chips (M3 and M4), making them as powerful as MacBooks. This has allowed you to use them for serious video and audio editing, illustration and gaming with ease. However, for general use, it has never been as easy to operate as a Mac – at least with a keyboard and mouse.

Changes this year might seem relatively small on the surface. The iPad already has a task bar and using Stage Manager, the ability to have multiple windows open at once. Now, though, in iPadOS 26, on top of the new liquid glass design language, it features a new windows system, allowing you to resize and place windows anywhere, or even tile multiple windows on your screen.

This works in much the same way as windows do in MacOS, with the three coloured dots in the top left of each window, to close, minimise or resize, plus the ability to drag the bottom right corner of the window too.

New features make keyboard and trackpad easier

You can run background tasks when you switch to a new window, which hadn't been the case before, and it now features the Preview app. Preview is easily one of the most useful tools on the Mac for previewing images and PDF, as well as editing, resaving and signing documents.

iPad OS 26 also gets an open with command and the enhanced Files app, allowing you to colour-code folders, add emojis to them, and even drag them to the dock for easy access. Something that Mac users will be used to.

While I still love to use the iPad as a handheld touchscreen device, I more regularly use it with a keyboard these days, so these features feel really helpful. I think with these additions, it will make using the iPad instead of a Mac even more achievable.

One device, two ways to work it

I've always liked the idea of the iPad offering two modes – one for simple touchscreen operation, and another for more Mac-like operation. With this update, that dream feels almost realised. The choice between an iPad Air, iPad Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro becomes much tougher.

I do wonder how much longer it will be before we see a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, especially if macOS can adopt some features from iPadOS. In the meantime, we could see a foldable iPad that bridges that gap even more. For me, though, 2026 is definitely the year of the iPad.