Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS
iPadOS 26 allows iPads tofunction much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why.
In aninterview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like features strike a good balance between productivity and simplicity. He added that macOS is not optimized for touch-screens, although rumors suggest that might change one day.
"We want to retain all the simplicity of the iPad, but still allow iPad users who want to go deeper and further to push it at their own pace to doing more," said Federighi, in a sit-down interview at Apple Park's podcast studio. "I think with macOS, you'd lose what makes iPad iPad, which is the ultimate touch device. But there are lots of things the two platforms can learn from one another, and that's where we've adapted our best ideas to each."
The quote above is only a portion of Federighi's answer, with the full interview available below.
For those who are still looking for a true iPad and Mac hybrid, Apple is reportedly working on everything fromtouch-screen Macs to a19-inch foldable iPad, so the dream of using macOS on a touch-screen might be just a few years away.
Related Roundup:iPad Pro
Tag:Craig Federighi
Buyer's Guide:iPad Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum:Apple, Inc and Tech Industry
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Top Rated Comments
24 weeks ago
We know the rea$on$
This has all become so ridiculous, particularly as they now try to "build macOS all over again, starting with iPadOS" all while adding more and more "padding" to the entire macOS UI, despite it not having any touch capable devices that run it.
This has all become so ridiculous, particularly as they now try to "build macOS all over again, starting with iPadOS" all while adding more and more "padding" to the entire macOS UI, despite it not having any touch capable devices that run it.
24 weeks ago
I get the reasoning, but they are selling keyboards and mice for the iPad. You can also plug the iPad into an external screen so it is a computer with a touch screen. I get that MacOS is not optimized for touch, but who cares you can use it with a keyboard and mouse like normal. The reason is it would kill a large portion of their laptop sales. So many people could get by with a simple iPad, they are fast, long battery and will/would do what any average user would need it to do.
