Your iPad is your new computer

Summary

After its WWDC 2025 event, Apple described its upcoming iPadOS 26 update as “the biggest iPadOS release ever.” This doesn’t seem like it’s just a self-aggrandizing exaggeration, though — iPadOS 26 could actually change the way we think about the utility of a fifteen-year-old product that has long felt like an oversized iPhone designed for a cyclops. The new OS brings us multi-tasking tools, a new windowing system, and the Preview app, which may not sound as alluring as “Liquid Glass.” But if you’ve ever tried to have a productive work day via iPad, then this news is more exciting than Sabrina Carpenter’s new album announcement (and that’s not just because her new song was kinda mid). Image Credits:Apple As it stands now, you can only have two windows open at once on the iPad, and navigating between the two windows is kind of a nightmare. If you’re trying to write an email while also looking at your calendar to confirm that you’re giving your coworker a good time to call you, then you’ll probably be toggling the two windows back and forth, struggling to see all of the relevant information. It’s kind of a mess, and a big reason why I never work on my iPad (despite having spent over $100 on Logitech’s detachable keyboard…) If I have to refer to any sources during the writing process — whether that be a press release, interview notes, an email, a research paper, or, god forbid, all of the above — then I might as well just pull my phone out as a second tiny screen. Let’s just say, it isn’t the most user-friendly experience. With the new window controls in iPadOS 26, you can see all of your open windows at once, then tile them intuitively to help you multitask. These window controls are also compatible with Stage Manager, which lets you organize your windows into specific environments. As a result, iPadOS is removing its older multitasking features, Split View and Slide Over. Meanwhile, the iPad’s new Preview app makes it possible to edit and view PDFs natively, including...