WWCC 2024 revealed plenty of great Apple Intelligence features for iPadOS and more. Here are features we are most excited to try out in the real world.
WWDC’s main event is over, leaving us with a brand-new spread of OS refreshes for visionOS, iOS, watchOS, macOS, and — of course — the iPadOS. The iPad Pro M4’s release reminded us once again that while the hardware is incredible, the software side of things often fails to put it through its paces. Anyone who was hoping to replace their Mac with an iPad Pro should just get the Mac, frankly. So did the iPadOS 18 reveal change the answer to that question? Probably not. Still, this year’s upgrade still adds a bunch of helpful features to polish the platform and potentially bring it a step closer to being a Mac replacement.
Apple Intelligence — or AI — was the name of the game for WWDC 2024, and thankfully the iPad wasn’t left out in the cold. Those M-series Pro and Air chips were overkill once, but now they seem more like futureproofing that enables the new and improved Siri, among other things. Whether you missed WWDC or didn’t feel like watching a feature-length Apple commercial, we’ve got you covered. Here are 12 iPadOS 18 features we think will change the way you use your iPad come this fall.Solve handwritten math equations in Calculator
It’s ridiculous to think that a tablet that easily reaches well into the $1,000 range doesn’t come with a stock calculator app, but there’s a reason why the iPad doesn’t have one. Steve Jobs didn’t like the first iPad’s calculator, and then the project got stuck in development for over a decade.
Still, we might be able to forgive fourteen calculator-less years because Apple really internalized the “don’t do something unless you can do it well” mentality, here. At a foundational level, the calculator is nothing special. You’ve got a Basic, Scientific, and unit converter option, plus a new history feature. However, what really stole the show during the iPad’s presentation was the Math Notes mode.
Math Notes lets you do scientific calculator level equations by hand. It uses machine learning to not just accurately recognize and interpret your handwriting, but also replicate it to fill the solution fields. Even cooler, you don’t have to erase an equation and start over to change one value — simply updating it reflects in the equation’s result. Variables work, too. You could, say, write A = 1 anywhere on the screen, and Calculator will pull it into formulas incorporating that variable. You can adjust any variable with a scroll wheel and visualize the results by tapping the equal sign next to a relevant equation to create a graph.
Math Notes stores all of these equations in the history tab so you can revisit them later without losing your work. All of this functionality is available in Notes, too. Early trials of iPadOS 18 beta show that the handwriting recognition is good, and able to correctly interpret — and imitate — even the worst chicken scratch.Take better handwritten notes in Notes
Handwriting supercharged by AI seems to be the running theme for my iPadOS 18, because the Notes app takes it to a new level with the new Smart Script feature. Building on top of existing support for handwriting — such as being able to copy written text or refine it – your iPad will now beautify your letters as fast as you can jot them down. Say goodbye to compulsive rewriting to appease your OCD.
That’s just the beginning. Once your iPad learns what your handwriting looks like, you can edit it as if it were any other system font. You can use spellcheck, copy in new text, and rearrange and it will still look like you wrote the whole thing. The Apple Pencil’s lack of an eraser when you flip it around won’t be a concern either, because you can scratch out any text you don’t want, and it will disappear from view.
The iPad has always been in an awkward place between an iPhone and a Mac because it does few things better than the other two platforms, but Smart Script definitely gives it and the Apple Pencil a better sense of purpose.Write, proofread, and compose with Apple Intelligence
ChatGPT lets you do a lot more than draft a professionally written email in seconds. Prompt engineers have found a ton of unexpected uses, such as getting outfit suggestions or picture pose ideas. The only problem is that you have to open a browser to use ChatGPT, unless you’re rocking Windows, where Copilot bakes a ChatGPT twin into your OS. Apple users may have the next best thing with Writing Tools, available natively on iPadOS 18 and other platforms. Writing Tools is a pop-up window that allows you to generate or edit text in a convenient way that is similar to how ChatGPT works.
When summoned, Writing Tools lets you describe, in natural language, what you would like to write or change. If you want to do the writing yourself, but aren’t pleased with the result, then you can use the Proofread or Rewrite option to polish it up, the latter of which gives you multiple rewritten versions to choose from. Your tone can also be tweaked with the Friendly, Professional, and Concise presets. At any time, you can fall back on the prompt box to describe, in precise detail, what result you’re looking for. Then you can condense your text into summaries, key points, lists, and tables, potentially making TL;DRs and overviews effortless.
Those who are familiar with Apple’s shenanigans might be wondering if this is only available in Pages, Mail, and Notes. Not so. Most text-based apps should support it, so presumably developers need only hit some switch in the code to make Writing Tools talk with their platform. The feature goes hand in hand with cool additions like Smart Reply, which creates context-based, intelligent responses to emails and — hopefully someday — messages in third-party apps.
