After 25 years, the iPad can finally stand on its own.
So, so many fans have begged Apple to finally make a MacBook convertible. Hell, most would be satisfied if Apple put a touchscreen on a Mac. Now TF International Securities’s premier Apple supply chain analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, claims the long-awaited MacBook Pro with a rumored rich and vibrant OLED display—which could arrive in 2026—might be reborn as the first touchscreen Mac. So, what do we make of the new iPadOS 26 now that it proposes to let you operate your iPad much like a MacBook?
Until Apple officially announces a MacBook with a screen that you can tap and swipe on, the iPad will remain Apple’s one and only large-display touchscreen. For 15 years, the iPad was constrained by Apple’s ancient understanding of who uses tablets and why. iPadOS 26 changes everything, except for the limitations imposed by the hardware itself. Even with layered windows with easy tiling to present all your apps at once, it can’t replace your Mac, touchscreen or not. But don’t fret. The iPad was a functional secondary workhorse before the update. Now it can be your go-to when the Mac just won’t cut it.A glassier and classier iPad
Apple took its sweet time getting to this point. If you’re keen to reminisce, the first iPad launched in 2010. Older versions of iPadOS relied on the understanding that the screens were too small to have more than two apps running at a time. The reliance on Split View from 2015’s release of iOS 9 (the software didn’t get renamed to iPadOS until 2019) eventually led to the introduction of Stage Manager in 2022, which created a carousel for quickly swapping between apps. Even as the iPads received M-series chips and gained Apple’s first large OLED displays, the tablet was left as its own ecosystem, best described as a big-screen iPhone. Apple has put more emphasis on the chips contained inside iPads, with the 2024 iPad Pro M4 and the rumored M5 iPad Pro coming down the pike. If the devices are reaching closer to laptop-level performance, then shouldn’t they be able to handle laptop-level tasks?
iPadOS 26 is the most options-heavy software for iPads yet. The first thing you’ll notice is the update to the Liquid Glass look. Love it or hate it, the transparent, layered effect isn’t nearly as intrusive on iPad as on iPhone.
