In just about a month, Apple will unveil iPadOS 17 during its WWDC keynote, and we’ll once again be looking for signs that the iPad Pro is turning into the high-end productivity device we all want it to be. And based on the latest round of rumors, it might actually happen.
According to Analyst941 on Twitter, Apple is preparing some major upgrades to Stage Manager in iPadOS 17 that will bring several enhancements to the multitasking interface. Among the new features expected are:
• Support for webcams built into external monitors.
• Source settings for audio output.
• Simultaneous audio/video streams.
• Dock resizing on an external display.
• The ability to run an external display while the iPad display is off.
This makes it sound like Apple is going all-in with Stage Manager as a pro-level productivity tool for the iPad Pro. (While the feature does work with the M1 iPad Air, the feature is supported on all models of the 11-inch iPad Pro and four generations of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.) Stage Manager had a bumpy start when it rolled out as part of iPadOS 16.1, but updates have slowly improved the multitasking interface.
While this year’s Stage Manager update will be interesting, 2024 will reportedly deliver the big iPadOS update we’ve been waiting for. Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) on Twitter reports that “many features from macOS are coming to iPadOS” in 2024, as Apple prepares to launch a 14.1-inch iPad Pro with an M3 Pro processor. It’s likely that many of the higher-end features will be limited to models with the M1 processor (and later) like Stage Manager’s external display support.
Finally, Analyst941 claims that Apple is finally going to release iPad versions of its popular pro apps, Final Cut Pro and Logic, in 2024 and 2025 respectively. What’s more, the leaker claims the version of Final Cut Pro for iPadOS “will be 1:1 to its big brother, along with a slightly modified UI to support touch.”
Apple will unveil iPadOS 17 at the WWDC keynote on June 5. However, it sounds like the big changes will come in 2024 with the next iPad Pro update and iPadOS 18.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.