iPadOS

Apple has been trying to turn the iPad into a computer for serious work ever since the first iPad Pro. But it’s been hindered by decisions it took early on with iOS, like the lack of a “proper” file system and the inability to connect external storage.

iPadOS doesn’t fix all that but it’s a big step in that direction, and is the biggest change to the software since we first saw the iPad in 2010.

The most obvious difference is the new Home screen. Whereas in iOS 12 and earlier, it was just a bigger version of the iPhone Home screen, it now makes good use of the extra space. Whereas in iOS 12, the iPad displays the same four columns of icons in portrait mode as the iPhone, and only one more in landscape, in iOS 13 it displays six columns in both portrait and landscape. But the biggest change is the addition of the Today widget. Swipe from the left in landscape mode and it slides into the left side of the screen, squeezing the six columns of icons.

POINTS OF VIEW

Split View can now display two instances of the same app (in apps that support it), as well as different apps. And Slide Over can host several apps in the Slide Over Window; you can