#ipados 26

The Regression to a World of Windows

The transition to the iPad represented, for some users, the promise of a new design philosophy that differentiated itself from the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer) model that dominated graphical interfaces. This new approach, rooted in iOS and focused on the full-screen application, prioritized managed multitasking and uninterrupted focus, establishing a workflow optimized for touch. Systems like Windows 8 shared this touch-first focus, and the iPad seemed to validate this direction for the future of tablets. However, Apple's latest system, by reintroducing floating windows, even without the complete desktop "surface", seems to have moved away from its original efficiency.

The Useless Complexity of the WIMP Paradigm

The core critique lies in transplanting elements of the WIMP window model onto a primarily tactile interface. The historical utility of windows is only justified by the metaphor of the digital workspace (the desktop). In the WIMP environment, windows function as spatial cutouts which, alongside icons, files, and text snippets, allow the user to freely organize materials, replicating the chaotic, yet functional, organization of a physical desk.

However, the iPad never fully adopted this metaphor; it lacks the "surface" for manipulating loose files, possessing only an app launcher (Home Screen). Without this complete working surface to justify the spatial management, the introduction of manual windows—which requires dragging and resizing via touch—is inherently inefficient.

This complexity becomes even more questionable due to the declining use of the desktop paradigm. In recent decades, the dominant user behavior is the immediate maximization of windows, seeking total immersion in a single application. The manual spatial management of clippings and files has lost its practical relevance, being replaced by clipboard managers and quick searches.

Today, dealing with windows on the iPad feels more like a visual and tactile experience, almost like a fidget toy, than a functional gain. It is the adoption of WIMP's complexity without its functional justification, imposing an unnecessary cognitive load on the touch user.

The Lost Value: Split View and Slide Over

The Split View and Slide Over features were not just functionalities; they were the highest expression of tablet design. They offered the productivity of two (or three) apps side-by-side, with the system automatically managing the layout. It was an intuitive, practical, and perfectly optimized system for touch. This approach proved that efficient multitasking is perfectly possible without the clutter and manual window management.

By sacrificing this unique experience in favor of a desktop imitation, Apple attempts to position the iPad as a laptop replacement. The iPad loses its strength precisely by trying to be what it never needed to be, entering direct competition with native window operating systems, where it ends up becoming a secondary, rather than superior, option.

Stage Manager: Scale-Limited Effectiveness

The Stage Manager is undeniably a powerful tool, but its design is better suited for external monitors or very large tablet screens. On smaller screens, such as the 11-inch model, managing multiple overlapping rectangles quickly becomes chaotic and ineffective. The inevitable result, as many users report, is reverting to full-screen mode, which nullifies the utility of the function in mobile environments.

Apple may have aimed for greater flexibility, but by fully embracing the window model, they removed the iPad's soul. For those who sought refuge in a clean and elegant interface, the exchange of managed multitasking for manual window clutter does not represent an evolution, but a fundamental departure from the simplicity and efficiency that defined the iPad.

12/12/2025 - Update Apple almost solved all the problems, almost.

The weird thing where it turns your normal photos into a parallax hologram is just incredible – slightly broken but when you see it in action, it actually is amazing.

I went ahead and installed the developer preview on my iPad.

Holy crap guys (non-gender specific), that glass effect is incredible when you see it in person. The new reader mode which will read the screen for you when you make the gesture is pretty solid, and the new voice clone is really nice.

The journalling app finally let you use the pencil so that you can write, and there's now a dedicated phone app for handling all of the phone calls that are being piped in from your iPhone.

One of the big features is that preview, the app, has been imported from the desktop. Apple seems to think that this is mainly going to be for annotating PDF files, but it's also an incredibly good way to grab a picture or a screenshot, and then crop it and add text or captions or other items – or just resizing an image without having to send it to the Photos app.

Even better, the ambient background sound list got a major upgrade: More rain sounds, steam, boats, busses and trains and a "babble" option to add a coffee shop vibe... Plus an EQ so you can tweak it for bass or treble and smooth out those jagged audio parts.

On the phone side, which I haven't tried because I need my phone to be 100% working, they added a call screening option.

This is very different from a scammer or spam blacklist. It means if somebody calls you the phone will say to them "who are you? Why are you calling?" - then it will use the dictation system to turn that into text and then display that to you so that you can decide whether you actually want to pick the call up.

In addition with the already existing presets for saying I'm busy, or that I am uninterested in taking this call, or the ability to just hang the fuck up, this is going to take a lot of anxiety out of receiving phone calls. I need to dig in and see if there is an auto responder for When you have your device on do not disturb.

This is also going to wreck the shit of the entire scam and spam robocaller industry!

Keeping your iPad organized can make your device cleaner, faster to navigate, and more private. Many users prefer hiding apps they do not use daily or apps they want to keep away from the main screen. Whether you want to reduce clutter, improve privacy, or simply create a more minimal home screen, hiding apps on an iPad is easier than you might think. The good news is that hiding apps on an iPad…