By Jason Snell

April 25, 2025 10:26 AM PT

Is iPadOS 19 getting more Mac-like?

Two weeks ago, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that some serious changes were in the works for iPadOS 19:

I’m told that this year’s upgrade will focus on productivity, multitasking and app window management — with an eye on the device operating more like a Mac. It’s been a long time coming, with iPad power users pleading with Apple to make the tablet more powerful.

This report is intriguing, but frustratingly vague. Apple wanting to tinker with iPad multitasking and app window management is dog-bites-man stuff at this point. Gurman’s report didn’t offer any real specifics, so we’re left to guess about what Apple might do to make changes that would “make a lot of [iPad power] users happy.”

On Thursday, purveyor of Apple rumors Majin Bu reported some interesting details:

One of the most exciting changes will benefit those using the iPad with a Magic Keyboard. When connected, the interface will adapt to show a menu bar at the top, just like on macOS, turning the iPad into a much more laptop-like experience.

Another key update is Stage Manager 2.0, an enhanced multitasking mode that activates automatically when the keyboard is attached. It will make managing apps and windows smoother and more productive than ever.

The idea of adding a “laptop mode” that alters the iPad interface when a keyboard is attached is a good one. That’s a strong signal that the iPad is in a context that would welcome more affordances for keyboard and pointing devices—while not burdening users who just want to use the iPad as a touch tablet.

Apple has been building to this on iOS for quite some time now, most notably with changes made in iPadOS 15. I wrote about it back in 2021:

Apple is rebuilding the Mac menu bar on the iPad, and it’s doing it in plain sight. Hold down the Globe or Command keys in iPadOS 15, and you’ll see an overlay that lists all the available keyboard shortcuts—organized in a quite familiar pattern that begins with File and Edit. You don’t even need to use keyboard shortcuts—tapping on any command will execute it…

Would Apple ever offer a proper Mac-style menu bar on the iPad? I think it might, in the proper contexts. Perhaps only when a keyboard and pointing device are attached, or only on an external display that has to be entirely driven by those input methods. But it’s not as if the iPad isn’t already most of the way there. The iPad’s status bar displays time, date, and a bunch of icons already—they’d be at home in a Mac-style menu bar. Toss in icons for Control Center and Notification Center if you want.

I don’t know if Bu’s sources are good on this or not, but if it is true, it would definitely fit into Gurman’s report that iPadOS 19 will make the iPad work more like a Mac when it’s in the proper context. Context is everything here. Regular iPad users don’t need to see this stuff—but if the device can adapt when snapped into a Magic Keyboard, all the better.

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