iPadOS 26 is one of those big iPad releases that only comes along every two or three years. There are major changes across the system—and this time, the iPad mini and base iPad get to come along for the ride.

There’s a lot to digest, and to be honest, I’m still processing my thoughts. I’m not sure how I feel about how much of the distinct iPad experience has been replaced by something that looks a lot like macOS.

For now, I want to share some initial thoughts on the big new features in iPadOS 26.

macOS Windowing

Generally, when Apple brings a Mac feature to iPad, they adapt it in a way that still feels true to the iPad. I’ve always appreciated that….it shows someone at Apple remembers the iPad is supposed to be a tablet. But I also appreciate that when they decide the new way isn’t working, they’re not afraid to fall back on the tried and true. And I guess that’s what’s happened with iPad windowing.

I don’t think windowing on iPad was in a bad place before this. Stage Manager really just needed a few small adjustments and bug fixes—it wasn’t fundamentally broken, at least not in my view. Despite the fact that Stage Manager still technically exists in iPadOS, it’s clear Apple doesn’t think it’s the path forward.

So now we have what’s probably as close to macOS multitasking as the iPad can get, traffic light buttons and all. I can’t really pass judgment on it yet—this is going to take some adjustment and relearning. Hopefully, by the time beta season wraps up, I’ll love the new multitasking system.

There are some real upsides, like getting rid of the silly 4-app/window limit in Stage Manager. Window snapping also helps make vertical multitasking much less frustrating than it’s been. But part of me is still a little sad that the iPad might be losing some of its uniqueness.

As I’ve said many times: if all Apple is going to do with iPad is reimplement macOS as-is… what’s the point? Why do any of this?

Menu Bar

As weird as it is to see the macOS traffic light buttons on iPadOS, it feels even weirder to see a menu bar. It looks way too small—but that could just be because I’m used to the oversized menu bar on modern macOS.

Files App Improvements

I’m glad Apple finally added the ability to set default apps for file types. It wasn’t on any of my iPad feature wishlists, but it should have been. It’s a strong addition.

Putting folders in the Dock, on the other hand, feels like macOS intruding too much into the unique iPad experience. I would have loved to seen a more unique solution, like a corner gesture to bring up the Files app or a specific folder.

New Cursor

The iPadOS cursor used to be fun and uniquely iPad. It was a wonderful circular tool that delightfully conformed to UI elements as you scrolled over them. I know some people never liked it and wanted something more traditional, but the iPad isn’t a traditional device.

The new cursor is much closer to a standard mouse pointer—it’s just an arrow now, and it no longer morphs to match UI elements. Functionally, both cursors work the same, but the old one was more fun. I hope a future beta lets us turn the old cursor back on, if we choose.

Background Tasks

This is maybe the one big new feature I don’t have any reservations about. The iPad has always supported some level of background task completion, but it was never a robust solution. The new Background Tasks API seems to address that—though I’m sure there will still be limits due to battery concerns.

I’ve always said the real holdup on better background processing in iPadOS wasn’t hardware or software…it was user experience. Apple needed a way to surface background tasks to the user. Live Activities solves that without requiring Apple to bring over something like Activity Monitor, and that’s great.

Conclusion

I didn’t know where I was going with this when I started writing it. Right now, I’m excited about iPadOS 26—but with some trepidation.

I can’t help but worry that bringing too much macOS to the iPad risks losing what makes the iPad unique and more enjoyable to use than a Mac. Plenty of us chose the iPad because it wasn’t a Mac. I just hope that in trying to appeal to skeptical potential iPad buyers, Apple doesn’t forget about those of us who’ve stuck with the iPad for years….because we loved what made it different.