The upcoming iPadOS 17 promises to arrive with important new features for all our iPads. According to rumors, the update will include improvements to Stage Manager, widget support and lock screen customization, among other features.
And not only that, because the same source tells us about the arrival of Apple’s professional apps, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, to the iPad. Something that is still some time away, but which, if confirmed, hints at Apple’s strong commitment to the operating system.
A new Stage Manager that is closer to the Mac
According to user @analyst941 posts on Twitter, one of the priorities in iPadOS 17 will be to improve and optimize Stage Manager. The new window management system that appeared last year with iPadOS 16, would receive several interesting new features. Functions that, would bring the iPad closer to what a Mac is capable of in terms of monitors and would make it much easier to take full advantage of the power of these devices.
We start with the possibility of using webcams on external displays, so not only the iPad camera would come into play when a monitor, for example an Apple Studio Display, can provide its own camera. Also with iPadOS 17, we could customize the audio output sources, allowing to select between internal speakers, headphones or external audio devices. Options that are currently reserved only for the Mac.
The leak also tells us about the simultaneous transmission of various audio and video sources with Stage Manager active, which would allow us, among others, to better use the iPad to create content, for example, seeing a preview of the result of an edited video while working on its fragments. A change that, without getting ahead of ourselves, paves the way for the arrival of Final Cut or Logic to the operating system of our iPad.
In iPadOS 17, we could also adjust the size of the dock in external display configurations, which would adapt to the dimensions and resolution of the screen in use. Something that already happens on the Mac and that clearly allows more flexibility when working with multiple monitors of different resolutions and dimensions.
Finally, but very important, with the new operating system we could keep the external display on while the iPad screen is turned off. A very important change that can allow us to connect the iPad to a monitor, take out our mouse and keyboard and work directly. A way of using the iPad that is already possible from the Mac and that would clearly allow us to enjoy a much greater potential when working in certain configurations.
Personalization, professional apps and a special version of iPadOS
Beyond Stage manager, the leak also tells us about a special edition of iPadOS 17 for the larger iPad that Apple is supposedly developing. A model that, according to Bloomberg and Ross Young, would arrive with 14.1 inches diagonal, and would require a system with a slightly different design. Partly because this “special version” of iPadOS 17 would include support for connecting up to two 6K displays at 60 Hz each.
Although there is still some time to go, in another tweet, the leak tells us about Apple’s professional apps. Without giving any further details, it claims that we would see Final Cut Pro on iPadOS in 2024 and that it would be joined by Logic Pro in 2025. In the meantime, we expect iPadOS 17 to bring the same home screen customization options we saw in iOS 16, but in its iPad version.
Let’s remember, in any case, that it is necessary to wait for confirmations from Apple before taking rumors and leaks for facts. Not only because of their reliability, but also because Apple’s plans can change quickly as development progresses. In any case, if they are fulfilled, iPadOS 17 -of which we still have doubts about its compatibility– would offer us a much more complete and personalized user experience. Fortunately, the wait to find out will be short, as WWDC 2023, which will begin on June 5, is approaching at full speed.
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