iPadOS 16's Best Feature is Limited to M1 iPads

Apple yesterday unveiled iPadOS 16, the newest version of the iOS operating system designed for the tablet form factor. iPadOS 16 has many of the features that are coming to iOS 16, but it also has some iPad specific updates.

ipados stage manager external display
One of those new features is an updated multitasking system called Stage Manager, but many ‌iPad‌ users are never going to get to test out ‌Stage Manager‌ because it only works on M1 iPads. There are just three ‌M1‌ iPads at the current time, the ‌M1‌ 11-inch iPad Pro, the ‌M1‌ 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, and the ‌M1‌ iPad Air.

All other iPads that are using A-series chips simply will not get access to the new ‌Stage Manager‌ feature, and it is by far the biggest iPadOS 16 change.

Also available on Mac, ‌Stage Manager‌ is a whole new multitasking experience. You can overlap windows for the first time on the ‌iPad‌, and resize those windows as well. The window of the main app that you're working on is front and center, with your other recently used apps off to the left for quick access when you need to swap.

Apple WWDC22 iPadOS16 hero 220606 big
You can have overlapping windows of different sizes, similar to on a Mac, and you can group apps together using drag and drop gestures. ‌Stage Manager‌ supports groups of up to four windows, plus another four if you have an external display attached to your ‌iPad‌. ‌Stage Manager‌ also enables full external display support on the ‌iPad‌.

The 64GB fifth-generation ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Air‌ is the most affordable ‌iPad‌ that supports the ‌Stage Manager‌ feature, and it is priced at $599. The ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ models are priced starting at $799 for the 11-inch version and $1099 for the 12.9-inch version, but we do not recommend an ‌iPad Pro‌ purchase at this time as a refresh is in the works.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Launch Is Just One Month Out – Here's Everything We Know

Saturday August 10, 2024 5:00 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series in the fall, and a possible September 10 announcement date has been floated this year, which means we are just one month away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design...
macbook pro bb cyber

Apple's M3 MacBook Pro Gets Up to $1,000 Off In Major New Sales, Starting at $1,299 [Updated]

Sunday August 11, 2024 1:54 pm PDT by
Apple's M3 MacBook Pro is seeing multiple high value discounts on Best Buy and Amazon today, with up to $1,000 off select models. This includes a new all-time low price on the entry-level M3 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro at $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and a massive $1,000 discount on the high-end 16-inch model exclusively for Best Buy members. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best...
iPhone 16 Pro Right Side Feature

The iPhone 16 is Getting a New Button: Here's What It Can Do

Tuesday August 13, 2024 4:01 pm PDT by
Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that's designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode. Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that's been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to ...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18.1 Beta 2 and iOS 18 Beta 6

Monday August 12, 2024 2:32 pm PDT by
Apple is beta testing iOS 18 and the first update to iOS 18 concurrently, and we got the second betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 today alongside the sixth betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15. Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are focused on bringing the .1 betas in line with the standard betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Thursday August 8, 2024 4:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2

Next Year's Slim iPhone 17 Could Be an 'iPhone Air'

Monday August 12, 2024 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 "Slim" could be positioned as an iPhone "Air" to boost sales, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained how the "fourth" model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model,...

Top Rated Comments

freakomac Avatar
29 months ago
The 2020 iPad Pro is technically just the previous gen, it’s not fair that it doesn’t get this feature. It’s a $1000 device!
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
29 months ago
This doesn’t actually bother me as much as I thought it would.
The iPad Pro is crazy expensive, it should get more functionality than $329 iPads.
However there is a small caveat.
I am very much annoyed that A12Z iPad Pro‘s that aren’t even two years old don’t get these features.
They use that exact same processor for the Apple Silicon transition kit to run a complete version of macOS, so it is absolutely possible.
It’s a real shame they’re leaving those customers who paid just as much or around the same amount for their 2020 iPad pros as those who purchased the 2021 iPad pros.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DanteHicks79 Avatar
29 months ago
Holy crap, the one time I actually have the device that the new feature works on only!
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacOH21 Avatar
29 months ago
"This deal is getting worse all the time." - Lando Calrissian
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rudy69 Avatar
29 months ago

The 2020 iPad Pro is technically just the previous gen, it’s not fair that it doesn’t get this feature. It’s a $1000 device!
I don't think it's about fairness. What I find really really terrible is that the A12Z could easily handle the feature too and they're just gate keeping it 'because'
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
funnyboy88 Avatar
29 months ago
Pretty crazy that you could’ve bought an $1100 iPad Air 4 (256GB with Magic Keyboard) just a few months ago and not get this feature.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)