Apple has officially announced iPadOS 16, the latest software for compatible iPads. The software will be released as a free update in the autumn and will bring innovations aimed at working more productively.
iPadOS 16 succeeds iPadOS 15 and mainly focuses on productive changes that should lift the iPad more towards a full-fledged computer. For example, Apple is finally making it possible to resize and overlap app windows.
iPadOS 16 also allows you to change file extensions, view folder size, and sort rows. This can all be done – only – in Apple’s Files app. Good to know is that some changes will only be available on iPads with an M1 processor. These include the modern iPad Air and the iPad Pro models.
All iPads running iPadOS 16 will have access to Apple’s new Weather app.
Free Form
One of the innovations is Free Form, which will be available for the iPad, iPhone and Mac. Free Form is a new app that will be released later this year and is aimed at collaborating with colleagues or fellow students.
Free Form allows you to share and collaborate on documents. From sharing files and brainstorming together in a whiteboard environment; a lot is possible. If desired, you can see live edits from employees. It is possible to create projects within Free Form. For example for work and your part-time study. Free Form supports the Apple Pencil, the stylus pen for the iPad. Good to know is that Free Form only seems to be intended for Apple equipment. It is unclear what this means if one of the colleagues or students has a Windows laptop, for example.
Virtual memory swap: this is what it means
Only iPads with an M1 processor will have the ability to scale the display with iPadOS 16 so that more apps are visible on the screen. Apple calls this innovation especially useful for those who use Split View.
Another innovation in iPadOS 16 is Virtual Memorey Swap. This allows you to use the iPad’s storage memory to increase the memory for all apps. This should make multitasking even smoother. For the ‘most intensive apps’, the iPad can use up to 16 GB of memory.
Also read: Apple presents iOS 16
External display support
iPadOS 16 also introduces support for a computer monitor. At least, on iPads with an M1 processor. Those are the modern iPad Air and the modern iPad Pro models. They will soon be able to connect to a monitor via a suitable USB-C cable to show four apps on the iPad screen and four apps on the monitor. The feature, built into Stage Manager, works in up to 6K resolution.
iPadOS coming out in the fall
The free iPadOS 16 update will be released in the fall – when exactly will Apple announce by then. A public beta will be released in July, intended for developers. Not all iPad models will get the update. These models will receive the update; iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (third generation and later), and all iPad Pro models.
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