Apple has officially unveiled iPadOS 16. The new operating system for the iPad will be available for download later this year and is aimed primarily at professionals.
Apple officially announces iPadOS 16
Apple unveiled the successor to iPadOS 15 at WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference), its annual gathering for software developers. First, the company releases a test version of iPadOS 16; later this year, the final version will be available for everyone to download.
The new iPadOS version focuses on collaborating with others. For example, you can collaborate on a document with others by simply pressing a button. Need to discuss some details with a colleague? Then you can also immediately start a FaceTime call.
Speaking of colleagues, iPadOS 16 adds the Free Form app. This app is best comparable to a whiteboard. Together with others you can brainstorm remotely, jot down ideas and take notes on a (starting) blank canvas. Free Form will be added to iPadOS, macOS, and iOS “later this year.”
New apps
Furthermore, Apple is bringing some new apps to the iPad, including the Weather app. With this you can not only see whether it will remain dry next week, but also how much precipitation is expected and when. The Weather app also provides information about the temperature.
Also new is Reference Color, or Reference Color in Dutch. This feature allows you to keep the same colors while editing files on multiple Apple devices. This is useful, because this way a graphic project (such as a video or advertising poster) will always look the same everywhere.
iPad is chasing the Mac
iPadOS 16, like macOS Ventura, will have the ability to use Stage Manager. This feature allows you to make app windows bigger and smaller. You can also place apps on top of each other. For example, if you bring the Messages app ‘to the front’, your previously used app (such as the Calendar) automatically moves a little more to the background.
The programs that you are not using at that moment remain on the left side of the screen so that you can open them quickly. Stage Manager is only available on the iPad Pro 2021 and iPad Air 2022 with an M1 chip on board.
Download iPadOS 16
The trial version of iPadOS 16 for software developers is available for download today. The public beta, which is available to everyone, is coming in July. According to Apple, the final version of iPadOS 16 will be released “this fall”.
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