While Apple is still dealing with the threat of tariffs impacting its business, the Cupertino-based company is moving full steam ahead with its major releases planned for this year, including a range of new hardware such as the M5 iPad Pro and the iPhone 17 series, along with significant software updates for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Additionally, the company is racing to finalize Siri’s more personalized AI features after delaying them until later this year. Now, we have our first indication of what’s in store for iPadOS this year and Apple’s future AR/VR plans.

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)

Brand

Apple

Storage

256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

CPU

M4

Operating System

iPadOS

Ports

Thunderbolt 3

Display type

Ultra Retina XDR display (OLED)

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iPadOS might finally be more like macOS

MacOS isn’t coming to the iPad, but iPadOS will feel more like it

As the iPad has become much more powerful in recent years thanks to the addition of Apple’s M series silicon, one common complaint has been that its impressive hardware is limited by its software. Although iPadOS has improved over the years, with features like Stage Manager, it still lags behind macOS in capability. However, that may soon change.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing an “overhaul” for iPadOS 19 that will make it “more like macOS.” Reportedly, Apple will focus on three main areas: productivity, multitasking, and window management.

As someone who has occasionally used their iPad Pro as a replacement for their MacBook Pro, this all sounds like music to my ears, and I hope Apple can finally deliver something game-changing for iPadOS. While it’s not exactly macOS on the iPad, it seems to be close, with Gurman stating it will “make a lot of users happy” who have desired more macOS-like features on the iPad.

iPadOS 19 is expected to launch this fall, just in time for the release of the new iPad Pros featuring Apple’s M5 chipset. iOS is also anticipated to receive a major design overhaul this year, with leaks suggesting it might introduce more rounded app icons, similar to VisionOS. Both iPadOS 19 and iOS 19 are anticipated to be revealed by Apple at WWDC in June.

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A more affordable Vision Pro is in the works

The Vision Pro 2 reportedly will be able to plug into Macs

The Vision Pro is already over a year old, and Apple is still hard at work tinkering with its successors. Initially, the Vision Pro 2 was expected to be a “more basic refresh” of the Vision Pro, transitioning from the M2 chipset to the M5. However, Apple reportedly now has more ambitious plans for it.

Gurman reports that Apple is “now working on a Vision Pro that plugs into a Mac.” The idea behind this is to help sell the Vision Pro to consumers looking to use it with “high-end enterprise applications,” like viewing images during medical surgeries. While the headset’s wireless functionality raises latency concerns, plugging it into a Mac would provide the advantage of an ultra-low-latency wired connection.

Additionally, if you’re still hoping for a more affordable Vision Pro headset that doesn’t cost $3,500, it’s still in the works too. Reportedly, a Vision Pro model that is both lighter and cheaper, is coming in addition to a Vision Pro 2 that can connect to a Mac.

All this work surrounding the Vision Pro aligns with Apple CEO Tim Cook’s “grand vision” to eventually release “true augmented reality glasses.” Gurman reports that Apple is developing its own glasses featuring cameras and a microphone to compete with the Meta Ray-Bans, as it strives to create true AR glasses that leverage high-resolution displays, a high-performance chip, and a compact battery. However, all these technologies are still under development and “need to be perfected.”

While it may be awhile before we see true AR glasses and a cheaper Vision Pro, I’m equally excited for both of them, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out. Plus, as someone who uses their iPad for productivity tasks, iPadOS 19 sounds like a game-changer, and I hope the new “more like macOS” update takes advantage of the iPad’s stacked hardware finally.

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