My 4 hopes for the next iPadOS update

The iPad has taken on many forms throughout the years, following in the iPhone’s design as it evolved. I got the iPad Pro (2018) at the beginning of 2019 and sometimes I felt like it wasn’t worth it. With the debut of iPadOS in June 2019, I finally felt like I could use the iPad at its full potential. However, there are aspects of this update that need tweaking and even more could be done with the powerful A12X Bionic chip. My wishlist involves more customization, app makeovers, notification options, more widgets, and support for more hardware. 

  1. Customization Options

Many experimenters of Apple products “jailbreak” their devices, which gives them ultimate control over what their iPhone interface looks like. With almost every update, developers have created a jailbreak version with more options than the last. It would be interesting to see the iPad with a completely different interface, mixing the iPhone’s and the Macbook’s. Consumers could get the best of both worlds; the first iPadOS update brought that foundation to life. 

In an ever-more creative world, there are suggestions for more customization in everyday life. Some Macbook owners decorate their devices with stickers to make them more personable. Everywhere I look, I see stickers all over laptops, bags, and especially in classrooms. 

  1. Horizontal Notifications

Macbooks have horizontal notifications, and I think it would be cool to have horizontal notifications implemented into iPadOS to really separate it from the iPhone. Sadly, Apple doesn’t like taking many risks unless they are absolutely sure fans will like it. Apple hasn’t released successful new devices, besides the Airpods and the Apple Watch, since the death of Steve Jobs.

Although horizontal notifications wouldn’t make a difference in the device’s performance or ease of use, they would be less of a distraction to those who may just want to work. 

  1. Widgets On The Top Bar

The top bar has stayed the same since the first iOS, and now I’m hoping Apple will give it a new change that may provide easier access to specific apps. Widgets will give information, or a shortcut, for apps. There is too much space in the top bar, and it may look simple, but users may need even more shortcuts if multitasking is a priority.

Android developers added widgets in their top bar for each app that has a notification to tend to. Apple should do something similar, but instead of notifications, they should have the option for users to add widgets for the apps they want. Apple already has this on the home screen, but 

  1. Extended Hardware Support

Apple gave their iPad users support for a mouse and hard drives at the launch of iPadOS, but there are a lot of investments that Apple could make to give iPad users a laptop-like experience. 

There are plenty of manufacturers that create simple yet innovative products for Apple devices. Apple has invested in Anker products, which provides different charging systems, and some Brydge products, which makes keyboards for iPad. Consumers have a variety of different options to choose from that are supported by Apple, but because of the iPad’s new update, there should be more options with different uses. 

The iPad did something that not many other companies like Samsung can pull off. The iPad used to be a bigger and more powerful version of the iPhone, but Apple remodeled its system to bring an anti-laptop experience. Apple gave its tablet users a laptop experience, but still keeping the foundations of what the iPad is.  

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