Do you use a Mac or an iPad? Huge numbers of people use both, yet there are growing calls for Apple to merge the two devices into some kind of all-in-one super product. I’m not one of those people — in fact I think it would be a terrible idea — and I’m determined to steer clear of any hypothetical iPad that runs macOS.
Over the past few years, Apple’s best iPads have grown closer to the Mac. We’ve seen the devices get outfitted with Mac-grade chips like the M4, gain macOS-like software features such as Stage Manager, and gain increased compatibility with mice and keyboards.
This has led a lot of people to wonder whether Apple plans to one day merge iPadOS and macOS, taking parts from each operating system and building something that can work on any Apple tablet or computer.
That’s not happening yet, but according to his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman believes that iPadOS 19 will be a major overhaul that will “make the tablet’s software more like macOS.”
While this should bring a whole host of benefits, I think we should be careful not to go further and demand that Apple brings the full-fat version of macOS to the iPad. Ultimately, there are a few reasons why this could be a bad idea.
Key areas for improvement
Apple
Gurman’s report claims that Apple plans to improve iPadOS in three main areas: “productivity, multitasking and app window management.” Gurman provides few details on how this will actually play out, but the idea that Apple is concentrating on these areas will be welcome news to iPad power users who have been crying out for more capable tools.
Apple is right to be focusing its efforts here. Currently, more advanced iPad features like Stage Manager are half-hearted and frustrating. They were introduced with much fanfare but have received few upgrades and improvements over the years, leaving them feeling stunted and half-forgotten.
Really, I can’t help but think that the state of Stage Manager is emblematic of the iPad as a whole. In some ways, the iPad — particularly high-end variants like the iPad Pro — currently sits somewhere between a computer and tablet. There’s not really enough for either iPad power users or Mac users who are thinking of ditching their laptops, leaving both groups unsatisfied.
So for Apple to be pouring attention on the areas that will give these users what they want is encouraging. While I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself here — there are precious few details in Gurman’s report, after all — it’s still good to hear.
The right call
Hey Apple, in what universe does this icon theming look even half-good?Apple
Reports like this will probably also give succor to those people who have long called for Apple to merge iPadOS and macOS into a single operating system. After all, if the two systems keep getting closer, will it one day be simpler for Apple to just blend them into one?
This is an area where I have to disagree, and I strongly feel that Apple must keep the iPad and the Mac distinct. Combining them together will only create more problems than it will solve.
One reason is that iPadOS and macOS are designed for two different ways of working: the iPad focuses on touch while the Mac is mainly operated through a keyboard and mouse or trackpad. Sure, increasing numbers of people are using an iPad with the same peripherals as a Mac, but I strongly suspect that they are the minority of Apple tablet users.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
That means that although there is some overlap between iPadOS and macOS, there are enough differences to warrant having two separate operating systems.
As well as that, the risks of merging the two systems are too great. Apple would have to make too many compromises and would end up with none of the distinct strengths of either system — a concern that Apple itself has voiced on multiple occasions. In this particular case, one size fits all doesn’t work for anyone.
Like my colleague Nadeem Sarwar, I’m looking forward to seeing what these upgrades to iPadOS 19 will entail. Many of the iPad features intended for power users have a long way to go before reaching their potential, and I’m hoping that Apple’s upcoming tweaks will help them get there.
But let’s not get too carried away — Gurman says that Apple isn’t merging iPadOS and macOS right now, and I can’t see it happening any time in the near future either. At the end of the day, that really feels like it’s the right call.
We’re expecting iPadOS 19, the next software version for iPad, to land during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year. From what we’ve heard, it looks like it could be a significant update. Here’s what we know so far about iPadOS 19 — we’ll find out if these rumors are true in June.
When will iPadOS 19 be revealed?
Apple announced that this year’s WWDC will run from June 9 to 13. That means iPadOS 19, codenamed “Luck,” will likely be announced during the keynote event, held on June 9. The start time for this is yet to be confirmed, but last year it was at 10 a.m. PDT, so we can likely expect something similar this year.
Alongside iPadOS 19, we should also see iOS 19, watchOS 12, and macOS 16 — and there may even be some hardware announcements.
What do the rumors say?
We don’t know as much about iPadOS 19 as we do iOS 19, but there are a few things we could expect.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, this is expected to be the most significant redesign for iPad/iPhone since iOS 7. iPadOS 19 “will fundamentally change the look of the operating systems and make Apple’s various software platforms more consistent.” That means unifying OS look and style across multiple platforms for a simpler user experience. We’re expecting icons, buttons, menus, and system apps to receive a visual overhaul, with enhanced customization.
This redesign may be inspired by VisionOS, in particular, the Camera app, which users have suggested needs to be simplified.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
Gurman also says that Siri will become “more conversational,” like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, employing more advanced large language models (LLMs) so users can have lengthy back-and-forth conversations. “LLM Siri,” as it has been dubbed, is expected in a later iPadOS 19.4 update around spring 2026.
According to Apple Insider, many of the updates introduced in iOS 19 will most likely make their way over to iPadOS. We’re expecting a major focus on and expansion of Apple Intelligence features, and we could also see significant changes to Stage Manager. Apple Journal may finally make the jump from iPhone to iPad, though take this rumor with a pinch of salt, as nothing is yet confirmed.
Which devices will support iPadOS 19?
A report from French website iPhoneSoft.fr (via MacRumors), which cites a source within Apple, suggests that iPadOS 19 will drop support for the 2019 iPad 7. All other iPad models capable of running iPadOS 18 will reportedly be compatible with the latest iPad operating system, though some features will be unavailable on older models.
The full list of devices compatible with iPadOS 19 includes:
The Worldwide Developer Conference or WWDC is one of Apple’s most vital annual events where software updates take the center stage. At WWDC 2025, Apple is expected to showcase changes to the iOS and macOS that will substantially improve how we interact with the iPhone, iPad, and the Mac. But that are not all the announcements, as Apple will also discuss improvements to all of its interface running on different categories of devices. Besides software, we might witness some hardware announcements too.
Here’s everything you need to know about the potential announcements Apple is likely to make in June this year at WWDC 2025.
WWDC 2025: When will it happen?
WWDC typically takes place in the first half of June every year, though the dates change every year. Apple likes to kick off the event with a keynote on a Monday, and will continue the tradition this year.
Apple has already confirmed WWDC 2025 will be inaugurated with a keynote on June 9, with various developer sessions through June 13.
How and where can I watch WWDC 2025?
Apple
WWDC 2025 will be hosted online and is free to watch for all. The livestream for the keynote, as well as various subsequent sessions, can be found on the dedicated page on Apple’s website and Apple’s official YouTube channel.
However, Apple will give a select few the opportunity to attend the conference in person and interact with technical experts at the Apple Park in Cupertino. This is open to a limited number of developers, who can apply here, and winners of the Swift Student Challenge (2023 to 2025).
With WWDC being Apple’s biggest non-hardware event of the year, we expect several announcements on the future of software and user experience across its many devices. Below, we will talk about all the changes we expect to see at the conference this year.
iOS 19
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
With the iPhone being the biggest contributor to Apple’s revenue, iOS is easily the most vital product to be discussed at the annual conference. 2025 is the year of iOS 19. Although a stable release will come with the iPhone 17 series later this year, Apple will preview the next generation of iOS.
While nothing concrete is known of the update, we have seen numerous rumors about a massive shift in the iPhone’s software experience. As one of the most reliable sources behind Apple’s developments, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has claims iOS 19 will be “one of the most dramatic software overhauls” in the history of the iPhone. This year’s update is expected to bring a significant visual revamp for the first time since iOS 7 was released in 2013.
With the upcoming update, Apple is expected to enact fundamental changes in how iOS looks and operates. iOS 19 is expected to borrow largely from the Apple Vision Pro’s translucent visual elements and systematically overhaul multiple features, including the look and style of icons, menus, touch controls and buttons, menus, and even system apps. Apple aims to achieve visual consistency across multiple platforms and simplify how we interact with devices.
Apple is also expected to refine system animations with a focus on translucency. And while, iOS 19 has a supremely long list of new features, some of the features yet to be delivered from last year’s iOS 18 are also expected to hop on. This primarily includes the promised set of Apple Intellgence features that have yet to be available.
Apple Intelligence
Notification Summaries in Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16 seriesNirave Gondhia / Digital Trends
Apple has gradually released several promised Apple Intelligence features with spaced out iOS 18 updates since the iPhone 16 launch back in September. With the latest iOS 18.4 launching soon, eligible devices are set to gain features such as Priority Notifications, improvements to Image Playground, and availability of Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. These add to the already available features, such as notification summaries, writing tools, Genmoji, Clean up in Photos, and Smart Replies and Summaries in the Messages and Mail apps. In addition, Apple is expected to expand Intelligence features to more languages and regions.
Some of the Apple Intelligence features showcased previously remain unreleased, and are expected to get picked up this year. The most important of them all is the more personalized Siri with awareness of your personal information as well as the actions you perform on your Apple devices.
At WWDC last year, Apple gave us a glimpse of a smarter version of its virtual assistant, Siri. It was subsequently updated to perceive requests and fetch responses to queries using ChatGPT, but a broader update was promised to arrive some time in 2025. However, recent developments suggest while Siri upgrades may be part of iOS 19, they might not ship immediately.
In addition to more natural conversations and better context, Apple also teased Siri’s ability to view what’s on your screen for additional context when answering your queries. These features might be delayed too.
Apple might build on improvements to existing Intelligence features to buy some time before the major overhaul.
The odds against a more personalized Siri
Apple
Earlier in March, Apple said these upgrades would finally arrive sometime “in the coming year,” indicating they might not even be ready to ship in time for the iPhone 17 launch. The unreasonable delay has become a topic of embarrassment for Apple and has amounted to legal trouble, with a group of users suing Apple — and seeking a class action status for their lawsuit — for misleading information about the timeline of releasing these features.
With this being a touchy subject for the average consumer, Apple might skip any boastful claims from the keynote. Though with deeper control over apps being yet another facet of the overhauled assistant, some later sessions may be dedicated to educating developers.
iPadOS 19
Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends
Alongside iOS 19, Apple will also showcase the version of the operating system especially tuned to larger screens on the iPad. Like its mobile variant, iPadOS 19 is expected to come with radical changes to the interface, with more fluid elements.
The exact changes for iPadOS 19 have yet to be detailed, but we expect similar treatment in terms of simplified menus as iOS 19. With iPadOS also enabling a desktop-like interface through Stage Manager or by attaching an external display, we could see it adopt simplified app windows inspired by visionOS and better support for tiling multiple open windows like we saw on macOS last year.
macOS 16
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Like iOS 19, macOS is also slated to be part of Apple’s plan to overhaul interfaces visually to improve how we interact with Mac devices. Bloomberg’s Gurman expects this to be the biggest upgrade since Big Sur in 2020. The objective of these updates is to consolidate all of Apple’s operating system to look and function similarly.
While the name for macOS 16 won’t be officially revealed until WWDC — or through leaks a few weeks leading up to the event, trademarks filed by Apple may shed some light on the topic. Apple typically names macOS updates after landmarks in California, and two trademarks that have remained unclaimed so far are Skyline and Rincon. Apple might use either of the two to christen the next macOS edition.
As with iOS 19, Apple is expected to delve into translucent and fluid design elements for the macOS update. We expect to see more desktop-specific Apple Intelligence features, though with Apple’s general sluggishness with its AI rollout, they may not launch this year.
Lastly, even though there isn’t solid to indicate Apple bring more game studios onboard, we hope to see more titles being adopted for the ecosystem.
watchOS 12
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
Unlike upcoming versions of iOS and macOS, there have been fewer rumors foretelling any visual upgrades to the interface on the Apple Watch. Last year, Apple introduced changes in the form of a Live activities tracker and a Smart Stack for widgets that can be accessed straight from the homescreen by rotating the crown button.
With watchOS 12, the biggest anticipation is not visual but rather in terms of features. Apple may predominantly be looking to make AI-powered health insights accessible through supported Apple Watch models. One can expect these insights to be identical to the daily Readiness and Energy Scores provided by competitors such as the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Pixel Watch 3. We could also expect more personalized health routines or coaching features during physical activities.
With limited processing power on the SiP driving the Apple Watch, we can expect most of the processing happening on the iPhone while the Watch acts as a mere interface for collecting data and showing brief or momentous overviews. Similarly, it remains to be seen if the Apple Watch also gets the upgraded version of Siri.
Additionally, Apple is reportedly working to bring high blood pressure alerts to the Apple Watch Series 11 and Watch Ultra 3. Since these features will require specialized hardware, we don’t expect them to trickle down to existing models. Future generations of the Apple Watch might come with more powerful hardware and a camera to enable Visual Intelligence-like functionality, though the chances of that happening this year are very lean. We don’t expect existing Apple Watch models to receive these features either.
Beyond AI upgrades, watchOS 12 could be expected to bring new watch faces for the Apple Watch. We can’t say just yet what these would look like but can hope some AI insights seeping through the watch faces as well.
visionOS 3
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
visionOS is Apple’s software for its premium mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Since visionOS itself is the substrate for Apple’s upcoming ambitious design change, we may not see many visual changes.
While the original software on the headset focused largely on entertainment and immersive experiences, visionOS 2 brought a host of improvements, expanding how Apple’s premium headset can be used alongside other Apple products, such as Mac, and used as a replacement for large physical displays, and expanded applications to control the headset with eye movements.
There aren’t many rumors about what we could expect of the next iteration of software for the premium headset, Apple might add better support for VR games. It has been in talks with Sony to support PlayStation VR controllers on the Vision Pro, which means we might see some iPad-ready AAA titles, such as some Resident Evil titles but with VR support.
tvOS 19
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Among all the operating systems, Apple’s interface for the Apple TV box has received the least attention in terms of rumors. With the previous update, tvOS received updates in the form of improve dialogues, subtitles, spatial audio support, and improved access to connected devices listed in the Home app.
Though there aren’t sufficient rumors or leaks indicating what some of the new features may be, we expect Apple to inject some AI features for better content discovery. Meanwhile, more personalized stats from the Apple Watch we discussed above may also feature on the TV as part of Apple’s push to integrate fitness features into it. Furthermore, we hope for some improvements to Home controls.
HomePod with a display
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Apple’s smart speaker lineup hasn’t been refreshed in over two years, which suggests new models could arrive this year. For starters, Apple is said to be working on a new HomePod Mini with a far better Wi-Fi 6E protocol. This, however, may not arrive until the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, several rumors point to yet another upgrade in the HomePod family — bringing a display that attaches to the smart speaker. Smart speakers with displays have already been explored by plenty of brands, including Google, Amazon, and Meta. What Apple is expected to do differently is attach the display with a robotic arm to move the display around to face you as you move in your physical space.
While the display is said to be identical to an iPad, the said HomePod is suggested to run a distinct interface, called “homeOS.” It is also suggested to be driven by an A18 chipset to enable Apple Intelligence features.
In addition to the sophisticated hardware, Apple might launch a simpler model with a display attached to the base of a HomePod speaker, pretty much like an Amazon Echo Show. The abundance of rumors suggests Apple might launch these smart speakers at WWDC 2025.
New hardware
Apple often releases new hardware on the sidelines of WWDC, and while most of the popular categories of products have already been refreshed, some less popular ones might be refreshed at this year’s event. Before going over potential launches, let us take you through all the products Apple is unlikely to launch at WWDC.
Since the iPhone 16 launch last September, Apple has launched myriad new products. The list includes the following:
That means, we shouldn’t expect Apple to release new products in these categories. While the list is nowhere short, Apple could add several more products this year, and it might start with the second generation of AirTag.
The AirTag 2 with improved range up to 90 meters (about 300 feet) and better privacy features is expected to arrive soon, and may be launched at WWDC 2025. It is rumored to be equipped with an improved Ultra Wideband chip which will contribute to better precision tracking.
In addition, Apple is expected to launch the M5 iPad Pro, a new 4K Apple TV box, and the second-generation Studio Display, though conservative assumptions suggest Apple would launch them after the iPhone 17 launch in September.
