Darryl Boxberger
The biggest feature of iPadOS 16 will only run on the M1 iPads — and it is using advanced memory management to do it.
Introduced at WWDC 2022, iPadOS 16 brought floating windows to iPad for the first time in the form of the Stage Manager feature. The supercharged multitasking interface groups multiple apps and their windows together and allows the user to seamlessly switch between them.
However, the Stage Manager feature is exclusive to iPad models with an M1 chip.
So while many iPad devices can run iPadOS 16, a lot of them won't get the floating windows experience. The only iPads that will benefit from the new multitasking interface of Stage Manager are those with a chip that was shipped in the first Apple Silicon Macs.
Apple has provided an explanation as to why such a restriction exists.
According to Apple, Stage Manager requires the fast memory swap feature in the new iPadOS. This allows apps to convert the hardware's free flash storage into makeshift RAM, for up to 16GB.
This resource-intensive environment necessitates the power of the M1 processor, according to Apple in a statement to Digital Trends.
Therefore, the 2021 iPad Pro and the 2022 iPad Air are the only devices with the power to leverage the advanced multitasking interface in iPadOS 16.
For over ten years, Apple has limited some features in OS updates to newer hardware. As an example, 4K ProRes recording is limited to iPhone 13 models with 256GB or more of onboard storage.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
23 Comments
Yes! I can't wait. The going back and forth between apps are cumbersome for current OS. This definitely will streamline it.
Makes sense why they chose M1 instead of A15 for the newest iPads.
Owning a 2021 iPad mini & 2018 12.9 IPad Pro,
I agree with the reasoning technically. Still a part of me says apple, you should have tried harder at least for these older expensive iPad pro in the wild.
It’s called progress. Progress still can suck for various reasons.
Well at least I don’t own a non M1 iPad Pro from 2020 and want these advanced features.
Welp, that just changed my purchase decision from base iPad to Air. There are now enough compelling reasons to jump to the higher model. That, the laminated display, and the looming retirement of the lightning port all add up.
This is pretty much the only feature I’m excited about. Unfortunately, even my fancy iPad Pro can’t do it. I’m always hearing how Apple has put in more processing power than needed in their products. I guess that’s not entirely accurate.