With iPadOS 18, iPad is on the Way to Compete with MacBook: Here Are Those Features!

With Apple’s latest iPadOS 18 update and its powerful M4 processor, the iPad is increasingly resembling a full-fledged MacBook. While reinventing the iPad, Apple compares it to Mac computers not only in terms of accessories but also in terms of processing power and interface.

Switching to the Apple M4 chip with the new iPad Pro model, the company now offers new features that will help make the iPad usable as a full-fledged computer with the iPadOS 18 update.

New Features Coming with iPadOS 18

Apple Intelligence The most obvious way to make the iPad look like a Mac is the inclusion of Apple Intelligence. This feature is an artificial intelligence feature offered for iPads with M series chips. Apple Intelligence offers plenty of help, including authoring tools, rendering, Safari highlights, and contextual information. This feature allows you to do almost anything on the iPad that you can do on the Mac, so there’s almost no difference between the two.

New tab bar design The new tab bar design, which appears in certain apps like Apple TV, uses a levitated design on top of the app, meaning it takes up less space. When you hover over or select an item, a side menu opens with more information. This is reminiscent of the experience you can get on a Mac and gives it a more computer-like feel overall.

Redesigned Photos app The redesigned Photos app feels almost like it does on a Mac, with features like an infinite scroll view, editing, and collections. When you select and edit photos within the app, it feels like doing it on a powerful Mac. If new editing capabilities are added, you can easily make edits on the iPad that you make on the Mac.

Better privacy and security The tablet functions more and more like a Mac, with features like the ability to hide apps that contain sensitive information, adjust how you share your contacts with certain apps, and how to connect the iPad with different accessories. These new privacy features allow you to handle more sensitive data on iPad than you have in the past.

Customizable Home Screen Just like on the Mac, you have the option to use a beautiful background image on your iPad. With iPadOS 18, you can now move app icons to any position, sliding them to the edges like on the Mac. Additionally, Control Center works the same way, you can customize the controls you want to be shown to you and separate them by type.

Passwords app Like Keychain, the new Passwords app is a place to securely store all your passwords, verification codes, security alerts, and more. This is essential for daily productivity and allows you to create secure passwords on iPad just like a Mac user needs.

Advanced calculator app The new Calculator app not only allows you to perform simple calculations, but also quite complex calculations. When combined with Apple Pencil, the iPad can work on math problems pretty solidly. With the Math Notes calculator, you can write things in your own handwriting and make calculations, graphs, and even changes on the fly.

SharePlay Have you used an app like TeamViewer on a Mac? An improved version of SharePlay for iPad works the same way. Another person can show you how to do something by touching and drawing on the screen. It can also perform functions such as granting someone remote access to your iPad, checking the settings to help you fix the problem.

While Apple’s best iPads are more powerful than ever, the iPad Pro models in particular aren’t quite there yet when it comes to delivering a full-fledged Mac experience. But with the right accessories, apps, tools, and now features in iPadOS 18, they’re moving in that direction.

We’re still a long way from completely replacing an iPad with a Mac, at least for some professions and uses. But the line between the two categories is slowly blurring.

In the future, you may find that an iPad may be enough to meet your needs, or even just use your iPad for on-the-go work while still using your Mac at home.