iPad Pro I don’t get all the hate for Stage Manager

[Mr. Awesome]

Yes, it’s still a little buggy sometimes, but it’s still a brand-new feature that necessitates a complete redesign of window management while still maintaining backwards-compatibility with Split View and SlideOver for users who prefer to use those - it’s bound to be buggy for a while. Ultimately it has come leaps and bounds since Beta 1, and it’s in a perfectly usable state at the moment. The only bugs I’ve experienced on the current release are a couple minor visual glitches.

Stage Manager fulfills its intended purpose perfectly - it brings resizable window support to the iPad in a way that offers a compromise between the fine-grained control you have on macOS and the necessity of an intuitive touch-first interface for the iPad. This is what we’ve been asking for for years, and now that we finally have it it seems nobody is truly excited about it like I am.

 

[sparksd]

People just need to try it out for themselves and make their own decision on it and ignore the on-line opinions from either side of the spectrum. The only opinion that matters is your own.

 

[fwmireault]

I agree, I quite like it so far. Could it be more intuitive and less buggy? Of course. But I would take this iteration of Stage Manager anytime than having no other option than split view on iPad. For one, I don’t feel that this feature is that useful on Mac, I’m used to spaces and don’t intend to change that, but on iPad, it is definitely an improvement

 

[BB1970]

It’s actually been quite useful to me. My only real complaint about it is (apart from a few random bugs) it’s kinda clunky in usage. It doesn’t “feel” as elegant as it could be. Like it isn’t clear sometimes where and what is minimized in background and such. Almost like if you have a deck of cards splayed out on a table and you’re searching for a particular one. Same vibe. That said, the ability to use iMovie in the background (finally) has been a big time saver.

 

[outlawarth]

I agree with you and I also enjoy using the stage manager. However, this is the internet - a place where every issue is 100 times amplified.

 

[Zazoh]

People just need to try it out for themselves and make their own decision on it and ignore the on-line opinions from either side of the spectrum. The only opinion that matters is your own.

This ^^

The internet encourages the opposite behavior to where even if you like something you end up wondering if you are in the wrong. How that affects people as some are not able to push though that wonderment and end up go along with the masses for fear of standing alone.

Time will tell if this becomes this eras Mac Touch Bar.

 

[Rafterman]

It’s actually been quite useful to me. My only real complaint about it is (apart from a few random bugs) it’s kinda clunky in usage. It doesn’t “feel” as elegant as it could be. Like it isn’t clear sometimes where and what is minimized in background and such. Almost like if you have a deck of cards splayed out on a table and you’re searching for a particular one. Same vibe. That said, the ability to use iMovie in the background (finally) has been a big time saver.

I think it's more effective when used connected to a big monitor. Real estate, even on a 12.9, is limited.

 

[bwillwall]

I knew stage manager was stupid the second I saw it. It takes up all that space for no reason... yeah that's what we need... a way to rearrange windows ONLY under an awkward on/off setting and ONLY with massive window previews taking up part of the screen at all times. Perhaps this feature is an experiment for them to later polish, but it feels annoying and strange from a customer perspective and Apple fan.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I knew stage manager was stupid the second I saw it. It takes up all that space for no reason... yeah that's what we need... a way to rearrange windows ONLY under an awkward on/off setting and ONLY with massive window previews taking up part of the screen at all times. Perhaps this feature is an experiment for them to later polish, but it feels annoying and strange from a customer perspective and Apple fan.

You haven’t tried it, have you. The window previews disappear as soon as you have a window occupying that portion of the screen. You just drag them out from the side to see them again.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I think it's more effective when used connected to a big monitor. Real estate, even on a 12.9, is limited.

Agreed, but the screen scaling on the 11” helps a ton.

 

[futurist101]

I think Stage Manager is intuitive and a great start to true multi-tasking on an iPad. Depending on how you arrange and size the Windows you don’t need to have the previews showing to the left side.

I was planning on purchasing a M2 Macbook to replace my 5yr old 13-inch Macbook Pro. Instead, I just purchased a new 2021 M1 12.9 iPad Pro because of this feature. I think that MacOS will always be a necessity for a certain segment of the user base but I think that most will eventually gravitate to iPadOS as they continue to refine Stage Manager.

 

[nvmls]

You haven’t tried it, have you. The window previews disappear as soon as you have a window occupying that portion of the screen. You just drag them out from the side to see them again.

Oh wow.. like having another dock at the side but with big thumbnails? lol.

Also, "it's still a little buggy sometimes".. fine attempt at humor OP, 10/10.

 

[Booji]

I like it so far and am glad it is there - even if it is still buggy I prefer that they have released it relatively early rather than having to run a beta image to check it out. If y'all don't like it, just turn it off.

 

[karen999]

It’s been working fine on my ancient 2018 iPad Pro which was not supposed to have this feature. Even on the 11” screen, being able to have an iPhone app (looking at you Instagram) and iPad native app side by side, or doing vertical split screen is a win IMO. It’s no where near desktop OS level of window management but a great start.

 

[JMBosque]

Works fine for me and I use it quite a bit. Keeping in mind tablets were made to cast to screens and not hook up to them in a no wired flow. It’s a good start.

 

[Pilot Jones]

Yes, it’s still a little buggy sometimes, but it’s still a brand-new feature that necessitates a complete redesign of window management while still maintaining backwards-compatibility with Split View and SlideOver for users who prefer to use those - it’s bound to be buggy for a while. Ultimately it has come leaps and bounds since Beta 1, and it’s in a perfectly usable state at the moment. The only bugs I’ve experienced on the current release are a couple minor visual glitches.

Stage Manager fulfills its intended purpose perfectly - it brings resizable window support to the iPad in a way that offers a compromise between the fine-grained control you have on macOS and the necessity of an intuitive touch-first interface for the iPad. This is what we’ve been asking for for years, and now that we finally have it it seems nobody is truly excited about it like I am.

I really think the hate isn't for Stage Manager, that's just the scapegoat. It's how poorly Apple has handled the iPad line-up in general.

What turns the general disapproval into hate worse is how hilariously off-balance the iPad's insane hardware is with how meekly its software utilizes it and how Apple refuses to address that as it's core issue. Its probably Apple's most stagnant product line at this moment and the worst part is that none of its limitations have anything to do with the actual device itself. It's all software.

The new base model iPad getting the landscape camera and an exclusive keyboard with function keys while the $1000+ Pro models didn't is just the latest in Apple's hare-brained feature distribution across the iPad line-up. Yes I know the Apple Pencil 2 magnets won't work with the landscape camera, but is there really no engineering solution to that at all?

I mean, just look at this. Is this not the definition of an unfocused, bloated product line?

Either way, you yourself are saying that the headlining feature on a device that costs over $1000 is "a little buggy" and a "compromise". So I don't think it should be a surprise that people have slightly higher expectations, given how little innovation has been going on with the iPad in the first place.

 

[ian87w]

Hmm, cmiiw, but I don’t really see much hate on stage manager. The big fiasco was on the hardware supported for stage manager, not the feature itself. Maybe there are differing opinions and expectations, but I don’t sense any “hate,” on it.

 

[Wizec]

OP, have you read the criticism objectively?

Stage Manager in iPadOS 16: At the Intersection of Bugs, Missing Features, and Flawed Design

This article wasn’t supposed to go like this. iPadOS 16 is launching to the public today, and it carries a lot of expectations on its shoulders: for the first time since the introduction of the original iPad in 2010, Apple is embracing a Mac-like windowing system that lets you use up to four...

www.macstories.net

One issue is that Apple often releases features then never refines or fixes the bugs. Case in point is AirDrop. We are constantly fighting AirDrop issues and have to do an iPhone reboot dance before we can use AirDrop. Another is predictive text and autocorrect, these features are still miles behind what BlackBerry OS 10 offered in 2013, likewise Siri stupidity; we battle Siri everyday on our HomePods. The list goes on.

Hate is probably too strong, frustration or disappointment might be more accurate.

 

[KPOM]

Stage Manager is more intuitive than the old method of multitasking. I think most of the criticism boils down to that iPadOS is not macOS, and there is a vocal segment of the Apple crowd that wants it to be. I think macOS is too complicated for the iPad, and Stage Manager is an attempt to bridge the gap, providing optional flexibility to those who need it, while retaining the simple interface for the average user.

I’d like to see iPadOS be able to run Apple Silicon Mac apps, at least on M1/M2 iPads. Stage Manager may be Step 1 toward that. It would go a long way to addressing the criticism that iPadOS is a ”toy” operating system.

 

[JMBosque]

Exactly.

The angst is that a Tablet OS is not a Laptop OS. Some just can’t get over they are two different devices with different purposes.

The problem imho comes from iPad being too powerful for itself and we see that in the (erroneous)comparisons between it and Laptops all the time. When in reality the comparisons should be between an iPad and a Tab S et al. Something in its device category.

We should be discussing Stage Manager and Dex. Stage Manager is simple window management on a small screen that will soon be able to project to a monitor. I, for one, don’t mind SM. It’s new, it’s fresh, and it’s for iPad OS.

 

[sherwinzadeh]

I think over 10 years later, it's clear iPads are not going to be "cars vs trucks" as Steve Jobs said. I think Apple is trying to force it to be but a Mac clearly serves a much better role for anyone wanting a laptop over a tablet and I wish Apple would just focus on making the iPad the best tablet it could be.

 

[miamialley]

I don't hate on stage manager - I just don't get it. I just don't understand how to incorporate it into my workflow. On Mac or iPad.

 

[BigBag]

Personally, I love it on my iPad. It’s completely changed the utility of my iPad, finally allowing me to use it like a laptop lite, in addition to straight entertainment.

Took some tweaking (hide side and bottom bars), and it’s not perfect, but I’m super happy with it so far. Can’t wait to see what it becomes as they iterate.

On the other hand, desktop didn’t do much for me, as I already have a good workflow there. But iPad gets two thumbs up.

 

[FeliApple]

It’s been working fine on my ancient 2018 iPad Pro which was not supposed to have this feature. Even on the 11” screen, being able to have an iPhone app (looking at you Instagram) and iPad native app side by side, or doing vertical split screen is a win IMO. It’s no where near desktop OS level of window management but a great start.

“Ancient 2018 iPad Pro”😭😭😭

How would you describe the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, or the iPad 5, or the Air 2?

I’m joking, just in case, I found the adjective choice a little funny.

 

[darngooddesign]

...I mean, just look at this. Is this not the definition of an unfocused, bloated product line?

View attachment 2113299

That chart is trying to make things appear more complicated than they actually are.

Step 1 - Pick the new iPad model you want.
Step 2 - Decide if you want cellular.
Step 3 - Decide on the SSD size.