iPadOS 26 does not make an iPad into a Mac

[Alien1969]

Hi, I can't believe all the Youtube iPad OS 26 beta videos claiming that now the iPad is like a Mac.....
- no Xcode
- no Terminal
- Pro Apps with less features (Logic Pro for example, no Plugins, etc.)
- or Apps not available at all ...
- even Office Apps (Microsoft) are not the same to use on MacOS and iPadOS
- and the list goes on ...

Am I the only one that is bothered by these claims?

 

[Cattivik83]

I agree with you. It would distort the device too much, and it would lose its meaning.
I find the multiple overlapping windows in Mac style very nice, that you can manage by moving them.

 

[kilimanjaro]

Like a Mac?
As in some ways like a Mac, and other ways - not so much?
It clearly is more Mac like.
Don’t stay bothered too long.. watch a review and see if it’s what you are looking for - if not, pass.

 

[aevan]

Responding to the title: nor it should.

 

[hovscorpion12]

While iPadOS does not support native terminal, I have been using a-Shell for the last 2-years for running run Unix commands.

Also, to remind everyone [everyone's personal experience is different. Will iPadOS 26 replace a Mac for some, yes. Will it for other, no and most likely never will]

 

[CalMin]

Hi, I can't believe all the Youtube iPad OS 26 beta videos claiming that now the iPad is like a Mac.....
- no Xcode
- no Terminal
- Pro Apps with less features (Logic Pro for example, no Plugins, etc.)
- or Apps not available at all ...
- even Office Apps (Microsoft) are not the same to use on MacOS and iPadOS
- and the list goes on ...

Am I the only one that is bothered by these claims?

I agree. Those claims are a bit silly but, you know, YouTubers in the business of farming clicks and views.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see macOS functionality on an iPad, but even if Apple made that happen, I doubt I’d use it much. Who really wants to code on an 11- or 13-inch touchscreen? Even professional apps like Logic or Office feel cramped on a MacBook, so I can’t imagine the iPad experience being better, even with all the supposed “Pro” features.

The real issue is Apple’s sort of painted themselves into a corner with the iPad. It’s its own thing, but deep down, I think what a lot of us want is just a touchscreen Mac, not an iPad pretending to be one. Unless Apple suddenly makes a giant iPad, all these Mac-like features feel like novelties rather than real productivity tools. Even if they gave us the full macOS, I just don’t see it ever replacing a Macbook for actual work.

 

[Devvy]

While iPadOS does not support native terminal, I have been using a-Shell for the last 2-years for running run Unix commands.

Also, to remind everyone [everyone's personal experience is different. Will iPadOS 26 replace a Mac for some, yes. Will it for other, no and most likely never will]

a-Shell is amazing. Highly recommended.

 

[malko]

Fortunately iPadOS 26 has not turned my iPad Pro M4 into a Mac – but rather a superior experience over the Mac in most of my user cases. My time shared between iPad/Mac is now approx 70/30 and it used to be rather 30/70 just 2-3 years ago.

 

[P_Watt]

When I can plug in my iphone to DFU it I will accept an ipad is as good as a Mac.

 

[hovscorpion12]

When I can plug in my iphone to DFU it I will accept an ipad is as good as a Mac.

Beta 2 include "DFU mode" built in.

- Recovery Assistant can help you return an iPhone to a working state with help from another Apple device, such as an iPad. This process can be initiated through the menu in the top-right corner of the Recovery mode on the affected iPhone. On the other Apple device, you can follow the on-screen steps to download and install a newer iOS version on the iPhone that is in Recovery mode, to help revive it.

iOS 26 Allows You to Restore Any iPhone Without a Mac or PC

iOS 26 adds a new Recovery Assistant feature to all compatible iPhones, and it can help return the device to a working state, with no Mac or PC...

www.macrumors.com

 

[P_Watt]

Beta 2 include "DFU mode" built in.

- Recovery Assistant can help you return an iPhone to a working state with help from another Apple device, such as an iPad. This process can be initiated through the menu in the top-right corner of the Recovery mode on the affected iPhone. On the other Apple device, you can follow the on-screen steps to download and install a newer iOS version on the iPhone that is in Recovery mode, to help revive it.

iOS 26 Allows You to Restore Any iPhone Without a Mac or PC

iOS 26 adds a new Recovery Assistant feature to all compatible iPhones, and it can help return the device to a working state, with no Mac or PC...

www.macrumors.com

That’s cool. Don’t think it will restore back to iOS18, just keep it in beta. Who knows.
Not sure it will store photos and music and sync to iphones, or remove Stolen Device Protection if faceID camera fails, but time will tell.

 

[TgeekB]

Responding to the title: nor it should.

Exactly this.
If it was a replacement for a Mac that would be bad news for Apple sales. Can it replace a lot of things for more convenience on the go? Sure it can and that’s good for Apple sales.

 

[malko]

If it was a replacement for a Mac that would be bad news for Apple sales. Can it replace a lot of things for more convenience on the go? Sure it can and that’s good for Apple sales.

And the other way around: It would be bad for Apple if a Mac was a full replacement for an iPad. It would also be bad for the consumer since the Mac comes with several natural limitations which iPad's don't have.

 

[yabeweb]

Hi, I can't believe all the Youtube iPad OS 26 beta videos claiming that now the iPad is like a Mac.....
- no Xcode
- no Terminal
- Pro Apps with less features (Logic Pro for example, no Plugins, etc.)
- or Apps not available at all ...
- even Office Apps (Microsoft) are not the same to use on MacOS and iPadOS
- and the list goes on ...

Am I the only one that is bothered by these claims?

Thankfully so, the iPad DOES NOT NEED TO BE A MAC.

People that love the iPad love the iPad, otherwise they’d buy a Mac.
iPad OS 26 vivesse users more complete windows management, while great it is not intender to replace the Mac or we would have had a Finder as well.

Let the iPad be an iPad and the mac be a mac.
Influencers should not be considered a source for information as many are biased, some are paid or instructed to advertise something in a way, and some are haters.

There are few exceptions here and there.

Am I bothered by those claims? No it0s just YouTubers being YouTubers, click chasing (baiting) money making

opinionists.

Can’t blame YouTubers alone as long as people prefere to click on a Smiley guy with thumbs up Thumbnal with a caption like “Oh my GAWWWD iPad OS 26 turns your iPad in a Mac” rather than a boring thumbnal with a normal caption like “iPad OS 26 improves the iPad experience”.