All iPads Stage Manager on iPad - it’s actually useful?!

[okkibs]

Stage Manager and Apple Pencil are my main reasons for using an iPad over other tablets and it's what allows me to leave the much heavier laptop at home. As long as I got the pencil I can make do on the go and that's easy to carry around with me all day. The smaller iPad not much heavier or bigger than a simple notebook.

The pencil allows me to use Stage Manager and onboard keyboards with enough precision and speed when I don't have peripherals to connect to. Docked with an external monitor Stage Manager turns the iPad into a laptop that does many of my workflows just fine. Not all of them due to iPadOS but enough that I no longer have to carry the Macbook around every single day. I have a small everyday-carry bag that the iPad just barely fits into and being able to just carry on where I left off once I arrive at my office desk is great.

If you look at other offerings there is the Android tablets where you can see the rather sad state with the recent Pixel tablet reviews, a dock and split screen view is all there is for multitasking. The one system that would allow for great multitasking is Windows but the only direct iPad competition is Microsoft Surface Go tablets that to this day have lackluster hardware. They run the full desktop Windows 11 Pro which I'd prefer over the very restricted iPadOS. But they also use traditional Intel hardware instead of ARM so the performance is bad even on the most expensive versions.

I think iPads with Stage Manager are really the best tablets on the market right now. And even if one day Android catches up or Microsoft finally stop with the silly Core i CPUs in their tablets they'd need to do a whole lot more to make me give up Stage Manager. With iPadOS 17 it uses the limited display space more efficiently now and Apple could leave it as is for the rest of the decade and probably still provide a very competitive multitasking UI going into 2030.

Stage Manager trips my OCD--I can't make anything full screen.

You can and it's actually one of the best features of Stage Manager. Drag the lower right corner to resize windows on the fly. It reliably and instantly lets you enter and exit full screen. You could say it's its own gesture for switching between apps but way better because you remain in the active window during the resize and you can keep looking at the content and interact, whereas the traditional swipe up from middle takes you away from the window to the overview. It's a major part of what makes Stage Manager so great.

 

[darngooddesign]

...You can and it's actually one of the best features of Stage Manager. Drag the lower right corner to resize windows on the fly. It reliably and instantly lets you enter and exit full screen. You could say it's its own gesture for switching between apps but way better because you remain in the active window during the resize and you can keep looking at the content and interact, whereas the traditional swipe up from middle takes you away from the window to the overview. It's a major part of what makes Stage Manager so great.

You can also enter and exit full screen by tapping on the three dots at the top center of the application window; that also lets you add applications to your current stage. It works the same as adding an application to Split-screen without Stage Manager; that change which was part of iPadOS15 fixed my last annoyance with Split-screern.

Personally I think SM wastes screen space if you have the recent Stages always visible on the side of the screen, but hiding them works well for me because it still gives me the application windows. I can easily use the three-finger swipe to switch Stages or just drag to expose them when I want them.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Stage Manager and Apple Pencil are my main reasons for using an iPad over other tablets and it's what allows me to leave the much heavier laptop at home. As long as I got the pencil I can make do on the go and that's easy to carry around with me all day. The smaller iPad not much heavier or bigger than a simple notebook.

The pencil allows me to use Stage Manager and onboard keyboards with enough precision and speed when I don't have peripherals to connect to. Docked with an external monitor Stage Manager turns the iPad into a laptop that does many of my workflows just fine. Not all of them due to iPadOS but enough that I no longer have to carry the Macbook around every single day. I have a small everyday-carry bag that the iPad just barely fits into and being able to just carry on where I left off once I arrive at my office desk is great.

If you look at other offerings there is the Android tablets where you can see the rather sad state with the recent Pixel tablet reviews, a dock and split screen view is all there is for multitasking. The one system that would allow for great multitasking is Windows but the only direct iPad competition is Microsoft Surface Go tablets that to this day have lackluster hardware. They run the full desktop Windows 11 Pro which I'd prefer over the very restricted iPadOS. But they also use traditional Intel hardware instead of ARM so the performance is bad even on the most expensive versions.

I think iPads with Stage Manager are really the best tablets on the market right now. And even if one day Android catches up or Microsoft finally stop with the silly Core i CPUs in their tablets they'd need to do a whole lot more to make me give up Stage Manager. With iPadOS 17 it uses the limited display space more efficiently now and Apple could leave it as is for the rest of the decade and probably still provide a very competitive multitasking UI going into 2030.


You can and it's actually one of the best features of Stage Manager. Drag the lower right corner to resize windows on the fly. It reliably and instantly lets you enter and exit full screen. You could say it's its own gesture for switching between apps but way better because you remain in the active window during the resize and you can keep looking at the content and interact, whereas the traditional swipe up from middle takes you away from the window to the overview. It's a major part of what makes Stage Manager so great.

But not with multiple apps. There is no way to have my music player take up the right 20% of the full screen, and have my browser take up the rest full screen--like I do on my macbook. (And like I can with Split View.) That was my bad, I didn't explain my issue well.

Also, the apps still lock together. You have to select which app you want to replace anyway if you always want the music player showing. I can't just always have one app locked in place and then do what I want with the rest.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

 

[bondr006]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

Subjective opinion only as applies to you. Stage Manager has been very useful to me, especially when using an external monitor, keyboard, and trackpad. One of my favorite modern features in iPad OS. I suggest not using it if it stresses you that much.

 

[sparksd]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

May be the case for you but it is not a universal truth as others have clearly pointed out.

 

[darngooddesign]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

Personally I really like Stage Manager, but if you don't and want to use split screen, don't use stage manager and it will be like it doesn't exist.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

YES! This is a great way of putting it. It isn't exactly a 17" screen, so the wasted space around the apps is annoying. And the whole thing is overly complicated to manage compared to a full desktop environment or even split view.

But others are correct in that I just don't use it and others can.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I use it on iPad Pro 12.9 with Magic Keyboard. My workflows are optimized with stage manager. I am not trying to convert my iPad Pro as another Mac.

 

[Surfsalot]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

exactly

 

[Surfsalot]

Subjective opinion only as applies to you. Stage Manager has been very useful to me, especially when using an external monitor, keyboard, and trackpad. One of my favorite modern features in iPad OS. I suggest not using it if it stresses you that much.

on a 11" iPad or connected to monitor

 

[TechnoMonk]

There is nothing useful about Stage Manager. Nothing. All it manages to do is make application windows smaller on a display that is already too small. And it lacks any sort of free positioning or free resizing that would make it feel like a real windowed experience. Instead its rigid and unsatisfying.

Worst thing Apple has ever added to iPad. They need to just leave iPad alone and let it be what it is. It doesn't have to be a pseudo-Mac.

when was the last time you used stage manager? One of the biggest feature i like about it is ability to adjust the size of window, what ever size or orientation i want to swipe it to. And size of the window can be maximized or adjusted with single swipe. With stage manager disabled, it’s just too messy to align multiple views/apps.

 

[NastyMatt]

SM works really well for some finance apps I have (as I have said before) as they logout when ever they are no longer focused, previously it was an utter pain as they would log out every single time I switched to another app, now with SM they stay logged in and I can copy between apps.

This is just one example (of several) how SM has improved my experience on an iPad.

 

[darngooddesign]

SM is pretty great in portrait mode, where splitscreen has two uselessly narrow columns. I can also always see the dock unless I make an app full screen. I’m just using Music and Safari as my example.

 

[Ludatyk]

when was the last time you used stage manager? One of the biggest feature i like about it is to adjust the size of window, what ever size or orientation i want to swipe it to. And size of the window can be maximized or adjusted with single swipe. With stage manager disabled, its just too messy to align multiple views/apps.

Most likely, they used it once when it was first announced and decided it wasn't for them.

Because based on their criticism of Stage Manager... Apple has improved the lack of free positioning and resizing, but they wouldn't know it by judging prematurely. I've said it before... while critics complained about Stage Manager when it launched, give Apple time to make the necessary changes.

It's going to get tweaked, and Apple will continue to make improvements toward it. But for those that want it (iPad/Stage Manager) to act like a "Mac"... then my response would be get a Mac.

 

[TechnoMonk]

SM works really well for some finance apps I have (as I have said before) as they logout when ever they are no longer focused, previously it was an utter pain as they would log out every single time I switched to another app, now with SM they stay logged in and I can copy between apps.

This is just one example (of several) how SM has improved my experience on an iPad.

This is huge for my use cases too.

Most likely, they used it once when it was first announced and decided it wasn't for them.

Because based on their criticism of Stage Manager... Apple has improved the lack of free positioning and resizing, but they wouldn't know it by judging prematurely. I've said it before... while critics complained about Stage Manager when it launched, give Apple time to make the necessary changes.

It's going to get tweaked, and Apple will continue to make improvements toward it. But for those that want it (iPad/Stage Manager) to act like a "Mac"... then my response would be get a Mac.

Yep. Clickbait YouTube videos and perceptions stay longer than initial problems or tweaks needed to keep improving/updating the features.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Most likely, they used it once when it was first announced and decided it wasn't for them.

Because based on their criticism of Stage Manager... Apple has improved the lack of free positioning and resizing, but they wouldn't know it by judging prematurely. I've said it before... while critics complained about Stage Manager when it launched, give Apple time to make the necessary changes.

It's going to get tweaked, and Apple will continue to make improvements toward it. But for those that want it (iPad/Stage Manager) to act like a "Mac"... then my response would be get a Mac.

We've already been back and forth on this a few months back. You agreed that I was trying to use it like a desktop and that it probably wasn't for me. I think the others in this thread are like that.

Once I can make the windows on all apps literally any size, and all the apps are treated independently of each other, and I can have more than like 6, maaaaybe.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Here is what I mean. You can see all the wasted space in the first picture, and I can't move them around freely to any size either. Very limited to like a few different sizes.

Now look in the second picture--no wasted space.

 

[heretiq]

Same here. I think Mac-SM exists to offer people a consistent experience between the two devices, but I still use Expose/Spaces/Mission Control on my Mac.

I initially felt the same way about SM relative to Expose/Spaces/Mission Control on the Mac — because the initial implementation was SM *OR* Expose/Spaces/Mission Control. However, Apple refined the integration and now I use SM/Expose/Spaces/Mission Control collectively via Magic TrackPad gestures and love it.

There are circumstances when grouping apps into Stages and switching between Stages works better for me than having separate Spaces; times when having a single app full screen in a Space is best (i.e., running Windows in a Parallels VM, etc.); and times when these and/or other circumstances exist simultaneously and invoking Mission Control via Magic TrackPad gestures allows me to effortlessly switch to individual app instances regardless of which Stage or Space they reside in. The operation is seamless, elegant, immersive and keeps me in a very productive flow state when I’m engaged in complex, multi-app workflows.

I took much of this for granted until I noticed my Windows-using team mates mesmerized as I ran a Level 10 Meeting on my MBP — facilitating and interacting while effortlessly switching between meeting management app, note taking app (NotePlan MacOS/iOS/iPadOS integrated Notes/Tasks/Calendar app), and multiple Excel/Word/Powerpoint documents — all using gestures on my Magic TrackPad.

At that point I became aware of just how little cognitive load (virtually zero) was imposed by SM / Expose / Spaces / Mission Control via Magic TrackPad while doing something complex on my Mac. Truly “a bicycle for the mind” and Pure. Freaking. Apple. Magic!

 

[Ludatyk]

We've already been back and forth on this a few months back. You agreed that I was trying to use it like a desktop and that it probably wasn't for me. I think the others in this thread are like that.

But you can use it like a “desktop,” it’s just you prefer it to behave in a way that’s familiar to you (like a Mac).

Here is what I mean. You can see all the wasted space in the first picture, and I can't move them around freely to any size either. Very limited to like a few different sizes.

But unlike the pre-existing multitasking (SplitView/SlideOver), you can’t have multiple windows actively on screen.

 

[darngooddesign]

Here is what I mean. You can see all the wasted space in the first picture, and I can't move them around freely to any size either. Very limited to like a few different sizes.

View attachment 2335169

Now look in the second picture--no wasted space.

View attachment 2335170

I’ve noticed that video apps are usually the ones which dont allow much resizing. Open Netflix in Safari and you can have the free resizing you want, just like on a Mac. Whats funny is that if you were able to run the Netflix app on your Mac, you would hit the same resizing restrictions.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

But you can use it like a “desktop,” it’s just you prefer it to behave in a way that’s familiar to you (like a Mac).


But unlike the pre-existing multitasking (SplitView/SlideOver), you can’t have multiple windows actively on screen.

View attachment 2335173

I see what you are saying, I just don't tend to need that? I am really glad it works for you.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I’ve noticed that video apps are usually the ones which dont allow much resizing. Open Netflix in Safari and you can have the free resizing you want, just like on a Mac. Whats funny is that if you were able to run the Netflix app on your Mac, you would hit the same resizing restrictions.

Yes, it is so weirdly arbitrary. The settings app can't be resized hardly at all for instance.

 

[subjonas]

Two things an iPhone can do and an iPad can't:
1. Carplay
2. Continuity camera

No 2 can be solved with 3rd party software (I use Elgato with my mac studio + iPP) but lack of Carplay makes things unnecessarily awkward for me, if I want audio from the iPad and use maps while driving.

These are both examples of Apple deliberately knee-capping iPads to sell more iPhones.

“Knee-capping” implies it had the function and Apple took it away. I think it’s more likely they don’t want to bother adding it because the demand is too low. Or maybe continuity camera (probably not carplay) is in the works, who knows. I doubt adding those features to iPad would significantly affect iPhone sales.

 

[bondr006]

Subjective opinion only as applies to you. Stage Manager has been very useful to me, especially when using an external monitor, keyboard, and trackpad. One of my favorite modern features in iPad OS. I suggest not using it if it stresses you that much.

on a 11" iPad or connected to monitor

Please try to pay attention. I already answered that.