What is the point of Stage Manager when we have Spaces?

[gank41]

The iPad doesn't have spaces and they're converging the UIs.

My (2018) iPad Pro doesn't have the ability to run Stage Manager.
My (2018 Intel) Mac mini doesn't have the ability to run Stage Manager.

Both work quite well in their current state, showing no signs of needing to be replaced. I'd assume a LOT of people have purchased new equipment in the last 4+ years, and I'd assume ½ of the ones that did, did so before Apple announced the M1. Meaning there's a lot of perfectly fine running Macs & iPads out there, like myself, that will never see what Stage Manager looks like, unless they actually looked for info about it online.

Meanwhile on my 2020 M1 MBP, turning on Stage Manager borks full screen playback in browsers and creates a more confusing UI when things like one Safari window being included in one set of apps and then two other Safari tabs are included with another set of apps, seemingly at random.. But not. It's because a link from one app just opened a new window instead of going to SAFARI to open a new tab.. And it being this late in the beta game now, it's hard to image a lot of these UI issues getting better. Things need to be re-thought thru, not just fixing minor bugs (hence the reason it's been delayed on iPad). And because macOS is usually released weeks later than iOS, the delay for iPadOS makes sense. I just don't see how any length of a delay can correct all of the issues in it's current state.

 

[jasoncarle]

Same way, you drag a window to the side bar

Hmm, I tried that and it didn't seem to be working for me.

 

[owidhh]

Hmm, I tried that and it didn't seem to be working for me.

First video I found on it:

 

[jasoncarle]

First video I found on it:

It worked after a restart so I guess there is a bug.

 

[owidhh]

It worked after a restart so I guess there is a bug.

That’s very possible!

 

[TinyMito]

There is a use for me when I have 10 apps opened at once with a single screen user. I don't have the space for another screen here.

 

[OldRhodie]

I don’t see the point of it.

 

[vysecurity]

Does anyone else's stage manager lag on 120hz or 144hz screens? I feel like it's not full speed.

 

[MisterK]

I'm a unitasker but often that single task involves multiple windows or apps working in concert. That can be something that involves Photoshop AND Illustrator or Photoshop and After Effects, or any of those and asset files in the Finder. So full screen doesn't work. And Spaces isn't for letting me work between set groups of apps.

MacOS can get cluttered with windows easily. Stage Manager seemed like a smart solution, but I've not tried the Beta. The negative reviews are a bummer. I was really hoping Stage Manager would be the window management feature I'd been waiting for. I don't like any of MacOS's current solutions;

 

[Tagbert]

I'm a unitasker but often that single task involves multiple windows or apps working in concert. That can be something that involves Photoshop AND Illustrator or Photoshop and After Effects, or any of those and asset files in the Finder. So full screen doesn't work. And Spaces isn't for letting me work between set groups of apps.

MacOS can get cluttered with windows easily. Stage Manager seemed like a smart solution, but I've not tried the Beta. The negative reviews are a bummer. I was really hoping Stage Manager would be the window management feature I'd been waiting for. I don't like any of MacOS's current solutions;

That sounds like multitasking to me 😊

 

[jr5x]

That sounds like multitasking to me 😊

Imagine a woodworker creating a piece. They might use a plane, then a measuring device, then the plane again, then a drill and a dowel. But all those tools are still used for a single task.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Imagine a woodworker creating a piece. They might use a plane, then a measuring device, then the plane again, then a drill and a dowel. But all those tools are still used for a single task.

Well, not really. They're used for a single project, but in actual fact each has a specific function and output. Perhaps I've read your analogy wrong?

 

[MisterK]

That sounds like multitasking to me 😊

Nope.. What if my single task is bringing a bunch of client assets from a Finder folder into Photoshop? Or Adjusting smart objects that were made in Illustrator and making sure they look good in the Photoshop file? TOr adjusting colours or blending modes on assets that don't look right in After Effects. hose are all single tasks that involve more than one application.

 

[Tagbert]

Nope.. What if my single task is bringing a bunch of client assets from a Finder folder into Photoshop? Or Adjusting smart objects that were made in Illustrator and making sure they look good in the Photoshop file? TOr adjusting colours or blending modes on assets that don't look right in After Effects. hose are all single tasks that involve more than one application.

single major task that involves working with multiple applications through smaller tasks is one definition of multitasking.

1. Monotasking - single app, single task: Wordprocessing
2. Multitasking - multiple apps used in concert to contribute to a single combined result: Illustrator > Photoshop > After Affects.
3. Multitasking - multiple apps each doing a separate, unrelated task: simultaneous coding, gaming, video editing.

Perhaps we can define terms to distinguishing between 2 & 3 but they are both flavors of multitasking by many definitions.

 

[unrigestered]

the term multitasking might have been expanded to other things as well over time, but originally multitasking simply meant that the OS is capable of actually running more than just one app at a time (ie one word processor and one visualized clock.)
Before that, only one of these could run at a time.

 

[canopic]

I'm a unitasker but often that single task involves multiple windows or apps working in concert. That can be something that involves Photoshop AND Illustrator or Photoshop and After Effects, or any of those and asset files in the Finder. So full screen doesn't work. And Spaces isn't for letting me work between set groups of apps.

MacOS can get cluttered with windows easily. Stage Manager seemed like a smart solution, but I've not tried the Beta. The negative reviews are a bummer. I was really hoping Stage Manager would be the window management feature I'd been waiting for. I don't like any of MacOS's current solutions;

Sounds similar to my workflow.

I've only run the beta in a VM, so I haven't installed and played with all my usual apps (creative cloud, etc). But I have done some simulated use with various apps.

I was worried SM was something that looked good in theory, but I would end up hating after actual testing/use. (like what happened to me with Mission Control). Not the case here though. Instead I find SM surprisingly light and fast to use and easy to pick up.

At it's best it's very similar to the Mission Control’s 'ideal concept', but so much better because the thumbnails are always visible and clickable, and no jarring animation of switching 'desktop/space/stage'.

Command-` - I've never been a fan of this command normally, but when on a stage it means you can quickly swap between all windows on that stage - really nice if you have 3+ of them.

Slight downsides:-

You can't control over the order of the thumbnails - it's always ordered by most recently used apps or stages. So the part of the screen you click on to go back to a particular app/stage is always shifting. I think this is just the nature of accepting 'management', and I can see why they did it that way.

There is slight friction when breaking out of the default "desktop tidier" mode (of single apps and stacks). Some initial work required in dragging and dropping thumbnails to setup your multi-window 'stages'... but after the initial 'chore', in the long term you end up with something more structured. Also shift-clicking thumbnail windows rather than drag-dropping makes this setup even faster (tip from the little things thread)

 

[MisterK]

Well, not really. They're used for a single project, but in actual fact each has a specific function and output. Perhaps I've read your analogy wrong?

To make a non-computer analogy, imagine you're copying a picture from a book. It doesn't really matter that the reference and your What you're using to make the drawing would be different apps on a computer. Your single task is copying a picture from a book. Under the one app at a time full-screen metaphor, Apple confuses multiple applications with multi-tasking. Most of us can only do one thing at a time, but sometimes that one thing takes more than one application.

 

[jr5x]

Well, not really. They're used for a single project, but in actual fact each has a specific function and output. Perhaps I've read your analogy wrong?

I can see how my analogy was not detailed enough. To expand it a bit, the project is to build a cabinet. Or even to just build the drawers for the cabinet, or only the front panels of the drawers. The task is to make the front panels of the drawers flat. This is a single task that may require multiple tools.

But I get that we can make it granular enough that any single action is the task.

 

[jr5x]

But I get that we can make it granular enough that any single action is the task.

Also, there's a terminology issue, as was pointed out above. Multitasking in computing has traditionally referred to being able to use multiple applications (or run multiple processes) at once.

Task management, which has become more popular in the past several years along with many apps, thinks of a "task" in a way that's independent of computing, similar to my furniture building analogy.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Any changes to Stage Manager with the latest beta?

 

[Tagbert]

Any changes to Stage Manager with the latest beta?

They probably put all resources into finishing up iOS 16 for the phone launch and won’t get back to iPad OS until later.

 

[kindadukish]

When you have more than 2 desktops, you have to swipe multiple times to get there and it's annoying to go back and forth.
The other option is to go to Mission Control and then click on the desktop you want to go in, but it's still a lot more steps than just switching groups on the Stage Manager.

But you can disable it if doesn't benefit to your workflow. Personally I'd sacrifice some screen real estate for the convenience of quickly switching between groups.

I have used Spaces for years and am worried about what Stage Manager might do to it.

If you're annoyed by swiping past 2 desktops or more, I suggest trying the old command-tab to switch programs. For instance, if you're in Pages and want to move to Lightroom 3, 4, 5, or 6 spaces away, instead of scrolling through all the spaces, just hit command-tab and go to the other program. You'll be taken to the other space immediately, no scrolling needed. (Sorry if this has already been suggested; I read the first page of this thread but didn't have time to scan the other 4 pages...)

 

[nicolas_s]

I have used Spaces for years and am worried about what Stage Manager might do to it.

If you're annoyed by swiping past 2 desktops or more, I suggest trying the old command-tab to switch programs. For instance, if you're in Pages and want to move to Lightroom 3, 4, 5, or 6 spaces away, instead of scrolling through all the spaces, just hit command-tab and go to the other program. You'll be taken to the other space immediately, no scrolling needed. (Sorry if this has already been suggested; I read the first page of this thread but didn't have time to scan the other 4 pages...)

It works when you only use once instance of an app, but if you use multiple Safari windows (if you work with cloud apps for example), command+tab only gets you to the latest Safari window

 

[unrigestered]

... if you press the up or down arrow key when on the icon (or do the Exposé gesture on the trackpad), you will be shown all open windows of that app.
and of course, if you have already switched to that app, you can switch between all it's windows via cmd+') or via Exposé

or of course via Mission Control right from the start

 

[nicolas_s]

... if you press the up or down arrow key when on the icon (or do the Exposé gesture on the trackpad), you will be shown all open windows of that app.
and of course, if you have already switched to that app, you can switch between all it's windows via cmd+') or via Exposé

or of course via Mission Control right from the start

Sure but as I said, way more steps than just a click