I hope it’s foundation to something bigger. I wouldn’t call them windows yet, blobs would be more appropriate. Blobs which cast unnecessary large shadows. Best Stage Manager scenario for me is having open 1 excel and two smaller pdf documents in landscape. But it still feels small on 12.9. 16" iPad would work much better with Stage Manager methinks.
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iPad Pro What is the Use of Stage Manager ?
- Thread starter marcusalwayswins
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I am ambivalent to it at the moment. I like the clean look when selecting something to work on, but the shifting of windows to the right, to create the gap for apps, has me peeved. There should be an option that allows you to choose whether to shift to the right, or keep them hidden until you mouseover the left hand side.
I don't get it either. I simply swipe up with 3 fingers and can see all of my other screens anyway....
I’ve spent two days with stage manager on macOS and i like.
However i suspect it is very workload dependent.
My job as a sysadmin involves juggling 4-5 tasks at a time, and each task may use 3-4 related application windows.
So its not uncommon for me to have say 20-30 windows split across 4-5 different jobs that need the windows associated with said jobs to be kept organised.
For me, switching “Tasks” with stage manager is just clicking a different stage and ALL my windows come back the way they were.
Sure you can sort of do this with multiple desktops, but stage manager allows me to preview which apps are grouped by mousing over the left side of the desktop, rather than madly swiping left/right to find what i’m looking for. I still use multiple full screen apps plus stage manager.
if your job is not as heavily multi-window/mult-tasking i can understand how you’d see little benefit from it; however for people who’s job involves lots of “related” windows needing to be kept grouped together its great. Or can be. For me the classic is multiple terminal windows monitoring remote network devices along with say a network monitoring app and another terminal for entering commands into a remote device.
I like it. I think it’s an improvement. If you don’t, it’s totally optional.
What i do think they could improve is if i click the dock to open a new window of an application, open a new window of it in the current stage, don’t pop me into a different stage for an open instance of it. Finder is a classic for this - i’ll have a finder window open on some random desktop in some random stage and quickly want to browse for something related to my current ask and i get bumped out of the stage i’m in.
I’m sure they can fix that with tweaking over time.
However i suspect it is very workload dependent.
My job as a sysadmin involves juggling 4-5 tasks at a time, and each task may use 3-4 related application windows.
So its not uncommon for me to have say 20-30 windows split across 4-5 different jobs that need the windows associated with said jobs to be kept organised.
For me, switching “Tasks” with stage manager is just clicking a different stage and ALL my windows come back the way they were.
Sure you can sort of do this with multiple desktops, but stage manager allows me to preview which apps are grouped by mousing over the left side of the desktop, rather than madly swiping left/right to find what i’m looking for. I still use multiple full screen apps plus stage manager.
if your job is not as heavily multi-window/mult-tasking i can understand how you’d see little benefit from it; however for people who’s job involves lots of “related” windows needing to be kept grouped together its great. Or can be. For me the classic is multiple terminal windows monitoring remote network devices along with say a network monitoring app and another terminal for entering commands into a remote device.
I like it. I think it’s an improvement. If you don’t, it’s totally optional.
What i do think they could improve is if i click the dock to open a new window of an application, open a new window of it in the current stage, don’t pop me into a different stage for an open instance of it. Finder is a classic for this - i’ll have a finder window open on some random desktop in some random stage and quickly want to browse for something related to my current ask and i get bumped out of the stage i’m in.
I’m sure they can fix that with tweaking over time.
For me, whilst you can do the 3 fingers, the minimising of the other windows is the selling point.
I just like how the other apps are to the left, neatly arranged, and not cluttered behind whatever it is I'm working on, and when I click on another app, everything else just jumps to the left and gets out of the way. As many have said, if you don't like it, don't use it. It's not default, and it's another way to work. Some like to drive automatic gear cars, I like manual, it's more work, and requires more thinking, but it's a choice.
I couldn’t agree more. I like how I can organize groups of windows depending on the task and easily switch between them. For instance one group for socials (twitter, forums, etc.) and the other for work (MS Teams, outlook, excel, etc.).
I was very sceptical when they first announced stage manager and didn’t even try the betas, but now I love using it.
I’m still getting accustomed to Stage Manager. I’m not sure that I like it, but it does have its uses. Take a look at this video of somebody with max-level iPad drag/drop skills for an idea of what is possible:
Personal preference of course, but I prefer them on. Bringing them back by mousing off the edges slows up switching, and importantly it still shows a full width Safari page with the recent apps on. Hiding the dock reduces vertical scrolling but one has to do vertical scrolling anyway.
I initially tried SM and didn't see the point. I have just given it a longer trial and realise it needs some effort to get past the initial unfamiliarity and to see the usefulness.
I am using it on a 12.9. Might not like on a 11"
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One simple example for me that I have a three app SM icon which always opens my Barclaycard app, Moneydance (personal finance) app and calculator in three floating resizable windows.
Even after watching this, not sure I really get it. To me, Mission Control works just fine...
PS: Thanks for the reminders that this is an iPad thread. I should have mentioned I was more talking globally, versus specifically to macOS or iPad.
With my iPad, I use the Apple Magic keyboard. And with that, I can invoke via gestures the 'mission control'.
PS: Thanks for the reminders that this is an iPad thread. I should have mentioned I was more talking globally, versus specifically to macOS or iPad.
With my iPad, I use the Apple Magic keyboard. And with that, I can invoke via gestures the 'mission control'.
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Multiple application windows will be better on the 13" iPad than the 11" iPad. But similarly, MacOS worked better on the 13" MacBook Air than it did on the 11" MBA.
If regular split-screen with slide-over is better for you, just use that and don't worry about SM. Its an additional option which you don't have to use.
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I think this thread is about iPadOS not MacOS, but to your point I tried SM briefly on my MBP and so far Mission Control works better for me. Maybe thats just because Im used to it so I'll keep playing around with it.
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iPads (what this thread is about) don't have Mission Control. As I understand it Expose was the first attempt at bringing something like Mission Control to iPads, and Stage Manager goes a whole lot further.
I'm using Stage Manager to watch TV on my iPad Pro 12.9 while moving around the house or in the bathroom getting ready for work in the morning. I can have several channel apps open at the same time and just switch from one to the other just like using the remote on my TV and the feed resumes. Very convenient.
Piecing together a few current rumours, sounds to me like they are gearing up for 14/16" "iBooks" - a new product category (their take on the Surface style convertible) which will probably be focused more on the laptop type experience, come with the keyboard case in the box, running this 'slimmed down MacOS' version, but also run iPad OS when 'undocked'. Perhaps it's on current models so it can be fully tested, more than because it's actually useful (well, unless you're connected to an external monitor).
I’d say stage manager on iPad is pretty useless until extend screen support to external monitor is restored.
Then it should be similarly useful to stage manager on Mac.
Key words there are "I’d say"
More than most new things I'd say Stage Manager requires persistence and effort to learn how it could work for you (and after that it may still not do).
When I first tried Stage Manager on my iPad I dismissed it as not for me. I found I kept having to turn it off to do something. I recently came back to it and put some effort into finding ways round the aspects that I didn't like, explored the settings options, discovered simple things I don't know I could do I first time.
Now I have it on all the time, and can't see that changing.
I got a 12.9" the other day, as a long time user of the 11". I actually started using stage manager full time. It's nice to be able to have some apps fullscreen and some apps in floating windows. I could take it or leave it on the 11, but on the 12.9 I'd hate to lose it.
Right now, extended display isn't working on anything unless you're on the latest beta (or if you froze on an earlier beta supporting it).