After 15 years, the iPad is getting some key software features—like the addition of resizable and movable windows—that help it realize its true destiny.

With iPadOS 26, Apple is moving the iPad closer to the Mac than ever before with a host of productivity and multitasking improvements.

Apple’s iPadOS 26 brings Journal, Games, Preview and Phone apps to your iPad, alongside a new bold look and multitasking upgrades.

I’ve been using the iPadOS 26 beta for the past 24 hours on my iPad Pro 11 with M4, and it has completely transformed my iPad experience. Here’s how.

It gets an Apple A16 processor that works very well, and can honestly handle any app or task. It gets 4GB of RAM, which doesn’t seem impress

At Apple’s WWDC 2025, most of the design buzz centered around a new UI material called “Liquid Glass.” It’s shiny, it refracts light, it’s very Apple. Apple’s VP of Human Interface, Alan Dye, called it the company’s “broadest design update ever,” and it’s definitely a very different look and feel across all of Apple’s devices.

I’ve been running the very first developer beta for less than a day on an 11-inch iPad Air, and I can already sense a change in how I use my tablet. The new multitasking system is mostly pretty easy to understand.

Apple announced iPadOS 26 at WWDC 2025, and the new iPad update comes with a fresh new look and plenty of features. Apple has ensured there are plenty of iPadOS 26 supported slates, so if you have a relatively new iPad you should get the update this year.