iPadOS 16, advanced multitasking on the iPad mini 6 convinces. Will it remain a dream?
For almost a month exactly, iPadOS 16 with its news it is official. Apple illustrated them at WWDC 22, and immediately it seemed clear the intention to blur the line between the experience that a tablet can guarantee and that of a classic computer, a laptop. A couple of days later we explored the news of the next OS for iPad, among which one of the most impacting is Stage Manageressentially a much more powerful multitasking than the current one.
The problem with the Stage Manager is that it will be available only for iPads with M1 chip, therefore, many of Apple’s tablets – most of those sold – will remain anchored to the old multitasking. The reasons that led to a considerable limitation of the catchment area that the new one could have were explained a few days later by Federighi, and do not concern a single aspect of the M1 chip but a whole series of elements, such as the memories very fast associated with the chip (and are important for memory swap) or the high capacities of processing graphics which Stage Manager needs and which iPads with M1 have.
Convincing or not, as the explanations of the senior manager of Cupertino may seem, the fact is that, net of the timid clues that open up to a wider availability, Stage Manager will be the prerogative of a few. Officially, therefore, there will be no space or opportunity for the iPads without an Apple Silicon M series chip 9to5mac.com at least they wanted to understand how it might look in condition extremethat is, on the smallest iPad of the lot, therefore the one least prone, in terms of size, to advanced multitasking by Stage Manager, the mini 6 with A15 Bionic chip.
Like this the limitation was circumvented by using the iOS Simulator, the tool made available by Apple to developers to test iPad apps on a Mac. Colleagues took several screenshots which were then sent to the iPad mini 6 in order to check the usability of Stage Manager on the display. mini of the Apple tablet. And their impression is positive.
You can open three iPhone-sized apps side by side without compromising usability, which seems perfect for checking out multiple social networks while reading something else. You can also leave a larger window and put smaller ones in the background so you can quickly switch between them which is great for drag and drop.
IPads can already, at present, open up to three applications at the same time thanks to Split View and Slide Over, but the experience is limited compared to what Stage Manager can offer. Which, in fact, seems adequate also to the “small” screen of iPad mini 6, which will not have the new multitasking of iPadOS 16 not having the M1 chip.
After seeing Stage Manager at work on the iPad mini – reads on 9to5mac.com – I can say that I would like to have the ability to run apps in the window, even if it means accepting limitations compared to the iPad M1. As I have already said, the plus of multitasking in windows is not only the number of apps that can be run at the same time, but also the organization. Stage Manager isn’t perfect, but it definitely improves on the iPad’s meager multitasking system – and it’s a shame Apple wants to reserve it for the more expensive iPads.
