With WWDC 2025 drawing closer, we’re learning more exciting details about Apple’s upcoming software updates. While they’re unconfirmed, iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 leaks indicate Apple will have a lot to talk about during the event rather than just explaining the massive Apple Intelligence fumble.
Apple Intelligence will obviously still be an important part of the keynote, but it sure looks like Apple has bigger plans for this year’s operating system releases than beefing up AI and apologizing for misleading customers with the iPhone 16’s AI.
Apple will give its operating systems a big overhaul. That’s what all the leaks say, at least, with the new design language expected to be inspired by visionOS, the Vision Pro’s operating system. We’ve seen some concepts for iOS 19 apps that are getting the visionOS-inspired look, and some of Apple’s most recent app seems to indirectly confirm the design overhaul is coming.
iOS, iPadOS, and macOS will apparently look a lot more like each other. More interesting is a recent leak that says it’s not just about the operating systems looking the same. The iPad will supposedly behave more like the Mac after the iPadOS 19 update, and that’s something I’ve been dying to hear.
I’ve long speculated that iPadOS and macOS will need to be almost identical if Apple plans to launch foldable iPads/Macs in the future.
I said I’d love the idea of having iPadOS and macOS finally merge, something Apple has long resisted. I also said I’d love a dual-boot device where I could seamlessly switch between macOS and iPadOS depending on what I need from a foldable computer. That’s probably not happening anytime soon, either.
But that doesn’t change the fact that iPadOS isn’t suitable in its current state to power a foldable iPad that could essentially become a powerful workstation.
About a month ago, Mark Gurman mentioned the iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 redesign plans in one of his newsletters, seemingly confirming my speculation. He said that Apple needs the OS changes to set the stage for future devices, including foldables:
Executives say the goal is to make the operating systems simpler to use, faster to navigate, and easier to learn. The software should also set the stage for new hardware designs, including foldable devices and touch-screen Macs. And it will have to adapt to an era dominated by artificial intelligence assistants rather than people continually dipping in and out of applications.
Fast-forward to mid-April and Gurman’s newest Power On newsletter tells us that iPadOS 19 won’t just be similar to macOS when it comes to design, it’ll work more like the Mac operating system.
Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be a big theme of WWDC 2025. The upgrade will focus on “productivity, multitasking, and app window management — with an eye on the device operating more like a Mac.”
Gurman said that Apple won’t put macOS on the iPad, as so many people want, but the iPadOS 19 changes “will likely go far enough to make a lot of those users happy” for now.
I’ve long fantasized about replacing the Mac with an iPad Pro for work purposes. But I can’t make it work, considering how iPadOS handles multitasking and window management. I’ve also said time and again that Stage Manager is hardly useful for somewhat replicating macOS multitasking.
Hopefully, Apple will fix all that with the iPadOS 19 update. Or, at least, start doing it. Rumors say the first foldable iPad is coming next year or in 2027. Apple will need to transform iPadOS into a good macOS alternative to convince buyers to upgrade to what will surely be an expensive foldable device.
