Apple has finally introduced a multitasking interface similar to traditional computers, after years of incremental steps. At its Worldwide Developers Conference, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi showcased the new features, including improved file management and support for running tasks in the background.
Federighi poked fun at the audience’s long-standing request for Mac-like multitasking on iPads, saying it was “mind-blowing” to introduce these features. The move comes after a couple of years of experience with the buggy Stage Manager interface, which was limited and not well-received by users.
According to Federighi, introducing this new UI was about overcoming hardware restrictions that previously prevented true multitasking on iPads. With iPadOS 26, Apple has taken a significant step towards making its tablets more versatile and user-friendly.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/apples-craig-federighi-on-the-long-road-to-the-ipads-mac-like-multitasking