2026-03-16 01:00:31
Mark Gurman had a new report this past week where he suggested that the folding iPhone would allow apps to be displayed side by side on the internal screen, and that iPad apps would not run on the device, although Apple is working to update their apps to have a more iPad-like layout when displayed wide on the Fold. Here's how I think these square with my prediction that the folding iPhone will run what is effectively iPadOS.
Above is a screenshot from App Store Connect. This is for my app, Quick Subtitles, which runs on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. As you can see I've already created binaries for iOS and MacOS but there's no option for iPad OS so how does the iPad version work?
As you can see, iPadOS runs iOS apps. The difference is that the UI lays out differently due to the different screen size. So when Mark Gurman says iPad apps won't run on the folding iPhone, I interpret that as saying that apps which have blocked their app from running on the iPhone will not run on this folding phone either. For example, here's the "supported destinations" for Quick Subtitles in Xcode.
If I wanted to block my app from running on the iPhone, I would simply remove iPhone from this list but the code wouldn't change at all.
I guess what I'm saying is that the iPhone is already running the iPad version of Quick Subtitles and the iPad is running the iPhone version. To-may-to, to-mah-to…there's literally no difference, it's just screen size.
My expectation is that for apps like mine, which run on the iPhone and iPad, they will run like normal when on the outer screen, as well as when they're in split view on the internal screen. They will run with their "iPad layout" when running on the internal screen at full screen.
As we have previously established the windowing options available on an iPhone are already there. There are just flags set in the software that prevent them from displaying to the user. My expectation is that in the iPad OS 27 announcement at WWDC this summer there will be the return of a split-screen layout, which is not just the split-screen hack that we have right now in the windowing system. This will give iPad users the ability to have split-screen without adopting the full windowing system introduced last year. I think this will make a lot of iPad users happy.
The added benefit here is that this will allow Apple to use this new split-screen option on the iPhone Fold without needing to have the full windowing solution as iPads.
What will Apple do? We'll have to wait for this fall to find out. I do think we are going to see the line in the sand between iOS and iPadOS blur to the point of not mattering, though.
2026-03-15 22:18:57
I sometimes feel like I'm a minor villain in the iPad enthusiast world. It probably doesn't help that I'm pretty outspoken for wanting a touch screen tablet-style Mac or that I recently titled a post "Apple will kill iPadOS." But I honestly think that the world we would be in if Apple did these two things would be better specifically for iPad users.
Inevitably during an iPad review, especially in an iPad Pro review, you are going to get to the part where the reviewer says that while the hardware is amazing, they can't do everything they want to do with it because iPadOS is too limiting for their needs. As a former iPad-only person I understand the fire this lights in iPad fans. "What do you mean you can't do real work on an iPad? I'm doing it!"
I think it's pretty clear what reviews like this are indicating, which is that they adore the hardware; the hardware in an iPad Pro is outstanding. It feels really great. The OLED screen is outstanding and it has plenty of performance, being powered by Apple's latest generation of chips. All they want in the world is to be able to use this device for their needs but they can't.
This is where iPad fans will say, "just get a Mac then. You clearly don't want an iPad." And yes that is literally what I am arguing for when I'm asking Apple to build a tablet-style Mac. There are plenty of people out there who lust after the iPad hardware and the adaptability that the tablet form factor brings. They just have needs for different software and workflows than the iPad supports. They quite literally want an iPad that's running macOS. iPad fans may say this is something to be criticized but I would say it's a clear message of intent from customers as to what product they wished they could buy.
Now imagine a world where in addition to the iPad Pro Apple also sells a comparably priced and spec'd Mac tablet that people can buy instead. Those people who don't find the iPad to be sufficient for their needs but really love having a tablet device that they can bring around, well now they can have exactly what they want. When the new iPads come out they don't need to ask those to be more than they are, they can simply recognize them as a different operating system for different people with different needs.
I will say that I posted this poll to Mastodon recently to get a vibe in the room for what people thought the impact would be of Apple releasing an iPad that ran macOS. It's a small sample size, but I know a few iPad lovers follow me, and the results still showed that 45% of people thought that it would have the large impact on iPad Pro sales. Maybe this isn't the case but I do get the vibe that iPad fans like that Mac users don't get a touch device. At some level they believe that a touch-based Mac with comparable hardware would cannibalize iPad users.
I haven't written anything in quite a while that got as much of a reaction as my post about Apple unifying the naming back to iOS across the iPhone and iPad. I think the idea in that post, that the iPhone Fold would share the same split-screen and multitasking interface as iPads, is a really powerful idea that would just be good news for iPad users. iPad users are very familiar with the idea that some years they get a lot of updates and other years they get what feels like nothing. I think a lot of us remember Stage Manager coming out in 2022, people having lots of issues with it, and it not getting any love for several years after that.
iOS is clearly Apple's most important operating system. If something is wrong in iOS, Apple has a very real incentive to fix it as soon as possible. Making the folding iPhone, Apple's flagship product, and the iPad more directly share UI will make the iPad's experience the most important thing to Apple, and help ensure it has a bright future.
I fully recognize that there are people who love the iPad for how it's different than the Mac. My intention is not to take away what these people love, it's to give more people the computer that they want and to make the operating system that iPads run more important to Apple so that the experience can be as incredible as possible. The iPad is a really cool piece of hardware, and Mac users want a version that runs their OS of choice, and I want iPad users to get the software updates they want as quickly as possible.
2026-03-15 20:00:41
2026-03-15 05:50:35
Sam Henri Gold: “This Is Not The Computer For You”
Yes, you will hit the limits of this machine. 8GB of RAM and a phone chip will see to that. But the limits you hit on the Neo are resource limits — memory is finite, silicon has a clock speed, processes cost something. You are learning physics. A Chromebook doesn’t teach you that. A Chromebook’s ceiling is made of web browser, and the things you run into are not the edges of computing but the edges of a product category designed to save you from yourself. The kid who tries to run Blender on a Chromebook doesn’t learn that his machine can’t handle it. He learns that Google decided he’s not allowed to. Those are completely different lessons.
This post has been going around so you've probably seen it already but if you haven't it's absolutely worth a read.
2026-03-12 21:10:00
Chris Kerr: Microsoft quietly retires 'This is an Xbox' marketing campaign
When searching for the blog post that kicked off the marketing beat earlier today, I noticed it has been removed from Xbox Wire (Microsoft's Xbox-focused news repository). In fact, the only post currently available on the 'This is an Xbox' results page on Xbox Wire is the September 2025 update featuring news about the ROG Xbox Ally.
"This is an Xbox" joins Apple's "What is a a computer?" in the marketing dustbin of history.
2026-03-12 08:00:00
Juli Clover: iOS 26.4 Beta Adds End-to-End Encryption for iPhone-to-Android RCS Texts
iPhone users will need to install the second beta of iOS 26.4 to exchange encrypted messages with Android users, while Google users need to have the latest version of Google Messages.
You love to see it. Next up, I’d love to see them make it work with Samsung’s messaging app, which would cover most of the US market.