Apple May Redesign iPadOS 19 to Look More Like macOS

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is readying a big redesign for iPadOS 19 that will make the tablet experience feel closer to macOS. According to Gurman in this week’s…

By Hardik Dhamija

April 15, 2025

2 min read

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is readying a big redesign for iPadOS 19 that will make the tablet experience feel closer to macOS. According to Gurman in this week’s Power On newsletter, updates coming this year will be focused around three key areas, being productivity, multi-tasking, and app window management. The aim here is to bring the iPad closer on par with a Mac, something that has been in response to consumer feedback that such powerful hardware has yet to deliver equal software on the iPad.

Apple to Redesign iPadOS 19 with macOS-Like Features, Focus on Productivity and Multi-Tasking

“For years, users have said that it feels like the hardware capabilities of the iPad are well ahead of its software. That could soon be changing,” Gurman wrote. He added that advanced features will target power users who have long requested a more desktop-like experience from iPadOS. While Gurman didn’t get specific about what would change with the interface or functions, the implications are clear that iPadOS would function very differently.

Notably, this is in line with another report that Gurman shared, which detailed Apple’s expansive goal of unifying the design between all the OS, including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. That redesign will likely include new app icons, menus, and other UI elements derived from visionOS, the operating system that runs on Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Already leaked details suggest a variety of new visual elements, including rounder app icons, floating menus, pill-shaped toggle buttons, docking areas, and fluid animations, promising an overall more modern and cohesive aesthetic.

However, Gurman now indicates that iPadOS 19 might take a more macOS-specific direction, potentially diverging from iOS in functionality and design. Apple is expected to officially unveil iPadOS 19, along with iOS 19 and the next version of macOS, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, scheduled from June 9 to June 13. Further details about the redesign are likely to be revealed during the event.