Apple iPad enthusiasts complaining about the lack of desktop-class software features is a tale as old as time itself. A sizeable chunk of such people were likely quite elated during last week's WWDC, when major updates were announced to iPadOS' multitasking capabilities. For the first time, iPad users will have access to proper window management and resizing features, thinning the gap between macOS and iPadOS a tad more.
However, a lot of folks may be wondering what's keeping Apple from announcing full-blown macOS on iPad, considering the identical architecture shared by the platforms. In a recent interview with Rafael Zeier, Apple's software boss Craig Federighi revealed the reason why Apple is still opposed to the idea of macOS running on iPads. According to him, iPadOS is designed with touch support in mind, while macOS, is simply not. He further added that putting macOS on iPads will "take away what makes iPad special".
The design maintains iPad's simplicity while allowing users who want more complexity to access it at their own pace, preserving the choice between simple and advanced workflows.
Considering that Apple has never shown any interest in making macOS compatible with touch-based input systems, Craig's statements make complete sense. iPads, for the foreseeable future, will remain touch-based, while Macs will continue utilising non-touch input. iPadOS with an overhauled window management system sure does a good job meeting in the middle. Moreover, it does seem to align with Apple's interests to keep Macs and iPads separate enough to warrant their independent existence, while being targeted at different workflows.
Source(s)
Rafael Zeier via YouTube, spotted by MacRumors