Touchscreen Macs could mark the end of iPad - so what could it use for macOS?

iPadOS 16 Stage Manager
(Image credit: TechRadar)

In what could be a major reversal of separating the two platforms, Apple could be releasing a touchscreen MacBook in 2025 - which could be a sign to me that the iPad's retirement has been set.

It's not a stretch to assume that iPadOS hasn't become the replacement for most laptops and PCs in recent years, with Stage Manager in iPadOS 16 being confusing and buggy when trying to multitask up to six different apps at once for example.

However, Apple has had a history of denying certain products, such as the iPhone in 2005 when Steve Jobs said that it would be a hassle with the carriers to even make one, but in actual fact, the device was halfway done by that point.

If this is true though, it could mean that macOS is in line for a major redesign to cater to your fingers. So, what could it borrow from iPadOS as it potentially rides into the tablet sunset?

Widgets

iPad home screen with widgets in iPadOS 15

(Image credit: Future)

It's 2023 and macOS still has widgets locked to a sidebar that's coupled with the Notification Center - it's time to have the same ability on iPadOS but on the Mac.

Being able to use widgets on the desktop, similar to the home screen on an iPad would work well, especially when a Mac is a touchscreen. If you combine this with lock screen widgets from iOS 16, you've already got a major change in macOS.

Slideover

Slideover on an iPad

(Image credit: Apple)

While you've been able to have two apps in split-view on macOS, there's not been a way to slideover an additional app to quickly check something as you can in iPadOS.

It's something you can still enable on iPad as long as Stage Manager is disabled, and it's always been a useful remnant of multitasking on the tablet, as it's a way of quickly checking email or some Notes for example.

Apple Pencil

Digital artwork being worked on on a iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil 2

(Image credit: Future / Josephine Watson)

This feels like the most obvious feature to crossover to the Mac. With apps such as Adobe Photoshop and Final Cut Pro on macOS, using the Apple Pencil would help to scrub those timelines on a 4K video, or highlight certain backgrounds when editing a photo.

Even Freeform, Apple's new collaboration app where you can place images and ideas onto a blank canvas, would work exactly the same as it does on iPad currently so the justification is there.

Is the writing on the wall?

The iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) being used with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil

(Image credit: Future)

iPad has had a rocky time of it in recent years. While Apple declared iPadOS as a way of separating the platform from iOS to distinguish it better, there's only been a handful of features that are still exclusive to the platform.

And even then, home screen widgets took another year to arrive on iPad, while Lock Screen widgets from iOS 16 are nowhere to be seen on the tablet.

For a consumption device, iPad is perfect, but when it comes to creating content that's not with an Apple Pencil, it can be hard to justify an iPad Pro when a MacBook could do the job just as well, or better.

We're still ways off from a touchscreen Mac becoming a reality, but if it does get announced, and you put it side by side with an iPad Pro, is there a need for the tablet in its current form from then on?

Daryl Baxter
Software & Downloads Writer

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider'. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2026. He also has a newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

Read more
Apple's Craig Federighi demonstrates the iPhone Mirroring feature of macOS Sequoia at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.
Report: iOS 19 and macOS 16 could mark their biggest design overhaul in years – and we have one request
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)
Apple's iPad in 2024: the highs, lows, and what we want to see in 2025
An Apple iPad Pro 11 (2021) from the front, in someone's hand
Apple's giant foldable iPad could be crease-free and run macOS apps, new report claims
Person playing a game on new MacBook Air
What to expect from Apple Macs in 2025
The iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) with keyboard and stylus
The iPad Air may soon get high-end Magic Keyboard goodness borrowed from the iPad Pro
Apple iPad 10.9 (2022)
iPad 11: what we want to see
Latest in macOS
macOS Catalina
A secret project, a stubborn developer, and a lot of glossy icons: here's the story behind macOS’s Dock as it turns 25
A woman sitting on a couch cross-legged and using a laptop
Essential apps and features to start getting the most out of your brand-new Mac
A woman sitting at a table with various objects on it, including a MacBook, a mug, a book, an opened notebook, and holding her head with her hands as if in frustration
It looks like macOS Sequoia 15.2 update breaks third-party bootable backups - and that has me worried
Genmoji Cowboy Frog Apple Intelligence
macOS Sequoia 15.3 beta brings Genmoji to Mac, allowing you to serve up custom emojis that really represent you
Person using a MacBook sat on sofa
Your Mac’s menu bar will finally get a weather widget in macOS Sequoia 15.2 – plus these Apple Intelligence features
The Apple Magic Mouse on a white surface next to the Magic Keyboard.
Planning to buy Apple’s new USB-C Magic accessories? Make sure you’re running macOS Sequoia 15.1 first
Latest in News
Google Gemini Flash 2.0 Images
I tried Gemini's new AI image generation tool - here are 5 ways to get the best art from Google's Flash 2.0
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Eurocom Raptor X18
At $15,000, this massive 256GB RAM laptop makes Apple's MacBook Pro look affordable, tiny and very, very slow
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
A graphic of the PC Gaming Show
Get ready for a bounty of PC games on June 8, as the PC Gaming show is back
A close up of The Daily podcast from Pocket Casts' web page
‘Podcasting shouldn’t be locked behind walled gardens’: Pocket Casts slams Spotify and makes its web player free to all