Apple plans to make the iPad more like a laptop and less like a phone

Apple will announce significant changes to the iPad’s operating system next week, according to people familiar with the matter, part of an effort to make the device more like a laptop and less like a phone.

The next major iPad software update, iPadOS 16, will have a redesigned multitasking interface that will make it easier to see which apps are open and switch between tasks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the changes are not yet public. The system will also allow users to resize application windows.

The iPad accounts for nearly 9% of Apple’s annual sales, and that percentage has increased in recent years. But professional users of the device are asking for an interface that feels more like a laptop experience. The iPad hardware, which now includes the same M1 processor as some Apple laptops, has gotten more and more powerful, and in some ways, the operating system hasn’t kept up.

A spokesperson for the Cupertino, California-based company declined to comment.

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The new iPad interface will be one of the biggest updates announced at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which will also include software updates for iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Currently, iPad users can run apps in full screen, like on an iPhone, or run two apps side by side. The company also allows users to add a scaled-down version of a third app by swiping it sideways. The changes will expand this interface.

Apple is estimated to generate over $20 billion a year from the App Store, and the WWDC event helps maintain that revenue. New software features help encourage developers to create new applications which in turn increase revenue.

For iOS 16, the next version of the iPhone operating system, Apple plans several changes, including a new screen lock with widgets, according to Bloomberg.

The company will also update the health app and add new audio and social media features to the messaging app. Redesigned apps for macOS are also on the way, including an overhaul of System Preferences.

For the Apple Watch, the company plans changes to the watch faces, system navigation and various apps on the device, including a notable update to fitness tracking features.

The company also plans a new low-power mode that will allow users to operate the device when the battery is running low. Current low power mode only shows the time.

From China to Vietnam

Apple supplier BYD plans to start tablet production in northern Vietnam this month, according to a government statement, a boost for a country that is expected to benefit as electronics makers look to China for alternatives.

In December, officials at Phu Ha Industrial Park granted BYD a license to build a 6.23 billion dong ($268 million) factory, according to a statement posted on the Phu Tho province website. The plant will have the capacity to manufacture 4.33 million tablets a year starting this month, according to the statement.

BYD, which now assembles iPads primarily in China, will also be able to produce 50 million units of optical glass a year.

Apple suppliers with large manufacturing bases in China began considering moving their capacity to Southeast Asia after tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated, a move that is expected to accelerate the pandemic-era turmoil.

This year, a series of lockdowns from Shanghai to Shenzhen have disrupted supply chains, exposing the fragility of a system that relies on China to produce most of the world’s electronics.

Apple estimates that the Covid restrictions in China and other supply restrictions will cost the company up to $8 billion in sales.

The Vietnamese government said in January 2021 that Foxconn Technology Group, Apple’s biggest manufacturing partner, planned to invest $700 million in the country that year. Bac Giang province in the north of the country has granted a $270 million investment license to its Foxconn Singapore unit to produce laptops and tablets, officials said.

Source: The Globe