Apple’s iPad is more Mac-like than ever – is it ready to replace your Mac?

With tiOS 26’s new menu bar, users can access the commands available in an app, and quickly find a specific feature or related tips by using search.
With iPadOS 26, Apple has at last delivered a software foundation that matches the iPad’s formidable silicon. Long-awaited additions — resizable floating windows, proper background processing, a grown-up Files app, and deeper Stage Manager improvements—transform what the tablet can do. Tasks that were frustrating or outright impossible are now routine. For students, note-takers, and many knowledge workers, the iPad is suddenly a legitimate laptop replacement. Yet the perennial question lingers: Can the iPad truly replace your Mac?
Khamosh Pathak for Lifehacker:
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Can an iPad replace your MacBook? The answer to that question is more personal than ever. Subjectively, I can say not yet. While the new windowing system and background processes are a great start, it still lacks the core features that make a Mac so helpful. For someone like me who relies on desktop-class apps, dynamic websites, and loves the hundred little utilities that are only possible on the Mac, the iPad really can’t replace my MacBook…
I can see podcasters and even content creators take up an iPad as their main computer. It really depends on your workflow. For light workflow like editing documents, managing PDFs, taking notes, emails, and online meetings, the iPad is very much comparable to the Mac. And thanks to its cellular connectivity, it might even have an edge for people who are always on the road. If you like the idea of a light-weight tablet that’s built-really well, or if you’re a creative, the iPad can make a lot of sense for you.
For everyone else, I would recommend you pick up at least an M4 MacBook Air, which goes on sale regularly and costs less than an iPad Pro.

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MacDailyNews Take: The bottom line is that, ghanks to iOS 26, more people than ever can replace their Mac with a modern iPad.

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