What you need to know
- Apple revealed Stage Manager for the Mac and iPad at WWDC 2022.
- The new feature automatically resizes and organizes apps and windows.
- It will only be available on iPads with the M1 processor.
Update, June 13 (5:15 pm ET): Apple has released another statement explaining why Stage Manager is limited to M1 iPads.
We finally know why Stage Manager is only available for iPads with the M1 processor.
At WWDC 2022, Apple revealed a new feature for iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura called Stage Manager. The new feature automatically organizes apps and windows, allowing you to multitask but have Apple handle your usually cluttered desktop.
Stage Manager is an entirely new multitasking experience that automatically organizes apps and windows, making it quick and easy to switch between tasks. For the first time on iPad, users can create overlapping windows of different sizes in a single view, drag and drop windows from the side, or open apps from the Dock to create groups of apps for faster, more flexible multitasking. The window of the app users are working on is displayed prominently in the center, and other open apps and windows are arranged on the left-hand side in order of recency.
Unfortunately, Stage Manager is only available to iPads with the M1 processor. In a new report from Digital Trends, Apple has given an explaination as to why. According to the company, the feature is reserved to M1 iPads due to it being needed to handle iPadOS 16's memory swap feature.
According to Apple, Stage Manager is exclusive to M1 chips because of iPadOS 16's fast memory swap feature — something Stage Manager relies on quite heavily. Similar to what we've seen on Android devices, this process allows apps to convert storage into RAM for more horsepower. Stage Manager allows users to run up to eight apps going at once, some of which can ask for up to 16GB of RAM. In other words, it demands a lot of resources. As such, the new window management feature needs M1 for smooth performance.
So, if you're looking to enjoy Stage Manager with iPadOS 16, you're going to need either the 5th generation iPad Air, 3rd generation 11-inch iPad Pro, or 5th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Update, June 13 (5:15 pm ET) — Apple has released another statement explaining why Stage Manager is limited to M1 iPads.
Shared by Rene Ritchie, Apple has released another statement explaining why the Stage Manager feature on iPadOS 16 is only available on iPad models with an M1 processor. You can read the full statement below:
"Stage Manager is a fully integrated experience that provides all-new windowing experience that is incredibly fast and responsive and allow users to run 8 apps simultaneously across iPad and an external display with up to 6K resolution. Delivering this experience with the immediacy users expect from iPad's touch-first experience requires large internal memory, incredibly fast storage, and flexible external display I/O, all of which are delivered by iPads with the M1 chip."
I asked Apple about Stage Manager on the iPad as well, and here's what they said:
(Full text in ALT image description) https://t.co/m8ceA7qKtJ pic.twitter.com/XttErFPeS5I asked Apple about Stage Manager on the iPad as well, and here's what they said:
(Full text in ALT image description) https://t.co/m8ceA7qKtJ pic.twitter.com/XttErFPeS5— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) June 10, 2022June 10, 2022
Bottom line: This s the best iPad for most people, offering fantastic performance thanks to the M1 chip, but also a great starting price. Whether you use an iPad for work, play, or a combination of the two, the iPad Air 5 will be able to handle anything you throw at it.
