The article is mainly about what this update meant for us (me personally), as I share my thoughts about it.
For a quick look up on what’s the new features, you can take a look at the Apple official release page.
Useful Features
Mouse cursor, Menu Bar and Resizable Windows
iPadOS26 will make iPad more like macOS – with a menu bar on top and resizable windows. I wondered if it means we can now have vertical split view. Personally, I’ve never found stage manager useful on macOS, and I have only iPad Mini 6, which means no stage manager, no AI and no fancy stuff. But it still will benefit from this update. However, I still prefer to do my work using a Macbook. Time will tell about if it is actually useful.
The File App Can Assign Default App for Different File Types
iOS and iPadOS file system is what frustrated me the most. If you’re not using iCloud or the built-in tool apps, you will have a hard time trying to work with local files using the iDevices file system. For example, previously, opening a PDF will always use the file preview app. If I want to view it in Foxit or PDFExpert, I will have to share the file to the app, which means it usually create a copy of the file and put it inside the app folder.
But now, you can choose a default app of your choice to open a file type, which means this file browser can be just a gateway to access your local files without merry-go-around with the Apple app system, and this is cool, more like Android, finally.
So, theoretically, you can just use Syncthing (which I love) to work with raw local files and sync across your devices without relying on iCloud or any cloud service. Knowing background sync has always been a pain in the head on iDevices, it opens the doors for openness.
Note App Can Import and Export Markdown
If it works as it advertised, this is beyond useful. I remember the time when I had all my notes kept in Apple Notes, trying to migrate to other note-taking apps like Microsoft OneNote or Obsidian, it was hella painful. This is because you cannot copy the images when you paste on other note apps, and interestingly, it only works across Apple built-in apps. I haven’t, or maybe I did try to take out the whole notes, but it was neither in a format I desired nor able to keep the layout. All-in-all, it was quite painful and time-consuming.
Markdown is a universal writing format which works across all platforms and apps. I suspect that Apple realised that more and more people demand openness, which is why Obsidian has become so successful recently. People want to own their data and able to jump ship. The better the software Apple provide, the more loyal the user base will become – even if it meant to be “a little bit more open”. The note-taking market is quite heated up right now.
What It Really Meant
Less of a Lock-In, a Bit More Openness
It is interesting to see that Apple is adapting to what the market wants. It has been doing that since the AI trend. Even though they have yet to deliver their AI promise, I am glad that Apple is heading towards this direction.
But, to be honest, if it doesn’t adapt to the market, it will probably start to fall as it has provided no innovation but marketing strategy for a long while now.
What I Am Doing
I have had completed the transition of moving my apps and sync service to either self-host or open-sourced already, And I don’t plan to go back to all-in Apple ecosystem, for two reasons:
I own my data, I manage the data however I want.
Apple do respect user privacy, and I appreciate that. I don’t need to mention Google, because of you know why. However, I still am limited to Apple’s warded garden, and I just don’t like being taking care of in their way, that’s pretty much it. Mind you, I have another article about which OS improve productiveness, and I am not against Apple for being simple and “just works” at all. It’s just a peroneal choice of being free to try out new stuff in however way I want, that’s about it.
Still Trying to Say No To Capitalism
It is boring to have just a few big tech companies. And, I am willing to give more companies a try, because they deserve a chance too.
Sometimes, it’s not about cost-effectiveness. What matters more is what they stand for – and how your pocket money shapes the future.
Read also: Logseq Vs Obsidian
