It seemed like Apple completely reinvented the way we used iPads with the recent iPadOS 13 update that added support for trackpads and mice.
But now iPadOS 14 is here. It’s not quite the overhaul that iPadOS 13 was, but the update adds a few useful features that could make it easier to get work done on your iPad. The biggest is perhaps Sidebar, which makes it easier to navigate and organise apps like Photos, Notes, and Files. The Sidebar in Apple Music lets you jump between your playlists and the full-screen music player.
Calls are no longer full-screen, which means you can actually multi-task while making calls on your iPad. (This feature is also coming to iPhones with iOS 14.)
Search in iPadOS also gets a lil refresh: Just start typing and you can look through apps or browse the web directly from your home screen. This is a feature already available on both Spotlight and Alfred on macOS, and is definitely a welcome addition for people hoping to use their iPads as laptops.
However one of the coolest new features is Scribble for the Apple Pencil.
Simply start writing on-screen in any text field or note-taking app and it will convert it to text. It works in any text field, even a search bar. You can also tap to select a handwritten word or tap again to select a line. You can even move text around to make more space.
There are similar features already found in apps like Google’s Keep and Nebo, but if Apple really wants the iPad to be a productivity device these features were crucial additions.
This is a developing story…