Why iPads and Macs (still) don't merge?

Apple has just released a new version of iPadOS, fueling rumors of a merger between the iPad and Mac.

During the iPadOS 26 presentation, one question kept coming up. Why doesn't Apple merge its iPad and Mac lines? As the years go by, the two products have become more and more similar, to the point of similar uses. One of the first steps Apple took to bring iPads and Macs closer together was, of course, the launch of accessories for its tablet. A keyboard and trackpad, for starters.

Then, Apple Silicon chips arrived in iPads. Today, it's the entire operating system that's evolving. At WWDC on June 9th , Apple unveiled a heavily modified version of iPadOS . In this new version, the Cupertino company added a menu bar, bringing the two devices even closer together.

Apple holds its line

Despite the obvious similarities between iPads and Macs, which Apple no longer even tries to hide, the brand's executives insist that the two products can coexist. For Craig Federighi, Apple's vice president of software engineering, the iPad must remain "simple by nature."

He explains that in the early days, Apple's tablets were the most intuitive device, and this universality was a real strength. It forced third-party developers to work on easy-to-use apps. Craig Federighi assures that if the iPad had had "Mac"-like features like multitasking or the menu bar, developers would have used them, and that would have made using an iPad more complex.

Finding a balance

Apple's vice president actually considers the development of the iPad to have been a "journey" leading to this new interface, which he defines as "the right one" (while waiting for the next one). In his view, it is now important for Apple to understand who the iPad's target audience is and which users are more inclined towards Macs.

The whole nature of Apple's work in the coming years will be to find, and even more difficult, to maintain this precarious balance between two close, but different, worlds.