Page 33 - iPhone Life Magazine - Spring 2020

features were available via third-party apps like Goodreader, it
fi gure 5
Use Markup with Apple Pencil
For those who disregard Steve Jobs’ famous disdain of
styluses, iPadOS now allows you to mark up screenshots
with the Apple Pencil via a redesigned drawing and markup
tools pop-up palette (fi gure 5).
fi gure 6
Transfer Files More Easily
The Files app also received several major improvements to
assist iPad users with connecting to fi le storage devices and
servers. Files now supports SMB fi le sharing connectivity
allowing you to connect to macOS, Windows, and Linux fi le
servers just like desktop and laptop counterparts (fi gure 6).
And if you have a USB-C thumb drive or external hard drive,
plugging it into the iPad Pro’s USB-C port will mount the drive
just like a regular desktop operating system does. While these
was a multi-step process to transfer fi les from that application’s
own fi le store to the Files app. Now that it’s built in, third-party
solutions for these functions are no longer necessary.
Use Desktop-Class Safari
The days of dumbing down websites on the iPad’s Safari
browser are over. iPadOS now informs websites it is just as
capable of showing the same page formatting as its desktop
sibling. This major milestone makes the new iPad hardware
worthy of serious laptop replacement consideration, since a
majority of people’s web-connected time is spent browsing.
Safari also now includes weak password warning protection
and a built-in fi le download manager, just like its macOS
Catalina desktop equivalent.
Pros:
• New features bring the iPad closer to laptop replacement
territory
• Substantial upgrades for base apps (Files, Notes,
Reminders, etc.)
• Safari web browser renders web pages identically to
desktop equivalent
• iPadOS includes all new features of iOS 13, including
security and privacy improvements
Cons:
• Discoverability for some features not immediately
obvious
• Sidecar currently only works with macOS Catalina
• Minor bugs in the initial release
• Older iPads don’t qualify for the upgrade
Final Verdict
Due to the broader feature of
iPadOS, only iPad models released in
the last three years are eligible for the
software update. That said, iPadOS
shines best on Apple’s third-generation
iPad Pro line, since the user interface
enhancements have virtually no impact on performance or the
smooth as butter user experience those A12X Bionic proces-
sor-based tablets deliver. For those with older iPads unqual-
ifi ed to run iPadOS, it may be time to consider purchasing a
new iPad. Apple is moving forward with iPadOS, and the next
major release of this operating system will continue to rapidly
distance it from iPads running the older iOS versions. Ѷ
Mike Riley, a professional software developer and emerging information technologist,
is the author of Programming Your Home, published by Pragmatic Bookshelf. Mike is
also a contributing editor and author of hundreds of technical articles and reviews for
a number of popular technology publications. For more information, contact Mike via
email at mike@mikeriley.com and follow him on Twitter @mriley.
iPhone Life Spring 2020 31