[keyshapegeo99]

If you head over to digital artistry-related subreddits / other forums, they are almost uniformly very strongly against this due to the major UX regressions in iPadOS for their typical use cases (i.e. touch-based multitasking having been ruined)

But yes agreed, it is mind-boggling to me how broadly well-received this has been

[andix]

It's crazy that they removed split view and slide over from the iPad. The new window management is still extremely fiddly. It takes now 7 steps to open another app next to the current one, and a few more steps to get them all full screen again.

I used split view quite often, but I never use the new window management. I just store away my iPad more often now and use my PC instead.

[keyshapegeo99]

The new windowing system is actually rather decent when used with a keyboard + all window tiling / maximising / app switching keyboard shortcuts memorised. Although the lack of Slide Over is still inexplicable and sucks.

The issue is that most people don't use iPads with keyboards. The windowing system in this case is then an absolute nightmare compared to what came before, as touch-based users were clearly a distant second thought when designing it.

For any HNers who don't have access to iPads running iPadOS 26 / 18, and aren't sure if this is just the "people on the internet hating new things" reflex (it really isn't), here's a side-by-side comparison that clearly illustrates andix's point[1]

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/iPadOS/comments/1mq8sgd/old_split_v...

[andix]

It looks so easy on the video. If I try to drag a full screen window it only works in 20% of the cases. In the other cases either one of those things happen: menu bar opens, widgets opens, control center opens, lock screen opens, or I tap some controls in the app.

I don't think it's "an issue" that I use an iPad without mouse and keyboard most of the time. Last time I checked the iPad was designed as a touch device.

[keyshapegeo99]

I completely agree and I just put in the bit about the keyboard shortcuts to pre-empt comments from the minority of iPad users who never remove the iPad from their Magic Keyboard saying they quite like the update.

Although regarding your final sentence - I don't think Apple even knows what the iPad is supposed to be any more. It seems execs completely lack any kind of product vision. And given both the tackiness of Liquid Glass and the various insulting ad campaigns that have trickled out over the past few years - they also clearly lack taste. In other words, Apple is Just Another Tech Company now.

[torben-friis]

Yeah some niches are complaining, but mainstream content seems to be positive to neutral. I understand that people like MKBHD can't badmouth such a big player without risking loss of access, but not even clickbait content creators seem to be aware that the king has no clothes.