File this one under Too Crazy to Ignore: A leaker on Twitter claims that Apple is working on a “smaller version of macOS” that will run “exclusively” on the new M2 iPad Pro next year.
We’re with you—there are a lot of reasons to be skeptical. The leaker is one. Majin Bu, doesn’t have much of a track record beyond case leaks and the yet-to-be-confirmed 14-inch iPad. For another, there’s very little evidence that Apple is working to merge the iPad and Mac lines other than the two sharing the same Stage Manager feature in iPadOS 16 and Ventura. Finally, many users would be furious if such a drastic change was limited to one iPad Pro model.
But still, it’s an interesting, if not exciting rumor. The iPad Pro continues to be a powerful device, boasting a fast processor, stunning ProMotion screen, Thunderbolt display, Face ID, and Thunderbolt. While there are many great features, the iPad Pro is still a powerful device. A few features are available in iPadOS 16. that are exclusive to M1-powered iPads, Apple hasn’t really elevated the iPad Pro above its other less-expensive iPads.
Bu claims that the “simplified” version of macOS 14 will have “a 25% larger macOS UI” that’s presumably optimized for touch. But since iPadOS already supports trackpad navigation with the Magic Keyboard, the general macOS experience wouldn’t need to change. And now that Apple has added Stage Manager to both iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura, there’s Something of a unified navigation system as well.
So maybe it’s not so crazy. As it stands there aren’t a ton of reasons to buy an iPad Pro over an iPad Air, and a “lite” version of macOS would absolutely shake things up in a big way. We won’t know if this rumor is true until Apple uvneils the next version of macOS at WWDC in June—or until Mark Gurman or Ming-Chi Kuo corroborates it—but for now, we’re happy to keep dreaming.
