For once, iPad multitasking didn't get rebuilt. 9to5Mac's tour of iPadOS 27 on an M4 iPad Pro finds a release that sands down the floating windows iPadOS 26 introduced and adds a long run of small fixes, the kind the channel says pays off for anyone who works on an iPad.
Which iPads get what
| Line | iPadOS 27 | Siri AI |
|---|---|---|
| iPad Pro | 12.9-inch 4th generation and 11-inch 2nd generation onward | M-series models |
| iPad Air | 4th generation onward | M-series models |
| iPad | 9th and 10th generation, iPad with A16 | None |
| iPad mini | iPad mini 6, iPad mini with A17 Pro | A17 Pro model |
For getting work done
- Faster Files. Apple's keynote says up to 80% faster; in the video a 225 MB clip copies off an external SSD in about two seconds.
- A menu bar that hides. With auto-hide on in the Multitasking and Gestures settings, only the app name stays in the corner until you tap or point at it.
- Wider iPhone apps. iPhone-only apps stretch to a double-wide window, which 9to5Mac reads as a preview of apps on the iPhone Duo.
- Shortcuts in plain language. Describe an automation and it gets built. The video's opens Safari and YouTube in Split View whenever the Magic Keyboard attaches.
Small fixes
- Home Screen undo and redo while rearranging icons.
- Extra-large widgets for 11 Apple apps, and any widget now resizes in place.
- Notes exports Markdown, inserts dividers, and links to a section inside the same note.
- Photos saves a video frame as a still, captions any video, and takes keywords for search.
- Safari sorts related tabs into topics as you browse.
- Ask Siri about what's on screen, from a photo of trading cards to a finance app it can summarize from a screenshot.
9to5Mac closes on a bigger claim for the iPad Pro.
I do think the iPad Pro especially is in a perfect spot to really be a good computer replacement for 95% of people.
Ninety-five percent is a lot to promise from a video that also calls Siri AI too abstract to judge except person by person. iPhoners weighing an iPad Pro as their laptop should give the keyboard automation more weight than the percentage: it's the one feature here that changes what happens before you start working.
