The iPadOS 27 Ultimate Wishlist - Why the iPad Still Can't Replace Your Mac in 2025
A comprehensive analysis of the features and capabilities Apple continues to withhold from iPadOS
Ten years ago, Apple asked us "What's a computer?" in that infamous memorable iPad Pro commercial. Today, as we navigate iPadOS 26, that question feels more like a taunt than a promise. Despite incremental improvements year after year, the iPad remains tantalizingly close to being a true laptop replacement, yet frustratingly far from achieving that goal for power users and professionals.
After spending considerable time with iPadOS 26, I've compiled what I'm calling the "Ultimate Wishlist" – a comprehensive list of features that would finally bridge the gap between the iPad's incredible hardware and its artificially limited software. This isn't just another complaint about the Files app (though we could certainly have that conversation). This is about fundamental capabilities that Apple continues to withhold, turning what should be a productivity powerhouse into an expensive content consumption device for many users.
At the heart of the iPad's limitations lies a simple truth: iPadOS apps are not desktop apps, and in 2025, that distinction matters more than ever. The M4 iPad Pro sitting on my desk has more processing power than many MacBooks, yet it can't run the same software. This isn't a technical limitation – it's a policy decision.
Every item on this wishlist is technically possible. The M4 iPad Pro has the processing power, memory, and storage to handle everything mentioned here. The limitations are policy decisions, not technical constraints. Apple has chosen to maintain strict boundaries between iPadOS and macOS, even as the hardware converges.
But this isn’t just on Apple. This is also on the developers. We need Apple to convince developers that it’s worth investing in the iPadOS ecosystem.
Consider the tools that define modern productivity workflows. Zoom's desktop version offers features like virtual backgrounds without destroying battery life, multiple screen sharing options, and proper breakout room management. The iPadOS version? It's functional, but stripped down, missing critical features that remote workers depend on daily.
Desktop Apps We Desperately Need:
Development Tools: Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code, iTerm
Productivity Suites: Full Obsidian with plugins, LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE
System Utilities: Activity Monitor, Little Snitch, LuLu
Creative Applications: Full Adobe suite, DaVinci Resolve
AI Tools: Ollama, LM Studio, Claude desktop with local MCP support
Virtualization: VMware Fusion, UTM, Docker
Package Management: Setapp and its entire ecosystem (not just the iOS apps)
The absence of Setapp and its suite of productivity tools – from BetterTouchTool for custom gestures to CleanShot X for professional screenshots – highlights how Apple's App Store model limits subscription services that bundle desktop applications. These aren't just apps; they're entire ecosystems of productivity that iPad users are locked out of.
Perhaps most tellingly, the iPad lacks any meaningful security and system monitoring tools. Applications like LuLu, Oversight, KnockKnock, and ReiKey – all free, open-source security tools from Objective-See – simply cannot exist in iPadOS's sandboxed environment. This isn't just about power users wanting to tinker; it's about having visibility and control over your own device.
In 2025, every web browser on iPadOS is still Safari in disguise. Whether you download Chrome, Firefox, or Brave, you're getting Safari's WebKit engine with a different coat of paint. This monopolistic approach has real consequences:
The Browser Engine Problem:
No true browser extensions ecosystem: While Safari has made strides with extensions, they pale in comparison to the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons
Web compatibility issues: Some web applications are built specifically for Chromium or Gecko engines
Innovation stagnation: Without competition at the engine level, there's less pressure to improve performance and features
Developer tools limitations: Web developers can't properly test their sites across different engines on iPad
The irony is palpable when you consider that the iPad Pro's M4 chip could easily handle multiple browser engines. This is purely about control, not capability. Many websites still force mobile versions despite "Request Desktop Website" being enabled, and without proper user agent control or developer tools, there's little users can do about it.
The absence of terminal access on iPadOS is perhaps the most glaring omission for developers and power users. The terminal isn't just about running commands – it's about having fundamental access to your device's capabilities.
What We're Missing Without Terminal:
Package Management and Development Environment:
Homebrew cannot exist without terminal access
No easy installation of development tools
No quick setup of programming environments
No access to thousands of command-line utilities
Programming and Scripting:
Python 3.13+ can't run natively outside of limited app sandboxes
No AppleScript for automation
No shell scripting for batch processing
No ability to create custom solutions for repetitive tasks
AI and Machine Learning Revolution We're Missing:
Homebrew, the package manager that makes macOS so powerful for developers, cannot exist without terminal access. This means no easy installation of development tools, no quick setup of programming environments, and no access to the thousands of command-line utilities that define modern development workflows.
The inability to run Python 3.13+ natively (outside of limited app sandboxes) means data scientists, researchers, and developers must carry a separate laptop for actual work. The iPad's Neural Engine could be perfect for machine learning experiments, but without proper Python access, it's essentially wasted potential.
AppleScript and shell scripting would transform the iPad from a single-task device into an automation powerhouse. Imagine being able to automate workflows across apps, process files in bulk, or create custom solutions for repetitive tasks. These aren't exotic requirements – they're basic computing capabilities that have existed for decades.
The Productivity Features That Should Be Table Stakes
Beyond the major architectural limitations, iPadOS 26 still lacks basic productivity features that have been standard on computers for decades:
Clipboard History
In 2025, the iPad still has no native clipboard history. You copy something, then copy something else, and the first item is gone forever. Third-party solutions exist but are limited by sandboxing. Meanwhile, Windows has had this feature built-in since 2018, and macOS users have had excellent third-party options for over a decade.
Real Screenshot Capabilities
The current screenshot tool on iPadOS is functional but primitive compared to macOS. We can't capture specific windows, can't record particular portions of the screen with audio, and lack annotation tools that match desktop standards. CleanShot X users know what we're missing – scrolling captures, cloud uploads with links, GIF creation, and proper annotation tools.
Enhanced Spotlight Search
While Spotlight has improved, it's still not the launcher and productivity tool it could be. Raycast on macOS shows what's possible – calculator functions, quick web searches, clipboard history, window management, system commands, and extensibility through plugins. The iPad's Spotlight remains a simple search box when it could be a command center.
Display and System Management: The External Monitor Disaster
Connecting an iPad to an external monitor in 2025 remains an exercise in frustration. Despite the M4 chip being identical to what's in MacBooks, iPadOS artificially limits external display capabilities:
No resolution control: You get what you get, regardless of your monitor's capabilities
No clamshell mode: Want to use your iPad as a desktop with the screen closed? Too bad
Limited display arrangement: You can't properly configure multiple monitors or choose primary displays
Scaling issues: Text and interface elements often appear comically large or impossibly small with no way to adjust
The iPad's USB-C port can theoretically drive multiple 4K displays, but iPadOS won't let you properly utilize them. This isn't a hardware limitation – it's software refusing to acknowledge that people might want to use their iPad as an actual computer.
The Virtualization Void
The absence of JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation for virtualization is another artificial limitation that prevents iPads from running virtual machines properly. Applications like VMware Fusion or UTM could let users run Windows, Linux, or even older versions of macOS for compatibility testing or development work.
The M4 chip includes virtualization extensions specifically designed for this purpose, sitting dormant because iPadOS won't allow their use. This means no testing environments for developers, no running legacy software for businesses, and no experimenting with different operating systems for education.
The Little Things That Add Up
Sometimes it's the small frustrations that reveal how far iPadOS still has to go:
Right-Click on the Desktop
In 2025, you still can't right-click (or long-press) on the iPadOS home screen to access contextual options. Want to change wallpaper? Navigate through Settings. Want to organize apps? Enter jiggle mode. The desktop isn't really a desktop – it's an app launcher that hasn't evolved since 2010.
Simultaneous Audio and Video
Try to play a YouTube video while music streams from Spotify on iPadOS. One will pause the other. This arbitrary limitation makes no sense on a device powerful enough to edit 4K video. macOS handles multiple audio streams effortlessly, mixing them as needed. The iPad could too, if Apple allowed it.
The iPad's Neural Engine and M4 chip could be perfect for machine learning experiments and running large language models locally, but without proper terminal access and the ability to install these tools, it's essentially wasted potential.
As we navigate the reality of Beta iPadOS 26 in August 2025, the iPad remains a device of tremendous potential held back by deliberate limitations. The Ultimate Wishlist presented here isn't asking for the impossible – it's asking for the iPad to be the computer Apple claims it can be.
The tragedy is that Apple has already built the perfect hardware. The M4 iPad Pro is a marvel of engineering – powerful, efficient, and versatile. But until Apple decides to remove the artificial barriers in iPadOS—and convince developers to stop sending the iPad half-baked apps, it will remain a computer that could be, rather than the computer it should be.
Perhaps iPadOS 27 will finally be the version that breaks these chains. Perhaps Apple will realize that protecting Mac sales by limiting the iPad ultimately limits both platforms. Or perhaps we'll be having this same conversation in 2026, wondering why our incredibly powerful tablets still can't run the software we need.
Until then, the iPad remains what it has always been: the best tablet you can buy, and the most frustrating computer you can't quite use. The Ultimate Wishlist isn't just a collection of missing features – it's a roadmap to what the iPad could become if Apple would just let it.
What would be on your iPadOS wishlist? Are these limitations deal-breakers for your workflow, or have you found workarounds? Join the conversation and share your thoughts on what would finally make the iPad a true laptop replacement for you.