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WWDC 2022 is less than two weeks away and naturally the rumor mill is buzzing with new features. One of the biggest questions asked every year is about iPadOS. Will this year's iPadOS update finally unleash the full power of the iPad hardware?
Recent changes to WebKit hint at big changes coming to the iPad in terms of window resizing. Quick info for those unfamiliar: WebKit is Apple's browser engine that powers Safari and other web browsers. Since WebKit is an open source engine, the code is public and can be contributed by anyone on GitHub viewed As Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter now reported The latest additions of the WebKit infrastructure on GitHub points to support for a new “multitasking mode” that would allow free resizing of windows on iPadOS. separate A GitHub update from an Apple engineer confirmed these changes and again pointed to updates to WebKit that are intended to improve compatibility with this so-called “multitasking mode.”
iPadOS 16: WebKit changes give hope
Smith explained what this could mean exactly, comparing it to the “Tablet Mode” feature currently available for Windows devices:
It looks like "multitasking mode" is something that can change at runtime, allowing apps to switch in and out of it. I could imagine something like Windows 10's "tablet mode," which you can toggle at any time to restructure the user interface for touch or mouse and keyboard.
The WebKit code repeatedly indicates whether "multitasking mode" is enabled or disabled on the iPad. Safari would adjust its behavior depending on the current state of this system switch. It's difficult to glean too many specific details from these changes to the WebKit infrastructure, but WebKit changes have historically been a good indicator of future iPadOS, iOS, and Mac updates.
WWDC 2022 starts on June 6th
This isn't the first piece of information from WebKit that hints at changes in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. In February, changes to the WebKit code were reported, suggesting that iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 could bring new features for Dark Mode, as well as an API for managing cookie consent forms and allowing or blocking modal pop-ups for specific websites. These features could also make their way to macOS, as WebKit is the engine that powers Safari on the Mac. However, these WebKit changes related to the new "multitasking mode" should also be treated with a grain of salt for the time being. We've all been disappointed many times because we hoped that a new iPadOS update would bring significant improvements for power users. Nevertheless, hope dies last – we'll know more by June 6th at the latest. (Photo by Elinaxx1v / Bigstockphoto)
