Apple Explains Why Stage Manager is Limited to M1 iPads in New Statement

One of iPadOS 16's key new features is Stage Manager, which allows users to resize apps into overlapping windows for an improved multitasking experience. Stage Manager also fully supports an external display, allowing users to work with up to four apps on the iPad and up to four apps on the external display simultaneously.

ipados 16 stage manager
To the disappointment of some users, Stage Manager is limited to iPad models with an M1 chip, including the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air. In a statement shared with Rene Ritchie, Apple explained its rationale for this limitation by asserting that the Stage Manager experience "requires large internal memory, incredibly fast storage, and flexible external display I/O, all of which are delivered by iPads with the M1 chip."

Apple's full statement, as shared by Ritchie:

Stage Manager is a fully integrated experience that provides all-new windowing experience that is incredibly fast and responsive and allow users to run 8 apps simultaneously across iPad and an external display with up to 6K resolution. Delivering this experience with the immediacy users expect from iPad's touch-first experience requires large internal memory, incredibly fast storage, and flexible external display I/O, all of which are delivered by iPads with the M1 chip.

For example, the M1 iPad Pro is available with up to 16GB of RAM, compared to 6GB in the previous-generation iPad Pro. Apple also advertises the M1 iPad Pro as having 2x faster storage than the previous-generation model.

While the Stage Manager feature is limited to iPad models with an M1 chip, iPadOS 16 as a whole is compatible with all iPad Pro models, the third-generation iPad Air and newer, the fifth-generation iPad and newer, and the fifth-generation iPad mini and newer. The update is currently in beta for developers, with Apple planning to release a public beta in July. iPadOS 16 should be released to all users around September.

Related Roundups: iPad Air , iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
iPhone 7 Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter

Apple Seemingly Discontinuing Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter Introduced Alongside iPhone 7

Sunday November 17, 2024 12:33 pm PST by
It appears that Apple is discontinuing the Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that it released alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016. The adapter was recently listed as "sold out" on Apple's online store in the U.S. and most other countries, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The adapter remains available from Apple in only a handful of countries, such as...
Apple TV 4K hero 221018 feature

It's 2009 Again: Apple is Apparently Reconsidering Making a TV

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:27 am PST by
Between around 2009 and 2011, it was repeatedly rumored that Apple would be releasing a TV, but that obviously never happened. Now, a decade-and-a-half later, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the idea is back on the table. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman briefly mentioned that Apple has been "evaluating" the "idea of making an Apple-branded TV set." He did not provide any further...

Top Rated Comments

Rory76 Avatar
32 months ago

Maybe, but why try to make new features work with old hardware that is approaching end of support?

I get it, nice for the customer, but as far as apple is concerned, it is adding complexity to the codebase for hardware that won't be viable for many more years.

And un-necessary complexity in software is a major source of bugs.
The 2020 iPad Pro is approaching the end of support??? ?
Score: 74 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiVolt Avatar
32 months ago
They could have probably made the feature work on older iPad Pro's without the external display support, but you could still have it on the device.

The 2018/2020 were pretty powerful chips.
Score: 69 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Think|Different Avatar
32 months ago
It’s lose/lose — everyone will just comment they are “lying” as if they know the intricacies of their inner workings, engineering pipeline, or business track. Whether we like it or not, there’s a reason they are a multi-trillion dollar company and it’s not listening to Redditors or MacRumors commentators.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
32 months ago

It’s lose/lose — everyone will just comment they are “lying” as if they know the intricacies of their inner workings, engineering pipeline, or business track. Whether we like it or not, there’s a reason they are a multi-trillion dollar company and it’s not listening to Redditors or MacRumors commentators.
Yep, exact same with the whole iPhone 7 being dropped this year.
Explain how it’s clearly the lock screen and other features requiring the neural engine.
“Oh well they could easily just strip the new lock screen and everything else requiring NE out.”
Explain how ripping things out of the operating system, especially huge things like the Lock Screen, isn’t as easy as it seems and wouldn’t really be worth it to save one device.
“Oh well it’s forced obsolescence, because of course it is.”
Ask “how is it forced obsolescence if the iPhone 6S was literally the longest supported phone with a full seven years of updates, and the iPhone 7 is only one year behind that?”
“It just is OK, it’s forced obsolescence. It just is.”
Ask “well what about the fact that Apple didn’t change the support list for three OS’s in a row?”
“It’s still forced obsolescence because Apple bad my phone need to be supported forever company evil etc etc etc”
Literally no matter what Apple does people will complain.
Drop devices from the Support list and people complain.
Continue supporting old devices and people complain that they’re slow.
Introduce MacBook Airs in more muted colors and people complain that they are boring.
Introduce iMacs in fun shiny colors and people complain that they are childish.
Introduce M2 and people complain that it’s not that much different than M1.
Stick with M1 and people complain that Apples moving too slow and we should already be on M2.
Announce thin and light MacBook Pros and people complain that it should be thicker and heavier for bigger batteries and better cooling.
Introduce thicker and heavier MacBook Pro‘s and people complain that they’re tooth thick and too heavy.
And the list just goes on and on and on
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BF1M Avatar
32 months ago
To sell more iPads. Let’s be real. It’s Siri all over again.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
32 months ago
Apple’s statement does not explain much. I think the simple answer is Apple wants us to upgrade to a new M1 iPad. Anyone remember the support for Siri.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)