News
Nothing in the Apple world has the impact of the annual iPhone launch, but the company’s yearly WWDC developer conference comes close.
Last year saw the launch of iOS 18, which brought with it a revamped Control Center, a new Passwords app, in-depth Home Screen customization, and much more. Yet iOS 18 also continued a worrying trend for Apple in terms of stability.
I’ve used the iPhone for over a decade, and while I love the direction Apple is taking with new features, the stability of iOS has me concerned. An increasing number of bugs and a more general feeling of complexity go against the reasons I fell in love with iOS in the first place, and ultimately make the iPhone far less competitive.
Apple is rumored to be launching a redesign of iOS 19 at WWDC 2025, possibly shifting its branding ahead to iOS 26 to partially align with the update's release year. Here’s why I hope the company's next software overhaul is far more than just a redesign, and that Apple rebuilds iOS with a focus on stability, not just aesthetics.
iOS no longer 'just works'The redesigned Photos app in iOS 18 (Image credit: Apple)The success of the iPhone over the past 18 years has undoubtedly been due to Apple’s approach to both hardware and software. Android phones are widely renowned for having better specifications, at least if one looks at the specs on paper, but Apple has proven that software optimization is just as important.
Legendary founder Steve Jobs famously described the Apple ecosystem as “it just works”, but the stability of iOS 18 has continued a worrying trend that bucks that phrase. Many of the new hero features were somewhat buggy at launch, and crucially, if you transferred from an old iPhone into the iPhone 16 series, these bugs impacted the overall experience.
My iPhone 16 often freezes and either needs a restart, or I have to wait for it to respond. This is not an isolated issue, since the same complaints are being made by hundreds of users in communities like Reddit. I've also noticed significant battery drain on my iPhone 16, and enabling battery saver has a detrimental impact on performance.
Then there’s Apple Photos and the universal dislike for its complete overhaul in iOS 18. It’s rare that Apple customers universally dislike an official Apple app, but the redesigned Photos app leaves a lot to be desired, especially when Google Photos is such a compelling alternative. Yes, there are ways to make Apple Photos more like the previous version, but this experience is yet more indicative of Apple’s software challenges.
Software and hardware are no longer in syncApple announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024 (Image credit: Apple)The success of Apple’s products has been widely attributed to the company's remarkable ability to integrate software and hardware into a seamless experience.
Over the past few years, though, the company’s hardware ambitions have not been matched by the same level of success in software, which became apparent with the launch of Apple Intelligence.
The A18 Pro processor in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max is incredibly powerful, and builds upon the success of Apple's M-series computing chips. The cameras used in the iPhone can capture great photos, and the Camera Control feature is surprisingly useful. But a year on from Apple’s big AI debut, many of the highlighted features that were noted as coming within a year have been significantly delayed.
The stability of iOS 18 has only partially improved a year later, despite being on the fifth major launch build. Conversely, the Action Button and Dynamic Island are two rare hardware features where the software completes the hardware experience, proving that Apple can still deliver a compelling package.
A look at history suggests iOS needs a rebuildThe Samsung Galaxy Note 7 running TouchWizApple’s current software challenges feel familiar, and that’s because we’ve seen this story before. To find the answer to its own problems, Apple needs to look no further than its chief rival, Samsung.
I’ve reviewed phones for nearly 20 years, and while Samsung’s One UI is one of the best user experiences on Android right now, this wasn’t always the case. Before the launch of One UI in 2018, Galaxy phones ran TouchWiz, and while I was a fan of Samsung’s software at the time, I recall being in the distinct minority.
The biggest challenge facing Samsung’s software team at the time is also a cautionary tale for Apple and other phone makers.
TouchWiz was launched just two years after iOS, and both platforms have undergone considerable changes as smartphone users evolved and new habits formed. Like Microsoft has faced with Windows, this usually leads to software that is continually being added to, and the experience will inevitably suffer.
The Vision Pro and Vision OS show that Apple can still build a phenomenal integrated experience.
The answer for Apple is the same approach that Samsung took back in 2018: a complete rebuild. One UI took years to develop, and it removed large portions of the legacy experience in favor of the features required for current and future smartphone form factors, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
For Apple to successfully launch new hardware and software form factors, such as the rumored iPhone Fold, the company needs to rebuild iOS from the ground up, not just redesign the existing codebase.
The Vision Pro and Vision OS show that Apple can still build a phenomenal integrated experience – now it just needs to do the same for the iPhone.
You might also likeHow quickly five years goes by – I can scarcely believe it, but it’s been almost half a decade since I picked up my 11-inch iPad Pro and second-generation Apple Pencil.
The approach of WWDC 2025 has brought an onslaught of rumors about Apple’s upcoming operating system updates, and given the timing of the above I’ve been drawn to the latest tip-offs and suggestions about iPadOS 19.
Speaking personally, I’m pretty excited by the prospect of an iPad operating system that’s tipped to be the most Mac-like iPadOS update ever – check out our recent roundup of iPadOS 19 features we want to see for a detailed breakdown.
But on the other hand, as a user of both Apple and Android devices, I’ll believe it when I see it. Android has surpassed Apple in terms of tablet multitasking and computer compatibility so successfully that I’d almost stopped hoping for any proper competition from Apple; in thes arena at least, as iPads arguably have the suprios hardware and tablet-optimized app ecosystem.
To be fair, in the last five years I’ve put my iPad Pro to good use. It carried me through the first two years of my degree, and has been a fabulous companion for streaming video, controlling Spotify playback, and doodling on ProCreate. I’ve edited audio and video, taken photos, made spreadsheets and diagrams, and scrolled through plenty of social media posts.
But since picking up a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro just over a year ago, I’ve noticed my iPad usage falling steadily – to the point where its A12Z processor and still-lovely 120Hz LCD display have mostly been relegated to the status of YouTube machine.
The 2021 Macbook Pro 16-inch has largely supplanted the iPad's role in my life (Image credit: Future)As anyone who’s owned an iPad knows, that’s pretty much death’s door for an Apple tablet, no matter the model. In the latter years of my older iPad Air (the original model released in 2013), I was using the tablet for the exact same thing, despite not having a Mac at the time, and the iPad Pro's greater power and multitasking capabilities.
Given five years is somewhat aged for my iPad Pro, especially as its successors moved to the powerful and efficient M-series Apple chips, I’ve been eyeing up some of the best iPads as a possible successor to the Pro, and to give me a tablet that I'll use for a lot more than streaming.
To be honest, though, the spark I felt with my previous two Apple tablets just isn’t there this time.
The crux of this is I don't feel there's enough 'pro' features to justify and upgrade to the latest iPad Pro, and see it become my primary device for work and play over my MacBook. Unless you absolutely need the touchscreen or Apple Pencil, I think it’s quicker to get things done on the more flexible, more powerful macOS-based machine.
That’s because iPadOS just isn't powerful enough without proper desktop-style features – its multitasking is usable, but awkward, the files app convenient, but nerfed, the ecosystem smooth, but much more closed off than a traditional desktop. Essentially, I feel in its current guise iPadOS means the iPad Pro is essentially a powered-up iPad Air rather than a MacBook replacement that would pique my interest.
The iPad Pro M4 sports desktop-class hardware, but is held back by software (Image credit: Future)I’m not the first to say that the iPad’s remarkable hardware is held back by iPadOS. I'm not even the first TechRadar journalist to say so - Managing Editor, Core Tech Matt Hanson said he found that "the power of the M4 chip largely went to waste with the iPad Pro" earlier this year.
I think the hardware jump from my current 11-inch iPad Pro to one of the gorgeous 2024 models, with their slim build, Tandem OLED displays, and ludicrously powerful M4 chipsets, would feel even greater than the jump from the original iPad Air to my current 2020 iPad Pro, which makes the limitations of iPadOS even more frustrating. Why invest in all that power if the software can't take advantage of it?
So, without being too dramatic, I think this coming WWDC is Apple’s last chance to show me it really knows what it’s doing with the iPad.
(Image credit: Future)Why invest in all that power if the software can't take advantage of it?
While I’d settle for new features that offer a more purposeful tablet experience while remaining entirely separate from the Mac, what I really want to see is Apple pushing the iPad towards a bolder, more capable role, leaving its ‘YouTube machine’ moniker firmly in the past.
One could even suggest having a separate fork to iPadOS, such as iPadOS Pro, that focuses on pro-grade multitasking, a better mouse-centric interface when using an iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard, and file management and transfer that's suitable for people doing professional work such as video editing.
There's always been the perceived concern that Apple wouldn't do this due to cannibalising MacBook users, but there's scope that by making iPadOS more macOS-like for iPad Pros you could get an more capable and flexible tablet that could augment one Apple product collection than dilute it; for example photographers and video editors could use an iPad Pro with a more pro-centric iPadOS to do on the fly edits or tap into powerful Apple Intelligence features, while out in the field, then move over to a MacBook Pro when back at their desk or in a more laptop-friendly environment.
So my hope is we see something special from Apple at WWDC that supercharges iPadOS, if not with an eye on professionals then in a fashion that really harnesses the M-series chip power to make iPadOS more distinct, and less of what's arguably a modified take on iOS 18.
WWDC 2025 kicks off on June 9 – be sure to bookmark our how to watch WWDC 2025 guide and keep an eye on our phones coverage and tablets coverage for the latest updates. Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments below.
You might also like