Federighi: No sporks!

There'll never be an iPad/Mac merger, Apple's software chief says.

Author

Leander Kahney
June 19, 2025

The best thing to happen to iPad in years is iPadOS 26, the tablet’s upcoming operating system update, currently in developer beta.

I’ve been playing with it for a few days, and I love it. It’s finally the OS the iPad deserves.

It’s taken Apple a very long time to finally come up with a tablet operating system that satisfies the iPad’s two dueling and incompatible functions: media consumption and media creation.

Turns out, it’s hard to make a dead-simple device that’s good for watching Netflix or idly doomscrolling that also can be used to edit Hollywood-worthy movies.

Apple’s tried various kludges, with limited success, before finally settling on something that looks and behaves very much like its more complex predecessor — the Mac.

The beauty of iPadOS 26 is that you can quickly switch between two different systems: a simple, full-screen one for kicking back, and a more complex, multiwindow system when you need to get work done.

Add in support for keyboards, trackpads, external displays and myriad other productivity-boosting hardware, and you have a beautiful computer that finally and seamlessly lives up to its dual functions.

But why all the effort, the feeble fixes and the wrong alleys getting here? Why didn’t Apple just port macOS to iPad and be done with it — especially since iPadOS 26 is very, very Mac-like? Surely that might have been easier.

In a revealing and interesting interview, Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi (Mr. Luxurious Hair himself), explains why the company never went down that path. And don’t miss his final quote about his “emotional connection” to his iPad.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • Uh oh, our friends in Europe still won’t be getting a pretty handy feature of macOS Tahoe.

  • This magnetic iPhone SSD drive is genius. MagSafe is just the best.

  • As if I don’t already have enough computing devices in my life, I really want one of the tiny new Mac minis. Its compact form factor really appeals, and with the latest sale, it appeals to my frugal nature, too.

  • Restarting your device is a catch-all fix for a lot of tech glitches. Google’s taking it a step further with reinstalling a troublesome app.

  • I love a good Bluetooth speaker, and this new water-sport-oriented boombox from Soundcore (which makes surprisingly good audio products) even plays when it’s floating in the pool!

  • You might be excited about Apple working on a folding iPhone, but Cupertino apparently thinks the device will be very, very niche for a long time to come.

  • I remember really lusting after the Power Macintosh 9500 when I was a cub reporter at MacWeek, the weekly Apple news magazine. Alas, my paltry salary at the time wouldn’t even stretch to a humble LC.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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Today in Apple history: Power Mac 9500 is faster and more expandable

On June 19, 1995, Apple released the Power Macintosh 9500, a high-end Macintosh that boasted a more powerful, second-generation PowerPC chip.

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One more thing ...

❝

The Beatles all want to be on iTunes but they and EMI are like an old married couple. They hate each other but can’t get divorced. The fact that my favorite band was the last holdout from iTunes was something I very much hoped I would live to resolve. (Editor’s note: He did.)

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

iPhone mirroring in the EU. What should Apple do?

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Results from yesterday’s poll: Which missing iOS 26 feature would entice you to upgrade your iPhone?

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