# iPadOS 18 Hacker News commenters recommended iPadOS and 62 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Praised for multi-window mode, better keyboard and mouse support, and tight sync with macOS. Most common caveat: critics say it still falls short for complex work and multitasking. ## Why people recommend it - Multi-window and real windowing (3 comments): "runs it fine including multi window mode. That by itself makes it the most significant upgrade in at least the last 10 years" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47607355)) "with real windows and it finally being able to run apps in the background for an extended period of time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46004677)) "I enjoy both the current macOS and iPadOS windowing systems." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49734292)) - Strong overall platform, best at things (3 comments): "it does pretty much everything today that us techies have been whining about" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47249214)) "macOS, iPadOS and watchOS are all still the best at what they do." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46118505)) "iPadOS is the only relevant tablet OS." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50274751)) - Multitasking and background apps (2 comments): "iPad OS is already capable of complex work and has been capable of multitasking since it was iPhone OS v1." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47225574)) "with real windows and it finally being able to run apps in the background for an extended period of time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46004677)) ## What people warn about - Keyboard and mouse support bugs (4 comments): "the lack of proper full screen support in the browser with mouse capture ruins it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48216557)) "iPadOS 27 broke many keyboard use cases for me, including very simple things like using tab to move to the next field on a form in Safari." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50172841)) "For some reason the full-screen keyboard didn't load, all I could get was a miniature thing that floated on the left part of the screen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46590603)) - Weak for complex, text-heavy work (4 comments): "iPadOS may not fully be to the point of being an OS UI that really utilizes the benefits of a tablet sized device, but it does have elements that are unique to it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47219093)) "None of these are deal-breakers alone, but together they make iPadOS feel hostile to repetitive, text-heavy, or workflow-driven tasks." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46388043)) "In a head-to-head comparison with real desktops like macOS or Windows, iPadOS can be generously described as a no-show." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47226727)) - Windowing adds overhead and complexity (3 comments): "Having a full windowing system just adds a bunch of overhead, weird edges cases when apps have multiple windows open, and slows me way down." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50179442)) "Recent releases of MacOS and iOS and iPadOS have given rise to Windowsesque complexity and ugliness." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45851194)) "I have not been a huge fan of iPadOS or iOS, the former making me often wish for a macOS experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49631181)) - Buggy updates and UI failures (2 comments): "Can't even be happy about the bug fixes because my biggest one, Spotlight not getting keyboard focus when you use it, is still present." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49702065)) "was supposed to be a quality improvement snd bugfix release, but it's mostly been a cascade of bugs and UI failures" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50166334)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Android](https://hackerapproved.com/p/android.md): 372 recommend - [Apple iOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ios.md): 308 recommend - [LineageOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lineageos.md): 186 recommend - [/e/OS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/e-os.md): 89 recommend - [Sailfish OS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sailfish-os.md): 80 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "iPadOS", https://hackerapproved.com/p/ipados/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).