Apple is finally set to deliver a feature long-awaited by iPad users: a built-in Apple calculator app. This new addition will arrive with iPadOS 18, to be introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, and will be available on all compatible iPad models.
For 14 years since the iPad’s launch, the absence of a calculator app has been a topic of curiosity. Strictly speaking, there is no official explanation for this, but there are two different theories.
Different design of the Apple calculator on different platforms
Various speculations have been made about why Apple has kept a calculator app off its tablets for so long. Reasons suggested include market positioning, encouraging third-party development, or most believably — design philosophy. According to a former Apple employee’s story shared on Reddit, Steve Jobs’s dissatisfaction with the app’s design and its last-minute removal was a primary reason.
The second reason was Steve Jobs’ idea that the iPad calculator and the iPhone calculator should not be the same. iPad has a bigger screen and the calculator should not do simple operations. It had to have a more comprehensive, more specialized and specialized calculator. He made a statement to his team in this direction. But the sad death and the presence of different applications in the market yield caused the new Apple calculator not to be designed. Until today.
Since iPadOS is fundamentally built on iOS, the original apps for the iPad were essentially scaled-up versions of iOS apps. It seems plausible that Steve Jobs found a calculator app that filled the entire screen of a tablet visually displeasing. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, mentioned in a 2020 interview that working on a native calculator app for the iPad had been a low priority. Following the theories and the announcement, it seems obvious that a calculator coming to the iPad for Apple has been delayed for quite some time. But third-party developers have not been idle in the meantime. Both ultra-advanced calculators like Steve wanted and simple, solution-oriented Apple calculators were made available in the AppStore by different developers.
Reward for users’ patience
After years of waiting and becoming the butt of jokes on social media, Apple is finally responding to its users’ demands. A built-in calculator app for all compatible iPad models is expected to be announced during the opening keynote at WWDC 2024. This move is seen as part of Apple’s continuous efforts to enhance user experience.
Apple is known for its meticulous attention to design and user experience. The prolonged absence of a calculator app for the iPad shows how much the company values perfection in its products. The upcoming feature at WWDC in June will herald new beginnings for iPad users and is sure to please many. So, do you think the new Apple calculator will be a comprehensive application like Steve Jobs wanted, or will it be a simple application?
Featured image credit: Francois Hoang / Unsplash
