Apple announced a slew of updates at WWDC 2022 in the form of iOS 16 with a redesigned lock screen, Stage Manager for macOS 13 Ventura and iPadOS 16, and more with a focus on productivity and personalization.
However, while these updates have been well-received, the big highlight for me is the Weather app. For years on the iPad, if you wanted to check the weather, you’d be taken to a webpage that was never the best experience.
While there were third-party offerings like CARROT and Dark Sky before it was bought by Apple, it felt like an opportunity was being missed here, even though there had been weather widgets on macOS and iPad for several years.
But we finally saw the iOS 15 Weather app last year, and just a year later we see the app move to the Mac and iPad. For me, it’s the highlight of WWDC 2022.
Sunny with iPad chance
Apple has said in the past that it wouldn’t create its own version of an app unless it had something different to offer. That’s probably why we haven’t seen a Calculator app on the company’s iPad, but the weather app has been an obvious absence on Apple’s tablet alongside Mac products for years.
When the first iPhone came out in 2007, the weather app wasn’t a weather app – it was a widget with a brief overview of what the day might bring. Eventually it evolved into an app, along with widgets you could look at briefly, but if you wanted push notifications for rain or air pollution, you’d have to use a third-party app.
Fast forward to 2020 when bought the dark sky (opens in new tab)and we’re starting to see a new Weather app coming to fruition, with iOS 15 bringing the redesigned Weather app you’ve likely seen last year.
Seeing the animations in this app when it’s cloudy or in heavy rain is essentially Apple, and every aspect to show you how the next day or ten days is simple but elegant.
It’s an app that I brought back to my main home screen, something I hadn’t done in years, and I was hoping to see this on the iPad.
Fast-forward to June 6, and iPadOS 16 finally has it, alongside macOS Ventura. It looks the same, just bigger, and that’s all I need.
While I don’t use an iPad as much as I used to, it’s great to finally see it make its way to the platform, alongside the Mac. Once again, it’s showing that Apple is not keeping certain features and apps exclusive to its biggest product, but also taking advantage of the larger screen real estate that the iPad and Mac provide.
If you’re thinking of switching to an iPad before iPadOS 16 arrives, we can recommend a few models that can help showcase the Weather app and more, especially if you’re looking for one for the upcoming school year.
