Whereas Apple doesn’t outright say it, the iPad can be utilized as your on a regular basis pc as an alternative of a Mac in loads of cases. These cases the place the iPad is unsuitable usually contain extra mundane however important duties, however it seems that Apple is slowly fixing these deficiencies in iPadOS–there’s a brand new function within the upcoming iPad OS 18 that’s fairly helpful.
Kaleb Cadle, who writes about Apple stuff (amongst different tech matters) on ByteBits, found the flexibility to erase and format connected storage units within the iPadOS 18 beta. The operate is within the Information app—faucet and maintain the exterior storage machine to see the Erase choice, and then you definately’ll have the choice to rename the machine and choose one in every of three codecs: APFS, ExFAT, or MS-DOS (FAT). The choice was additionally found within the iOS 18 beta as properly, in line with MacRumors.
Kaleb Cadle/ByteBits
Whereas the flexibility to erase and format drives will not be one you utilize steadily on an iPad (you in all probability don’t use it so much on a Mac, both), it’s a really helpful operate. It saves you from having to show to a Mac if you end up on this scenario. Cadle wonders if Apple will ultimately deliver different features from the Mac’s Disk Utility app over to the iPad, reminiscent of Restore and First Support–we definitely hope so.
Needless to say that is an iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 function, so it’ll solely be out there on appropriate units—and could also be restricted to sure fashions with particular {hardware} necessities.