The new iPad calculator might have been worth the 14-year wait

Featuring iOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS Sequoia, Apple today previewed iPadOS 18 during the packed WWDC24 keynote. This upcoming OS update will include a wide range of new features and changes, including a more customizable home screen, Apple Intelligence integration for M1, M2 and M4 models, Control Center revamped and much more.

However, there is one feature that everyone will rush to try before anything else. iPadOS 18 will finally bring a native Calculator app to the latest iPads – an addition that users have been asking for since its debut in 2010, more than 14 years ago.

Apple

Apple

Apple

But Apple isn’t just expanding the iPhone’s calculator to fill the big canvas. Instead, it also brings advanced features, which will make it an invaluable asset for students and other users. These include powerful features, including the all-new Math Notes features that give Apple Pencil advanced functionality.

That’s right; With iPadOS 18, Apple integrates the existing Notes app with the calculator. As a result, iPad users will be able to directly solve math equations they scribble with the Apple Pencil in the Notes app. All you have to do is write the equation with your Apple Pencil and as soon as you scribble the equal sign, the app will display the answer in the appropriate place. If you make a mistake, alerting the equation will instantly change the displayed result. (And if you have sloppy handwriting, iPadOS 18 will use machine learning to make numbers written with Apple Pencil clearer and even mimic users’ handwriting styles when displaying results.)

Apple

Apple

Apple

With the Math Notes feature, iPadOS 18 users aren’t limited to simple equations. The addition also supports formulas and charts. In fact, just like equations, graphs are interactive and will update in real time as users adjust the relevant formulas.

Add support for history, variables, and unit conversion to the equation, and you have a great app that should make life easier for students. The integration between the Calculator and Notes apps on iPadOS 18 is truly one of the most notable changes in this update, saving users from having to rely on third-party tools that are often expensive.

iPadOS 18 Developer Beta 1 will be available later today. iPad users who prefer to wait for the stable release can expect the final release later this fall.