A long-standing frustration
Ever since iPadOS introduced external drive support, the Files app's sluggishness when browsing and transferring content was one of the most frequently cited pain points for professional iPad users. Compared to Finder on Mac, the gap was noticeable and frustrating for anyone using iPad as a primary work machine.
What changes with iPadOS 27
Apple announced at WWDC 2026 that on iPadOS 27, browsing and transferring files to external drives — including USB4 SSDs — is now up to 5x faster than in the previous version. According to MacRumors' live keynote coverage, the new speed is 'as fast as Finder on Mac.' Popular Science notes that Apple's internal tests were conducted on an iPad Pro M4 with a USB4 APFS external SSD, copying 10,000 JPEG files.
Why it matters
This isn't an abstract marketing number: for anyone using iPad Pro as a laptop replacement — video editing, managing photo libraries, document workflows — external storage I/O speed matters daily. Bringing performance in line with Finder removes one of the historically reliable arguments for choosing a Mac over an iPad. The improvement requires no new hardware: it is a software update available to all iPadOS 27-compatible models.