Same muscles, fewer supported iPads
Apple unveiled iPadOS 27 at the WWDC 2026 keynote. On the features front, iPadOS 27 shares with iOS 27 the full Apple Intelligence suite — App Actions, expanded Writing Tools, Smart Reply, Siri AI, Visual Intelligence — and general performance improvements: smoother animations, faster launches, AirDrop transfers with a declared 80-per-cent increase, as reported by TechCrunch. 9to5Mac also notes improvements to slideshow customisation in Photos and to the shared albums system.
The sharpest cut in years
The most uncomfortable news is the compatibility list. MacRumors writes that "iPadOS 27 represents a considerably more aggressive pruning across the entire iPad lineup" compared to the previous year, when iPadOS 26 had only dropped the seventh-generation iPad. Full details on which models are cut are still being documented, but the signal is clear: those with a relatively recent but not recent enough iPad to support the heaviest Apple Intelligence models will find iPadOS 27 a partial update.
Why it matters
The iPad has historically been the Apple product with the longest software lifecycle. A sharper-than-usual cut signals that Apple Intelligence hardware requirements — particularly the most powerful on-device model, reserved for "the most capable iPhone, iPad and Mac systems" as Apple clarified during the keynote — are raising the minimum bar. For the professional ecosystem that relies on iPad as a work tool, the anticipated software discontinuity is a real cost factor.