Key takeaways
- Stage Manager does not offer any new or intuitive features.
- Takes up too much screen space on 13-inch devices.
- Stage Manager feels out of place on macOS and iPadOS.
Apple tried to introduce and improve window management for iPad and Mac, respectively, with Stage Manager. However, like many people, I turned it on to see what it was about, then turned it off and forgot all about it. After all this time, I still don’t feel the need to flip that switch, and I suspect many of you don’t either.
Stage Manager does nothing new and does worse
OK, maybe it’s not entirely fair to say that Stage Manager doesn’t do anything new, because if it simply offered the same window management features, but made them easier and more intuitive to use, that would be enough. However, compared to Windows 11 and various modern versions of Linux, window management on macOS and iPadOS is as simple as it gets.
If Apple introduced Intuitive Window Snapping or those wonderful pre-built window layout templates from Windows 11 to macOS, I’d be on the Stage Manager bus faster than you can say “black turtleneck,” but for now , this seems like a more awkward way to access the same Windows management system that already existed on Mac, and which is frankly useless on iPad.
It’s a waste of screen real estate
The column of space taken up on the side of the screen by the Stage Manager system is far too large for 13-inch devices like the iPad Pro or small MacBooks. Even connected to my main 34-inch ultra-wide display, it’s an eyesore.
Yes, the small windows move out of the way when you move a window over them, but I much prefer the dock’s behavior if you configure it to hide. Appearing only when I hover over it.
It just doesn’t fit the design of macOS or iPadOS
I think overall, Apple has done a great job bringing some of the best parts of iOS and iPadOS to macOS. I really like the modern notification center and control center. However, even on iPad, Stage Manager seems like an afterthought, and on macOS it’s even more of a problem. There’s something wrong with the appearance of Stage Manager, and it doesn’t seem to match the visual and operational style of either operating system.
iPad Extended View is Locked to Stage Manager (Why?)
It has almost always been possible to connect an iPad to an external display using an adapter. However, all you would get was a mirror of the iPad screen and, what’s more, in the iPad’s aspect ratio! The only exception was some apps that played content at the external display’s native resolution and ratio, but these were relatively rare.
If you own an iPad with an Apple Silicon M-series chip (such as the M1 or M2), you have access to a feature known as “Extended Display.” Here the iPad offers true dual monitor functionality and you can have different apps on each screen. However, you must have a mouse connected for extended display mode to be enabled when a monitor is connected, and you can only control items on the external monitor using a mouse.
Stage Manager is not optional here, and it does indeed introduce proper windows to the iPad. However, this is completely unnecessary in my opinion. Apple might as well have ported the basic window management system from macOS. Stage Manager may look like a more user-friendly version, except in this mode you still use a mouse! In fact, Extended Display would have worked really well with iPadOS’s current Split Screen and Slide Over features and I wish it was an option we could toggle.
Spaces and mission control work better
I know that many macOS users have third-party Windows management solutions so they can access more advanced features, or at least features that are standard in other operating systems. While it depends on your specific workflow, I myself have never found the need to change anything on macOS in this regard. I primarily use Mission Control (activated with Control and the “up” cursor key) and Spaces (modified using Control and the left and right cursor keys) for all my window management needs.
I can have my main working screen in one space, my 3D printing slicer in another, Spotify in its own space, etc. It only takes a keystroke or a mouse click to get where I need it, and I just can’t understand how Stage Manager could make that faster or easier. I’d like to say that there’s the core of a good idea in Stage Manager, and it just needs some refinement, but honestly I think it would be better to spend some time strengthening and polish the existing macOS Vanilla experience.
