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Interview: Craig Federighi Opens Up About iPadOS, Its Multitasking Journey, and the iPad’s Essence

iPadOS 26. Source: Apple.

iPadOS 26. Source: Apple.

It’s a cool, sunny morning at Apple Park as I’m walking my way along the iconic glass ring to meet with Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, for a conversation about the iPad.

It’s the Wednesday after WWDC, and although there are still some developers and members of the press around Apple’s campus, it seems like employees have returned to their regular routines. Peek through the glass, and you’ll see engineers working at their stations, half-erased whiteboards, and an infinite supply of Studio Displays on wooden desks with rounded corners. Some guests are still taking pictures by the WWDC sign. There are fewer security dogs, but they’re obviously all good.

Despite the list of elaborate questions on my mind about iPadOS 26 and its new multitasking, the long history of iPad criticisms (including mine) over the years, and what makes an iPad different from a Mac, I can’t stop thinking about the simplest, most obvious question I could ask – one that harkens back to an old commercial about the company’s modular tablet:

In 2025, what even is an iPad according to Federighi?

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Direct Mail 7: Professional Email Marketing Built Just for Mac Users [Sponsor]

If you run a business, a side hustle, a podcast, or just want to stay in touch with a community, you know how important great email marketing can be. That’s where Direct Mail comes in — a native macOS app that makes it incredibly easy to design, send, and track email campaigns that get results. Unlike web-based alternatives, Direct Mail is designed specifically for macOS, with the speed, polish, and Mac-first integration you expect.

The brand-new Version 7 is a huge leap forward. This update brings a host of new features, including a reimagined user interface, smarter list management, powerful email signup forms, upgraded reporting, and all-new tools to help your emails stand out. Whether you’re sending to 10 people or 10,000, Direct Mail gives you the tools to do it professionally and painlessly.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with clunky, web-based email marketing tools, or just want something that feels right at home on your Mac, check out Direct Mail. It’s free to download and try, with flexible pricing plans to match every budget — including pay-as-you-go options. You can be up and running with your first campaign in just minutes. Our friendly customer support reps are available via live chat to help with any questions, ensuring you’re never stuck. Get started today and expand your reach with powerful, Mac-first email marketing tools.

Our thanks to Direct Mail for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Stephen Hackett on Opening Up a ‘Macintosh’ Screensaver Treasure Trove→

As detailed on 512 Pixels, Stephen Hackett managed to break into the beautiful ‘Macintosh’ screensaver and uncover the details of how it was constructed.

When looking for macOS Tahoe’s wallpapers, I was reminded of this project. I went digging through the SSD on my MacBook Pro, and my journey through Finder has yielded great fruit.

The screen saver is actually an Extension, residing at /System / Library / ExtensionKit / Extensions / WallpaperMacintoshExtension.appex (spaces added for legibility).

Right-clicking to “Show Package Contents” unveils a treasure trove:

The screensaver itself is not a video one, as evident by the way it randomly displays its designs when activated. Until now, it was somewhat of a mystery how this was dynamically created, so it’s great to peek behind the curtain.

I won’t spoil the details as they are pretty fun, and not really what you would have expected. Stephen has also collected all the image files in HiRes, should you wish to download them.

As someone who absolutely adores these designs to this day (so much so that I have not one but two of them as tattoos - the pixelated cursor and the smiling Mac), this was a delightful little discovery.

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Podcast Rewind: Chatting with Apple Design Award Winners, Favorite WWDC Announcements, and Transatlantic Tea Talk

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

For their first WWDC 2025 AppStories episode, Federico and John interview finalists and winners of the Apple Design Award.

This episode is sponsored by:

Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone does WWDC! Federico Viticci joins the show to talk about our favorite things revealed at Apple’s developer conference.

Ruminate

Snack news dropped just before recording, Robb’s been buying more notebooks, and John and Robb discuss videogame news.

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WWDC 2025: Apple Publishes Keynote Video

This year’s WWDC was a packed event by most metrics. Apple introduced a new visual style across all of its platforms called Liquid Glass. Not only that, but the company also announced significant multitasking updates to iPadOS, powerful features for Spotlight on macOS, and numerous other upgrades across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS.

If you missed the event or want to revisit any of the announcements, you can now do so on Apple’s Events site (where it’s also available in ASL) or on YouTube. We’ll be posting coverage of all the new features and more in the coming hours and days, so stay tuned to MacStories.

The company has put out some other videos highlight today’s announcements as well:

You can follow all of our WWDC coverage through our WWDC 2025 hub or subscribe to the dedicated WWDC 2025 RSS feed.

Proxyman: Need to Capture HTTPS for Debugging? Try Proxyman! Works with iOS Devices and Simulators. [Sponsor]

Proxyman is the native, high-performance debugging proxy that makes monitoring and analyzing your app’s network stack almost effortless. Built with Swift and Apple Silicon in mind, it runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, so every member of your team can peek under the hood without wrestling with legacy-era UIs.

Proxyman has you covered with a wide array of tools.

Proxyman has you covered with a wide array of tools.

Proxyman’s toolkit goes far beyond simple packet capture. Breakpoints pause requests, so you can tweak headers or bodies on the fly; Map Local and Map Remote let you swap in local files or redirect traffic to staging servers; scripting, diffing, network throttling, and WebSocket support round out a workspace that replaces what was a whole folder full of utilities.

Need on-device debugging? Proxyman for iOS is a standalone app that uses a local VPN to intercept every byte on your iPhone or iPad–no Mac required. View plain-text HTTP and HTTPS payloads, set breakpoints, block calls, or share a log back to the desktop. Face ID and passcode lock keep sensitive data safe, and iPad Split View turns Proxyman into an invaluable companion while you code.

Need to capture HTTPS traffic from iOS Simulators? Proxyman covers it too. Just few click to setup your Simulators and ready to capture it.

Proxyman Capture iOS Simulators

Proxyman Capture iOS Simulators

Licensing is simple. A perpetual Standard License is just $89 and unlocks every premium feature on one device and includes the iOS app. For $99 a Personal License includes the same benefits, plus two devices. Not ready to commit? The free trial lets you pin two domains and create two rules in each tool, giving you plenty of time to see how Proxyman fits with your development setup.

Stop guessing what your app is really sending over the wire. Download the trial today, then grab Proxyman from the Mac download page or the App Store and start shipping more reliable code faster than ever.

Our thanks to Proxyman for sponsoring our WWDC coverage this week.

Podcast Rewind: Weird Sliding Handhelds, Sky, and Wishes for Apple Intelligence and Shortcuts

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, John shares his first impressions of Sky, the alpha AI-powered Mac automation app from the creators of Workflow and Shortcuts, and then he and Federico share their Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence wishes for WWDC 2025

On AppStories+, John and Federico consider what AI means for developers and the App Store in the year ahead.

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Notion: Try the powerful, easy-to-use Notion AI today.
  • P: The water reminder and hydration app.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, with the Switch 2 launch just around the corner, Federico and John round up the latest Switch 2 news, get excited for a bunch of weird and wonderful upcoming handhelds, and more.

On NPC XL, John walks listeners through the setup process for installing NVIDIA GeForce Now on the Steam Deck, and Federico reveals a new controller and plans to stream from his gaming PC to handhelds when he’s away from home.

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TRMNL: The E-ink Companion For Your Favorite Tools [Sponsor]

Get and stay in the flow with TRMNL, a beautifully designed open-source e-ink dashboard that keeps you informed without breaking your focus. With TRMNL, you’ll switch apps less and focus more because everything is right in front of you on an elegant 7.5” display.

A Plugin for Every Occasion. Choose from more than 78 free plugins from the TRMNL team, or from the hundreds developed by the community, displaying the weather, tasks, calendars, website stats, and fun content like quotes from The Office. You can display any plugin full screen or mix and match them with Mashups, TRMNL’s widget-like system. You can create plugins yourself with TRMNL’s API or the Apple Shortcuts app, and schedule what appears throughout the day, too.

A Battery You Never Have to Think About. TRMNL’s rechargeable battery lasts from two months to 1.5 years depending on how you set it up. That’s because the data displayed is cleverly formatted as static images that are only sent from TRMNL’s servers when the device refreshes. The rest of the time, the device sleeps, but your information remains visible.

DIY-Friendly. TRMNL is open-source. There are instructions on TRMNL’s website for building your own hardware and running your own server.

Three Styles, One Incredible Experience. Choose black or white ($139) or clear ($154) frames. Whether it lives on your desk, kitchen counter, or conference room wall, TRMNL adapts to your space with a wall hook and kickstand.

Limited-Time Offer. MacStories readers can save $20 using this link. Act fast to save now.

Stop flipping between apps and reclaim your focus with TRMNL.

Our thanks to TRMNL for sponsoring MacStories this week.