Apple's WWDC 2024 is primed to deliver plenty of AI-focused new features, but iPad users could be getting one of their most requested features.
Despite launching 14 years ago, the iPad has never had a native Calculator app from Apple itself, but it seems 2024 could be the year this changes, at least according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman notes in his WWDC event report that Apple has "revamped the Calculator app and is bringing it to the iPad for the first time" as part of iPadOS 18.
"On the iPad and Mac, the app will use the same overall interface — with round buttons — as the existing iPhone version, Gurman adds.
Why hasn't Apple added a Calculator to iPad?
Apple has often touted the iPad as a piece of technology that can do just about anything, which makes the absence of a relatively basic app like a calculator a curious omission.
One story suggests Steve Jobs didn't want the iPhone version on the iPad because it didn't meet his standards, and told Apple's Scott Forstall to pull the app entirely (Forstall was leading the development of iPad's software at the time).
Whatever the story is, there are a whole host of third-party alternatives available, but you can also use Siri to run quick calculations for you, too. It'll be interesting to see how Apple spins the long-awaited iPad app if it does appear this year, though.
