Did you hear the big news about iPads today? No, this is not news! Sources told MacRumors that iPadOS 18 will include the iPad’s most anticipated feature: a Calculator app. It is expected to be part of the iPadOS 18 unveiling at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
Apple’s plans with the Calculator app have been making the rounds lately. AppleInsider reported last week that the company was planning a major overhaul of the Calculator in macOS 15 with an iOS-inspired redesign, a new history strip feature, support for the new Math Notes feature in the Notes app, and more. The new iPadOS 18 calculator is likely the same one that’s being talked about for macOS 15, so we assume it will have similar features. Since M-series Macs can run iPad apps, it makes sense that Apple would simply develop a new calculator for iPadOS 18 and port it over to macOS 15.
The new iPad Calculator will be available for all iPads on the iPadOS 18 compatibility list. Although this list is not yet available, a MacRumors report from February indicated that iPads on the iPadOS 17 compatibility list will also work with iPadOS 18 , except for iPads with an A10 or A10X Fusion chip. These iPads were released between 2017 and 2019.
The calculator was not part of the original iPad release in 2011, so over the past 14 years users have had to rely on third-party calculators such as PCalc ($9.99), Calzy ($4, $99) or Calcbot 2 (free with in-app purchases). It seems unlikely that the new iPad calculator will live up to the feature set of these third-party apps, but for users who need to perform relatively basic math functions, it will be a handy tool (finally).
Apple will host its “Let Loose” event on May 7, during which it is expected to unveil new iPad Air and Pro models, and possibly a new Apple Pencil. You can catch up on iPad Air and iPad Pro rumors ahead of the event, but calculator fans will have to wait another month for the WWDC keynote.
