I appreciate Matt’s willingness in this short piece to recognize that not all great features or developments are meant for everyone. It’s so easy to fall into this trap. And then scream and shout that Apple doesn’t know what they’re doing with the iPad.

If there is one drum I will beat across all of Apple’s software and hardware, it’s that the iPad is the single, most remarkable educational device ever built. I’ve talked about this countless times. I’ve used the iPad for over 12 years of post-secondary studies — first as a major textbook-reader and essay-writer as part of a history degree, then as an all-around reading device, writing device, handwriting device, communications device, and school management device as a CPA-candidate. The iPad magically combines every studious element into a historically thin and light device. No matter your learning style, the iPad has you covered.

Today’s iPadOS 18 announcements take the iPad even further down the educational path. Math Notes are stunning and are sure to greatly impact certain high school mathematical studies across the world. Audio transcription right alongside Smart Script are sure to build out notebooks for prevalent note-takers — completionists (I was one of them) will be jumping for joy knowing they won’t miss anything in a lecture. Visual learners can utilize the latest generate AI features to build out their notes and thrive in their learning style.

iPadOS is absolutely phenomenal for these folks. And “these folks” include children, university students, graduate students, professional learners, and more. I’m one of them. Still.

Indeed, these features may not be for everyone.

Rest assured, the latest out of Cupertino’s iPad department is sure to be revolutionary. For once, these folks get to take a front seat for one of the coolest devices in the world.