For as long as iPads have existed — about 14 years — Apple has never included a Calculator app out of the box. With the myriad of third-party options available, it could be that Apple didn’t see the need or, as Craig Federghi – Apple’s VP of Software Engineering – put it. in an interview for MKBHDthey wanted to wait until they could deliver something great.
I agree that the iPad really wasn’t missing without this built-in math tool, but WWDC 2024 keywords he changed all that. Apple introduced the Calculator app for iPadwhich received a standing ovation and applause from the venue, and the tech giant got a second round after doing a bit of a double reveal.
It looks like the traditional iPhone Calculator app and can be used in landscape or portrait orientation. Let’s say you have a 13-inch Air or Pro; you can fulfill your dream of having a huge calculator. But if you tap the Calculator button, you’ll find an option for Math Notes, and it might just be one of the most impressive feats I’ve seen in the demo.
With Apple Pencil, you can write a simple equation or something much more advanced, and iPad will solve it in seconds and present the answer in a way that mimics your handwriting. The iPad can now basically do and solve math, and as someone who has struggled in this area, I am washing I had it in school and college.
Math Notes is a game changer
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Even if it’s not technically under Apple Intelligence overarching, there are some rigorous calculations going on in the background because the Apple team essentially needed to teach iPad and iPadOS math at both a basic and more advanced level.
I saw Math Notes in action in the demo and it works almost instantly. You write an equation, add an equal sign at the end, and the iPad handles the calculation. It’s that simple, and it’s ready to be immensely useful to anyone—students, workers, and potential engineers—who need a concise way to do general calculations.
It’s a great feature that focuses on Apple’s approach to AI, or something close to Apple Intelligence, and how the tech giant approaches the space with a lot of other options. The calculator experience doesn’t stray too far from the tool’s original functionality, and the machine learning app that helps you create and solve equations is useful instead of flashy.
Machine learning helps Math Notes understand what you type and learn the tendencies of your strokes. This allows the answer to come quickly and look like it was your own handiwork.
I want to spend more time with it and push it to the limits. We know from the keynote that it’s good for addition, multiplication, subtraction and division – but it can also automatically add up a list of numbers if you draw a line at the bottom, or if you write a complex equation, you can change it. after adding up the result. This means you can add a split to the bottom and watch it update in real time; it seems infinitely customizable and understands all inputs.
While this can be considered an easy way to get to the answer, it can also be used in education as it can understand visuals and other input and generate graphs to help you better understand the function.
Math Notes work within Calculator on iPad, but can also be accessed from Notes. The only thing is that it won’t automatically provide an answer, but you will get an option. That way, if you’re taking notes in a meeting, the added smarts of the iPad’s math genius are at your fingertips.
A calculator with math notes is coming to a range of iPads
Since it’s not under the auspices of Apple’s upcoming Intelligence features, Math Notes is also expanding devices to handle the more advanced Calculator experience. It’s much more than just the M-series iPads, and includes the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 3rd generation or later, the 11-inch iPad Pro 1st generation or later, the iPad Air 3rd generation or later, the iPad Mini 5th generation or later, and the iPad 7. newer. It will also work on iPhone s iOS 18although you will have to scribble the equations with your finger.
So whether you need help with calculus, algebra, or basic equations—or maybe you just want to try hacking the computer—it looks like Apple has given us reason to be excited about the iPad calculator. I, for one, can’t wait for Math Notes to drop iPadOS 18.