Apple has long dragged its corporate heels when it came to bringing the Calculator app to the iPad, but Apple has finally ported it over to iPadOS 18, which was released in a beta form earlier this week. The app boasts new display elements, as well as providing support for mathematical notation and graphing via its new MathNotes feature.
The iPad had long been without a built-in Calculator app. The iPad debuted in January 2010 and until now we haven’t seen neither hide nor hair of a Calculator app. (Several third-party developers have offered iPad versions of their calculator apps.) The new app is designed to take full advantage of the iPad’s larger screen.
As reported by AppleInsider, the new universal Calculator app was created by Apple in September 2023, when it carried the codename “Project GreyParrot.”
The Calculator app boasts several new features and improvements. An improved unit conversion system is available, and a dedicated history tape sidebar also makes an appearance. Users can activate the history tape sidebar from the top left-hand corner of the app’s screen.
Math Notes supports the same functions as the Calculator apps scientific calculator view, including variables.
An all-new Math Notes calculator allows users to type or write out mathematical expressions and see them instantly solved in their own handwriting. They can also assign values to variables when learning new concepts in class, calculating a budget, and more. With a new graphing feature, users can write or type an equation and insert a graph with just one tap, and can even add multiple equations on the same graph to see how they relate. And Math Notes are automatically accessible in the Notes app in the new Math Notes folder.
Graphing expressions are also supported by Math Notes, providing a way for users to instantly create a graph within the app.
The revamped Calculator app will be available on the iPadOS 18, iOS 18, and macOS Sequoia platforms, all of which were unveiled Monday at WWDC24. All three operating systems will be available to the general public later this year.
