macOS on iPad: After iPadOS 16, is it only a matter of time?

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The latest iPadOS release adds a couple of key features that make the iPad act a whole lot more like a full-fat desktop platform. First, Virtual Memory Swap — new to iPadOS but absolutely ancient in the broader world of computers — lets the iPad siphon off internal storage to use like additional RAM. This is important because, before this, the iPad would have to gradually close apps in the background as its RAM filled up, just like a smartphone. Adding virtual RAM makes it behave more like macOS or Windows, with a large pool of additional memory from which to draw — up to an extra 16GB in iPadOS 16.Virtual memory, combined with fast flash storage, is the main reason Apple can get away with shipping MacBooks with 8GB of RAM that still perform well even in demanding activities like video editing and heavy multitasking.