It's hard to say why Apple waited 14 years to bring the Calculator app to the iPad as the tablets were promoted as suitable for education and productivity. Maybe Apple it waited for the development of new technologies to offer more than just a Calculator app, or perhaps it thought that the available third-party apps already covered that need.
Starting with iPadOS 18 Apple introduced the Calculator app on the iPad, providing a highly versatile and useful tool for users who need to perform both simple mathematical calculations and complex equations. In addition to the basic functionality of a classic calculator, the app also includes a scientific calculator, a unit converter, and the Math Notes feature, which allows users to write math equations directly on the screen in a natural way. Let's just say that at least this feature was worth waiting 14 years to have a native Calculator app on iPadOS.
Features in the Calculator app on iPad
Among all the features brought by Calculator app on iPad, the most interesting and useful one is Math Notes. While using the Math Notes feature in the Calculator app, the user can write math equations directly on the screen in a natural way, just like writing on paper. The application recognizes handwriting and immediately provides the result of calculations. Moreover, for more complex operations, there is the possibility to adjust the values of some variables and graphs can be inserted, even having the possibility to add several equations on the same graph to visualize the interactions between them. All these note sheets are automatically saved in the Notes app and can be accessed anytime from Mac or iPhone.
The addition of the Math Notes feature makes the Calculator app on iPad ideal not only for solving advanced equations, but also for taking interactive notes during math or science lessons. Of course, the most advantaged are the users who have Apple pencil.
In addition to the Math Notes feature, the Calculator app for iPad also has features such as:
Classic Calculator: The basic function that allows you to perform simple math operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Scientific calculator: This function is ideal for students or professionals who need more advanced mathematical operations. It gives you access to trigonometric, logarithmic and more functions.
Converter: This feature allows you to quickly convert between different units of measurement such as length, weight, temperature and more. It is very useful for traveling or for any other situation where you need to convert units of measure or currencies (exchange rate).
The app can also save the history of calculations you've made, allowing you to review them or use them as a reference.
If your iPad is not compatible with iPadOS 18, a good solution remains the application: Calculator Air: AI Math Solver.
In conclusion, after 14 years of waiting, Apple introduced the new application "Calculator" on iPadOS 18. The "Calculator" application is a very versatile and useful tool for anyone who needs to perform mathematical calculations. Whether you are a student, teacher, engineer or just someone who needs to do simple calculations in their daily life, this app will be of great help to you.
