With news thatiPadOS 18 might bring a calculator to the iPadwe’ll refresh our memories as to why the iPad does n’t have a calculator right now , and what the alternatives are if you want to do some mathematics and it ’s the only equipment you have ready to hand .
Ever since the iPad first get , there ’s been a curious omission in the apps that come preinstalled by Apple . Whereas the iPhone , Mac , Apple Watch and even the iPod touch feature a calculator as standard , there ’s never been one on the iPad .
Why is that ? Of all the platform , it ’s probably the one most suitable to the undertaking , especially if it was one of the scientific variety with all the extra capabilities .
We ’re not ones to leave a Harlan Fiske Stone unturned , so we set out to chance why the iPad descend calculator - loose .
The Steve Jobs story
In organise this article , we contact out to Apple to see if there was an official reasonableness why it withhold the calculator app from the iPad . At the time of piece of writing , we had n’t had a response , so we could n’t ask if it was something to do with an Apple executive standing at a crossing at midnight , play on a prototype iPad until a shadowy digit come , promising to make it the king of all tablet , but at a fearsome cost – that of the calculator app .
perchance this theory is why no one at Apple need to talk to us ? Or is it something forbidden ? Who knows ?
There is another possibility , though , as report by Luke Dormehl ofCult of Macback in 2016 :
This story , that get from someone who was working at Apple at the time , says that in the political campaign up to the launching of the original iPad tone ending , Steve Jobs called Scott Forstall ( who was leading the software program development for the lozenge ) into his function . Jobs then asked where the new calculating machine app design specifically for the iPad was . To which Forstall replied that there was n’t one . They were planning on using the iPhone interpretation rather .
Jobs , who was have intercourse for his unbelievable attention to particular , was n’t happy with this , as the app await awful in his center . He afterward pulled the app , much to Forstall ’s chagrin , and it simply fall to the bottom of the pile of matter that needed to be done for every update or upgrade to iOS and then iPadOS ever since .
It ’s entirely possible that this tale could be apocryphal , as it ’s a picayune hard to believe that no one at Apple could lift up a enough reckoner app over the past decade , but the continued absence seizure of say platform does give some weight to the mind .
We favor the crossroads adaptation , but maybe that ’s just the fatalistic romantic in us , plus we suspect Craig Federighi may have made a standardized exchange to insure the impressiveness of his yummy mane .
How to use the Calculator on the iPad
Whatever the reason why Apple does n’t let in its Calculator app on the iPad the really peculiar thing is that the Calculator is really there , it ’s just hidden from view .
How can you reach the Calculator on the iPad ? Just ask Siri .
We asked Siri on the iPad “ What ’s 10 x 12 ” and it gave us the solution 120 . The big surprise , as you may see from the figure below : It get that solvent from the Calculator !
you may therefore just use Siri to make simple calculation on your iPad . For example , ask :
Other more complicated questions may be routed via Wolfram Alpha . For example when we ask Siri for the hearty theme of 16 the answer come from Wolfram .
So the Calculator app on the iPad is utile for simple calculation , but it ’s not going to give you all the answers . What are the well options for more complicated calculations . We ’ll hash out that next .
Best calculator apps for iPad
If you do n’t want to wait for Apple ’s own mythical calculator app to come on the iPad , there is still a immense pick of adequate alternative usable on the App Store . One of our favorites is the cheap and cheerfulCalcbot 2 , which does standard and scientific calculations , plus whole conversions . The free reading include adverts , but you could get rid of them for around $ 2/£2 .
Other options includePCalc , Calculator HD++,Calculator HD Pro Liteand a riches of likewise brawny apps . There may be no Apple Calculator app for the iPad , but thankfully you ’re not inadequate of offerings in this department from other developer .
