iOS 11 Concept Imagines Overhauled iPad Interface With Drag-and-Drop Functionality

Apple is planning to unveil its next-generation operating system for iOS devices, iOS 11, in less than a month. Despite the imminent debut date of the new OS, we've heard very little about what we should expect to see in the update.

Based on the fact that iOS 10 offered very few features for the iPad, Federico Vittici of MacStories, who uses an iPad for much of his daily work, has imagined an iOS 11 update wishlist that overhauls the iPad interface, introducing new iPad-only features that many pro users would undoubtedly love to see.

Vittici collaborated with designer Sam Beckett to bring his iOS 11 wishlist to life, providing concrete examples of ways Apple could redesign the iPad experience.


System-wide drag and drop functionality that would let users drag content between apps or from one iPad split screen window to another is at the top of Vittici's list. Images, text, links, documents, and more could be dragged using intuitive long press gestures. In the example image below, text from an email is dragged into a list in Reminders.

ios11conceptdraganddrop
An imagined "Shelf" feature goes hand-in-hand with drag and drop, giving users a place to store anything on the iPad they want to reference at a later time. It's similar to the desktop on a Mac, storing items for easy access.

ios11conceptshelf
Viticci's other iOS 11 wishlist items include a new Split View app picker with a search feature and a better layout, a Mac-style Finder app that works with iCloud Drive for a more consistent document-finding interface, a denser home screen, multiple audio streams, and a refreshed design with bolder typography and more of a focus on visual feedback.

For additional images and a more detailed explanation of the items on Vittici's iOS 11 wishlist, make sure to check out the full article over at MacStories.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
apple n1 chip

Apple's New N1 Chip in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Has a Wi-Fi 7 Limitation

Saturday September 13, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
The latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air models are equipped with Apple's all-new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. However, the chip has a Wi-Fi 7 bandwidth limitation. According to FCC documents reviewed by MacRumors, the N1 chip in all of the new iPhone models supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...

Top Rated Comments

garirry Avatar
109 months ago
Here's a rumour. iOS 11 will be just like any other iOS in the past few years. Unnecessary upgrades and "improvements", something Siri, something share to your friends, something much more performance-efficient, something emoji. Oh and cringey WWDC as always. But as always, we will be overly excited for it then be awfully disappointed once we just get another absolutely pointless iOS upgrade.
Score: 70 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roland.g Avatar
109 months ago
It cannot be said enough. The ENTIRE iOS Springboard UI of icons and folders needs a substantial overhaul. It is extremely cumbersome and outdated. This is Apple's opportunity to innovate. Not just features but how we access our apps.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CooKieMoNs7eR Avatar
109 months ago
If you think about it, its pretty sad that no one in here is expects features like this in iOS 11, thats how much Apple lowered our expectations from iOS to iOS....
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dilster3k Avatar
109 months ago
What's the point of this? We're only 3 weeks away, iOS 11 is conceptually already finalized.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rudychidiac Avatar
109 months ago
I love these ideas so much. Too bad we're probably not going to get any of them.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sputnikv Avatar
109 months ago
this is a really powerful concept. makes me excited of the unrealized potential of the ipad
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)