WWDC 2022: here’s why Front Row should return for iPadOS 16

Opinion: Worlds colliding, with a front-row seat

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Having been aMac useron and off since 2006, there have been features that have been introduced, then retired, then brought back in a different fashion, such aswidgets.

However, one feature that was freely available on macOS devices until10.7 Lion, was called Front Row - an app that let you use anApple Remoteto transform your Mac into a media center, and easily select your content in one place.

WhileAirPlayand theApple TVhave obviously superseded this, it’s a feature that I’ve felt has had legs to stand on iPadOS again in a new form.

WithWWDChappening today (and you can follow alongright nowwith our excellentWWDC 2022 live blog, let me explain why I’d like to see this return in eitheriPadOS 16, or as a further update down the road for theiPadline.

Finding the better row on iPad

The Mac has changed from being the center of an entertainment hub to being a device for productivity and, to a point, entertainment. But as the iPad andAppleTVgrew, there was no need for Front Row to exist on macOS.

However for some, the iPad is primarily seen as a content consumption device - for reading, listening to music, and watching content.

This is where a new Front Row could work perfectly onApple’s tablet line. Imagine placing an iPad on your bedside table, and instead of having to walk up, or ask Siri to play something and hope that she complies, you use an Apple Remote, and Front Row takes over the display.

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You could quickly select yourApple TV Plusshows, your Apple Music, or, third-party apps that could be allowed to use Front Row, so you would be able to look at your playlists onSpotify, or catch up with theObi-Wan Kenobi seriesthroughDisney Plusfor example.

iPad has seen a new input before

Back in 2020 with the arrival of iPadOS 13.4, thetrackpadwas introduced as a way to use a mouse cursor on the iPad, alongside Apple introducing a Magic Keyboard accessory that had a trackpad built-in.

There’s no harm in having the Apple Remote gain functionality to the iPad as well. The tablet has always been seen as a modular device - as a way to move between different uses to help with media, work and more. Front Row and the Apple Remote can be another way of adding to this.

However, this may be a feature that’s left as a bittersweet memory, as Apple may have other plans for the iPad in how it wants to make access to content easier. But Front Row was a simple and elegant solution to using your content in a great way, and for the iPad, it feels like a no-brainer to add it in its future.

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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