The first iPad was released in 2010 and ran iPhone OS 3.2.
The mobile operating system from Apple has came a long way, before becoming mature, more polished and relatively more secure than Android.
Apple wanted it to become the mobile operating system for its iPads for generations to come. But given by the larger size and different hardware specifications, users can literally do more things on an iPad than what they can ever do on an iPhone.
For this reason, Apple rebranded the operating system for the iPad from iOS to iPadOS.
This tablet-oriented mobile operating system is still similar to iOS, but received features to maximize the uses of iPads, by emphasizing on multitasking, picture-in-picture and the ability to display multiple running apps simultaneously, drag-and-drop and a dock that more closely resembled the one in the macOS than the one on the iPhone, and others.
And with additional exclusive features being added over time, Apple develops iPadOS to make it even more distinct from the iOS on the iPhone.
Eventually, with better hardware and software flexibility, Apple with iPadOS is capable of making iPad a viable alternative to a legitimate laptop.
iPadOS was announced at Apple's 2019 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) as the successor of iOS 12 on iPad, with the naming strategy starts with iPadOS 13.
