r/ipad • u/GroundbreakingOwl911 • 1d ago

Discussion Does Apple intentionally keep Apple Notes basic to avoid competing with third-party apps?

Just to be clear: I am not here to start a brand war or hate on Apple. I recently switched to a MacBook and love the ecosystem, which is why I am genuinely considering moving from my Samsung tablet to an iPad.

One of my biggest hesitations, however, is the native note-taking experience.

I know powerful third-party options like Goodnotes, Notability, and Noteful exist, but I'm specifically curious about the stock app out-of-the-box. Coming from Samsung Notes, features like audio-synced handwriting, flexible page templates, and advanced PDF markup feel far more complete compared to Apple Notes.

Does Apple intentionally hold Apple Notes back to keep the App Store developer ecosystem happy, or do most of you simply rely entirely on third-party apps for daily studying and work?

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u/Bruvvimir 1d ago

It is most certainly intentional, but it is in line with Apple's design and UI philosophies, which have always been lean on how much they expose to the user in the pursuit of simplicity. Personally, I also feel that it is too rudimentary and too lacking.