Why Apple never developed a Calculator app for iPad

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Steve Jobs was never satisfied with the iPad calculator, according to Cult of Mac.
Federighi has admitted that Apple just hasn’t come up with an app that would make people say, “This is the greatest iPad calculator app.”

The iPad has become the most popular tablet on Earth, and it’s easy to see why. Apple’s characteristic high build quality and stunning design are easy to see in every iPad, and the sleek, simple to use and speedy software that is iPadOS rarely disappoints. For that reason, it’s quite surprising that one of the most basic functions of any computer has never made its way into any iPad (at least by default) — a calculator. Yes, if you haven’t noticed already, Apple hasn’t had a dedicated calculator app for the iPad, ever.

For all its versatility, however, no version of the iPad—including the Pro, Mini, or Air—has ever shipped with what has become a standard feature in operating systems: a calculator. — The Next Web, 2018

In some cases this makes iPad users frustrated, but there are always the third-party options — over 1,000 are available on the App Store right now. But why? Why would such a basic function not be included in one of Apple’s flagship devices?

For some reason, the software design team at Apple just never came through, so Apple has never released a calculator application for the iPad. It has been such low priority since then that no one cares to work on it since there are more important things to work on. — Cult of Mac

Steve Jobs himself said that he was not satisfied with just stretching out the iPhone version of the calculator after he saw how it looked on one of the prototype models of the iPad. When the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs finally noticed it, he demanded it be removed. Jobs wanted the calculator app to be like no other; he wanted it to be the best option for all users, a calculator that could do it all.

Interestingly, this isn’t Apple’s first calculator dilemma, or the first time Steve Jobs got involved. Steve Jobs repeatedly rejected the designs of Chris Espinosa (the concepts engineer) to the point of Espinosa creating a “Steve Jobs Roll Your Own Calculator Construction Set” customizer during the original Macintosh project.

According to Cult of the Mac:

Jobs spent ten minutes working with the software before he had come up with a design that met his standards. This calculator design was the one which remained the standard Mac calculator tool for the next 15 years.

With all that said, Apple has never stopped thinking about the calculator to this day. Craig Federighi was asked about the iPad calculator in an hour long Apple-dedicated podcast hosted by MKBHD. And he basically explained that the company hadn’t been able to create a calculator that was great yet, so they hadn’t included one.

I guess that is the epitome of Steve Jobs, or even Apple itself, the personification of perfectionism to a tee. If no one at Apple could perfect an app (no matter how basic or important to users), the credo of quality over quantity prevailed over releasing a half-baked app.

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Published to Apple Scoop on 17th March, 2021.