The public beta of iPadOS 17 is now available, providing numerous useful updates to some of the best iPads.

This is not a revolutionary update over iPadOS 16. In fact, many of the new features are found on the best iPhones. Nevertheless, the new personalization and productivity features will help you get more out of your slate, whether for work or play.

I've had a chance to touch the iPadOS 17 beta developer beta in person and found it to be a decent, if mild, update for the operating system that fuels Apple's tablet. Now that the public beta is available, we'd like to share our initial impressions of iPadOS 17 and tell you about the most noteworthy features.

Here is what I think so far about iPadOS 17.

The developer beta of iPadOS 17 will be released in early June after WWDC 2023 and the public beta will be released in July. iPadOS 17's full release will have to wait until the fall.

If this release schedule sounds familiar, that's because this is Apple's normal practice for OS updates. Barring something dramatic happening, we will likely see the full version in September or October.

As with iPadOS 16, support for some older iPads will end. Specifically, iPadOS 17 will support newer models such as the 6th generation iPad, 5th generation iPad Mini, 3rd generation iPad Air, 2nd generation 12.9" iPad Pro, 10.5" iPad Pro, and 3rd generation iPad Air. iPads released this year will also have access to iPadOS 17.

If you have an iPad older than the above, you are out of luck. But this is normal with new OS updates.

Stage Manager is one of the biggest features introduced in iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura last year. It has several quality-of-life upgrades to make it more productive. While not entirely different, we appreciate the subtle changes.

Windows can now be positioned freely anywhere on the screen. In addition, windows can be resized with pinch and zoom gestures, which works as intuitively as one would expect. If desired, you can also choose from a list of preset window placements.

When using Stage Manager, placing windows where you want them works well. I also like the almost transparent texture of the unused tabs placed next to the large window you are working on.

StageManager is not the game-changing productivity booster I was hoping for on either the iPad or Mac, but it is good to see Apple trying to make this feature more useful.

iPadOS 17 includes its own version of the iOS 16 lock screen experience, with numerous customization options. This includes a photo shuffle option that displays different photos throughout the day. There is also a new Live Photo option that applies a slow-motion zoom-in effect to the lock screen wallpaper.

The lock screen font, font weight, color, and color combination can be selected. Real-time notifications also pop up on the lock screen, so you never miss an important message (or food delivery) from a loved one. However, if you do not want to receive notifications on your iPad, you can always disable this feature.

This new lock screen experience originated on the iPhone, but would be a great addition to the iPad. In fact, this is one feature that should have been added last year. Regardless, it's a great feature that makes the iPad truly feel like its own device.

Speaking of features that should have been added a long time ago, the Health app is finally included in iPadOS 17.

While this app is not that different from the iPhone one, the fact that you can view all your health data on the iPad screen is a big difference (pun intended). Best of all, the data is synced across all compatible Apple devices.

If you like to monitor your health and own an iPad, this feature would be advantageous.

Widgets are nothing new to the iPad, but iPadOS 17 allows widgets to be manipulated on the lock screen. Besides, widgets now blend in better with the background, allowing you to focus on whatever task you are working on.

Being able to tap widgets from the lock screen is quite convenient. For example, if I want to get a more detailed weather forecast, I can launch the weather forecast app right from the lock screen without having to unlock the iPad and search for the weather widget. I also like how the lock screen widget blends in with the background.

PDF Editor

Editing PDFs on mobile devices is a tricky proposition. Thankfully, the Notes app in iPadOS 17 now automatically detects editable fields. This works well for documents that have been photographed; PDFs can be shared between iPads and edited in real time.

Safari Profiles

Safari users can now create individual profiles in Apple's web browser. For example, one can create a profile for work and another for personal browsing. These profiles store their own windows, tab groups, cookies, and history.

Webcam support for external displays

The built-in webcam can now be used with an external display if you are unhappy with using the iPad's camera for video calls.

FaceTime Reactions

Like iOS 17, iPadOS 17 has new features for FaceTime calls. For example, if the other party does not answer the call, they will be able to leave a voice or video message. Also, like macOS Sonoma, animations can be activated by gestures such as a thumbs up. Animations include balloons and fireworks. When I Facetimed with a friend, this feature was not available, but let's just say this is a beta version.

iPadOS 17 does not reinvent the proverbial wheel. As noted in the introduction, most of the operating system's new features come from iOS. So one might say that the iPad feels more like a giant iPhone than a tablet.

While there is some validity to that, adding features like the Health app and lock screen widgets would add diversity to the iPad and make the tablet a more useful and personalized device.

The public beta of iPadOS 17 will run through the end of the summer, with several updates before the official launch in the fall. I will continue to test this OS, so be sure to check back for additional updates.