Apple may refuse to put macOS onto the iPad, but that hasn't stopped one developer from figuring out a way to get a computer operating system onto the world's most popular tablet. Tiny11, an unofficial version of Windows 11, was recently seen running on an iPad Air with an M2 processor.
As you would expect from an unofficial version of Windows 11 running on unsupported hardware, Tiny11 struggles on the iPad Air. The setup is more a technical demonstration than a viable option for iPad owners, but it is quite interesting.
Many have wanted Apple to bring macOS to the iPad in one form or another for years. That push grew when iPads started shipping with the same chips as MacBooks. While recent reports claim that the next version of iPadOS will be more like macOS, Apple has not committed to bringing its computer operating system to tablets.
A video shared by NTDEV, the developer of Tiny11, shows the setup running Windows 11. It takes a while for the OS to boot up and for programs to open, but Tiny11 does appear to work on the iPad Air.
"Here is tiny11 arm64 running on an iPad Air M2 using UTM with JIT emulation!" said NTDEV. "And it actually works quite decently! Just imagine how it would run if virtualization would be possible without jailbreaking."
NTDEV may be taking some creative liberty with the use of the word "decently," but considering the unsupported nature of the setup, the fact that Tiny11 works at all on the iPad Air is impressive.
What is Tiny11?
Tiny11 is an unofficial version of Windows 11 that is developed by NTDEV. Over the years, NTDEV has accomplished impressive feats, including getting Tiny11 to run on just 184MB of RAM. They even created a 100MB version of Windows 11 that lacks even a GUI.
Tiny11 is a lightweight version of Windows 11 that has been stripped down to its bare bones. Several apps and services seen in the full version of Windows 11 are not present in Tiny11.
Thanks to the efforts of NTDEV, Tiny11 takes up 8GB of storage on a PC, which is significantly less than the official version of Windows 11, which takes up roughly 20GB.
Tiny11 can run on systems that do not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11. It also uses a local account rather than a Microsoft account.
A debloated version of Windows 11 that does not require a Microsoft account may sound alluring, but Tiny11 is an unofficial version of Microsoft's operating system. The development of Tiny11 is technically impressive, but I do not recommend that general users install it on their PCs.
Tiny11 is made and maintained by a single developer, which means it could be more vulnerable to attacks. Stripping Windows 11 of certain components can also affect the operating system's usability.
But Tiny11 isn't made to fully replace Windows 11. The tagline of NTDEV's supporter page is "Trying stuff so you don't have to." A project like Tiny11 is fun, educational, and provides an alternative for older systems owned by tech savvy users who understand the pros and cons of the unofficial version of Windows 11.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
