According to 9to5Mac, AI startup Perplexity is launching a completely rebuilt iPad app today, with a major focus on its research feature that provides more citations than a standard search. The app better utilizes native iPadOS capabilities like split-view and sports a redesigned, more iPad-native interface with a larger side panel. This move directly targets students and business professionals who use the iPad for daily tasks. Perplexity states the update reflects growing demand for domain-specific AI research and, crucially, its ambition to grow its paid subscriber base. The research feature itself is limited until users upgrade to a paid tier. This follows the company’s recent launch of its Comet browser on Android, with an iOS version promised but not yet delivered.
The paid subscription play
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just an interface refresh. It’s a strategic funnel. By building a better, more native experience around a feature that’s gated behind a paywall, Perplexity is making the paid tier more enticing. They’re not just improving the app; they’re improving the paid version of the app. For students and pros doing serious work, those extra citations and deeper research capabilities are exactly the kind of value that justifies a monthly fee. It’s a smart, if obvious, move. The free version gets you in the door, but the iPad—a device synonymous with “work”—is where they hope to convert you.
Beyond the browser battle
Everyone’s talking about AI browsers like Comet or Arc, but this iPad update shows Perplexity isn’t putting all its eggs in that basket. They’re playing a platform game. A dedicated, polished app experience on a key productivity device like the iPad is a different kind of lock-in. It’s less about replacing your browser and more about becoming an indispensable research hub within your existing workflow. And let’s be honest, doing deep research on a phone is a pain. The iPad is the perfect middle ground between a laptop’s power and a phone’s portability. This feels like Perplexity doubling down on where the actual, focused work gets done.
The waiting game
Now, about that Comet browser for iOS they said was coming “any day now” last month. The fact that it’s still MIA while this iPad app lands is pretty telling. It signals where their immediate priorities lie. An app that enhances a specific use case on a popular hardware platform probably has a clearer path to monetization than another browser entering a hyper-crowded market. I think the browser is a long-term vision, but these polished, platform-specific apps are the near-term revenue engine. Basically, they’re going where the money is, today. Will it work? For a certain segment of users, absolutely. But it also puts more pressure on those research features to be genuinely, undeniably better than what a free ChatGPT or a Google search can provide.
