Not exactly breaking news, but I think it is hilarious that Apple has not had a Calculator app on the iPad. Note: IF a Calc app is released this year, only iPads compatible with the next iPadOS 18 can have it.
I guess it was too difficult to copy-paste the Calculator.app from the iPhone. 
Meanwhile, there are other, nostalgic calculator options available via web browser…
Long live Reverse Polish Notation calculators!!!
If you’re a fan of RPN calculators, you might want to look up the i41CX calculator in the iOS App store. It’s an almost indistinguishable clone of the venerable HP-41 programmable RPN calculator. I use it on both iOS and iPadOS. It’s not free, but reasonably priced. And it uses off-the-shelf HP-41 applications and expansion pacs.
Your opinion may vary, but as a HP calculator user since the early 80’s , almost all other calculator apps pale in comparison (sorry, PCalc).
No joke. They are still the easiest to use for me. You see a stack of entries so you know you aren’t making a mistake.
I use this one on my iPhone which mimics my old HP calculators.
I’ve always used the magnificent Free42. Not only is it free and works great, it also gets constantly updated whenever somebody manages to find a bug.
I may have to turn in my nerd card: I’ve never been bitten by the RPN bug. I’ve tried it on occasion, but the more “standard” calculator input method is just too ingrained in my brain.
On the other hand, I am fluent in slide rule (or, at least, I was in college—not so sure about now), despite having grown up in an era of cheap calculators. Maybe I can keep that nerd card after all…
If you can still remember how to use a slide rule, then that absolutely qualifies you as a card-carrying OG nerd.
I still have the Pickett aluminum slide rule that I bought in the early 70’s when in college. But I’ve forgotten how to use it. The electronic calculator came out about the same time and that was all she wrote for the ol’ analog slide rule.
Anyone else still using that mechanical marvel, the Curta Calculator?
I’m a bit of a physical calculator collector myself, but I keep going back to the venerable PCalc on my Apple devices.
Yes, way off-topic.
Pickett? K&E! I have three of them.
And a 300 inch cylindrical slide rule, with its case. (Thanks, Dad. I didn’t have enough…uh, treasures…in the house.)
My first calculator was an HP-45. RPN is the only way to go. I now use an HP-12C emulator on iPhone and iPad as it better meets my needs. I looked at Pcalc but it just didn’t feel,right.
Once I was used to RPN I could never happily go back. Sadly my HP stopped working and, not really needing a separate calculator, I could never justify buying another one. PCalc worked well enough for me.
Last time I checked Apple still insisted on using a comma for decimal numbers even though no-one here has used that format for over 40 years.
Calculator should follow whatever convention you have configured as the number format in the Language & Region system settings.
See also: Change Language & Region settings on Mac - Apple Support
I’ll join the chorus of RPN lovers here. I leared RPN on my HP15C as a pre-teen, and have preferred it ever since then. That same HP15C, still sits in it’s original case on my desk for whenever I need it, complete with a tiny defect in the face where I accidentallly a let a single drop of acid land on it once during inorganic chem lab in college.
As others have mentioned there are a lot of great HP emulators of the different models. On my phone and iPad I generally us PCalc and can recommend that.
I think it funny (really no iPad calculator app for 14 years?), strange (why bother now?), and a bit sad that an “official” iPad calculator may be getting released. I can’t see it replacing PCalc for me.
Kevin
Frankly, I don’t see why it matters that the iPad is getting an Apple calculator at this late date - there have been numerous third party calculators available since iPads where first released and many of them are quite good. I actually don’t care for Apple’s iOS calculator - I despise its flat look and find it much less useful than most third party calculators. It is not like a browser or email client where the default app matters.
I use PCalc in RPN mode and find it mostly very good though the two flavors of RPN are not as clearly implemented as in HP calculators. Also its programmer’s mode isn’t very useful: it doesn’t do 64 bit operations and doesn’t allow variable word sizes. But it is my favorite calculator and the developer is very responsive to email requests for help.
There are no number format settings in the version of iOS on my phone.
Reminds me of the fact that Macs sold here come with the wrong keyboard layout. Every other computer and keyboard make uses the same layout as the Macs sold in the US, and have for decades. Apple chooses to use some other layout.
I’m very curious: What country and what wrong layout are they selling there?
Sorry. I was citing macOS and its caclulator,
On my iPhone (iOS 17), the number format settings are more limited, but there are choices. Look in Settings → General → Language & Region → Number Format:
But on my iPod Touch (iOS 15), I only see the first three options (region, calendar and temperature unit), with number formats not being settable.
But it’s also moot, because the iOS 17 calculator ignores this setting and always displays the same format (. for a decimal separator and , for a thousands separator) no matter what number format I configure.
Where are you located? And what layout do you have? (This article may help you identify the layout).
The US-English layout (sold in the US, Canada and a few other countries) closely mimics the old IBM PS/2 English layout:
The English International keyboard uses an ISO layout. So the Enter key is a different shape, a few keys are moved to other locations, and you get one new key (±/§):
These and many other should be available as BTO options when ordering from Apple. I don’t know what will be in retail/boxed units - I suspect that will vary by location.
See also 80 Mac Keyboard Layouts - Identification Guide | Keyshorts Blog
What you can get really does depend on where you are. English International is not sold in the US and I suspect you can only order it in Europe (and possibly Middle East and Africa) where ISO is the standard.
