Apple Plans to Let Developers Release Universal Apps That Work Across iPhone, iPad, and Mac

[sam2345678]

Lol I'm going to come back to this.

Owners of new Macbook Pro: I love this machine.

You: No you don't.

Solid argument.

Yes, ok my writing was a bit one sided. many people love it, some people don't. But for example the non T shaped cursor keys, can you really make a solid argument why this is better on productivity?

This is where I go back to your first statement. You expect someone to be a visionary while at the same time saying "we should stick with the 3.5mm jack and wired keyboards." That's not vision.

I never said i was a visionair. I said that the future could be USB C or wireless if battery gets improved massively, but we arent there yet.

Because it's powerful, doesn't take up a whole of space, and has a 5k display. The iMac line is quite popular.

I am talking about the depth in order to have better quality components and upgradability, what does that has to do with 5K?

You have seen the news of the Apple Watch doing extremely well right?

I do, but that's comparing to other watches, i think it could do A LOT better. I live in Europe and I see maybe once a month someone wearing an apple watch, comparing to seeing 200 people a day using iphones.

 

[Mayo86]

If true, Apple is simplifying themselves out of the desktop computer market. They're actually taking a page from Microsoft here, who came at the issue from the other side.

No more Intel processors in Macs. It'll be the A-series powering the next generation of hardware. Rosetta2 will be available for legacy apps and those lag behind in supporting the new ARM architecture (Adobe, etc). Of course, Intel-based Macs will remain for at least another generation during the transition. Hey, the Mac Pro is now four years old, so Apple isn't afraid of making people wait for new hardware while the software is ported.

At the end of a multi-year transition, you'll have iOS on laptops and desktops.

This will be the end of the Macintosh as we know it.

Nay, say to the Children of Apple, "And it shall come to pass on this day that you and your children will continue to use Intel-based Macs for years to come. Take my words to heart and do not listen to whiny people".

 

[Danoc]

-

 

[dwaltwhit]

I foresee cheap iOS apps that can be extended to macOS apps with (expensive) in-app purchases.

I am ok with this. Seems fair.

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

Ugh. This is going to dumb-down programs that run on Mac. An iPhone is no match for a MacBook Pro.

It will be up to app developers to prevent this. They always make or break the user experience based on how much of the latest software features from Apple they choose to use, and which they choose to ignore.

Good developer shops will be able to design interfaces that make perfect sense for the Mac and it's larger screen sizes, without being "dumbed down".

 

[astrocramp]

Mouse support for iPad would actually let it be a true, productive laptop. I know Apple won't do it because it would blur their product lines, but they really should.

Probably the opposite happens and makes more sense - touchscreen Macs are imminent.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

The whole Macbook 2016/touchbar update is flawed as well as the iMac Pro which will be outdated in 2-3 years.

Good grief. The comments being made by every day consumers against the iMac Pro is getting old. And it has nothing to do with this conversation here. Is it possible to keep the unrelated gripes elsewhere and stay on the topic at hand?

 

[panjandrum]

That is game changing!

When Apple makes this work properly the Mac will instantly be the most attractive operating system for the average Joe.

The Mac App Store lacks a lot of things!

I want banking apps, a Netflix app with 4K support, all with automatic updates! That is a dream.

Except, of course, if other developers go Apple's route when creating "feature parity" between iOS and Mac OS apps, and simply remove important features from their Mac offerings. Then it's a nightmare, not a dream...

I'll save final judgement until I see the results, but my initial instinct is that this will not bode well for Mac apps.

 

[justperry]

My main worry about universal apps is bloat.

As long as devs are using things like Asset Catalogs, App Thinning should mean that only the required resources for that device are downloaded. When you download a universal app on iPhone, it doesn't download the iPad assets as well. I'd expect it to work the same if universal apps worked on Mac too.

This is contingent with developers using the latest APIs etc, but that historically hasn't been a huge issue.

This, and even when you get the full binary/app you can still thin it, it has been like that before, actually there are still apps you can thin, and if I recall well you can do that in Terminal as well.(Thin a binary)

 

[Tozovac]

This is brilliant, I don’t think they should create 1 OS, but things like this will make things like handoff more seamless and hopefully be a big step for Mac games too.

This "next thing" from Apple frightens the hell out of me. As someone who cut his teeth on Apple products in 2005 when OSX looked professional, efficient, attractive, and uniquely Apple, I can only imagine things getting unnecessarily re-imagined to where the worst of iTunes 12's UI is combined with the worst of iOS app UI's like Bold headers, frameless white-out presentations, and cornfield-maze-navigation like iOS 11's podcast app.

Will Apple never learn that not everything has to be distilled down to all look alike across platforms or even across apps? Once they've engineered-out any uniqueness or customization towards the platform and everything looks alike (and all physical buttons and ports have been removed), then what will Apple turn its focus on?

This is not good news.

 

[nilcoalescingoperator]

My main worry about universal apps is bloat.

It’s the same thing when we share a codebase and ship unique products in iPhone, iPad, and the watch. App slicing takes care of resource bloat, but in general this would make developing for the Mac (with a platform appropriate UI) much simpler.

 

[cambookpro]

I’m no dev, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t dev’s mandated to use the most recent APIs to ensure things like app thinning?

Although App Thinning is a pretty automated process, if you don't follow the best practices, you won't get the full benefit. A couple of our apps still need updating to convert some images to asset catalogs (only example I can think of at the moment).

 

[4jasontv]

My main worry about universal apps is bloat.

My main worry is the fate seen by Universal Windows Platform.

Ugh. This is going to dumb-down programs that run on Mac. An iPhone is no match for a MacBook Pro.

That assumes developers will take the path of least resistance.

It will be up to app developers to prevent this. They always make or break the user experience based on how much of the latest software features from Apple they choose to use, and which they choose to ignore.

Good developer shops will be able to design interfaces that make perfect sense for the Mac and it's larger screen sizes, without being "dumbed down".

Good developers are clever. Many take their cue from Apple, annd what Apple releases will decide how they follow. It's not the good developers that are a concern. They make up but 1% of the App Store. Bad developers, well, they run the streets and clog the storefronts.

 

[albebaubles]

Actually it isn’t the same... designing for a touch-centric device like the iphone and ipad is different than designing for a keyboard/pointing device-centric device like a laptop/desktop.

I didn't say it was. I'm saying you simply design a different UX/UI on the Mac side but all the business logic code is universal. The UI objects between OSX and iOS are different.

I routinely do this.

I have a universal framework for business objects,universal framework for communicating with our custom medical device, a universal framework for communicating with the backend...but a separate 'storyboard' for each platform.

Note our app runs on iOS, watchOS,tvOS and OSX.

This is all possible now, just not within a single bundle.

 

[cmChimera]

Yes, ok my writing was a bit one sided. many people love it, some people don't. But for example the non T shaped cursor keys, can you really make a solid argument why this is better on productivity?

I could make the argument that it hasn't affected my productivity either way.

I never said i was a visionair. I said that the future could be USB C or wireless if battery gets improved massively, but we arent there yet.

When it comes to headphones, we definitely are. I would argue that computer accessories like keyboards and mice are too, outside of cases like gaming (which then can use USB.)

I am talking about the depth in order to have better quality components and upgradability, what does that has to do with 5K?

You literally asked the question "Why does anyone want" the current iMac/iMac Pro. I answered you.

I do, but that's comparing to other watches, i think it could do A LOT better. I live in Europe and I see maybe once a month someone wearing an apple watch, comparing to seeing 200 people a day using iphones.

You can't compare the iPhone and the Apple Watch. Of course more people own an iPhone. Everyone needs a phone. Not everyone needs a fitness tracker.

We're pretty off topic. Maybe we could continue this another time.

 

[albebaubles]

What's the bet that this is another misinterpretation of some bit of info by Bloomberg, and what's actually happening is simply a "universal app bundle" that allows iOS and Mac apps to be bought in a single purchase/package, like is currently possible with iOS and tvOS apps.

i.e. Not a single binary that runs on both, but two separate app bundles using all the existing SDKs, packaged together in a single purchase.

Id say that you are 100% spot on. Thats how I interpreted as well.

 

[sam2345678]

I could make the argument that it hasn't affected my productivity either way.

When it comes to headphones, we definitely are. I would argue that computer accessories like keyboards and mice are too, outside of cases like gaming (which then can use USB.)

You literally asked the question "Why does anyone want" the current iMac/iMac Pro. I answered you.

You can't compare the iPhone and the Apple Watch. Of course more people own an iPhone. Everyone needs a phone. Not everyone needs a fitness tracker.

We're pretty off topic. Maybe we could continue this another time.

Haha yes i agree Okay.

 

[sracer]

Seems true but when I launch my apps in iPhone emulator on Mac they work just fine without any fine-tuning. If you can tap a button you can click it as well.

That's fine when it is running in a window emulating the size of an iPhone screen. But it won't look so great when it is magnified to a 21" iMac.

Then there's the issue of taking desktop apps and bringing them down to the iPad/iPhone. The primary reason why something like MS Word for iPad has a very limited set of functions (compared to the desktop version) is because there is no feasible way to present those functions on a touch-optimized 9.7 inch tablet. (It is quite possible to run the full version of MS Word on a 10" netbook, but that is because it uses a pointing-device rather than a finger touch.)

 

[Tozovac]

That assumes developers will take the path of least resistance.

Apple has taken a path of least resistance in dumbing down the look of their iOS/OS as well as the UI since 2013. Since most 3rd party developers follow Apple's lead almost blindly, I think it's a very safe bet developers will follow Apple's path of least resistance. Hell, even the non-tech world follows Apple's path of least resistance, such as where Starbucks menus are now suddenly white with hard-to-read light silver and gold text instead of the more-readable white-on-black text that's been in place for decades, or where Chevy electric vehicles’ center instrument panel are all-touch like a white iPod and which looks as ridiculous as it is to use when driving. All show, less good function.

This is not a good direction for general user usability, and is more for Apple's made-up requirements that everything has to look alike and work with the least amount of buttons as possible. Only time will tell.

 

[johnpurlia]

Apple aims to allow developers to release universal apps that work across iPhone, iPad, and Mac as early as next year, according to Bloomberg News.

Terrible idea. The tendency when app developers (including Apple) attempt to provide cross platform applications is general mediocrity across all platforms, with the most powerful platforms suffering the most. We're already seeing this with Apple's own application software where mac versions are constantly losing features and being hamstrung in an effort to provide a cross platform experience.

 

[scrapesleon]

About time

 

[4jasontv]

Ok. Now that I have had some coffee. I am not 100% saying this won't work. It just needs some new hardware that can move between the platforms. An iPad with an i5 seems unlikely. A Macbook with a A## chip that can run some of the iOS code more efficiently. An A## chip that can slowly, over two or three OS updates, learn to take more and more of the responsibility until there is no need for consumer devices to have intel chips at all.

 

[sracer]

I didn't say it was. I'm saying you simply design a different UX/UI on the Mac side but all the business logic code is universal. The UI objects between OSX and iOS are different.

I routinely do this.

I have a universal framework for business objects,universal framework for communicating with our custom medical device, a universal framework for communicating with the backend...but a separate 'storyboard' for each platform.

Note our app runs on iOS, watchOS,tvOS and OSX.

This is all possible now, just not within a single bundle.

That works well for limited function apps. Taking desktop apps with a broad function set will not translate easily to iOS. There are practical limitations to what is possible from a pure UI perspective. It is not feasible to take a feature-rich application like Excel and make all of the functionality available on a touch-centric device like an iPad... even a 12.9 iPad Pro.

 

[Tozovac]

Ok. Now that I have had some coffee. I am not 100% saying this won't work. It just needs some new hardware that can move between the platforms. An iPad with an i5 seems unlikely. A Macbook with a A## chip that can run some of the iOS code more efficiently. An A## chip that can slowly, over two or three OS updates, learn to take more and more of the responsibility until their is no need for consumer devices to have intel chips at all.

I like where you're going, if you're supporting having different platforms.

All raise your hands who would want your bathroom to look interchangeable with your kitchen and bedrooms.

It's asinine to not customize an app for the platform, where the ipad/iphone/touch interface is VASTLY different than the MacBook/mac/mouse/large-screen interface. I've said it for years now: A thicker more-powerful iPad that is separable from a MacBook keyboard/station and with the ability to switch between an iOS-centric and OS-centric interface at the touch of a button (preferably physical button) is the groundbreaking direction Apple should have headed years ago. Not all-size-fits-all iOS/OS, where Apple's track record for clumsy iOS simplification reinventions puts fear in all who moved their entire computer/entertainment world away from PCs.

Morphing apps is a terrible idea.

 

[albebaubles]

That works well for limited function apps. Taking desktop apps with a broad function set will not translate easily to iOS. There are practical limitations to what is possible from a pure UI perspective. It is not feasible to take a feature-rich application like Excel and make all of the functionality available on a touch-centric device like an iPad... even a 12.9 iPad Pro.

I dont think you're getting it. Nothing says the Mac app has to have the same functionality as the iOS version. More real estate certainly provides for more complex user interfaces. typically as you drop in real estate you reduce functionality. This situation is literally no different than designing for phone and iPad.

There was nothing mentioned about feature parity in the article.