iOS19 Desktop Mode Opinions

[Ctrlos]

As we saw earlier this month, Apple may finally be putting a Continuum/DeX-style desktop-out mode into iOS19 for all USB-C displayport models (sorry, 16e owners) and this got me thinking how this could be the defining new feature of iOS but I wondered what others thought.

For those that don't know the basic idea is that your iPhone becomes a PC or sorts, running a Stage Manager-esque desktop on an external display when plugged in to the appropriate cable or adaptor. Add a keyboard and mouse and you have a working computer. Apps would run in their own windows in a similar way to how the iPad displays iPhone apps in Stage Manager now.

The seeds are actually all over the ecosystem for this ability to be as seamless as possible. The iPhone can theoretically already run iPad binaries as the two share the same chipsets. All Apple would have to do is build the Stage Manager interface into iOS and then let the iPhone run the iPad version of apps when a display is detected, no extra work required from devs. The iPhone would have to store 2 seperate app binaries though.

CarPlay is already quite close to the way this works too, with the iPhone doing the thinking for an external display. Maybe they'll brand it 'WorkPlay'?

Perhaps I'm a bit too imaginitive but they could also enable a seamless Airplay interface where you sit at a compatible display, click an Apple Watch option and your entire desktop just appears on the screen, with peripherals automatically pairing. Move to another desk and the whole setup moves with you without taking your phone out of your pocket.

 

[chabig]

I will withhold judgement until after they show it at WWDC.

 

[xxFoxtail]

I have a feeling it's going to be very basic. Like the iPad's Stage Manager, but simpler.

I can’t really describe what I’m thinking of, maybe a version of what it currently does with mirroring, but fills in the black bars on the sides with your wallpaper or something. I just think they’re going to gimp it somehow.

I’d personally love regular iPadOS Stage Manager to come to the iPhone, but that would mean I wouldn't need my iPad or Mac anymore. I'd carry around an Nexdock for when I need my iPhone to be a laptop or I'd just dock it at my desk. Apple doesn’t want that, they want me to own more than one device.

I hope I’m wrong. Hoping to see something about it at WWDC.

Edit: If anyone wants to try a desktop experience with their iPhone (USB-C and Lightning), I recommend InfiniteX2P. It's basically a desktop interface for web apps. Some of Apple's web apps work with it. iCloud.com is limited though.

 

[HouseLannister]

I will withhold judgement until after they show it at WWDC.

What’s the over/under on Gurman saying it has been delayed or scrapped within the next four weeks?

 

[baconcat_8964]

I used Windows 10 Mobile Continuum on my Lumia 950 XL for several months in 2019, paired with an HP Elite Lap Dock accessory. I put one of my writing works on the phone, to try if this idea works. Despite limited application support on Windows 10 Mobile, Word and Microsoft Edge performed quite well. My research, writing and editing all done on this setup prefectly. However, one of the downsides was that desktop mode drained the battery extremely quickly. The combined battery life of both the phone and Lap Dock lasted under 6 hours, which is comparable to the average battery life of an iPad.

It would be interesting to see how Apple might handle this if they were to introduce a similar feature for all iPhones in iOS 19.