iPad Apps Are Coming to the Mac With Apple's Project Catalyst

[xitongzou]

Perhaps someday we will be getting closer to either seeing a touchscreen Macbook or MacOS and iPadOS merged into one

 

[deevey]

I welcome this, but I’d love to see the opposite too, Logic Pro X for iPad!

I'm excited about finally getting Garagebands' live looping grid-mode on a Mac

Can't understand why its not a feature on the desktop version of Garageband or Logic at this point as either would be a serious contender to take on Ableton for live performance. One can dream I guess.

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

I agree. Just like any new platform feature from Apple, the success of Project Catalyst hinges on: A) How many developers adopt the feature; and B) How well developers actually adhere to sound guidelines when implementing said feature.

Someone needs to show Apple how a real news & magazine app should work. Which is good, because contrary to what some people may believe, all of the best talent of the human race does not necessarily work at Apple.

I'm going to wait and see on this one. Initially I was enthusiastic but then I realised that some (or many) users might not realise it was an App written primarily for iPad and decide to vent and moan in the reviews about the "weird non standard interface". I'll let the eager ones get burned there first.
On top of that there is also all the 3rd party frameworks which I know won't compile for MacOS since I've already tried using Steve Troughton-Smith's marzipanify.
So not as simple as just clicking on the MacOS radio button in Xcode.
It has potential but I think it needs until WWDC'20 to mature in code and user expectations.

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

Speaking of all this, it would be nice for kids if Apple were to release a Mac version of Swift Playgrounds. While we’re at it, I’d love to see XCode for iPad Pro.

 

[code-m]

Speaking of all this, it would be nice for kids if Apple were to release a Mac version of Swift Playgrounds. While we’re at it, I’d love to see XCode for iPad Pro.

Craig mentioned that edits can be made on an iPad, not sure if I misheard what he was saying. If so it’s a positive sign that XCode maybe released for iPadOS 2.0

 

[Tech198]

lol... I can't imagine physically picking up my Mac laptop and rotating it just to play Real Racing 3:

Perhaps when you check the box in xCode for 'Mac support', if it sees the game/app uses gyroscope, the section of code should be translated to trackpad functions.?

Confirmed by the user.

 

[Janichsan]

I still don't see the benefit for the end-user. Why would I want countless single-purpose apps for macOS? Where's the advantage over currently available alternatives for Mac?

There's nothing you can say that will get me not to believe Apple isn't going to switch to ARM.

What has anything of this to do with the underlying CPU architecture?

 

[michelb76]

I wonder if that means developers will still charge for the Mac app version as a sister purchase to the iPad one as they currently do like omnifocus etc

I would hope so as it is a lot more work then just checking the box.

 

[Geurt]

GREAT!! Do we now get the Catalina Fart-app???

While the Mac and iPad remain distinct products, Apple continues to bridge the gap between its desktop and mobile platforms. In 2014, for example, it introduced Continuity features like Handoff and Universal Clipboard that enable more seamless experiences across the Mac, iPad, and other Apple devices.

The next step in this process is Project Catalyst, which makes it much easier for developers to extend iPad apps to the Mac.

Starting with macOS Catalina and Xcode 11, developers can create a Mac version of an iPad app using UIKit, an Apple framework that until now was intended solely for iOS apps. Adding macOS support to an iPad app is as easy as opening an Xcode project and clicking the Mac checkbox under General > Deployment Info.

While the Mac version of the app should run after the box is checked, this is not always the case, as the Xcode project may contain code that no longer compiles due to frameworks, APIs, or embeddable content that is incompatible with the Mac, according to Apple's developer documentation:Apple has instructions on how to remedy these compatibility issues.

iPad apps ported to macOS run natively on the Mac, utilizing the same frameworks, resources, and runtime environment as traditional Mac apps, according to Apple's developer documentation:Apple's updated Human Interface Guidelines are a helpful resource for designing and coding the ideal iPad app for Mac.

DC Universe is an example of a Project Catalyst app coming to Mac​

If this all sounds familiar, it is because Project Catalyst is Apple's public-facing name for this initiative, which has been referred to by its internal name of Marzipan until now. Apple's plans to allow iOS apps to easily run on Mac were first reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman over 18 months ago.

Apple provided us with a first glimpse of Project Catalyst when it brought the iPad versions of its Apple News, Home, Stocks, and Voice Memos apps to the Mac last year in macOS Mojave. Third-party developers are now able to follow suit in macOS Catalina, which will be released to the public in the fall.

Article Link: iPad Apps Are Coming to the Mac With Apple's Project Catalyst

 

[smaffei]

There's nothing you can say that will get me not to believe Apple isn't going to switch to ARM.

Exactly. Actually Catalyst, coupled with the announcement of iPad OS, is sounding the death knell of the consumer Macintosh. I envision in 5 years, Apple will sell enhanced tablets as their consumer machines and Macs as their professional line (for creatives and developers). I see the iMac, Mac Mini, and non Pro laptops going away.

 

[ipponrg]

Exactly. Actually Catalyst, coupled with the announcement of iPad OS, is sounding the death knell of the consumer Macintosh. I envision in 5 years, Apple will sell enhanced tablets as their consumer machines and Macs as their professional line (for creatives and developers). I see the iMac, Mac Mini, and non Pro laptops going away.

I don’t see that happening. The tablet experience is still a niched market. iPadOS is just a clever marketing term to make it sound unique when under the cover it is still based off of iOS

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Not just from any desktop computer... from a $6000 computer with a $5000 monitor on a $1000 stand using a $100 add-on webcam. It's unapologetically the most expensive and pretentious selfie we've ever produced.

Except that there isn't a native Instagram app for iPad.

 

[hokkdawg]

Think of all the TV we will now get to enjoy on the mac! I am so tired of using poorly coded, ad-laden, flash-based choppy video in Safari (I'm looking at you, Fox Sports Go!) - super great to have a nice, clean ipad app that runs across platforms now.

 

[cocoua]

Most used ios apps comes from mac (photo/video editing, office, etc) already has a desktop version (whatsapp..) or need too much iDevices sensors, and some would never make a desktop version (instagram)

So mostly (some) games are the ones which can benefit from this,
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So finally being able to post to Instagram from a desktop computer.

It’s very unlikely that instagram would make a desktop app version right now, but maybe this makes them to think about it, and who knows in the future... but many internally and financials things need to change first

 

[Fishrrman]

Catalyst.... Catalina... hmmmm.... what's the connection here?

Prediction:
At some point in the future, Apple is going to either remove or otherwise severely limit access to "the finder" (and its functions)...

 

[sirozha]

There's nothing you can say that will get me not to believe Apple isn't going to switch to ARM.

Right. And, a hybrid iOS/macOS device (I call it the macPad) is absolutely never coming out either.

 

[jagolden]

Don’t see the need or have the desire.
For example, why in the world would I want to use the iPad versions of Affinity Photo or Designer on my desktop when the desktop versions are so much more intuitive therefore easier to use?
I know the world doesn’t revolve around my needs only, but I’d really like some solid reasons.

 

[MisterSavage]

I still don't see the benefit for the end-user. Why would I want countless single-purpose apps for macOS? Where's the advantage over currently available alternatives for Mac?

I can definitely think of some use cases. I have an app I use to keep track of when things happened (like taking medication). It syncs with iCloud and I can mark instances from my watch, phone, or iPad. Now I'd be able to also from my Mac.

 

[charlituna]

So finally being able to post to Instagram from a desktop computer.

You assume facebook will jump in. This isn’t some kind of built in iOS app compatibility. It’s just a UI system to help developers if they choose to port over.
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Don’t see the need or have the desire.
For example, why in the world would I want to use the iPad versions of Affinity Photo or Designer on my desktop when the desktop versions are so much more intuitive therefore easier to use?
I know the world doesn’t revolve around my needs only, but I’d really like some solid reasons.

The examples you gave won’t likely jump in. At least not right away. They might for future updates.

This is mainly for folks that arne’t already doing a Mac version cause it was too hard to deal with creating two separate Uis etc.

 

[Janichsan]

You assume facebook will jump in. This isn’t some kind of built in iOS app compatibility. It’s just a UI system to help developers if they choose to port over.

And why would a dedicated app in this case be a more desireable solution than a simple tab in the web browser?

 

[mi7chy]

More reason for a MacOS tablet with touch and pen input.

 

[a_f]

It would be nice to do it natively, but as someone else noted, there's not actually an iPad version of IG, it's just the phone version.

That said, if you want to post from your desktop, I know of two workarounds offhand. One is to use the lr/instagram plugin, which runs in Lightroom and works very well (I use it nearly every day). The other option is to use the Developer view in Safari for IG, but personally I find this much more cumbersome.

How is Flume not more popular than it is?

 

[ArtieFufkin10]

And why would a dedicated app in this case be a more desireable solution than a simple tab in the web browser?

Simple: Performance.

Am I saying every website needs to be an app? Of course not. But there's a "snappines" experienced with native apps that just isn't there with some websites. Especially those that download large amounts of data and are highly interact-able

 

[charlituna]

And why would a dedicated app in this case be a more desireable solution than a simple tab in the web browser?

it's already their solution for iPad users who want to stay in landscape
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More reason for a MacOS tablet with touch and pen input.

maybe when Tim has died/retired but he's been very clear that there will be no MacOS tablet during his Apple life
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Craig mentioned that edits can be made on an iPad, not sure if I misheard what he was saying.

you did. he said you could see edits live on the device. you are still making them on the computer

 

[ArtieFufkin10]

You assume facebook will jump in. This isn’t some kind of built in iOS app compatibility. It’s just a UI system to help developers if they choose to port over.
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The examples you gave won’t likely jump in. At least not right away. They might for future updates.

This is mainly for folks that arne’t already doing a Mac version cause it was too hard to deal with creating two separate Uis etc.

After discussing it with a co-worker, I'm starting to come around on the Marzipan/Catalyst project. I really don't like the way News and HomeKit turned out on the Mac. They feel a little awkward and a bit un-Mac like.

But you also have Electron-based apps like Slack which have pretty bad performance. Slack in particular hogs CPU and memory. Even in terms of usability, it doesn't support multiple windows which most Mac users would expect.

So it seems like Apple giving developers the ability to write native apps starting from their iPad codebase might help steer devs away from implementing Mac apps with non-native solutions.