Next Year's iOS 13 Update to Feature iPad-Focused Upgrades Like Revamped Files App

[SeattleMoose]

The best Apple software update was Snow Leopard (10.6) because there was little hype or new user-visible features. Instead, right out of the gate Apple said they would concentrate on optimization, bug fixes, and other under the hood improvements (new SW but not visible to user). And that is exactly what they did. It was SOLID!!!
Have not seen any Apple software release since then that wasn't mostly glitz, hype, half-baked new features, and Emoji engineering.
That being said, this does sound like the right sort of focus for the iPad. Fingers crossed....

 

[gnipgnop]

Mark Gurman: I had no idea what I was talking about with iPhone X sales, but now I'm going to bring you the scoop on iOS 12 and it's "lack of features".

 

[jonblatho]

Interesting that the ‘marzipan’ framework still seems to be on track.

I’m a developer who is keenly interested in a first-party framework directly bridging iOS and macOS UI code for a future project. I’m not counting on it happening this year and it’s not just because of Gruber’s piece.
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Why is this something I from an end-user perspective should want? Why would I want to run single-purpose iOS apps with limited functionality on a Mac? Where's the advantage in that?

If the apps have “limited functionality” on a Mac, that’s the developer’s fault for either not knowing how to implement more functionality (assuming it makes sense in their business model and vision for the app, etc.), or for going with a UI that isn’t extensible enough to support said functionality.

A lot of UI work, I’ve found, isn’t just accommodating what’s there today but also considering what will (or might) be there next year.

 

[Mr Todhunter]

As the story went, the idea for the iPad was born when Steve Jobs saw a Windows slate tablet demoed by a Microsoft executive at an event and was appalled by what he saw that he swore to make a better tablet and show them how it ought to be done.

In short, Microsoft did it first, it clearly sucked, and that's why Apple didn't go down that route. For which I will be eternally grateful.

Don´t believe a word. You have surely heard of the Newton.

 

[Altis]

You know I could gain back some respect for Cook if he would get up on stage and simply say, "This years software will have better quality and that is our focus. Sure there are few new features, but most important is reliability and quality. So I'll turn it over to ?????? to show you the list of 12000 bug fixes we are releasing." Then leaves the stage.

But what I fear from Cook is more of the "Its incredible!", which in reality to normal people not trying to BS the market place is it's really not all that incredible, just a little different.

As a developer, I really want non-BS. So it would also not hurt my feelings if Cook skipped this years WWDC. That would be a big improvement.

Tim spends all his time telling us how "incredible", "wonderful", and "magical" everything Apple is, and how much we're all "going to just love" using it. Worthless platitudes.

The thing about things or people that are so great is you don't need to tell everyone that they are.

 

[MacBH928]

I am still convinced iOS has out lived it purpose. This was originally an OS made to compete against Nokia and Blackberries, it was not designed for tablets to replace desktops.

Its time to release the next big thing and to move on just like how Apple moved from OS 9 -> X and Windows 3.1 ->'95 . No amount of additional features plugged into this Frankenstein os is going to cut it.

that being said, as someone who has been following the tech industry for a long time, people are always waiting for the next big thing. I learned to enjoy whatever is available.

 

[sofila]

I recommend Yoink to help with downloading files. It is best app I have found... between that and “Opener” app, I have not had any issues manipulating files. I have Readdles apps installed but don’t use them much.

Yoink - Improved Drag and Drop by Matthias Gansrigler

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yoink-improved-drag-and-drop/id1260915283?mt=8

Opener ‒ open links in apps by tijo, inc.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opener-open-links-in-apps/id989565871?mt=8

Yoink is the best 3.49 euro ever spent for an app on my iPads

 

[ThisBougieLife]

So iOS 12 is largely an animoji update, which means nothing to me since I have an iPhone 8 and would've meant nothing to me even if I had an iPhone X. Brilliant.

I'm looking forward to the real iOS update in 2019.

 

[Janichsan]

The best Apple software update was Snow Leopard (10.6) because there was little hype or new features. Instead, right out of the gate Apple said they would concentrate on optimization, bug fixes, and other under the hood improvements. And that is exactly what they did. It was SOLID!!!

People keep saying that but are apparently forgetting that many of the "under the hood improvements" in fact were new features: it was the first version of OS X with a 64 bit kernel, it added amongst others Grand Central dispatch, OpenCL, CUPS, and many power management features, and later also the Mac App Store.

And people seem to forget that it was not all smooth sailing with Snow Leopard. Especially early on, the system was plagued by incompatibilites, instabilities, and several other problems, because of all the "under the hood improvements". It wasn't until after a couple of patches that Snow Leopard became the stable system about which so many still wax poetic.

 

[SeattleMoose]

People keep saying that but are apparently forgetting that many of the "under the hood improvements" in fact were new features: it was the first version of OS X with a 64 bit kernel, it added amongst others Grand Central dispatch, OpenCL, CUPS, and many power management features, and later also the Mac App Store.

What about "optimization" and "under the hood" did you not understand?

 

[cuwickliffe]

Other features planned for iOS 12 include additional Animoji characters, a new Animoji interface and Animojis on iPad, FaceTime support for Animoji, updated parental controls with a new Digital Health tool to allow parents to better monitor screen time, a revamped Stocks app, an enhanced version of Do Not Disturb, and support for multiplayer augmented reality games.

After seeing this paragraph, I sighed relief that more Animoji is what makes up iOS 12. Because pretty much that's the top feature now of most iOS updates ...

 

[Janichsan]

What about "optimization" and "under the hood" did you not understand?

What about the point that "under the hood" and "optimisations" do not equal "no new features" did you not undertand?

 

[chucker23n1]

What about "optimization" and "under the hood" did you not understand?

There were significant new features. It's just that few of them were directly apparent to the user. What helped Snow Leopard was mainly how long its cycle was; by 10.6.8, it was quite solid.

 

[Swift]

How can we think about iOS 13 when iOS 11 was such a poor release? We can only hope 12 will work. By the way 9.3.5 works great on my 6s.

I think it's a great release, actually. Lots of long-withheld features. Access to files. Split screen, tons of good stuff. The only disappointment I have is that features that were promised in the release for iOS and MacOS weren't carried through. Like the apfs filesystem on the Mac, it was underwhelming for those without a boot flash drive. But all in all, great.

 

[Sill]

How can we think about iOS 13 when iOS 11 was such a poor release? We can only hope 12 will work. By the way 9.3.5 works great on my 6s.

For some reason, I'm having flashbacks to when System 7 was current. The next OS was supposed to be Copland, but Apple was already talking about Gershwin.

Is it just me, or is anyone else seeing this?

 

[Janichsan]

If the apps have “limited functionality” on a Mac, that’s the developer’s fault for either not knowing how to implement more functionality (assuming it makes sense in their business model and vision for the app, etc.), or for going with a UI that isn’t extensible enough to support said functionality.

Which leads to the question where the advantage for the iOS user is supposed to be, when the apps get bloated by all the extraneous functionality that only works on macOS.

 

[chucker23n1]

For some reason, I'm having flashbacks to when System 7 was current. The next OS was supposed to be Copland, but Apple was already talking about Gershwin.

Is it just me, or is anyone else seeing this?

I don't believe Apple ever said much about Gershwin (or, really, had much even conceptually to show for it); they gave the codename, but if anything, one of the big problems with Copland was feature creep. Everyone wanted their pet project to ship in Copland, rather than waiting for that to come out first, then adding additional stuff in Gershwin.

(Similarly, Windows Longhorn was supposed to be a small release between Whistler and Blackcomb, but instead it ended up having so many features that it got rebooted entirely into the still-somewhat-bloated Vista.)

 

[nviz22]

Could that be because the service is called YouTube?


Should iOS 12 in fact fix all the problem iOS has accrued over the last years (as if…), it will be the best release in years.


I still have yet to see a good answer for the in my opinion most important question: why?

Why is this something I from an end-user perspective should want? Why would I want to run single-purpose iOS apps with limited functionality on a Mac? Where's the advantage in that?

It's one step forward, two steps back because iOS 10 was stable. iOS 11 was too bug filled to the point Apple is pushing all its plans back to iOS 13 and 2019.

 

[cmaier]

Yoink is the best 3.49 euro ever spent for an app on my iPads

The sad thing is it shouldn’t be necessary. iOS needs a better way of dealing with attachments and downloads.

 

[CordovaLark]

Mouse, Trackpad support?

 

[UltimateSyn]

Christ, this stuff should all be coming in 12.

 

[rp2011]

I think Apple wants to bridge the gap between all their devices. Each has its own unique use case, but it sure would be nice to leave off one place and pick up wherever on whichever device you happen to have on you. Sure typing would be better on a Mac, but you may want to take a glance at it on an Ipad or an iPhone or vice versa. And the UI on each device optimized for its strengths. There is no such thing as the ONE perfect tool. Each tool has something to offer for a specific task at hand.

 

[charlituna]

View attachment 760762

Damn, that thing looks stale. iPad badly needs a design overhaul.

I disagree. The physical form is moot. It’s the power inside via the hardware and software that is important

 

[prospervic]

iPads so far are unnecessary devices. They exist because they can but not because they're needed. If you can live solely with a tablet, you could live solely with a laptop. The reverse is not necessarily true. I have a 10.5 Pro, but I honestly have no idea why. I thought I would use it to read and draw mostly, but I haven't even done that. iOS 11 turned out to be one big lie in terms of making the iPad more useful as a productivity machine.

>Yawn< I was going to launch into my usual spirited rebuttal to this stale-old argument, but then I thought "why bother?"
I realize there will always be people who think that if a device doesn't suit their particular workflow, then it shouldn't even exist. Said people are also apparently unaware of, or have no appreciation for fields of endeavor different than their own. So it would be a waste of time to talk about the legions of photographers, musicians, visual artists, scientist, educators, retailers, salespeople, real estate agents, pilots, etc who make a living by working on iPad.

Nope. I'm done. Going forward, I leave everyone to their own particular belief-system silo, while I continue to create, as well as consume, with my iPad Pro.

 

[TechRemarker]

Apple has several major iPad-focused features planned for next year's iOS 13 update, codenamed "Yukon," according to information shared by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman on Twitter.

Apple is said to be working on a revamped Files app, in-app tabs similar to the tabs that are available in macOS apps, support for using the same app side-by-side in Split View multitasking mode, and unspecified improvements to Apple Pencil. Some of this information was previously shared by Gurman in reports on Bloomberg, but details such as a revamped Files app are new.

Gurman also previously said that some features originally planned for iOS 12 will be pushed back to iOS 13 to allow Apple to work on bug fixes and performance improvements. These features include a redesigned Home screen (which will include changes on the iPad) and a revamped Photos app.

​

iOS 11, the current version of iOS, was also an iPad-focused update, introducing the Files app, a revamped iPad dock, a new App Switcher, Drag and Drop support, new Apple Pencil features like Instant Markup and Instant Notes, a redesigned QuickType keyboard, and more.

iOS 12, coming this year, will offer fewer new features than Apple had originally planned, but Gurman believes Apple will introduce at least one major change that also affects macOS 10.14 - support for cross-platform apps. Apple is said to be working to implement features that would allow apps designed for the iPhone and the iPad to run on the Mac, but there has been some disagreement over when this feature will debut.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber says Apple will not introduce this functionality until iOS 13 and macOS 10.15, so it is unclear if it will indeed be coming in iOS 12. Gurman does, however, often share accurate information on Apple's software updates ahead of their release.

Other features planned for iOS 12 include additional Animoji characters, a new Animoji interface and Animojis on iPad, FaceTime support for Animoji, updated parental controls with a new Digital Health tool to allow parents to better monitor screen time, a revamped Stocks app, an enhanced version of Do Not Disturb, and support for multiplayer augmented reality games.

Apple will unveil iOS 12, macOS 10.14, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5 at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference that kicks off on Monday, June 4. The first day will include a keynote event where Apple will share all of the new features coming in the software updates, and following the keynote, developers will be provided with access to the software to begin to prepare their apps ahead of a fall public launch.

Article Link: Next Year's iOS 13 Update to Feature iPad-Focused Upgrades Like Revamped Files App

I have to imagine a major focus of iOS 12 not mentioned will be introduction of Workflow throughout iOS after their purchase of that app so you can automate everything. I imagine that’s why they held off automations for Honepod in the Home app because they wanted to wait to introduce much more advance options for the whole iOS in June.