
Apple to bring iOS apps to macOS - rbanffy
https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/04/apple-is-bringing-the-best-of-ios-to-macos/
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lukewrites
This must be a stopgap while Apple works on integrating touch systems into
their laptop screens.

Whenever we go into the Apple store, it's interesting to see how many people
go over to a MacBook and try to interact with the computer by touching the
screen.

The time seems right for Apple to step in to the touch screen laptop market.
Other companies have already tried the concept, and have produced machines
that are OK but not great – there are a number of IBM laptops that do at least
OK with their touch interface, and MS seems to be blazing a trail with their
Surface line. It's inconceivable to me that Apple won't offer similar
products, especially since there are so many excellent apps on iOS. Getting
the iOS apps to run (probably clunkily) on MacOS is a sensible first step.

~~~
latexr
> This must be a stopgap while Apple works on integrating touch systems into
> their laptop screens.

That seems unlikely. In the keynote Federighi specifically said they’re not
merging the OSs, and on a recent interview[1] continued to be derisive of the
experience of touchscreen laptops:

> Federighi was also dismissive of touchscreen laptops

> (…)

> When addressing my question about whether iOS apps moving to macOS is a
> natural precursor to touchscreen Macs, Federighi told me he's "not into
> touchscreens" on PCs and doesn't anticipate he ever will be. "We really feel
> that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a
> surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing
> thing to do," he said.

That’s not to say they’ll never do it, but I doubt this move was made with
that in mind. It’s more likely their main goal is to bring a push to building
macOS apps.

[1]: [https://www.wired.com/story/wwdc-2018-federighi-ios-apps-
on-...](https://www.wired.com/story/wwdc-2018-federighi-ios-apps-on-macos/)

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exabrial
What I want more than anything: OSX Server that supports headless. It's _so
dang hard_ to do continuous integration with automated UI testing on IOS and
OSX apps.

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sgillen
“These apps might have the same overall feel as their mobile counterparts but
key user interactions will have to be updated for the desktop environment”

Hm seems like this mitigates some of the advantage of porting over to macOS
this way. If you have to make nontrivial changes to your code anyway to have
it work right.

This just feels like something no one was asking for, but I guess there must
be a community waiting for this or some reason for Apple to put the time in.

~~~
esturk
For porting maybe, but after the initial framework is released, new apps will
just be built with both platforms in mind. Newer versions of UI Kit will
probably shift people in the Apple Kit direction and then slowly deprecate all
no compatible features.

So unless app developers don't upgrade their app, sort of like moving to 64
bit, then yes everything would be a non trivial effort.

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badwolf
>It’s important to note that Apple is not merging the two operating systems.
In fact, Federighi started out this announcement by stating loud and clear
that they will continue to be separate products

So... RIP MacOS then.

