Apple considering WWDC Mac Pro reveal, expansion of 'Project Marzipan'

AppleInsider

WWDC may not see just the reveal of the Mac Pro ahead of an expected launch later in the year, but also an expansion of the initiative that makes it easier for developers to create one app for most of Apple's platforms.

Apple unveiled the start of its plan to bring iOS apps to the Mac at 2018's WWDC

Bloomberg reports that Apple is continuing what its said to have codenamed Project Marzipan. The initiative, expected to be fully rolled out by 2021, intends to allow developers to create a single app that will automatically work across iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Apple revealed the first part of what it called "a multi-year project" at the 2018 WWDC when it launched Mac versions of its own iOS apps such as News and Home. The company said then that this ability to work cross-platform would come to developers in the next year.

Bloomberg also says that Apple plans to release a new software development kit which it may release at June 2019's WWDC. This SDK will allow developers to write their apps once, but it won't yet change the process for submitting different versions to the Mac and iOS App Stores. By 2021, the aim is reportedly to allow developers to make a "single binary" that can be submitted once to a unified App Store.

Apple's News app for iOS has already been ported to the Mac

It's not clear whether the iOS and Mac App Stores will be merged as far as users are concerned, but cutting down the submission work required is hoped to encourage developers.

The 2019 WWDC is also expected to include new productivity features for iPad and, according to Bloomberg, Apple may also preview the forthcoming Mac Pro. The report's sources say that Apple has "internally weighed" whether to do it or not -- but didn't provide any information on what to expect.

The new Mac Pro was originally teased in April 2017 when Apple took the unusual step of briefing journalists on its plans. The company said then that the new Mac would be a modular design and that there would also be a new Apple-made display.

"We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so we can keep it fresh with regular improvements," said Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller. "And we're committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers."

A year later, Apple confirmed that the plan was for a 2019 release and announced that a new engineering group had been formed to work on it.

In February 2019, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the Mac Pro would be "easy to upgrade." He also said that the forthcoming display would be a 31.6-inch Apple 6K3K display that will feature "outstanding picture quality thanks to its adoption of the Mini LED-like backlight design."

k2kw

Apple telegraphed this two years ago.    I just can't wait for when they make a SurfaceBook like hybrid tablet computer in 2022.

nightwatch

Truly, a very important event for Apple and the user base. Here’s hoping that the Pro Workflow Team has been working with the right people. It seems they have. We’ll now see. 

leighc-sfo

Wow, what investigative reporting must have gone on at Bloomberg to crack this story open. 

In other news, WWDC is going to happen in San Jose this year.... I know, I know, but I have sources, trust me. 

rcfa

So much for never converging iOS and macOS 😂

Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

curtis hannah

rcfa said:

So much for never converging iOS and macOS 😂

Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

So you want to cause yourself to switch platforms while Apple abandons their 2 OS system?

I still see no reason to merge the OSs. Sure Mac OS needs to be worked to be tablet compatible, but giving it iOSes hindering interface wouldn’t really help anything. iOS needs to remain on iPhones for the forseevle future as well as there is nothing that could be practically imported from Mac OS.

GeorgeBMac

rcfa said:

So much for never converging iOS and macOS 😂

Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

This is not converging the two OS's.  As I understand it, it's simply providing a single API for developers to use when developing their apps. 
That will enable them to develop their app or game once but let them run on both platforms.

I don't see Apple merging the two.   iOS was taken from MacOS and stripped down & simplified to meet the predominant uses on mobile devices.   Conversely MacOS is a more robust OS for the beefier tasks often performed on a laptop or desktop. 
I think an appropriate analogy would be GM making both cars (smaller, less robust) and pickup trucks (big and beefy).  Both are needed -- yet they can still share similar components such as sound systems.   (By the way, what do you call those things these days?  They used to be "radios" -- now they're radios, CDs. Mapping, backup camera displays, text and phone messaging systems, vehicle information displays, etc....)

k2kw

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

Yep and now that iPhone revenue has declined they are finally rushing to get some other products out.    Maybe they will listen to some of the complaints about the keyboard on MBP.

StrangeDays

rcfa said:

So much for never converging iOS and macOS ߘ⦬t;br>
Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

So much for you comprehending the difference between apps that target multiple devices and merging operating system. 

Cool little rebellion fantasy you wrote in your head tho. Go get ‘em! Abandon Apple!

tht

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

They are working on phones, wearables and services, the stuff that comprise 90% of their revenue. When they renamed themselves to Apple, Inc from Apple Computer, it was a big hint. But no one disputes the point that they’ve taken off the ball the Mac lineup the last 4 to 5 years.

Yes, it takes Apple minimum 2 years to design a computer from the ground up. They don’t put together off-the-shelf components anymore, and Macs don’t make or break the company anymore like it used to, so schedules aren’t set in stone like iPhones are. Looks like all new Macs will have a T-series co-processor. This will slow down things too, and these co-processors will take more and more work from other off-the-shelf components. Wouldn’t be surprised if future variants have a GPU in it.

Hopefully they don’t preview any new hardware anymore. If they announce it, it should be ready to buy within a couple of months at most. The delays in AirPower, AirPods, and HomePod has hopefully retaught them that it isn’t worth it.

StrangeDays

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

Clueless. Cook is one of the most successful CEOs of modern history. Thank god you’re not in charge of anyone’s money. 

Sounds like you’re new to Apple; Craig and others explained in a media event why the MP is delayed and what happened. Read up. 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/06/transcript-phil-schiller-craig-federighi-and-john-ternus-on-the-state-of-apples-pro-macs/

StrangeDays

k2kw said:

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

Yep and now that iPhone revenue has declined they are finally rushing to get some other products out.    Maybe they will listen to some of the complaints about the keyboard on MBP.

Nonsense. Apple doesn’t rush product outs (see the majority of whiner complaints). The idea that you personally have to be aware of the product development roadmap for it to exist is absurd. 

canukstorm

GeorgeBMac said:

rcfa said:

So much for never converging iOS and macOS 😂

Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

This is not converging the two OS's.  As I understand it, it's simply providing a single API for developers to use when developing their apps. 
That will enable them to develop their app or game once but let them run on both platforms.

I don't see Apple merging the two.   iOS was taken from MacOS and stripped down & simplified to meet the predominant uses on mobile devices.   Conversely MacOS is a more robust OS for the beefier tasks often performed on a laptop or desktop. 
I think an appropriate analogy would be GM making both cars (smaller, less robust) and pickup trucks (big and beefy).  Both are needed -- yet they can still share similar components such as sound systems.   (By the way, what do you call those things these days?  They used to be "radios" -- now they're radios, CDs. Mapping, backup camera displays, text and phone messaging systems, vehicle information displays, etc....)

I agree and I wonder what this means for the future of AppKit.  Does it stick around or eventually get replaced by UIKit similar to how Carbon eventually got replaced by Cocoa

tht

StrangeDays said:

To be more pedantic, Apple is essentially saying that PCs use indirect input devices such as keyboards and point devices (mouse, trackpad) while touch devices use direct manipulation. In other words, input targets for devices with pointing devices can have targets doing to 2 or 3 points while on touch devices it is 20 to 30 points. That order of magnitude difference means the UI has to be changed in some way.

It shouldn’t mean that touch devices shouldn’t have pointing devices though, they should, it means that touch apps should be designed for fingers first. 

BittySon

StrangeDays said:

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

Clueless. Cook is one of the most successful CEOs of modern history. Thank god you’re not in charge of anyone’s money. 

Sounds like you’re new to Apple; Craig and others explained in a media event why the MP is delayed and what happened. Read up. 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/06/transcript-phil-schiller-craig-federighi-and-john-ternus-on-the-state-of-apples-pro-macs/

You point to a two year old transcript and call me clueless?  Tim is very good at supply chain management but he is a horrible leader, which is what a CEO is for.  And, by the way, I do manage money, quite successfully, including in Apple, for decades.  I hate to get personal, but you are a fool.

StrangeDays

BittySon said:

StrangeDays said:

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

Clueless. Cook is one of the most successful CEOs of modern history. Thank god you’re not in charge of anyone’s money. 

Sounds like you’re new to Apple; Craig and others explained in a media event why the MP is delayed and what happened. Read up. 

https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/06/transcript-phil-schiller-craig-federighi-and-john-ternus-on-the-state-of-apples-pro-macs/

You point to a two year old transcript and call me clueless?  Tim is very good at supply chain management but he is a horrible leader, which is what a CEO is for.  And, by the way, I do manage money, quite successfully, including in Apple, for decades.  I hate to get personal, but you are a fool.

I posted the transcript because you appear ignorant about what the delay was for. Assuming they started new at the time of the transcript, as they implied they were, two years is not a long time for a brand new Mac Pro.  

You managed money inside Apple corporate? And you’re calling Cook a horrible CEO? Cool story, bro. Like I said...clueless. 

mattinoz

StrangeDays said:

rcfa said:

So much for never converging iOS and macOS ߘ⦬t;br>
Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

So much for you comprehending the difference between apps that target multiple devices and merging operating system. 

Cool little rebellion fantasy you wrote in your head tho. Go get ‘em! Abandon Apple!

They are going to need a bigger screen.

mattinoz

GeorgeBMac said:

rcfa said:

So much for never converging iOS and macOS 😂

Been saying for years that Apple should, would, and will have no rational choice other than unification of the platforms.
Given that apps on macOS can have multiple modes (windowed and full screen) and the os can handle multi-platform binaries (like PPC32, PPC64, x86, x86-64) it’s a no brainer to add an additional mode (TouchUI) and an additional platform (arm64).
At the same time Apple can start dumping intel.

The only thing to be feared about this development is that Apple might use it to close down the Mac, and that we’d need to jailbreak our computers, just to get access or verify what software is running on them.
If that were the case, it would leave me with no option but to move to a strictly opensource platform, and abandon all things Apple.

This is not converging the two OS's.  As I understand it, it's simply providing a single API for developers to use when developing their apps. 
That will enable them to develop their app or game once but let them run on both platforms.

I don't see Apple merging the two.   iOS was taken from MacOS and stripped down & simplified to meet the predominant uses on mobile devices.   Conversely MacOS is a more robust OS for the beefier tasks often performed on a laptop or desktop. 
I think an appropriate analogy would be GM making both cars (smaller, less robust) and pickup trucks (big and beefy).  Both are needed -- yet they can still share similar components such as sound systems.   (By the way, what do you call those things these days?  They used to be "radios" -- now they're radios, CDs. Mapping, backup camera displays, text and phone messaging systems, vehicle information displays, etc....)

Exactly.

Merging doesn't let them reengineer things that need reengineering. Like swift, as discussed by CL in recent podcast, started as white board discussion and independent prototype, develop several highly useful improvements to Obj-C as spin off projects before finally being launched as a language in the public realm.

I sort of expect Apple might make a third store and third OS targetting more advance use cases than iOS but more remote(async) than MacOS.

That OS might surplant both iOS and MacOS at some point but in the mean time will allow MacOS machines to be further away from the user in certain noisy use cases or shared capacity in other situations.

All-Purpose Guru

BittySon said:

They are "considering" a "preview" of the new MacPro?  Pardon my lack of enthusiasm but it is shameful that a COMPUTER COMPANY takes several years to develop a new model.  What exactly are they doing there at Apple Park?  Designing new animoji?  Beyond pathetic. Getting rid of Angela was not enough.  Tim needs to go yesterday.

Hmmm, how many computer companies have you worked for, and how many computers have you designed?  

You might try pulling your head out of your ass sometime before you talk about things you know NOTHING about.

Most "computers" (and the iPhone is a computer, just like the Mac) take at least 3 years to build.  I'm guessing that some of the subsystems (FaceID, OLED, etc.) on the current iPhone took at least 3 years to come together, they just don't talk about them before they're ready.  Getting something out with the complexity of the Mac Pro will take 3 years MINIMUM.  More like 5, in my experience.  

fastasleep

k2kw said:
Maybe they will listen to some of the complaints about the keyboard on MBP.

GIVE

IT

A

REST

crowley

Project Marzipan: Code once, charge twice.