Just a few years ago there was ample talk about all Apple OSs integrating into a single one – and while the proliferation that happened lately to all the different product lines raises questions, clearly with the M1 (natively running mobile apps on a PC!) and much more visual line-blurring between MacOS and the mobile OSs in Big Sur, it's clear that somewhere on the roadmap that full consolidation of product lines is very much still happening. So OF COURSE there will be a "Mac" with touchscreen, just wait.
Mac OS and IOS will never merge.... and yet, they kinda already have. iOS / iPad OS / Mac OS now just seem like slightly different varieties tailored to each type of device. I can't wait for mac's to get touch screens. Before you laugh me out of the room remember that no iPhone or iPad would ever need another pointing device because we all have the best one at the end of our hands... right? And yet now the iPad has a trackpad, a pencil and a mouse (if you want), so by the same token why not a finger for the mac?
I would not be disappointed in the slightest if Apple ripped off the Microsoft Surface Studio with a 32 Inch Mac that had a clever hinge to switch between a standard desktop setup to something flatter for touch screen interaction.
With Apple now making its own silicon, it could be a sensible option to reinvent the iPad system that can be docked to a keyboard to extend computing power, essentially making it a macOS system. That would solve the clumsy need to carry two devices with you.
Also, after using my iPad for a while, I find myself trying to quickly tap something on my MacBook screen.
I can see it happening, but only when the groundwork for touch support on macOS is more mature. It’s not at the right stage yet; just making bigger UI elements isn’t enough.
For it to work, it needs to be great as a secondary input method. That means the OS understanding when a swipe should be interpreted as a scroll as opposed to drag, for example.
If implemented well the result would be two clear and distinct approaches across iPad and Mac:
- iPadOS: Touch first, with great keyboard and pointer support
- macOS: Keyboard and pointer first, with great touch support
As for Federighi downplaying touch, I wouldn’t pay too much attention to that. Apple has a history of saying they won’t do something right up until the moment they do it, and there’s absolutely no way he’s going to say anything else. He’d be in front of a firing squad if he pre-announced products still in development.
And that graphic on the Mac App Store? A red herring. The person who oversees digital marketing is not going to be privy to Apple’s secret roadmap.
Mac OS and IOS will never merge.... and yet, they kinda already have. iOS / iPad OS / Mac OS now just seem like slightly different varieties tailored to each type of device. I can't wait for mac's to get touch screens. Before you laugh me out of the room remember that no iPhone or iPad would ever need another pointing device because we all have the best one at the end of our hands... right? And yet now the iPad has a trackpad, a pencil and a mouse (if you want), so by the same token why not a finger for the mac?
I’m not laughing. I’d argue that iPadOS and macOS merging won’t really matter to a lot of users if more and more mainstream apps run equally well on both platforms.
If the iPadOS Files app were buffed up to be roughly equivalent to Finder and a terminal app added to iPadOS the calls to port macOS to iPad would drop to background noise levels.
I’d rather see Apple selectively implement new clean versions of only the most needed macOS features in iPadOS instead of porting the whole thing over and slice & dice old code to make it fit into the iPad.
If Apple was working on a touchscreen Mac, it wouldn't advertise it to the entire planet via some graphic on the App Store. The odds of Apple ever releasing a touchscreen Mac are lower than Trump winning this election.
Mac OS Big Sur absolurely was designed to be touch friendly. 100% its widget and controls occupy a happy medium between mouse clicks and finger taps.
I’ll give Craig a pass on talking through both sides of his mouth on this one.
Big Sure world just as well on a non touch Mac as it does a touch Mac.
But they aren’t ready to roll out touch Macs yet.
They just gave all the low end Macs a massive power upgrade with M series chips.
But the surrounding hardware was pretty much unchanged.
They still have Intel Macs to sell after all.
By the time the M series iMac rolls out, it will have a touch screen and no one will feel shorter because this transition was given time to set in organically instead of being a lightning strike.
I have a problem. I'm a very much a traditionalist when it becomes to the Mac system. I use the terminology by Apple for the macOS system. Gawd, there are some crazy people think they can call some features of the macOS with terminology they desires. They confuse me. In one example, they love to call the macOS Desktop Pictures as 'wallpaper". This doesn't make sense. I know that nearly all of you are die-hard Mac fans, please help them to see the light. To me, 'wallpaper' has no meaning. Why call Desktop Pictures as 'wallpapers?" Really doesn't make sense to me. Seems like the ones who stupidly call Desktop Picture as wallpapers are very dumb.
If the uninformed others like to use the word "wallpapers", they need to be ignored or tell them to use the correct terminology. I've notice this a lot in other forums.
Pleas help me. Thank you.
(Moderators, if I'm in the wrong forum, pease tell me what forum is the best.)
Dude. Blame Apple.
On the iPhone, the bavground is literally called “wallpaper” in the settings.
And the Mac community has been used to that term forever.
I think they used the term to make things easy for Windows “switchers” also since thats what Microsoft called it.
But I do agree with your point. The “desktop” metaphor isn’t really that great and with “home screens being the thing now, and even if it were, I do t know too many who wallpaper the tops of their desks (though I did see a YouTube video of a couple who redecorated their apartment with peel and stick appliqués).
it’s probably best called a Home Screen background
But wallpaper is quick and easy and everyone gets it.
I have a problem. I'm a very much a traditionalist when it becomes to the Mac system. I use the terminology by Apple for the macOS system. Gawd, there are some crazy people think they can call some features of the macOS with terminology they desires. They confuse me. In one example, they love to call the macOS Desktop Pictures as 'wallpaper". This doesn't make sense. I know that nearly all of you are die-hard Mac fans, please help them to see the light. To me, 'wallpaper' has no meaning. Why call Desktop Pictures as 'wallpapers?" Really doesn't make sense to me. Seems like the ones who stupidly call Desktop Picture as wallpapers are very dumb.
If the uninformed others like to use the word "wallpapers", they need to be ignored or tell them to use the correct terminology. I've notice this a lot in other forums.
Pleas help me. Thank you.
(Moderators, if I'm in the wrong forum, pease tell me what forum is the best.)
I used to think that Apple would never bring touch screens to Mac. With the advent of Apple’s M1 and the ability to run iOS and iPadOS apps on M1 Macs I’m not so sure anymore. I’m also starting to think that there may be a few workflows that would actually work well on a touch screen Mac, like window docking (using a Magnet type of app), dispatching notifications, and accessing Control Center. We’ll see.
If they don’t release a touchscreen Mac, I’d be happy if they ever released a 16” (or larger) iPad Pro with a Cintiq-like orientation for movie, audio and design production work.
I can see it happening, but only when the groundwork for touch support on macOS is more mature. It’s not at the right stage yet; just making bigger UI elements isn’t enough.
For it to work, it needs to be great as a secondary input method. That means the OS understanding when a swipe should be interpreted as a scroll as opposed to drag, for example.
If implemented well the result would be two clear and distinct approaches across iPad and Mac:
- iPadOS: Touch first, with great keyboard and pointer support
- macOS: Keyboard and pointer first, with great touch support
As for Federighi downplaying touch, I wouldn’t pay too much attention to that. Apple has a history of saying they won’t do something right up until the moment they do it, and there’s absolutely no way he’s going to say anything else. He’d be in front of a firing squad if he pre-announced products still in development.
And that graphic on the Mac App Store? A red herring. The person who oversees digital marketing is not going to be privy to Apple’s secret roadmap.
Riiiight.
And zero leaks have resulted from what the icon designer has created and was added to prerelease OS builds... oh wait!
Apple marketing knows what’s up with things that are upcoming. It’s how the web pages, text copy, and promotion materials are so well done. That doesn’t just get cooked up in a month. It’s collaborated, refined, edited, etc. until final approval.
That graphic means what it looks like. Someone made a mistake on letting it out before spring ‘21.
Mac OS Big Sur is absolutely a touch friendly interface.
And that’s a good thing.
When the M series iMac is released, it will have a touch screen.
Comments
And no it wouldn’t.
- iPadOS: Touch first, with great keyboard and pointer support
- macOS: Keyboard and pointer first, with great touch support
As for Federighi downplaying touch, I wouldn’t pay too much attention to that. Apple has a history of saying they won’t do something right up until the moment they do it, and there’s absolutely no way he’s going to say anything else. He’d be in front of a firing squad if he pre-announced products still in development.
Mac OS Big Sur absolurely was designed to be touch friendly. 100% its widget and controls occupy a happy medium between mouse clicks and finger taps.
it’s probably best called a Home Screen background
Apple marketing knows what’s up with things that are upcoming. It’s how the web pages, text copy, and promotion materials are so well done. That doesn’t just get cooked up in a month. It’s collaborated, refined, edited, etc. until final approval.