Siri Shortcuts, Screen Time tipped to transfer to macOS 10.15
Siri Shortcuts, iOS' automation service, could make an appearance in macOS in the update to version 10.15, with the claim it and Screen Time will be among the functions transferred over from iOS at the 2019 World Wide Developer's Conference.
Apple is expected to reveal the major additions it will be making in macOS 10.15 as part of its keynotes at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Some reports have already hinted at some of the iOS-inspired changes that will be made in iOS, but now it is suggested Siri Shortcuts and Screen Time will be given a similar treatment.
Siri Shortcuts, which was introduced as part of iOS 12, enables users to easily make their own custom actions that could be performed in requests to Apple's digital assistant. According to people familiar with the development of macOS 10.15 speaking to 9to5Mac, Siri Shortcuts will be downloadable from the Mac App Store, offered as its own standalone app via Marzipan, Apple's project to enable iOS apps to function in macOS.
It is claimed that Siri Shortcuts is being ported with a new SDK that will be released at WWDC. Despite being made available on macOS, Siri Shortcuts will reportedly only work with apps that are also running on Marzipan, not natively-produced macOS software, giving iOS and macOS parity in what can be controlled.
Siri on macOS will also receive some updates, with features relating to timer-setting, alarms, and air quality that are available on iOS set to transition over to macOS.
While macOS already offers a Parental Controls function to manage what younger users can do on the Mac and for how long, Apple apparently wants to enhance the controls with Screen Time. The iOS function allows for access to apps to be limited based on genre and time, as well as advising parents on how long their children spend in specific apps and categories, before giving the option to set time and access limits.
Apple is also tipped to introduce a new Apple ID management panel to System Preferences, one that would improve the setup process and management of Family Sharing, and would be similar to the iOS Settings app in concept. Effects in iMessage for iOS including confetti, lasers, and fireworks, will also make an appearance in the macOS counterpart.
Earlier reports of what to expect from macOS 10.15 claimed there will be a redesigned Books app, separate apps for Podcasts and TV, and an expansion of the Apple Watch's ability to act as biometric authentication for a Mac's security.
Apple is expected to reveal the major additions it will be making in macOS 10.15 as part of its keynotes at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Some reports have already hinted at some of the iOS-inspired changes that will be made in iOS, but now it is suggested Siri Shortcuts and Screen Time will be given a similar treatment.
Siri Shortcuts, which was introduced as part of iOS 12, enables users to easily make their own custom actions that could be performed in requests to Apple's digital assistant. According to people familiar with the development of macOS 10.15 speaking to 9to5Mac, Siri Shortcuts will be downloadable from the Mac App Store, offered as its own standalone app via Marzipan, Apple's project to enable iOS apps to function in macOS.
It is claimed that Siri Shortcuts is being ported with a new SDK that will be released at WWDC. Despite being made available on macOS, Siri Shortcuts will reportedly only work with apps that are also running on Marzipan, not natively-produced macOS software, giving iOS and macOS parity in what can be controlled.
Siri on macOS will also receive some updates, with features relating to timer-setting, alarms, and air quality that are available on iOS set to transition over to macOS.
While macOS already offers a Parental Controls function to manage what younger users can do on the Mac and for how long, Apple apparently wants to enhance the controls with Screen Time. The iOS function allows for access to apps to be limited based on genre and time, as well as advising parents on how long their children spend in specific apps and categories, before giving the option to set time and access limits.
Apple is also tipped to introduce a new Apple ID management panel to System Preferences, one that would improve the setup process and management of Family Sharing, and would be similar to the iOS Settings app in concept. Effects in iMessage for iOS including confetti, lasers, and fireworks, will also make an appearance in the macOS counterpart.
Earlier reports of what to expect from macOS 10.15 claimed there will be a redesigned Books app, separate apps for Podcasts and TV, and an expansion of the Apple Watch's ability to act as biometric authentication for a Mac's security.
Comments
On ios the shortcuts thing is limited in its capacity.
I’d day the writing is on the wall for macOS as we know it today. When Apple finally releases those mythical ARM Macs, I think their “macOS” will look a lot like iOS.
What do you mean that Siri Shortcuts need to be replaced by proper 3rd party systems?
Keep in mind, this article and many others seems to conflate the Shortcuts app and Siri Shortcuts, which are similar and work together but are different things. Siri Shortcuts allows third parties to add Siri capability to their app. The Shortcuts app allows people to string together a bunch of actions that can then be accomplished with a single tap or by asking Siri.
I'm also curious why you think Shortcuts (the app) is limited in its capacity. Are there things that Alexa Skills can accomplish similar to what can be done in the Shortcuts app? For instance, I have a Shortcut that sets my disarms my alarm system, turns on several lights in my house (to different brightnesses) and adjusts my thermostat which I use when I wake up in the morning. It can be activated by asking Siri or by tapping a button on the home screen of my phone.
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2018/10/download-best-ios-12-siri-shortcuts-app.html
https://www.macworld.com/article/3309404/the-best-shortcuts-for-iphone.html
Marizpan has nothing to do with any Chip transition.
Moving to ARM also has nothing to do with the look and feel of the OS.
Also so ask your friends how many use Siri shortcuts. Ask an Alexa user how many use skills.
It would be a complete shock if Apple ditched Intel chips across the entire Mac product line. The fact that the rather small Mac market supports multiple virtualization solutions tells me that a lot of Mac customers run Windows apps. A lot of people would abandon the Mac if it didn't have an Intel chip. There's really no compelling argument for Apple to transition the Mac to ARM today. It's not like Apple is bringing lots of new people into the Mac fold. Mac sales have been more or less flat for ages, regardless of what is happening with Intel's chip pipeline. An ARM-based Mac isn't going to attract new customers, but it will push many existing "pro" customers to Windows.
Apple hasn't been excited about the Mac in years - and it shows. I'm sure we'll get a beautiful, fancy, and incredibly overpriced Mac Pro this year to keep the "pro" market happy for another few years. In the meantime, Apple will continue to push the iPad as a laptop replacement, as well as a general purpose computing device. They sure aren't pushing the Mac! What we're going to see with Marzipan is not unlike what we saw with Classic > Carbon > Cocoa. Classic and Carbon are now gone. One day AppKit will be gone too. What makes a lot more sense is for Apple to bring iOS to the desktop when they transition to ARM rather than porting macOS to ARM. I think Marzipan is the first step to making that happen.