robbyx

suddenly newton said:

A few thoughts:

1. USB-C isn’t what enables mouse support. First, most mice (“mouses”) are USB-A or Bluetooth. And Apple no longer sells a wired mouse of any kind, so if they really wanted to support an iPad mouse, they’d go Bluetooth.

2. The only time I want a mouse on my iPad is when I run software like Citrix Receiver to connect to corporate computers (usually Windows). Citrix already sells a mouse for iOS users of their app: https://youtu.be/9R6WcZkz-Ik (and it works well)

3. I think using a pointer + mouse for native iOS apps misses the point of the tablet form factor. I get that some people think a tablet should be a desktop Windows PC, but I do not, and I do not think Apple thinks this either.

1. Completely agree.

2. If mouse support comes to the iPad, I think it will be app-specific.  There are certain types of applications that almost require a mouse.  I can't imagine using a CAD application with my finger or the Pencil.

3. Completely agree.  I don't see Apple adding a pointer to the broad iOS interface, at least not on the iPad.  If and when a desktop iOS variant emerges, I think it will have pointer support and function much like today's macOS.  When it comes to the iPad, however, adding a pointer now makes no sense.  The entire iPad experience is built on touch, on a direct connection between you and the hardware.  You do not manipulate a virtual finger (pointer) on the screen using another device.  You touch directly.  Even if you're using the Pencil, you still touch the screen.  The whole iPhone/iPad experience is built around touch.  Touch will always be the primary/preferred method of interacting with the iPhone and iPad in my opinion, but adding mouse support for specific use cases makes a lot of sense.

StrangeDays said:

...while I’m aware Apple has changed its mind on things before, they’ve spoken to this topic specifically and so many times that I have no reason to doubt them.

That's because they are not merging the two operating systems.  They are building a new desktop iOS variant that will one day take macOS's place.  That's how I see it.  So they aren't exactly lying.  Apple has always been good at wordplay.  

Marzipan ipad apps running on Mac still have a more general UI and I don’t see them replacing the window metaphor on macOS. 

Yet.  Marzipan is brand new.  It's impossible to say what Marzipan apps will look like, much less be capable of, in a few years.  Plus iOS supports multiple windows, just not the overlapping, drag them around the screen metaphor used on the desktop today.

I think the upcoming Mac Pro is the last big hurrah for today's macOS and Intel-based Macs.  I think macOS XI is going to be when we see ARM "Macs" running iOS with a macOS-style desktop interface.  I'm thinking five years, give or take.  That's enough time to fully bake Marzipan and get the majority of developers on board.  Once iOS and macOS apps all use UIKit, the guts of the operating system become far less important.

asdasd said:

robbyx said:

asdasd said:

kruegdude said:

asdasd said:

Siri shortcuts needs to be replaced on iOS and the Mac with proper 3rd party systems. 

You mean something like “Workflows”?

No. I mean that on Alexa you can download 3rd party skills. It’s easy - just ask Alexa for the skill. So if you want a new weather skill you ask and download. (Discoverabilty is a problem but can be found in the app). 

On ios the shortcuts thing is limited in its capacity. 

https://shortcutsgallery.com/

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

Thanks. The functionality is still far more limited. I develop for both. Take it from me. 

Also so ask your friends how many use Siri shortcuts. Ask an Alexa user how many use skills. 

No argument.  I was just pointing out that there are places to find and download third party shortcuts.  Your comment ("on Alexa you can download 3rd party skills") implies that the same thing is not possible with shortcuts.  Alexa has been around for several years now.  Shortcuts is new.  It might be more limited today, but give it a little time.  Personally I don't use either because I find them both rather useless.

asdasd said:

robbyx said:

This is the first clear sign that Apple intends to prefer and prioritize Marzipan moving forward.  Does this mean that Safari in 10.15 will be a Marzipan app?  Seems likely or Screen Time won’t work.  When a new OS level feature requires certain tech, you can rest assured that tech is becoming default in the future. 

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.

Although safari may be a marzipan app it doesn’t have to be for screen time to work. In fact screen time is largely an OS level feature. Developers don’t have to add that screen that says you have run out of time, it’s added by the OS. 

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. 

I completely disagree.  Marzipan lays the foundation for building apps that run on both macOS and iOS.  This is the first step to getting rid of macOS as we know it.  I don't think Apple is going to bother porting macOS to ARM and maintaining two different hardware platforms for the rather small number of Macs they sell every year.  Apple will need the big developers like Adobe, etc. to support the new hardware platform.  If the past is any indication, companies like Adobe will take their sweet time porting their apps (which won't be as simple as a recompile) - if they port them at all.

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.

This is the first clear sign that Apple intends to prefer and prioritize Marzipan moving forward.  Does this mean that Safari in 10.15 will be a Marzipan app?  Seems likely or Screen Time won’t work.  When a new OS level feature requires certain tech, you can rest assured that tech is becoming default in the future. 

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.