If theres a single disappointment in the release of Apples first wave of M1 Macs, its the lackluster launch of iOS apps running inside of macOS. What should be an amazing unification of Apples platforms and a massive expansion of the Mac software base is, instead
kind of a non-event.
Running iOS apps on the Mac can be a little weird, its true. But it can sometimes be good. Unfortunately, a lot of interesting iOS apps just arent available at all, because their developers have removed them from the Mac side of the iOS App Store.
Its not a great situation. It needs to get better.
What developers can do?
Though iOS app developers with the Apple silicon Developer Transition Kit could build their iOS apps for Mac and run them to get an idea how theyd perform on macOS, I understand that many developers didnt do this, and others didnt feel comfortable letting their iOS apps out into the wild without first giving them a try on a real M1 Mac. A lot of them opted to just stay on the safe side and opt their apps out.
But I hope its a temporary situation. While iPad and iPhone apps have some quirks in a Mac context, they honestly work better than I expected. And I think users are probably more forgiving of quirks than perhaps developers are. I hope that perfect wont be the enemy of good, and that users wont be deprived of apps they love from iOS just because theyre not quite up to a developers very high standards.
What Im hoping is that developers will look at how their iOS apps perform on the Mac and decide that they do want them thereand will be driven to improve them. Improving support for iPad features like cursors and keyboard shortcuts will make an app better on the Mac, too. And developers can go even further by embracing Catalyst, which lets those iOS apps run as full Mac apps, with a more normal menu bar and other Mac adaptations. (Apps running with Catalyst will also run on the installed base of Intel Macs, which will be a majority of Macs in operation for a few years yet.)
What Apple can do?
This isnt all on developers. If Apple wants to benefit from having iOS apps run on all future Mac hardware, its going to need to keep pushing.
Part of that push will need to come on the software side. Apple needs to continue to develop Catalyst and make it as easy as possible for iOS developers to make apps that work great both on iPads with the Magic Keyboard attached, and on Macs. The less work developers have to do to make their apps great across a wide range of Apple devices, the more likely they are to do the work.
Apple needs to bring across more of its own technologies, too. The Shortcuts app is a key way to automate functions on iOS, but it doesnt exist on the Mac, and many iOS apps will be a little less functional until it does.
But Apples biggest impact can come with the decisions it makes about hardware. The reason some iOS apps feel weird on the Mac is that they were designed for touch, not for a cursor and keyboard. Introducing Macs with touchscreens wont change the Macs status as a mouse-first operating system, but it will offer alternate modes of inputand open up better compatibility with some iOS apps.
And imagine if Apple made a two-in-one convertible laptop, with a screen that could be wrapped around the back to make it temporarily more like an iPad. A lot of users would love a laptop that could transform into a tablet from time to timebut the apps need to be there.
What users can do
Developers have it rough. Theyve spent the summer wrestling with some major changes in macOS Big Sur, plus the transition to Apple silicon. They deserve your respect and your politeness.
That said, if theres an iOS app that you love thats not available on the Mac, its worth politely contacting that developer. Explain to thempolitely!why you want to run that app on the Mac, and why its a superior option to whatever their Mac solution is today. The more demand developers hear, the more likely they are to prioritize bringing their iOS app to the Mac.
Another thing to keep in mind: Every iOS developer is a Mac user, because the only way to develop apps for iOS is to use Xcode. This means that most iOS developers arent going to look down on Mac users who want their favorite iOS apps to run on the Macbecause they probably do, too.
Finally, all of us need to be patient. Its the very earliest days for Apple silicon on the Mac. Ive talked to some developers who have been working on bringing their iOS apps to the Mac since the initial Mac Catalyst announcement in the summer of 2019and theyre still not there. The first version of Catalyst was limited, and so many of them waited for the version in Big Sur.
Still, developers: If your app runs okay on the Mac and theres no huge business reason to bar Mac users from using it, why not check that box?
Thekoftte
Running iOS apps on the Mac can be a little weird, its true. But it can sometimes be good. Unfortunately, a lot of interesting iOS apps just arent available at all, because their developers have removed them from the Mac side of the iOS App Store.
Its not a great situation. It needs to get better.
What developers can do?
Though iOS app developers with the Apple silicon Developer Transition Kit could build their iOS apps for Mac and run them to get an idea how theyd perform on macOS, I understand that many developers didnt do this, and others didnt feel comfortable letting their iOS apps out into the wild without first giving them a try on a real M1 Mac. A lot of them opted to just stay on the safe side and opt their apps out.
But I hope its a temporary situation. While iPad and iPhone apps have some quirks in a Mac context, they honestly work better than I expected. And I think users are probably more forgiving of quirks than perhaps developers are. I hope that perfect wont be the enemy of good, and that users wont be deprived of apps they love from iOS just because theyre not quite up to a developers very high standards.
What Im hoping is that developers will look at how their iOS apps perform on the Mac and decide that they do want them thereand will be driven to improve them. Improving support for iPad features like cursors and keyboard shortcuts will make an app better on the Mac, too. And developers can go even further by embracing Catalyst, which lets those iOS apps run as full Mac apps, with a more normal menu bar and other Mac adaptations. (Apps running with Catalyst will also run on the installed base of Intel Macs, which will be a majority of Macs in operation for a few years yet.)
What Apple can do?
This isnt all on developers. If Apple wants to benefit from having iOS apps run on all future Mac hardware, its going to need to keep pushing.
Part of that push will need to come on the software side. Apple needs to continue to develop Catalyst and make it as easy as possible for iOS developers to make apps that work great both on iPads with the Magic Keyboard attached, and on Macs. The less work developers have to do to make their apps great across a wide range of Apple devices, the more likely they are to do the work.
Apple needs to bring across more of its own technologies, too. The Shortcuts app is a key way to automate functions on iOS, but it doesnt exist on the Mac, and many iOS apps will be a little less functional until it does.
But Apples biggest impact can come with the decisions it makes about hardware. The reason some iOS apps feel weird on the Mac is that they were designed for touch, not for a cursor and keyboard. Introducing Macs with touchscreens wont change the Macs status as a mouse-first operating system, but it will offer alternate modes of inputand open up better compatibility with some iOS apps.
And imagine if Apple made a two-in-one convertible laptop, with a screen that could be wrapped around the back to make it temporarily more like an iPad. A lot of users would love a laptop that could transform into a tablet from time to timebut the apps need to be there.
What users can do
Developers have it rough. Theyve spent the summer wrestling with some major changes in macOS Big Sur, plus the transition to Apple silicon. They deserve your respect and your politeness.
That said, if theres an iOS app that you love thats not available on the Mac, its worth politely contacting that developer. Explain to thempolitely!why you want to run that app on the Mac, and why its a superior option to whatever their Mac solution is today. The more demand developers hear, the more likely they are to prioritize bringing their iOS app to the Mac.
Another thing to keep in mind: Every iOS developer is a Mac user, because the only way to develop apps for iOS is to use Xcode. This means that most iOS developers arent going to look down on Mac users who want their favorite iOS apps to run on the Macbecause they probably do, too.
Finally, all of us need to be patient. Its the very earliest days for Apple silicon on the Mac. Ive talked to some developers who have been working on bringing their iOS apps to the Mac since the initial Mac Catalyst announcement in the summer of 2019and theyre still not there. The first version of Catalyst was limited, and so many of them waited for the version in Big Sur.
Still, developers: If your app runs okay on the Mac and theres no huge business reason to bar Mac users from using it, why not check that box?
Thekoftte
