A new Apple project could allow thousands of iOS applications to run under macOS.
Apple is reportedly working to overcome challenges in getting software developers to embrace the Mac App Store. With the expected upcoming changes, developers will be able to create a single application that can work with either a touchscreen, a mouse, or a trackpad.
The project, reportedly codenamed “Marzipan”, will allow macOS and iOS applications to essentially blur together with the hope that applications on the Mac will be updated more frequently and be of higher quality than their current state. A Bloomberg report cited the official Twitter app, which is regularly updated for iPhone and iPad, but less frequently so for Mac.
The effort could take place around the next Worldwide Developers Conference in June of 2018. If Apple sticks to its usual release pattern, then iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 would be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, before launching to the public in September.
As of now, the report states that Apple’s Mac hardware could one day run on A-series chips, such as those found in the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It’s also thought that the plans would allow iOS apps on the Mac to work with existing Mac hardware, powered by Intel processors.
Like the iOS App Store, Apple takes a 30 percent cut of all apps sold on the Mac App Store. But unlike on iOS, Apple still allows users to install non-App Store content, leaving many developers sticking to selling to customers directly.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg