“I made a comment a while back, almost a joke really, that when iOS made it to version 9, that would be the end of it,” E. Werner Reschke writes for TGAAP. “Why? Because iOS 10 would become iOS X and we would then see the culmination of what Apple has been doing for since the exit of Scott Forstall, replaced with Johnny Ive’s as lead OS dude — one OS that works on both desktop and mobile devices.”
“Interestingly enough this is where Microsoft started with Windows 8, or at least tried, by making Windows an OS that worked on desktops, to Surface, to smartphones, functioning with minor differences between devices. Of course this has been an utter failure, and Microsoft is racing to Windows 10 as fast as they can,” Reschke writes. “But before dismissing this concept completely, perhaps Microsoft has only shown poor execution and not poor strategy.”
“When and how would this type of transition work may be unclear, but the why is fairly obvious,” Reschke writes. “For both Apple and their developers, it is much easier to build and support one OS than two, and moving iOS developers upstream to a desktop-level world would benefit Apple and its users immensely.”
Read more in the full article here.
Just reading the headline: That would be the dumbest idea ever.
He lost me at, “since the exit of Scott Forstall, replaced with Johnny Ive’s as lead OS dude”
Jony Ive is not the lead OS dude, he’s lead designer of both software and hardware. Craig Federighi is the lead OS dude. And the reason for combining both groups into one, is making sure they are at the core the same, supporting the same technologies and features. This is what allows for something like Continuity and Handoff.
I seriously doubt this. The mouse-less interface of iOS is dramatically different than the desktop OS. I see no reason to merge these (other than for Apple to rid itself of Intel- but that would require rewriting every Mac app for iOS- not an easy or cheap task). Apple may yet sell iOS (multi-user?) laptop, but the Mac isn’t going anywhere…
No
This guy still doesn’t get the lesson intricately spelled out by the Metro OS fiasco.
The OSes don’t need to merge. All developers have to do is have desktop and mobile apps that work together, don’t use different file formats, and have the same features or at least don’t strip out features from desktop when opening in iOS.
Nope, both OS have different aims,
different hardware requirement.
LaunchPad makes me think it will happen at some point. To me LaunchPad is useless in OS X.
LaunchPad is one of the quickest ways to open an app, if not the quickest–assuming you have a trackpad. Beyond that, it’s just a feature, as says nothing about the relationship between OS X and iOS.
I believe if I remember Steve said something about this long ago. It will happen. Just as he slipped out on moving away from Motorola 6 years prior to actually making it happen
Steve did speak about this, and he made it very clear that it WON’T happen. The reason that iOS succeeded where Windows tablets failed is that Apple didn’t try to shoehorn the Mac OS into a device that wasn’t appropriate for it.
-jcr
It may happen (a “merging”), but ONLY at the “core” of the OS. At the user interface level, each type of Apple computing device will continue to have an interface that is optimized for that class of device. Mac with a keyboard and mouse (or equivalent), no touchscreen. Hand-held iPhone and iPad (and iPod touch) with touchscreen. Apple TV with a simple remote control. Etc. Even Apple Watch (which is not a separate computing device) has an interface that is optimized (distinct from other Apple devices). The no longer used “click wheel” interface was an optimized interface for iPods.
Apple will NOT create a product with a “kludge” interface.
OS X and iOS are already the same under the hood and have been since the very first iPhone.
And they will (hopefully) always be different on the surface with each having an interface appropriate for the hardware it runs on (as you have already said.)
That’s a “myth.” They share technologies, but they are most certainly NOT “the same under the hood.”
They most certainly do have the same microkernel and underlying subsystems. Just watch the original introduction of the iPhone then each subsequent wwdc keynote. iOS and OS X have the same core but they strip out unnecessary systems in each and add appropriate systems to fulfil the goals of the two different uses.
So, you saying they are NOT “the same under the hood.” 🙂
Depends on how you define hood, very different cars can use the same engine but that engine can be very different beasts to the end user depending on whether it has a sport bias, 4 wheel drive bias or fuel efficiency bias or overall compromise between them, not to mention all manner of tweaks and additions to add value or abilities.
As for the future they will inevitably get closer and closer as much as possible, the biggest initial barrier to that having been chip speed, memory and power ‘heavy’ services. As those become less of an issue and they already have massively then mainly the interface (as mentioned elsewhere) will be substantially different between most devices. Clearly the watch or similar limiting devices that enter the system will start that process again with stripped down but maturing versions of the core OS.
Sorry should be ‘… mainly only the interface…’
They’re both based off the same release of Darwin. True, they are not EXACTLY the same, as they’ve both been optimized for their respective device types.
“Same” means identical. “They are not EXACTLY the same” means they are different. As I said, the two system share technologies, but they are each created and maintained for their respective class of computing device. However, Apple can continue to “merge” technologies where it makes sense.
Your above post made it sound as if iOS and OS X are different operating systems that only share certain technologies, when in fact, they are the *same* operating system that have technologies and services removed or added as needed.
The original post was about what’s under the hood. They both are in fact running the same core code base. There are changes on top of that for each and every device (and not just between iOS and OS X, but even every iOS device has its own distribution version… there’s no reason to send out TouchID code for devices that don’t have TouchID.)
Apple has one Core OS group (The group that develops Darwin; BSD layer, Kernel, low-level OS functions; process scheduling, file system, networking stack, security protocols, etc.). Both iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 are based on the SAME version of Darwin. (This is actually the first time that the latest releases of iOS and OS X are based off the same version of Darwin. Previously, OS X was always one version behind.)
iOS started as a subset of Mac OS X with extras for the touch interface- who outside Apple knows how far the code base has evolved since that time.
Huh, I was pretty sure they were one OS already, just different user interfaces.
Enough of these dumbass articles about iOS and OS X becoming one! If or when it happens, it won’t be because some clueless analyst who has been having wet dreams about an OS merger says it will happen. It will happen when Apple wants it to. Merging the OS’s for the sake of doing so would be stupid. Screw the version numbers. Apple can ditch using version numbers at any time and start using a different naming scheme.
Interesting idea, but no matter how you slice it, no single codebase will fit the pantheon of Apple hardware.
There has already been plenty of convergence of interface, but the goal is seamless interoperability among device families while coding for the strengths of each type of device.
Ultimately, pocket computers, tablets, and desktop computers are different tools used for different but overlapping jobs. Microsoft has demonstrated the downside of forgetting this on so many levels.
I would suspect they will someday be the same core functionality with different interface components. Windows 8 could have been a great success had the interface been “right”, but instead Microsoft said, “here’s the new look; you’re going to use it, and you’re going to like it.” Didn’t work out so well. Apple’s approach seems to be incremental steps toward one another. Much less dictatorial and agitating.
Scott Forstall was not replaced by Jonny [sic] Ive. Craig Federighi was his replacement. And no iOS and OS X aren’t merging.
Two recent developments lead me to believe the OS X and iOS operating systems will be merged: (1) The Swift programming language. It just makes too much sense to have one OS that works on all devices as it cuts down the development overhead of programming staffs of all sizes. And from the consumer view point, buy your app, run it on any Apple device, life is good. (2) Apple’s partnership with IBM. It’s true that the OS and IOS run on different chip sets. That’s were the enterprise partnership with IBM is a game changer. Apple currently has Intel make their chips as does about everybody else in the hardware space. Intel is both a partner and competitor to Apple. IBM is making some amazing chips such as the SyNAPSE chip. IBM’s enterprise presence and hardware manufacturing capabilities combined with Apple’s OS and mobile device hardware would be an industry game changer, in my opinion.
Regarding the Microsoft comparison, I think Apple’s ’start with the customer experience and work backwards’ approach will clearly separate it’s efforts from Microsoft’s attempt. It’s not about making a desktop work like a mobile device or vice a versa. It’s about making devices work for the user. No offense intended, but that has never been Microsoft’s specialty.
I don’t think it’s a question if OS X and iOS will be merged but rather a question of when they will be merged. Two years perhaps?
Apple have shown us their thinking already with their Continuity and Handoff features. Next year’s Apple Watch won’t run iOS or OS X apps, but will be able to tether to your iPhone and run its own apps. Everything syncs with iCloud of course. I see no sign that Apple is moving in the direction of merging iOS and OS X, but lots of signs showing us how all our devices will work together in future.
For several years, I’ve been saying the same thing: yes, iOS and OSX will merge, on every level (core, UI, everything).
Touch interface is by far the most intuitive method for interaction with computing devices. it far surpasses the keyboard-mouse-display contraption. For the entirety of human history, we have always interacted directly with objects of our work: cutting, slicing, squeezing, pounding, sawing, drilling, writing, smearing… We held a tool in our hands that directly acted upon the object of work. Somewhere in late 20th century, somebody came up with this concept of a movable pointing device and a graphic display: you manipulate this contraption that sits on the desk, and a related result of this action is displayed on a screen not far from the device. We have to train ourselves how to use this contraption, as it is not inherently intuitive. We are now fairly good at using it, but it is still a clunky, unintuitive concept: you manipulate one device, and result happens on an entirely separate device.
There is absolutely NO reason why desktop applications couldn’t work using touch interface. Nobody succeeded in this so far, because they never bothered to address the ergonomic aspect of it (gorilla arm). There are many of us who still directly and physically interact with the objects of our work (painters, carpenters, sculptors, etc). Drawing by hand is still done the same way — with the ‘display’ (the surface of our object of work) lying horisontally (or on a slight incline) on the desk.
If anyone finds a way to resolve the ergonomic issues (a flat, horisontal or slightly inclined touchscreen, with proper AI that can tell intentional touch vs. hand and arm resting on the surface), Apple is the one to do it.
I am still convinced that we won’t see many more California features (such as Mavericks, or Yosemite) before iOS and Mac OS X become one single OS XI (or Apple OS, or whatever else they choose to call it), that will run on all Apple devices, and that will allow all apps to run on every device, from a 4″ iPod touch, to a 27″ iMac touch.
Apple has already done major migrations of this sort before (68k to PPC, System 9 to OS X, PPC to Intel, 32bit to 64bit), so they can do it again, and drag all the developers, as well as Mac users, along. Some may be left behind (and move to Windows), but most will come along, since as always before, Apple’s future was better than the past.
It seems to me that Apple might be moving in the direction of a partial merger between iOS and OSX. Why?
Look at iWorks, Apple removed features from Pages that did not make sense on an iPad to ensure compatibility. Mail Merge for example.
Apple seems bent on weakening OSX programs and strengthening iOS programs. Are they wanting me to pay $2,000 for a larger screen iPad with a keyboard?
I’ve vocally complained about the dumbing down of OS X. If and when Apple steps away from Intel or attempts to kludge a touchscreen interface with a desktop interface, then users will abandon Apple quickly. … just as quickly as Windows die-hards abandoned Windows 8, and for similar reasons.
There is absolutely no reason for iOS to look or act exactly like the Mac. The Mac needs to be more capable and mouse-friendly. As long as file types can be shared between the two OS, there is no reason whatsoever for Apple to follow the MS Surface mistake.
What Apple does need to do is move Ive into hardware design where he belongs and let an adult design the OSes.
Apple built iOS and OS X on Unix core/kernel. That’s where the similarity ends.
Apple led the way with the new product iPad category, and is so hardly likely to now follow MS’s path to mediocrity.
both oss already use the same basic os. iOS without a few thing and added a few things.
blahblahblah… NO they’re not. August Effect in December. I suppose the excuse is the excruciating holiday season. Then again, this past year has been abysmal for tech news EVERY month. GAWD how boring and pathetic.
OK… But get back Scott Forstall for the icons and the UI! Joni Ive is really too weak (flat) on that point.
Actually, the main complaint I have about Mac OS X is its progressive iOS-ization. I like to say: to please my mother they penalize me.
The other big complaint for Apple is the lack of maintenance of its own applications (e.g. iWeb).
No. No, they’re not.