“As macOS and iOS keep getting closer in terms of functionality (including low-level fundamentals and a shared software platform), I hear a lot of fear from Mac users who are concerned that the Mac is in danger of becoming a locked-down platform that will lose a lot of the capabilities that advanced users have come to expect from their devices,” Jason Snell writes for Macworld.
“The security philosophy Apple has nurtured over the past decade as it has built iOS is one that’s based on strictly limiting what third-party software can do, in turn limiting what users are able to do,” Snell writes. “But I’m optimistic that Apple isn’t planning on barring Mac power users from some of the best things about using a Mac, and there are many ways Apple can create a fundamentally more secure platform without destroying its appeal.”
“Despite the fear that the introduction of the Mac App Store meant that Apple would eventually limit the Mac software market to App Store apps only, that has never happened,” Snell writes. “Apple has also spent the last few years finding alternate paths to offer software security outside of the Mac App Store—an approach that I doubt the company would bother with if it was planning on dropping the hammer and killing all non-App Store apps.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: From what we see and hear, the fears of the Mac becoming a locked-down platform are unfounded.
We like that Apple is focused on making the Mac as safe and secure as possible out of the box. More experienced users can and will continue to be able to turn off security features and install third-party software to their hearts’ content.
SEE ALSO:
There’s more to Apple’s Mac app notarization than that – April 24, 2019
Apple edges closer to cursory code review for all Mac apps – April 24, 2019
Apple will soon require all macOS apps to be notarized – April 9, 2019
Apple’s macOS third-party app clampdown probably not as bad as rumored – March 22, 2019
Apple locking down the Mac? macOS 10.15 said to require a developer ID certificate – March 20, 2019
The Mac will continue to do what the Mac does until one morning when the majority of people wake up and realize that they don’t think about their Macs much, because they use their iOS devices. Sorta like when you get divorced. At first the separation anxiety is acute. Then one day you realize you haven’t thought about her in over a week.
Even now I find the days where I don’t use a Mac at all occurring more frequently.
You are very much more alone in that than you know. My 3-4 Macs are in constant use in the household. iOS devices as well complementing our Macs. Only people who never needed a computer for it’s obvious advantages and heavy lifting will find just iOS devices will fill the bill. I absolutely LOVE my Macs! Plus the big displays, etc..
Actually he’s not alone nor wrong.
No, that’s just you: Shyttezen x, alone, wrong, confused and a terrible representative for and of African Americans
I know you are in love and want to marry me but I’m just not gay and i don’t love you. Nothing against gay marriage and it’s not you.
The network ‘internet’ becomes the computer. Which makes security so much more important.
The Mac is heading towards lock down with code signing. Bye Little Snitch, bye different Audio and Video formats…..
The latter come with Apple moving into content….
Yeah, sure. Later…
It amaze me how Apple fans will justify every decision Apple takes to rip them off, even when nothing allow it in the first place.
It’s called the Stockholm syndrome.
Every decision Apple has take in recent year regarding hardware and software design in recent year has been to cut costs at every corner and extract the maximum of benefit, either on the pretense of security concern or esthetic or portability improvement.
Apple is heading toward locked down platform like iOS. Now there is notarization, allowing apps outside the Mac AppStore to be installed. But the final outcome is to stop allowing “sideload” install and force user to rely only on the Mac AppStore in order for Apple to ransom users and developers with its 30% Apple tax on the App Store.
They are in the process of implementing change in the System to prevent any modification which would allow installation from outside the App Store. For exemple, in Catalina, they introduced a separated System partition mounted in Read-Only mode, like on iOS, preventing any change to it. You can still currently mount it in Read-Write mode but it won’t last. There is a reason why they separated the system partition. They just introduce the changes slowly in order to boil the proverbial frog without her noticing it. One day users will discover the System partition is not Write-mode mountable anymore. They will play the security card as usual.
And soon, probably 2 or 3 years, or at best when they ditched support for every Intel processor Mac and switched completely to ARM, they will stop notarization program as well, still out of “security concern”.
And then they will be in position to impose the Apple taxe to every paid software installed on a Mac.
And Mac, once loved by developers, will become an overpriced computer for mom and pop.