WWDC is less than a month away. You know what that means. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s leak of every prominent feature we’re going to see at the keynote. We’ve already outlined the biggest iOS 13 and watchOS 6 leaks in our previous post. Now let’s break down the leaks specific to the next macOS release.
macOS 10.15 Features
Apple’s iPad Apps on Mac
Looks like the years of cursing iTunes on Twitter is finally going to pay off. Apple is planning to bring a standalone Music app for the Mac. The report doesn’t detail if it’s going to be a port of the iPad app or something that’s written from scratch for the Mac.
Thanks to Apple’s new Marzipan technology (which is going to play a huge role in Apple software development in the future), Apple will be able to bring more of its iPad apps to the Mac. Last year, it was apps like Voice Memos and Apple News.
This time, Apple is slated to bring the Podcasts the new app that merges Find my iPhone and Find my Friends.
Everyone’s iPad Apps on Mac
Possibly a lot more exciting notion is the fact that Apple is going to let developers run iPad apps on Mac, with a little tweaking. This means that pro apps designed for iPad (like Affinity Photo) will run smoothly on the Mac without the developer having to invest double the resources.
This is the first step in a larger strategy that will combine software development for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. According to Gurman, Apple eventually plans to merge all three App Stores into one. Each app would only have one installation file, that would work across iOS and macOS devices.
This is a huge goal. And Apple might succeed where Microsoft failed as it’s taking small steps to get there. According to Gurman, iPhone apps will run on the Mac by next year. And the year after that, the installation file for multiple platforms will be merged into a single file.
Screen Time
iOS 12’s Screen Time feature is coming to the Mac. It will let Mac users track how much time they’re spending in each app and will give them tools to limit the time as well.
Effects and Stickers for Messages App
The Messages app in macOS will now support effects (like lasers) and stickers.
Siri Shortcuts App
iOS 12’s Siri Shortcuts system, along with the Shortcuts app will make it to the Mac. The leak doesn’t say how exactly it will work if it will have more features than the iOS version and what it means for the fate of Automator. But we’ll find out soon enough.
New Reminders App
The updated reminders app from iOS 13 will make it to macOS on day one. It comes with better features to help compete with third-party apps.
It features a new UI that will split tasks across four sections: ones which need to be done today, all tasks, scheduled tasks, and flagged tasks.
Upgrades to Apple Books
Apple is adding new user-friendly features to Apple Books apps that will encourage users to read more. It will come with a rewards system and a progress tracker.
Possibly a Hardware Reveal
While WWDC is usually about software, sometimes Apple pulls out hardware from its keynote hat. This time, it might be the new Mac Pro we’ve been waiting for. It might be the new pro-grade external monitor, with a supposed 8K output.
What’s Your macOS 10.15 Wishlist?
What are you waiting to see in the next macOS release? Are you happy with macOS software as it stands right now? Do you think iOS software on macOS will make for better or worse user experience? Share with us in the comments below.
[Via Bloomberg]
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