Don’t expect the mythical iOS and MacOS merger until iOS 13 at the earliest
A new report suggests that Apple’s internal ‘Marzipan’ initiative, which is rumoured to be the first step towards merging MacOS and iOS, is unlikely to emerged in 2018 and could instead be due in 2019, when iOS 13 is set to come out.
Additionally, Daring Fireball is reporting that Marzipan might not be about merging the two operating systems at all (as was previously rumoured), but could instead be a new cross-platform “declarative control API”, which would allow developers to configure controls in a way that makes sense for both touchscreens and traditional mouse control simultaneously.
Related: iOS 11
However, despite this change making it easier to code interfaces for both operating systems, they would still need to be produced separately. This conflicts with previous rumours that the project is much more ambitious in scope, and could break down the barriers between Apple’s two biggest platforms.
This is the first rumour we’ve seen so far about what features might make it to iOS 13. Considering we’re yet to see iOS 12 officially released, however, any number of things could change between now and then.
One OS to rule them all
The dream of sharing a single operating system across PC and mobile has been around for a while.
Microsoft made a bold move in that direction with Windows 8 and its now-defunct Windows Phone OS, but it struggled to make an operating system that made sense for both a mouse and keyboard, and touch interfaces.
Its attempt to develop a single Windows gaming platform to bring together its Xbox console and Windows 10 has been less ambitious, but has seen more success with games being simultaneously released across both platforms and offering cross-play for multiplayer titles.
So far, Apple is yet to make quite as bold a move, but as iOS grows to give iPads more and more laptop-style functionality, it’s only a matter of time before the two reach the point of being able to merge.
Marzipan certainly seems to be a step in that direction.
What would it take for you to want to use iOS as your computer’s operating system? Get in touch with us @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
