iOS apps are coming to the Mac and not the other way around

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple has two operating systems. Mac OS for laptops and desktops and iOS for iPhones and iPads. Both of these platforms each have app ecosystems. Speculation has been that iOS is the future of Apple and that future means even MacBooks and iMacs will be running iOS and apps instead of the legacy Mac versions moving to mobile.

The UIKit framework discussed at the Apple developer event today showcased some iOS apps being ported to macOS. Most of these ported apps (Voice Memos, Stocks) are simple and almost widget-like in their complexity.

Given that macOS has more powerful processors and RAM than iOS, it is quite possible that we'll see more complex apps and games move from iOS to macOS. The question I have is what is the value of running mobile apps on a desktop or laptop unless they are as powerful and capable as desktop apps? Perhaps once MacBooks and iMacs run on Apple's custom silicon this will all make sense.

Getting desktop level apps on iOS, preferably iPad seems to be a Sisyphean task. Case in point, we still can't create iPad apps on an iPad and require a Mac to do so.