The app situation between iPhones and Macs is a bit of a mess. While mobile apps are updated regularly, the Mac App Store can often leave something to be desired. Now, Apple is finally tackling this chaos. According to Bloomberg, Apple may give developers the option to create a single app that will work across Macs, iPads and iPhones as early as next year.
According to insider sources, the same app will be able to respond to a mouse, a touch pad or a touch screen, depending on the device it's being run on. Right now, apps must be designed separately for the iPhone and iPad versus for a computer, which explains why you can occasionally find tumbleweeds rolling across the screen when you pull up the Mac App Store. If developers must choose to devote resources to one or the other, the computer apps often get shortchanged.
The change won't come immediately, though. It's planned as part of next fall's iOS and Mac OS updates, according to Bloomberg's sources. Because this is all so tentative, it's also possible that the decision makers at Apple could change their minds and cancel this endeavor entirely. Here's hoping they don't, though. This streamlining would likely be a popular move for Mac users.
According to insider sources, the same app will be able to respond to a mouse, a touch pad or a touch screen, depending on the device it's being run on. Right now, apps must be designed separately for the iPhone and iPad versus for a computer, which explains why you can occasionally find tumbleweeds rolling across the screen when you pull up the Mac App Store. If developers must choose to devote resources to one or the other, the computer apps often get shortchanged.
The change won't come immediately, though. It's planned as part of next fall's iOS and Mac OS updates, according to Bloomberg's sources. Because this is all so tentative, it's also possible that the decision makers at Apple could change their minds and cancel this endeavor entirely. Here's hoping they don't, though. This streamlining would likely be a popular move for Mac users.