Time to Revisit Apple’s Project Catalyst — And Apple’s Master Plan for Macs and iPad
It is almost time for WWDC 2020, which will be held exclusively online for the first time in history, and people are eager to know what Apple is currently hiding on their sleeves. All the hardware during the last 10 months has been splendid. The iPhone SE has been greatly praised to be the most compelling budget phone. The iPad’s Magic Keyboard has also been praised for increasing productivity for the users.
It’s time to focus back on the software, and this year is going to be a big year for both macOS and iOS. Everyone in the tech community has been talking about it.
One interesting tidbit about the future of macOS and iOS is a project that Apple called “Project Catalyst”. Previously announced in 2018 called “Project Marzipan”, Apple has been very ambitious to create an ecosystem where developers may be able to develop one app that can be delivered for both macOS and iOS simultaneously. Apple has also recently allowed developers to unify the purchase of both macOS and iOS apps into a single bundle.
There are numerous apps that have already ported for both Mac and iOS through this project. Twitter’s macOS app is the most famous application that takes advantage of the project, allowing Twitter developers to do almost nothing to port its app into the computer.
Craig Federighi has explicitly mentioned that Apple has no plans to merge macOS with iOS, citing that both macOS and iOS involve two different interaction. However, the App Store on macOS is currently underwhelming, while the App Store on iOS is the most profitable and successful store in the world. It is no wonder that Apple plans to “merge” App Store on macOS and iOS together.
However, it turns out this project is greater than it seems, and it will revolutionize both the Mac and iOS — specifically, iPadOS. This will breathe new life to the iPad, while also gain a significant advantage for the Macs.
The Rumors
There are both rumours about Macs and the iPad spreading across the media, and I believe this is the right path moving forward.
First of all, Apple is planning to deliver Xcode on the iPad as well as delivering two of Apple’s most favorite Pro apps on macOS, Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X. If this is true, it means that Project Catalyst is going to be very successful, and we would be able to see more apps taking advantage of this into porting pro apps on the iPad. Yes, the iPad has been confusing in regards to becoming a “computer replacement,” but this move will pave the path to this dream.
On another news, Apple is also experimenting on creating a Macbook equipped with an ARM chip and may be released as early as 2021. For anyone who doesn’t know, Apple is currently making a laptop equipped with a smartphone processor. Apple’s A-line processors are famous for delivering powerful performance to the iPhone and the iPad. Its performance is much more advanced than its Android counterpart, and it is no wonder Apple is trying to fuse this performance and power efficiency to its Macbook lineup. It is also not impossible: Microsoft has done it with Windows 10, but with mixed results.
Implication 1: The Post-PC Era May Come Sooner Than You Might Think
Since the introduction of the iPad Pro in 2015, Apple has been targeting gradually as a computer replacement, equipped with a powerful chip way ahead of its competitors. Apple has also provided support for keyboard and pencil for creative users to create music, art, and other media. In 2019, Apple has also shifted its software focus and split its development between iOS for the iPhone and iPadOS for the iPad. The Magic Keyboard is also Apple’s commitment to enhance the experience of using the iPad as a whole. This experience is what makes the iPad stand out against all tablet competitors.
Check out: The State of the iPad — April 2020 Update
With Project Catalyst, we will expect more Pro apps to come to the iPad. This also means that anything that people can do on the Mac, can do on the iPad too, which further boost the reason for the iPad being a computer replacement.
Since its inception, the iPad has gained a lot of features, including Splitscreen and Slide-over Multitasking, Dock System, Drag and Drop, Files System, Desktop Safari, and Mouse/Trackpad support with its own unique cursor. With its powerful chip, it certain does pro tasks as par (or outperform) as PC and Mac counterparts.
Every reviewer’s verdict has always been the same: The iPad’s software has been the bottleneck of what should be the future of PC. Project Catalyst may change that verdict in the near future.
Implication 2: The Future of Mac is Bright
The Mac’s bottleneck isn’t on the software, it’s on the hardware. Every Mac since 2005 has been powered by Intel-based chip, which recently has not been great in delivering new chips for every new generation. Apple has always been known to control the entire ecosystem for both hardware and software, and the move to switch to ARM would be a detrimental and an important leap for the Macs and its future developments.
Project Catalyst has been contributing to this future by also bring iOS apps into the Mac, meaning compatibility would not be an issue (as opposed to Microsoft’s approach).
Compared to PC chips, ARM chips are always been regarded as the future. It is the cornerstone of what makes the smartphone exist. With iOS being an operating system based on macOS, the Mac may be able to embrace this future of computing and solely focus on a single processor to the future.
Key Takeaway
Apple has definitely planned to somehow merge the functionality of its entire lineup to utilize ARM-based chips, and the move from Intel-based chips to ARM-based chips will both empower the Mac as well as the iPad.
Apple has been in a privileged position to do this, as Apple’s huge advantage over its competitors is that they are able to control the entire ecosystem, from the hardware and the software. If this movement is successful, Apple will once again shift an entire industry, and therefore it is very important to keep tabs of its development. Intel and the PC industry will be the top losers, while smartphones and chip manufacturing companies such as Qualcomm and Huawei will hugely benefit to this change. A possible competitor for this change is a joint venture between Google and Microsoft, with its project to create Windows 10X on Android tablets and phones.
With its A-line chips, Apple’s financial will also improve. There will be less overhead cost of the development of the processor since the chips will be used for much more devices. It will also deliver performance every year that may also be controlled by Apple.
The challenge is that Apple’s ecosystem has always been relying on its developers. This initiative will require all developers to take part in the program. While it may seem hefty, I would argue that developers would help make this dream possible, since their platform has been one of the most profitable for developers.
Apple may also need to balance the value of MacOS and iPadOS to make sure it doesn’t cannibalize each other. However, Apple is always known to cannibalize its own product in the name of innovation. (The iPhone killed the iPod. Long live the iPods.)
Whatever it is, the future will go toward this path. For end-users, it might not be visible, but it is going to be very visible for developers and business owners. The iPad will be getting a huge user base over its software improvements and new pro apps, and the Mac will consume much less power and will be able to outpace all of its competitors.
However it is, all these directions are still part of Apple’s plan, and the success of this plan will heavily depend on Apple’s execution. So we will wait and see. See you in WWDC 2020!
