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I'm willing to bet that the next major version of OS X will do away with AppKit and bring UIKit to the desktop. UIKit is already API-compatible in many ways and

I'm willing to bet that the next major version of OS X will do away with AppKit and bring UIKit to the desktop. UIKit is already API-compatible in many ways and most of the pieces are already in place.

terhechte 13y ago
I'd be willing to bet against it. There's so much cruft that has to be kept in for compatibility reasons that I really doubt it. Also, the Mac offers much more functionality than an iPad, you'd need to expand UIKit a lot to run on Mac hardware. Maybe they deprecate AppKit and introduce UIKit alongside, like with Carbon, but I doubt they have the manpower for that right now. I guess they'd rather concentrate on making UIKit better on ARM than porting it somewhere else
- zeckalpha 13y ago
  Isn't it already working on the x86? Isn't the iOS Simulator evidence of that?
anandabits 13y ago
I don't think they'll do that. I think their strategy is to see iOS replace OS X for most tasks and users. They will probably pursue a device somewhere between an iPad and a MacBook Air in doing this. Robert Cringley thinks this will be a display and input device that connects to a phone: http://www.cringely.com/2013/09/19/the-secret-of-ios-7/ http://www.cringely.com/2013/09/19/the-secret-of-ios-7/ I think it will be a standalone device: http://anandabits.com/blog/the-secret-of-ios-7-macbook-vacuum-or-ipad-pro/ http://anandabits.com/blog/the-secret-of-ios-7-macbook-vacuu... The most interesting piece will be to see how Apple approaches this form factor without creating a "refrigerator toaster". I'm optimistic that we'll find out in less than a month...
aufreak3 13y ago
Why not go the whole nine yards and say "we're going to be using iOS on the desktop soon"?
eddieroger 13y ago
That's really the last hurdle between ARM-based laptops, I think. If they can fully port UIKit, then expanding some of the concepts (like UIWindow) out would make it pretty easy to port an iPad app to an ARM-based MacBook. Or, have a special mode that runs iPads apps fullscreen, and problem solved. I would love a secondary machine the size of an 11" Air that ran for days on those massive batteries.

terhechte 13y ago

I'd be willing to bet against it. There's so much cruft that has to be kept in for compatibility reasons that I really doubt it. Also, the Mac offers much more functionality than an iPad, you'd need to expand UIKit a lot to run on Mac hardware. Maybe they deprecate AppKit and introduce UIKit alongside, like with Carbon, but I doubt they have the manpower for that right now. I guess they'd rather concentrate on making UIKit better on ARM than porting it somewhere else

zeckalpha 13y ago
Isn't it already working on the x86? Isn't the iOS Simulator evidence of that?

anandabits 13y ago

I don't think they'll do that. I think their strategy is to see iOS replace OS X for most tasks and users. They will probably pursue a device somewhere between an iPad and a MacBook Air in doing this. Robert Cringley thinks this will be a display and input device that connects to a phone: http://www.cringely.com/2013/09/19/the-secret-of-ios-7/ http://www.cringely.com/2013/09/19/the-secret-of-ios-7/ I think it will be a standalone device: http://anandabits.com/blog/the-secret-of-ios-7-macbook-vacuum-or-ipad-pro/ http://anandabits.com/blog/the-secret-of-ios-7-macbook-vacuu... The most interesting piece will be to see how Apple approaches this form factor without creating a "refrigerator toaster". I'm optimistic that we'll find out in less than a month...

aufreak3 13y ago

Why not go the whole nine yards and say "we're going to be using iOS on the desktop soon"?

eddieroger 13y ago

That's really the last hurdle between ARM-based laptops, I think. If they can fully port UIKit, then expanding some of the concepts (like UIWindow) out would make it pretty easy to port an iPad app to an ARM-based MacBook. Or, have a special mode that runs iPads apps fullscreen, and problem solved. I would love a secondary machine the size of an 11" Air that ran for days on those massive batteries.