Bloomberg News on Wednesday reported Apple will allow developers to release universal apps that will work across the iOS and Mac platforms.
Starting as early as next year, software developers will be able to design a single application that works with a touchscreen or mouse and trackpad depending on whether it’s running on the iPhone and iPad operating system or on Mac hardware, according to people familiar with the matter.
The changes may roll out as early as next year, in iOS 12 and macOS 10.14. Apple could announce the news as soon as their Worldwide Developer Conference 2018 in June, says Bloomberg. As always with reports such as these, the timeline could change at any time, but such an timeline makes sense, as Apple usually announces big news like this at their WWDC event each year.
Currently, Apple requires developers to develop separate apps for the iOS and Mac platforms. While the iOS App Store has continued to grow, with iPhone and iPad apps being more popular than ever, Mac apps have languished, despite their availability through a Mac App Store that is similar to its iOS counterpart.
Apple’s Universal Apps project, reportedly codenamed “Marzipan,” would be similar to Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform, which allows Windows developers to create apps that run on the Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, and Xbox One platforms.
