by Jean-Louis Gassée
Two weeks ago, I argued that iOS will evolve into the operating system for future incarnations of iMacs and MacBooks. The comments on the article provided abundant food for thought, so much so that I decided to argue the opposite point of view: Yes, OS X and iOS share some bits of DNA…but that’s irrelevant. No, iOS will not evolve into an OS X replacement for future iMacs and MacBooks.
The OS hairball is ugly enough as it is. Why try and merge two feature sets, two philosophies? More lines of code inside the OS. That’s what the world needs!
Take a look at this:
And now this:
Same company, but two very different views of personal computing.
Today’s Macintosh is the result of more than a quarter century of evolution, refinement, fixes, and additions. It’s highly functional but complicated, perhaps needlessly so. Ask most Mac users if they know what this Finder button is for:
Or ask about Exposé, Spaces, Stacks in Grid or Fan view… The first two are helpful for advanced users who work with a large number of documents and windows at the same time. As for the Grid and Fan, I’m not a fan, I think they add new modes without providing a payoff for the investment in learning.
Or try the joy of writing UNIX commands in a Terminal window:
defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool YES
defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableXRayFolders 1
Both are cute and harmless. The first causes the Dock icon of an app to become translucent when the app is hidden. The second adds a clever flourish to the Quick Look of a folder, letting you peek at the folder’s content through its semi-transparent cover.
See Mac OS X Tips for more such neat, well-crafted features that you can add and subtract almost ad infinitum—if you have the need or the lust. Or, depending on the type of user you are, the tips present a mind-boggling array of functions, buttons to click, keyboard shortcuts to memorize, uncountable ways of doing things that aren’t always coherent.
That said, Apple’s personal computers are doing just fine, Consumer Reports and others invariably rate them high, their market share grows year after year. One is tempted to resort to a post hoc ergo propter hoc justification: Adding features adds market share.
Looking at the iPad’s Home screen, we see the other extreme. Apple’s tablet is so “transparent” that most users, this geek included, forget that it doesn’t have a windowing system. Yes, it has a Dock, but there’s no Finder, no windows, no file system, no sidebar. Just icons, applications that launch and quit without delay. Downloading and installing applications is simple (although finding them isn’t always easy. I think the App Store needs curation and better discovery tools; see a past Monday Note on this very topic here).
We iPad users lead a simpler, cleaner life. Why would we want the bewilderment of a slower, more complicated OS? The answer is as old as mankind: Because we want to have it both ways. Intuitive and simple but loaded with features, “optioned-out” says the car salesman.
We want both postures: Leaning back to watch NetFlix, and leaning forward to type these Monday Notes.
Today, that’s not really possible. Going back to the example I cited two weeks ago, adding a docking keyboard to an iPad creates awkward ergonomics. You have to lift your hand and reach out and touch the screen to move the insertion point in your text. So, then, can’t we have a Magic Trackpad next to the keyboard, or a keyboard with an integrated trackpad, like a laptop? For the time being, the answer is no. As discussed here, the iPad doesn’t “know” what a pointing device is, it doesn’t have cursor control. A hypothetical clamshell iPad, with a laptop-like folding keyboard and trackpad wouldn’t help.
iOS and OS X may share some DNA, but irreconcilable differences remain. The two OSs serve two different usage models. As a result, Apple is likely to grow them separately instead of trying to bastardize iOS into a one-OS-fits-all. If we have doubts, we can go back and look at what happened with Windows shoehorned onto a Tablet PC.
So: Now that I’ve taken both sides—Yes, iOS will be the Apple OS; No, it won’t—what do I really believe? I think it’s a matter of numbers and layers of software silt.
By numbers I mean the number of iOS devices as they proliferate, and the number of applications available for the platform. iOS will evolve rapidly, partly because of its relative youth and simplicity, and partly due to strong competitive pressure, mostly from Android.
By layers of software silt, I mean the age, complexity, weight, generations of patches and extensions that weigh down OS X (and, for that matter, Windows 7). Competitive pressure is lower, but that’s more a symptom of advancing age.
The lure of a fresh start, of a born again OS that I evoked two weeks ago will be too strong. Over time, iOS version 7 or 10 will become the operating system that runs inside most Apple computing devices. As shown in the recent preview of the next OS X version, “Lion” will borrow iPad UI features such as full-screen apps hiding the windowing system, and a launchpad for Mac apps that resembles the iPad home screen. And, any day now, the iPad will get folders, not a visible file system, but a way to group apps, like today’s iPhone.
The careful application of a common veneer on both Mac and iPads is, in my interpretation, a preparation for a transition to a shared OS, or to variants of the same underlying software engine adapted to the two usage modes: Lean back and lean forward.
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17 Comments
Astute observations, as usual! What’s missing in Mac OS, Windows 7 and all other desktop OSes is the “easy entry level” for the not-computer-savvy audience, where someone can buy a laptop or an iMac and gently ease into it using a simplified interface until they become accustomed to that much, and then can branch out, if and when they’re ready.
This makes a lot of sense. Windows 7 and Snow Leopard do not qualify for “my first computer” status unless, well, you’re 10 years old. The non-geek marketplace may even switch because they could never “get” Windows 7 and it’s just too much trouble.
Windows 7 is a pain in the ass even for me, a design engineer with 40+ years of experience who’s the unfortunate tech-support contact for my many friends.
The people who this “easy entry” will appeal to may not be a massive audience, but it should be enough to further fuel the healthy growth for Macs. Change is always incremental, and big advances and disruption can only be seen in the rear view mirror.
Come to think of it, there just may be a huge audience of older (non-kid) folk who have money and wished they could do more than just email on their fancy dual-core 3Ghz 4Gb 17″ Windows 7 laptop their kids got them for Christmas that only cost $399 on Black Friday.
There will certainly be some inconsistencies in the merging of iOS and MacOS that might miff some purists, but that’s probably irrelevant with respect to the positive overall gain that will result.
my wife laments the fact that the simpler, cleaner life on the iPad does not include flash content.
and … I never heard her say the word “flash” before we got an iPad
Steve Jobs attempts at marginalizing Android are starting to lose credibility. To me it appears inevitable that Android tablets will eventually become ridiculously cheap and embedded everywhere. As the cost of these tablets go down it would seem natural that the variety of functionality provided by each of these more focused devices will become reduced. This environment will be even more challenging for Apple to undermine Android than Wintel was for them. If minimalism is the future of computing then the bar to compete with Apple on the usability and lickability fronts keeps getting lowered.
With a small bit of fear, I clicked on that top right button on my browser in my MacBook. Nothing asploded. Otherwise, I mostly agree with your analysis here.
I have to assume that even if OS and iOS do not ‘merge’ that iOS will have several times more devices in use and become the Apple de facto standard, receiving more resources, more development.
Also similar to what Mark H says above: I have nieces and nephews that are toddlers. They can discover, watch — and create — using my iPhone and iPad, with no help from me. People talk about Jobs/Apple as being driven to remove features or remove buttons. Perhaps. What they are really doing is removing barriers. No child ever did anything even remotely productive or creative with my Blackberry and its physical keyboard. iOS is Apple’s way forward.
> A hypothetical clamshell iPad, with a laptop-like folding keyboard and trackpad wouldn’t help.
Among the industrial designs patented prior to the iPad was a design with an independent touch input surface, hinged to open out at an angle. Thus no monolingual letter keys, no programmable function keys, but an input surface generated fully in software. The output surface of the screen would not have to give up space to the input surface, and the application software would be able to move more of its commands from the output surface to the input surface. Perhaps another time, though.
Changing the looks of iTunes is one thing. But even Apple is too careful to quickly switch away from FInder. An over-night switch to an iOS-like experience will not happen, not even in Mac OS x 10.8. But what is happening in Lion is nothing fundamentally new. Apple is testing out their ideas by building them into the general UI to see how they stick with the users. If it doesn’t make sense to the masses, they more or less abandon the path or modify it if they think they can improve. Take Sherlock, the Apple menu, Dashboard, Spaces, Expose, the “side drawer” in windows just to mention a few. Some stayed and caught on, some disappeared and some remained but without much popularity or attention from Apple. If the users like Mission Control, it will be remain and get attention. If users really really like it, we may see it implemented into something that will make it possible to have one’s user experience on the Mac more iOS-like.
RE Mark Hernandez – There is a simple mode of OSX and it’s been around for quite some time, it’s guest mode. You can set it up in the account settings. It creates a new super simple account that has an iPad like finder (single click to open, multiple pages of apps). However, it’s meant for allowing a friend to use for a few minutes so it deletes any files created in the Home folder. You should check it out.
Back to the article. You can see many of the features merging already. Look at Safari or iTunes, the weird remove toolbar button is no longer present. I also agree that there can’t be one operating system to rule them all. Someone mentioned flash in the comments and that’s a sticking point right there. Not flash per se but the use of a cursor dragging, hovering and right clicking that exists in almost every application. That paradigm isn’t going away any time soon and as such an operating system has to exist to cater to it, and touch screens simply do not. You can’t just jury rig MacOSX into a touch screen, it would be a nightmare to use, and as such necessity has created a new way of using these devices.
Just as long as they don’t try to dumb down OSX in the fashion of some disastrous hide-the-functionality efforts on Windows.
What needs to be added is the extent that a powerful metaphor brings people pre-trained in the interface. The desktop that we’re using has indeed been overloaded to near death, but still makes sense to people for most of what they want.
Perhaps WP7′s tile hubs will help users make sense of what they want, quickly, although from my vantage point, most MS enhancements (e.g., share points) require more specialized understanding (complexity) than their functionality justified.
Actually, the “full screen app” thing reminds me of a similar feature in previous versions of Mac OS which allowed you to automatically hide other running applications when you launched a new one.
My Mom used that one in Mac OS 8 and when she was finally able to go to Mac OS X, she did get a bit confused by how sometimes she would end up switching back to the Finder.
Still, I’m not sure I’m buying the joining of the two interfaces. Mac OS X and iOS have the same core in the Darwin Kernel and Cocoa Frameworks and this will continue. As much as I hate the idea of cramming Mac OS X onto an iPhone and iPad, I similarly dislike the concept of iOS on my iMac’s 27″ screen.
I see “Simple Finder” is still around.
(Parental Controls > System – Use Simple Finder)
I do think that the two OS’s will combine. But, I also think that when you load them into a machine, they will know what the machine is capable of, and load whatever UI elements are required, and possible into that machine. Possibly, we will be able to modify that by way of preferences, to a certain extent.
But, overall, the OS will be the same. People will expect what UI controls are appropriate for any given device, and won’t be confused by that. It will make life easier having one OS. Perhaps programs or apps will move easily between the devices, adding or subtracting whatever features aren’t required for that device.
@Andy Insinga
Because you only get to know that you have a liver, when the liver hurts you
Observation by JLG are always absolutely interesting, although I feel that the role of Android is a bit more important than stated. Surely it is posing pressure over the development of mobile OSes, and it has made WM7 completely irrelevent, but the 180° different approach to the same issue that Android has is somehow challenging more than just UI or Tech specs of the Apple’s iOS.
I am a total geek, using macs since their first day (and still having today a working BeOS box btw…) but… Android has somehow revived my passion of OS and has blown new butterflies in my stomach when I had the chance to hack its very core…
Accordingly to me Android is the best ever incarnation of an opensource project and based on the opensource business model. It summarized the experience of many players and of many years, into the right product, in the right moment.
Android is challenging Apple business model. Although Oracle-Apple-IBM lawsuit against Google’s Dalvik reverse engineered JVM is a threat that is rather spreading the feeling of a bit of uncertainty rather than actual concerns about technical issues in the use of the Java language, I see that the real threat is against closed-source business model.
There are then many ways to play that model, and Oracle’s radically differs from IBM’s and Apple’s, but the openness of Android, and most of all, of its CHRP (memories from the late ’90s anyone?), in the mobile/tablet growing market (among the very few growing things these days) is a very serious thing.
For instance… I have purchased a samsung galaxy tab a week ago. Past week Samsung has opensourced and released the whole software running on this tablet. Now many geeks around the globe (including me) are working to recompile the kernet with some patches for the few missing features among with tty grouping to clean up userspace and make the droid get closer to the responsiveness of the iOS.
Why is that relevant? Because, Samsung, has used itself in the Tab software and patches that were developed/requested/hacked by various active open communties around the world… and for free. And… fast.
In terms of raw numbers(counting the proper versions of ipad) it wouldn’t be surprising that iOS is already the dominant os for apple devices.
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[...] While Gassée doesn’t expect any immediate move to march out with a fully combined iOS/OS X hybrid, (the iPad-like improvements within Lion is cited in the report), he argues, “Over time, iOS version 7 or 10 will become the operating system that runs inside most Apple computing devices.” “The careful application of a common veneer on both Mac and iPads is, in my interpretation, a preparation for a transition to a shared OS, or to variants of the same underlying software engine adapted to the two usage modes: Lean back and lean forward.” [...]
[...] While Gassée doesn’t expect any immediate move to march out with a fully combined iOS/OS X hybrid, (the iPad-like improvements within Lion is cited in the report), he argues, “Over time, iOS version 7 or 10 will become the operating system that runs inside most Apple computing devices.” “The careful application of a common veneer on both Mac and iPads is, in my interpretation, a preparation for a transition to a shared OS, or to variants of the same underlying software engine adapted to the two usage modes: Lean back and lean forward.” [...]
[...] While Gassée doesn’t expect any immediate move to march out with a fully combined iOS/OS X hybrid, (the iPad-like improvements within Lion is cited in the report), he argues, “Over time, iOS version 7 or 10 will become the operating system that runs inside most Apple computing devices.” “The careful application of a common veneer on both Mac and iPads is, in my interpretation, a preparation for a transition to a shared OS, or to variants of the same underlying software engine adapted to the two usage modes: Lean back and lean forward.” [...]
[...] While Gassée doesn’t expect any immediate move to march out with a fully combined iOS/OS X hybrid, (the iPad-like improvements within Lion is cited in the report), he argues, “Over time, iOS version 7 or 10 will become the operating system that runs inside most Apple computing devices.” “The careful application of a common veneer on both Mac and iPads is, in my interpretation, a preparation for a transition to a shared OS, or to variants of the same underlying software engine adapted to the two usage modes: Lean back and lean forward.” [...]
[...] Apple’s Next Macintosh OS (traducido por G); The iPadification of OS X (traducido por [...]
[...] 9to5mac: Jean-Louis Gassée (Wikipedia) erklärt, das seiner Meinung nach das iOS die Zukunft des Mac OS ist. Einfach, weil es einfacher ist: so fällt dem User auf dem iPad zB nicht einmal auf, das es keinen Finder gib. Mehr Details und Gründe vom ehemaligen Apple-Angestellten und Be OS Erfinder gibt es bei MondayNote. [...]