Mac OS Lion Heralds the Eventual End of the Mac Legacy
At the opening of this year's Apple (AAPL) Worldwide Developers Conference, people got an updated look at Mac OS X Lion. The new version of the Mac's operating system is starting to look more like iOS, which runs iPhones and iPads. But that shouldn't come as a surprise.
In March 2010, I said that Apple (AAPL) would eventually dump the Mac in favor of iOS. Many people thought I was nuts. But it would be a sound business decision and, as Apple demonstrated, a smart move for the platform. Here's some of the new evidence that Apple continues down this path:
Multi-touch gestures
The biggest sign of the Mac OS shift is the new dependence on multi-touch gestures, as this video from our sister site, CNET, shows:
It isn't exactly the same as in iOS, because screens are usually vertical, and as CEO Steve Jobs has pointed out, "touch surfaces don't want to be vertical." Arms get tired after a while. (Anyone who has ever boxed and kept arms up for three minutes will understand the problem.) But the mouse seems to be gone and double-tapping is here to stay. It's also why Apple developed its Magic Trackpad. How else will people upgrade existing machines that don't have a touchpad built-in?
Demotion of the Mac
At one time, the Mac was everything to Apple. How things have changed. When showing iCloud, Jobs said, "We're going to demote the PC and the Mac to be just a device."
When the machine no longer holds a special status, because everything becomes a front end to the cloud, then it no longer can command devoted resources. Sure, some people will need desktops or laptops, but that doesn't mean that Apple should maintain a separate operating system.
March of the apps
Apple is also trying to make the application experience on the Mac the same as the app experience on the iPhone or iPad. The application Launchpad is straight from iOS. The new mail app is like the one on the iPad.
If you want to get apps, you purchase from the Mac Store, which is just like the App Store on iOS. In fact, the only way to get Lion is to download it from the App Store.
Two-way street
Don't assume that iOS will subsume Mac OS. What we're seeing is more likely to be the two platforms brought closer together until they meld. Features from the Mac will start to move over to iOS, and the iPad, specifically.
There will continue to be some variation among the platforms, but only as is necessary to deal with the different uses and hardware form factors. Within a few years, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish among the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Related:
- WWDC: Apple Blows an Opportunity To Change the World
- How Apple's iCloud Could Change Everything -- Again
- Multi-Touch and an iPad Sensibility Comes to the Mac
- Apple Magic Trackpad: One Step To iOS on Macs Instead of OS X
- Why Apple Will (Eventually) Dump the Mac
Erik Sherman is a widely published writer and editor who also does select ghosting and corporate work. The views expressed in this column belong to Sherman and do not represent the views of CBS Interactive. Follow him on Twitter at @ErikSherman or on Facebook.
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