OMG iOS is being OS X-ified

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I’m going to use the same faulty logic that some people have used to claim that OS X Mountain Lion is being iOS-ified to show how iOS is being Mac-ified.

Calendars: On the Mac first as iCal, clearly Apple added Calendars to iOS to make it look and feel like the Mac.

iTunes: There’s this little Mac app that is on iOS called iTunes where you can buy music.

Mail: You may be surprised to learn that you can send and receive email on iOS. Guess what? OS X first.

Safari: Did you know you can surf the Web on iOS? Yep, Mac first.

iPhoto: Photos are huge on iOS devices, but they were huge first on OS X.

You see my point? Apple added these apps to iOS because they made sense for those users. That’s exactly what Apple did with Mountain Lion — added apps and features that made sense for that OS.



  • http://twitter.com/ologhaiofmordor Olog-Hai

    The introduction of inverted scrolling in Lion had nothing to do with making OS X more like iOS?

    • thisisryanon

      This was introduced so your mind doesn’t have to work doubly hard remembering to reverse all the time when you switch from iOS to OS X.

      And of course you are more than welcome to switch it off if you don’t like it.

  • http://www.theangrydrunk.com The Angry Drunk

    Hey, don’t forget the whole Mach kernel and Cocoa frameworks.

  • http://twitter.com/martinbean Martin Bean

    Were all of those things not in the first version of iOS, though?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/WMGBDCDBLPPYZZJEYZ5PQYEOPY Edward

    Jim, as much as I appreciate that you’re essentially fighting trolls with fire (to mix metaphors), this entire article is a strawman. 

    UI conventions that were pioneered in iOS (back buttons, inverted scrolling, skeuomorphism in Calendar and Address book, Mail layout) are being migrated to Mac. And because iOS is simpler, people see the Mac as being dumbed down, which I suspect is what they really mean when they hurl “iOS-ification” as an epithet. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; simplicity makes computers easier to use. But those who you might reasonably call “power users” see this as a slippery slope to a period when all of the complexity they are used to and can utilize, is no more.

    Apple’s Flatland Aesthetic is already too prominent for some of us; any further steps in that direction gives us pause. 

    • ckoerner

      There been this idea floating around that computers should have scalable modes. An “easy” or beginners mode for people new to the environment. As their skills and comforts develop the software would somehow adjust to open new interfaces like advanced menus or shortcuts.

      Well, this isn’t coming to fruition. It’s nearly impossible to predict and implement. But you know what is close? Familiarity and simplicity – both things OS X has been trying for years to do and (IMHO) iOS excels at.

      As someone who could be considered a power user, I’m not in the least bit worried. The command line is still there, a plethora of 3rd-party apps that aren’t “dumbed down” and frankly most of the design decisions have been positive for users of all types. (Unified conventions, app names, gestures, etc.)

    • http://www.loopinsight.com Jim Dalrymple

      Of course it is. The article was meant to be sarcastic and nothing more :)

  • jjones99

    They even added the iOS desktop, icons, and folders as LaunchPad. It swipes between screens so you can organize them as you wish. You think someday, that might become more prominent in OS X?

    I love you.

  • Brayden Peacock

    Lets not forget the iMessages!

    Which is actually in public beta located here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/messages-beta/

    OSX LION ONLY!