A big leak of Apple's iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 features has hit, and it appears to confirm a lot of what we've heard so far — and adds a big new perk. While we should expect iOS apps to continue to arrive on the Mac, the iPad will fit into the Mac in a new way.
This all comes from a story by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the most reputable leakers in the business. For starters, he notes that iOS 13, code-named Yukon, will bring tweaks to the iPad home screen, a feature expected to arrive in iOS 12, that was pushed back for system stability.
iOS 13 on iPad: Mac Extension, Interface Tweaks
Apple's resisted making a touch-friendly MacBook, but a new feature coming in iOS 13 will allow you to turn your iPad into your Mac's second screen. This technology has been floating around the third party app ecosystem world for a while, in Duet Display and Luna Display, a pair of third-party apps.
There's also an updated multi-tasking interface on its way in iOS 13, which will hopefully allow you to pull in apps for a split-view without having placed them in the dock earlier. The iPad's home screen will get tweaked a bit in this update, and Gurman also cites a new "ability to cycle through different versions of the same app." Details aren't provided, but this does sound slightly similar to the windowed/sheets note leaked earlier this year.
macOS 10.15: iOS Apps are Coming
As we've known since last year, Apple's bringing iOS apps to the Mac, and WWDC will see Apple tell developers that iPad apps — the report specifically says that and not iOS or iPhone apps — can run on its macOS-running desktops and laptops. Apple will also announce that iPhone will be coming to the Mac in 2020.
Predictably, since Stocks, News, Home and Voice Memos arrived last year, macOS 10.15 will get Apple's Podcasts app and a new version of Find My iPhone that includes Find My Friends, which is coming to iOS 13.
Interestingly enough, a new version of the Music app, currently "being developed as a standard Mac program," is also coming to the Mac. Hopefully this means it's got some of the power user features we don't want to lose when iTunes dies.
As we've heard before, Screen Time and Siri Shortcuts are also coming to the Mac, as well as new versions of Apple's Reminders app and the upgraded edition of Apple's Books app.
