Apple is preparing to enter the first stages of a multi-year initiative to unite the development platforms behind all apps produced for its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, Bloomberg reports, with its WWDC 2019 conference slated to kick it all off.
The word, from anonymous sources, is that the company’s mission – codenamed ‘Marzipan’ – will begin with a software development kit (SDK) for developers to more easily bring their iPad apps to the Mac. While this will require two versions of the same app, the underlying source code will be identical, Bloomberg’s sources say.
Apple will reportedly debut the tool during its WWDC 2019 keynote this June, and will expand the tool to support iPhone app porting by 2020. Come 2021, the company reportedly hopes for developers to be able to build a single app once and deploy it to all of Apple’s device platforms simultaneously.
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On a related note, Bloomberg sources also say that Apple is mulling a preview of its modular Mac Pro 2019 during the WWDC 2019 keynote. Naturally, Apple has declined to comment on the matter.
Why homogenize now?
It only takes one look at Apple’s recent financial earnings to see that its digital apps and services revenues are becoming increasingly crucial to its sustained business and growth. With only fewer people buying iPhones and other Apple gadgets on an annual basis, Apple needs consistent revenue from apps and services more than ever.
Inspiring more developers to create on its entire ecosystem more easily could in theory lead to more apps delivering a 30% revenue cut to Apple. It’s already clear that services and apps are a major focus for the company going forward, with a late March event expected to revolve entirely around new video streaming and news subscription services.
This report also lines up with well-established rumors that Apple is working toward developing its own processors design for Mac computers by as early as 2020. Apple may have no ambitions of a cross-platform OS a la Windows 10, but it’s certainly seeming bent on creating as robust of an ecosystem as possible to drive up those sweet App Store revenues.
WWDC 2019 is shaping up to be a potentially transformative one for Apple, the beginning of a new era for its entire product and services strategy.
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