Does Apple really want macOS 14 to run on the M2 iPad Pro

Apple’s M-series Mac range.

Can anyone else remember when Apple told us it had no plans to merge iOS and macOS back in 2018, when it was still pretending it had no plans to switch from Intel to ARM? Well, it’s possible the company had no plans then? Has this changed? A sketchy rumor says it has.

Apple to bring macOS 14 to the M2 iPad Pro

While I have very little faith in the claim, it’s too curious to ignore.

Essentially the argument being made by Majin Bu is that Apple is developing a “smaller” version of macOS designed to run only on iPads running the M2 chip.

The OS would actually be quite big as it requires additional code to drive a Mac system via touch. The code name claimed is Mendocino, which is a coastal community in California with nice walks.

The claim may not be too vast a vault, given that Apple is quite clearly attempting to create logical links between its Mac and iPad operating systems as evidenced by the existence of Stage Manager.

According with my source Apple would be testing a smaller version of macOS exclusively for the new iPad Pro M2!
"Mendocino" should be the codename for macOS 14. A simplified version should be planned for the M2. pic.twitter.com/f4RrainlZ1

— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) October 20, 2022

Confusingly, Bu explains the apps the device runs would be iPad apps, presumably running apps the same way as Macs now can. He also argues that this explains the arrival of DaVinci Resolve, for some reason.

I don’t really buy the latter argument, given the arrival of a host of high end creative apps on Apple tablets, but you can take it if you like it.

Do I think it’s happening?

I do think Apple may be developing something like this as it experiments and explores new product creations. I also think it is plausible to predict the iPad will become increasingly Mac-like in future, as users become more familiar with touch and the capability of the machines evolves.

There’s also the idea that Apple may have a concept to combat the Surface with a product that’s a Mac one minute and an iPad the next, a chameleon device that delivers the best of both.

Finally, it’s not impossible to imagine Apple working to support Mac desktops as virtual (or remote) machines on an iPad. The latter would be a powerful feature for many business and education users, though limited by the need to tweak the existing Mac interface.

While the big beasts of the Apple rumor machine haven’t hit us with claims of this nature for years, it’s not implausible the company is working to figure out how to make Mac and iPad more complementary to each other, while maintaining the unique nature of both platforms.

The only question is if this was something Apple was exploring in 2018, and the extent to which this tech may appear in other products from the company, particularly in AR.

After all, if you can make a macOS that works on an iPad with touch, you probably have the rudiments of an interface that can work with head movement and gesture. The latter would be interesting to most Mac users, but could be a dramatic step forward in terms of accessibility.

Apple still doesn’t suggest it

Bear in mind, however, that only last year Apple went on record to refute such suggestions. Apple SVP Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, said:

“There’s two conflicting stories people like to tell about the iPad and Mac. On the one hand, people say that they are in conflict with each other. That somebody has to decide whether they want a Mac, or they want an iPad. Or people say that we’re merging them into one: that there’s really this grand conspiracy we have, to eliminate the two categories and make them one. And the reality is neither is true. We’re quite proud of the fact that we work really, really hard to create the best products in their respective category.”

For myself, I still believe iPad will one day be all the Mac you need – though I’m not convinced they will merge completely.

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