It’s time for my version of the WWDC wishlist. WWDC is almost always about the software. Each year they talk about what’s coming in the various *OS plans for the year. They decidedly do not focus on hardware. You can get a prognostication of the hardware they have in the pipe, but it’s fun to see what they have in mind for future iterations of the software.
Last year I was convinced that Apple was going to go full pro with iPadOS after the introduction of the M1 iPad. I think we’ll start to see more “pro” get into iPadOS, but it’ll still be iPadOS. Running macOS on iPad doesn’t make sense. I realize now that I was a little premature. It makes sense, because not every iPad is running on an M1 processor yet. But they have introduced it on the iPad Pro and the iPad Air. There’s very little left for them to do before they introduce more “pro” development and creation features to the iPad. Generally, I think we’ll start to see more of those plans this year.
I would love to see these things show up in the Apple sauce.
What’s your Apple developer horoscope sign?
Systemwide Hashtags
I wrestle with grouping objects all over iOS and macOS. There are documents sorted in folders, reminders, notes, calendar invites… All of them should be relatable and produced in a single spotlight view or smart folder. You should be able to use Finder or the iOS Files app to do this. The only three base applications that need to support hashtags natively for this to be a reality are Finder/Files, Mail and Calendar. I’m dying for Apple to take this final step to closing the loop.
I know there have been numerous apps that take an approach to this. Notion is one popular example, but I don’t want to have to learn/invest in a new way of doing things when it could just become a systemwide function. Smart folders, or at least the concept of them… can close this loop with hashtags.
XCode (or a fatter Playgrounds) for iPadOS
I alluded to a more “pro” experience for the iPad in the opening of this article. Here’s where I think they could make it a reality.
People have been screaming for the use of iPads for development. We’re getting closer. There are complications to this of course… mainly, how do you deliver a full IDE with supporting libraries for compiling and all that mess? The answer: you don’t.
Last year we saw that they were offering a cloud build feature for Xcode. It seems like they could extend this capability to the iPad. You could use the iPad to develop code with a slimmed-down app, then send it off to Xcode Cloud for CI/CD. This seems like a great way to offload the development needs of the iPad and provide the basics of development for the iPad.
Am I suggesting they “Final Cut Pro X” this thing? Yeah, maybe. But maybe it’s due.
https://developer.apple.com/xcode-cloud/
Safari Enhancements
I have such a long list of Safari desires that I wrote an entire article about it. I won’t rehash those points here. You can take a look at my prior article about this and see what would I think would make Safari great.
/we-need-to-talk-about-safari-fe932fe00b91
Write on macOS with Apple Pencil on iPad
Wacom drawing pads have been an industry staple since… well, since input methods other than the mouse and keyboard were a thought. Wacom and other cheap knockoffs have owned this market for a very long time. Now that Apple has Universal Control, Handoff, and all sorts of black magic tricks available for the iPad and macOS, why can’t they just walk this extra mile as well?
I should be able to use my iPad to draw on the screen of macOS. It seems logical and allows me to leverage my investment in many ways. They keep touching on the edges of this functionality but just haven’t finalized it. Let’s make it happen this year.
Time Machine iCloud Backups
This wasn’t my idea, but when I saw it on MacWorld, I was sold.
[embed]https://www.macworld.com/article/632138/macos-13-features-wwdc-time-machine-control-center-password-manager.html[/embed]
It really should be this easy to backup your macOS. They already knock this out of the park for iOS devices. I’d be willing to fatten up our iCloud+ storage to support this. I’m using Backblaze for this today and it mostly works fine. However, I’m an Apple purist. I want it all to work in the Apple ecosystem as much as possible. If Apple can make iCloud backups for macOS “just work” the way they have made it work for iOS, I’m all in.
Better Password Management with iCloud Keychain
I was thrilled to see that Apple added MFA codes to iCloud Keychain. I want to love iCloud Keychain more than I do. They’ve added the secure basics, but now they need to add some user friendliness to its use. Site detection is problematic — as it seems that iCloud Keychain can only think of one URL as a location for a password. Modern websites disagree on that point.
It should also be easier to use the MFA codes. Today, to use an MFA code in iCloud Keychain, you’ll need to go back and forth between the app (or Safari) multiple times and authenticate with your fingerprint or FaceID. At best, it’s two round trips to get this done. At worst, it’s three. This should be better. This is one of the primary reasons I use 1Password today. 1Password can knock all of this out without leaving the app UI at all. When there’s an MFA involved, it will temporarily hijack the clipboard to provide the MFA code for you to paste… if it doesn’t fill it in automatically.
iCloud Keychain needs to be that easy.
Granted, this probably won’t be one of their primary announcements. This is one of those things that will come out in the beta. That’s fine, it’s not really something that should be touted as a primary feature. It should just work.
I always love the WWDC time of year. I’m excited about it as usual. I love to see what’s in Apple’s mind for our use of their hardware and how they incrementally make things better each year.
What’s in your WWDC 2022 wishlist? Tell me in the comments, especially if there’s some cool idea I’ve missed.