Normally this sort of resource reallocation story leads with Apple taking developers off OS X to finish an update to iOS, but the latest report says that the opposite is happening with development of OS X 10.10: Apple is pulling programmers from development of iOS 8 to finish development of the next version of the Mac OS.
OS X 10.10 'Syrah' has been rumored for some time to include a complete visual refresh, something in line with the iOS 7 overhaul of last year. According to 9to5Mac, that refresh has seen "iOS user interface resources" allocated to the OS X teams so that the work can be ready for preview at WWDC 2014 in June.
The new look will have similar toggle designs to iOS 7, sharper window corners, more defined icons across the system, and more white space than the current version. However, OS X characteristics like the Finder, multi-window multitasking, and Mission Control will not disappear in favor of a more iOS-like experience. Apple is keeping iOS as iOS and OS X as OS X.
iOS 8, on the other hand, doesn't need a complete visual overhaul. There are plenty of items on the plate for the next version of iOS, including a Healthbook app for fitness and health data, a reported breaking into a separate app of iTunes Radio, and apps for Preview and TextEdit. But… that developers are being pulled from iOS to work on OS X means that some of those features might end up getting pushed back to iOS 8.1.
The big news for iOS, however, may very well be what 9to5Mac says "multi-resolution support":
The new iPhone's larger display, as well as a "high-priority" iOS device that is not an iPhone, also lends itself to another core iOS 8 addition. The feature, dubbed by Apple employees as "multi-resolution support," is designed to improve the performance of both App Store applications and the general iOS operating system across multiple new iOS device resolutions.
In addition, there's a reported Apple A8 processor that doesn't make any major architectural changes as the ump to 64-bit did with the Apple A7 processor, instead focusing on speed and battery life improvements.
Source: 9to5Mac
Reader comments
Apple reportedly pulling designers off iOS 8 to finish OS X 10.10 refresh
All good news. While I love the 'flat' look of iOS 7, I wouldn't dig a complete overhaul of OS X 10. that goes all in with that look. On a large desktop screen flat doesn't always look good. On our Dell 21" that flatness of W8 when opening applications like control center or even IE 11 just plain looks dull IMO. It's refreshing to go to the Mac desktop and see some 'skeuomorphism'. Also great to hear they are looking at improving battery life.
Sent from the iMore App
I'm hoping they don't change OSX as much as iOS 7. I don't want that much white space on a small screen, much less so on a 27" screen.
I agree. Especially when using the iPad in bed. I use it as my nightstand tv, fall asleep to some hulu, etc. I can't use 90% of the apps bc they're too bright, wakes my wife.
Also, for general brightness concerns with a Mac, (or windows) use f.lux it's free, and has honestly helped me to not stay up on the computer as late as before.
No new iOS ? Apple is DOOMED! Doomed!!!!!!!
Sent from the iMore App
I'm no mathematician, but, it seems to me that 10.10 is the same as 10.1, and we already received that version of OSX more than 12 years ago. It was called Puma.
Sent from the iMore App
Think Different :P Apple doesn't really have any other option unless it's a big enough update to make it OS 11 or OS XI.
Software version numbers don't follow decimal number rules. 10.10 literally means the 10th version of OS X. http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/04/08/os-x-11-or-os-x-10-10-whats-next/
OSX X.X?
It's not a decimal number, it's a version number, it doesn't follow the decimal system.
10.10 is not the same as 10.1 in this case. It's the tenth version of OS X.
Yep. Just like some apps have many many versions with multiple decimals. Example: 3.1.4.57.
Please no roundrect icons. OS X has some heritage to it that needs to be maintained.
Oh, also, keeping different types of icons differently shaped helps more readily recognize what they are at a glance. So there's practical reasons not to bring the iOS square to the desktop.
Roundrects have been a feature of Mac OS for quite a while now: http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Round_Rects_Are_Everywhere.txt
Oh no.....I am an Android user who happens to use Apple computers I have used and owned the iphone 5 and 5s at one point which were solid devices and I think ios 7 was major improvement over previous versions both visually and in functionality, but when I hear them overhauling Mac OS I am worried. The Changes to ios were needed, but Mac OS is great just the way it is unless they can greatly improve it. I just Hope its not so different that we have to relearn everything.
When Final Cut Pro X came out everyone complained even I did because not only was it different I had to relearn almost everything. At first I thought it was horrible, but after learning the ins and outs I came to understand why the changes were made and actually found FCPX to be 10x better than previous versions and added some much needed functionality. Sadly because of such drastic changes some people wrote it off completely missing out on all the good hidden underneath.
I don' t mind improvements but no matter how much better it is than previous versions if its too drastic a change it will turn a lot of people off completely, some will not want to even bother, and that could hurt apple some.
Worried about this visual overhaul. I, personally, found iOS 7 to be far too flat and boring with too much white space.
Posted from my TARDIS!
Warning: the following is a rant only semi-relevant to the topic.
While I agree iOS 7 prettied things up a bit, I honestly think Apple intensionally moved away from easily recognizable icons to text based "buttons" so the user would take longer to register what it is they were looking at and looking for, so by the time they find and tap the "action text" iOS has had a chance to compute any tasks at hand. I know this sounds strange, but seriously. It makes the OS seem snappier bc you're not tapping from one thing to the next as quickly. If the OS has more time, it reduces the expectation of the OS, CPU, ram, etc. MANY times I find that I have to double tap something bc the OS wasn't ready when I'm trying to go from one app to another, or when I unlock my phone then directly launch an app, or even go back one page/tab within an app. Also, I have Reduced Motion enabled, that annoying, time wasting, transition is yet another trick to slow your taps.
Have you ever noticed that when you switch between active apps, (double-click Home button) the apps aren't live, they are (usually) just a screen-capture of what the app was doing last? I understand this is how iOS balances performance and battery life, it is basically shelving that app, pausing what it is doing, stores its state in app log or whatever, and clearing RAM for whatever's next, so when you go back to that app you have to wait for the app to come back to life. This should not be the case with 64bit A7. (I experience this with the 5S & the iPad Air)
There really have been many improvements in is iOS 7, but the paltry RAM is hindering its potential at this point. We'll see what comes next in iOS.
As far as OS X. I honestly hope they will only brush up the appearance without going overboard. Imagine a 27" QHD iMac with an entirely white screen with only 8 point Heletica Neue in the corners, no shapes or buttons, just text. Or worse, on a UHD display. Especially with full-screen apps. That being said, making sense of what info I'm looking at in Mail has always been and is much better when compared to Outlook 2013 (win8). They have done a decent job of placing information such as Sender, subject, time received, etc, as well as using font size and boldness to help distinguish one from the other. Outlook is almost entirely the same font & size, bad spacing and placement, it takes (my) brain longer to absorb and compute this information. Apple, please don't ruin what is already good.
I hope they focus on functionality. I've been using Apple since 2001, and every time they "update" software or the OS, they seem to add a flashy feature and take away a functional one. Obviously they have added functionality in many areas, but they are almost always just 90% complete. Then they move on to the next flashy feature, forgetting about the last one, until a few revs go by, they rewrite the entire App/Feature/OS and completely remove that 90% functional feature!
The latest example of this I noticed, I recently bought a NAS, I need to TX from my past-end-of-life MacPro (2006), in 10.7.# I would watch the throughput in System Monitor just to monitor progress/state of the process, in case Finder decided to drop connection to the NAS. Anyhow, SysMon would display "max TX" or "max RX". This was helpful to me if the current TX rate was low, I could at least know there was recently some fast transferring, so I knew it wasn't stuck. Mavericks doesn't do this anymore. I know it's a small thing, but it was useful at the time.
Point is they have been removing useful features over the decade of OS X. True, I would hate to see OS X end up like Windows, where they add one thing or add another avenue to achieve the same option, but neglect to remove the old way, so now there are 8 different ways to do one thing, but each way is more confusing/nonsensical/forgettable as the next. No polishing.
Apple wants simple, I can deal with it on a portable, consumption-oriented gadget, but please don't sacrifices functionality in OS X where we need powerful / preferential options.