Apple has announced that SharePlay will be postponed to a future version of the software once iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS 12 Monterey go public later this year, disappointing both users and developers. However, while this is understandable in the grand scheme of things, it does raise the question of why there should still be annual software releases from the company. With developers under significant pressure to roll out updated features based on new releases, it could be in everyone's interest to go back to the two-year release schedule that macOS once had and has greatly benefited from.
More annual trips
It's almost a normal scenario these days that we see new software releases every year. Apple users are eagerly awaiting June and WWDC to see what happens to their iPhone and Mac devices, and if their wishes will finally be granted in any way. However, if you watch the WWDC 2021 keynote, you will see features that have already been changed or rolled back from the latest updates. It's not just SharePlay, Safari has seen its redesign largely reversed, while other small features have also seen a delay, like 3D navigation in CarPlay and the weekly app privacy report you get. Indicates which apps have used certain data. Now we see a version of iOS 15 that has possibly only one notable feature: notifications, where Focus can arrange certain calendar events and apps to display notifications when it sees fit. Many users still remember how iOS 13 evolved in 2019, with many features announced at WWDC that year, but some only arriving in April 2020. But that hasn't always been the case with macOS.
A new version of macOS and iOS every two years
While iOS has always had an annual schedule, macOS was available when it was ready. Mac OS X Tiger 10.4 was released in April 2005, while the next version, Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 was released in October 2007, more than two years between releases. During this period, we've seen substantial features and improvements, while the Mac has seen updates through hardware rather than in the interval between software releases. It wasn't until Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 that the annual program began, with releases in July and then October, which is still ongoing.
(Image credit: Apple) Since then, some users have noticed a drop in quality. Apple's version of macOS 10.15 Catalina, for example, would bombard users with lots of notifications to allow apps to use certain features, or pop up some message boxes without any information to help users find the cause of the problem, which that would be confusing. The same goes for iOS, with some versions causing random crashes and slowdowns, meaning some users would just wait for the next update to become available. Since iOS 15 has only one store feature, both operating systems could greatly benefit from a two-year release cycle, regardless of what hardware still arrives each year. Apple could hint at a future version of iOS and macOS, while still being clear about new release times. appearance at WWDC every year. Apparently, we're at a point where iOS and macOS don't need to come up with great features every year. iPadOS 13.4 brought trackpad support to the tablet, for example, and it wasn't a feature mentioned once at WWDC 2019 when iOS 13 was first announced. This is just more proof that major releases should be announced when they're ready. ; If not, we'll go back to some keynotes and wonder where these features went or why they changed so drastically when the update was released. Today's best Apple Macbook Air (M1 2020) deals
