macOS Catalina launched earlier this month, bringing the new Mac Catalyst platform to the masses. Mac Catalyst makes it easier for developers to bring their iPad apps to the Mac, but some developers have faced challenges doing so. In a new statement to CNET, however, Apple says that it is learning a lot as more developers adopt Catalyst.
Todd Benjamin, Apple’s macOS product marketing director, says that the goal of Catalyst is to give iPad app developers “a huge head start” when coming to the Mac ecosystem. In conjunction with that, Catalyst also opens up new opportunities for users. Benjamin explains:
Benjamin also noted that Apple is taking early developer feedback into account, and working to provide additional resources and support:
This isn’t the first time Apple has committed to making improvements to Catalyst. For instance, the summer, Craig Federighi said that Apple itself has been learning quite a bit about how to combine UIKit and AppKit.
For the piece, CNET also spoke to developers who have been early adopters of Catalyst. Some of them offered praise for the new platform, such as PDF Viewer founder and CEO Peter Steinberger:
Steve Troughton-Smith pointed out that there are still things missing from Catalyst, such as the ability to share subscriptions between iOS and macOS, issues bringing apps to older Macs, and the lack of clear documentation for Catalyst.
The full piece from CNET has more detail on early developer impressions of Catalyst. Read it here.
