42 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2020
iOSCENTRAL APPLE’S NEXT TRANSITIONTranslate is an app now, but it won’t be forever.
and communicate in foreign languages. As
it stands you’ll need to open it and interact
with it like any other app, but it’s easy to
see a future where it just works without
needing the app.
While the Translate app is for the
iPhone now, it’s much more suited for
Apple’s always-on and always-connected
wearables. Translate could be built into
future AirPods as a sort of Babel Fish that
automatically translates into your native
tongue when it detects another language.
Or your Apple Watch could use Siri to
translate on demand. And a future pair of
Apple glasses could translate signs and
images just by looking at them.
Translate is a perfect example of how
apps could evolve beyond, well, apps. Just
like App Clips, future apps could be
integrated into the system like (or with) Siri
and just work without needing to launch
an app. Maps could be ready when we get
in our car. Apple Music or Spotify when
you start a run or pop in your AirPods. Or
Target when you walk into the namesake
store. And with Apple silicon soon
powering every device, switching between
them will be seamless and dynamic.
Of course, Apple has to get through
the Mac’s transition, but once that’s done,
apps are next. It’s not that they’re going
away. We’re always going to need a
place to play music, browse stores, and
get directions. But the way we access
those tools could be very different in a
few short years. ■