ecosystem. In a review of Catalina, MacStories’
John Voorhees calls it “an integrated point on
the continuum of Apple’s devices that respects
the hardware differences of the platform”.
We can see this in many of the Catalina features
that have already drawn headlines in the run-
up to the update’s public release. At Apple’s
Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)
in June, where macOS Catalina was first
formally unveiled, the Cupertino company was
particularly enthusiastic about Project Catalyst,
which is aimed at helping iPadOS developers
to more easily convert their iPad apps for native
use on the Mac.
However, with another major new feature,
Sidecar, Mac users can already bring much of the
functionality of macOS apps to their iPads. This
is because Sidecar allows an iPad to essentially
serve as a second display for a Mac – with the
Mac’s on-screen content either given more
breathing space or simply mirrored on the iPad
display. While the exact functionality unlocked
by Sidecar does depend on developers adapting
their apps to support it, the feature holds a lot of
yet-to-be-realized promise.
Elsewhere, the Mac experience now has
noticeably more in common with that of using
the iPhone and iPad. This is largely due to the
demise of the iTunes app, with many of its
familiar features spun off into three separate
apps: Music, Podcasts and, arriving later this fall,
TV. As for managing your iPhones and iPads, you
can do that through Catalina’s Finder feature,
although you would still synchronize your TV,
podcast and musical content through the new
respective apps.