Now developers create two different versions of each application, one for iOS and one for macOS.

MacOS has some of the best applications for Apple devices, but they are few and often outdated; while iOS keeps a library full of all kinds of apps that are up to date. To end this discrimination, Apple would be planning to unify the two operating systems, according to Bloomberg.

Many applications are available for devices that work with iOS, such as iPad or iPhone, and for computers or laptops with macOS. But the two versions are not always updated at the same time. With the unification of the two operating systems, developers would only have to create an application for all platforms.

Apple could announce the unification at the World Developers Conference, in June 2018

Apple has not yet announced how it will unify macOS and iOS. One option would be to create a new operating system from scratch, although others believe it will be based on iOS and adapt it to computers. The more similar the two systems are, the easier it will be for developers to create valid applications for all devices.

The risk of unification is that users of one or another platform feel that the system and the interface are not specific to the device. One of the challenges for developers will be to create applications that respond well to touch screens, mouse, and trackpad.

Microsoft already works with a unified system, the Universal Windows Platform, which offers apps for Windows computers and mobile phones, the Xbox console, HoloLens and even the interactive Surface Hub. The success has been limited since the developers are not interested in all the platforms.

Another of the big companies that have begun to promote a unification of their systems is Google. At the moment it is moving the applications of Android to Chrome OS. Users who have a computer with this application system can use Instagram or Snapchat from this device, for example.

The unification of systems is part of a broader initiative to standardize Apple devices

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The information from Bloomberg suggests that the merger project would begin in early 2018. Apple could announce this development at the World Developers Conference (WWDC) held every year in June and present it in the fall of 2018, when the company usually launches the new versions of iOS and macOS.

This change is part of a broader Apple initiative that seeks in the long term to standardize both the hardware and software of all its devices. For now, if you can create a functional and attractive system for all devices it will be easier for updates to reach computers and for the Mac App Store to be filled once and for all.

Apple plans to combine iPhone, iPad and Mac apps https://t.co/vysHwVkiQO pic.twitter.com/LIA975WsUk

— Bloomberg (@business) December 20, 2017