Merge iPad, Mac and other devices into one device
5 Facebook x.com Reddit
Using iPhone as a web cameras on Mac for Universal Control, Apple has been making it easy to work across multiple devices for years — and now he has a plan to instantly switch between them.
Universal Control was a stunning WWDC 2021 moment: Craig Federighi dragged a file from his iPad onto the screen of his MacBook Pro and dropped it into Final Cut Pro on the iMac. Universal Control gave us the ability to use one keyboard and trackpad — in this case, his MacBook Pro — and seamlessly use other nearby devices.
Unsurprisingly, Federighi looked worried. But it turns out that it may not have been his turn to present something at WWDC, but rather a project in which he was particularly invested.
As for a recently published patent application to further expand this function, it is attributed to Federighi and two of his colleagues. “App Continuity Across Devices” offers a subtle but significant improvement to what Apple calls its continuity features.
Universal Control is the flashiest of these, but there's also a way to stream music playing on your iPhone to your handy HomePod. Plus there's awesome AirDrop, the ability to use your iPhone as a camera, or use your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac.
Apple fully supports the idea of continuity, recognizing that we tend to have multiple devices and would benefit from greater integration across them. The idea behind this patent application focuses on how we might turn to the best or most convenient device to do something, only to realize that another device would be better.
“[For example], a user can turn on a laptop, launch an email application, find a specific email that requires a response, and begin preparing a response,” Apple says. “It would be helpful if a user could seamlessly and cognitively seamlessly transition from using one device to another, for example, from reading email on one device to writing a reply on another device.”
One Apple ID, one account
You did it. You started replying to an email on your iPhone and discovered that there was something else other than a quick emoji. Right now, you can delete that draft and open Mail on your Mac so you can type with a full keyboard instead of tapping.
Right now, you can even highlight all the text you've written, copy it, go to your Mac, open Mail, find the message, click Reply, and paste the existing text into your reply. There's also iCloud syncing, which for some apps will mean the draft is copied between devices, saving you from even having to copy and paste.
But Apple wants you to literally just put down one device and pick up another so you can continue working exactly where you were.
“[If] a user is using one app on the first device, it would be helpful for the second device the user switches to to automatically launch the same app,” Apple says, “so that the user can continue working without losing progress.”
So you're in Mail, writing a reply, and realize it would be better to do it on your Mac. Put down your iPhone, open the lid of your MacBook Pro, and Mail launches ready to go.
Email is waiting for you – just like the message you were replying to. Unless you canceled the email on your iPhone, this is what you see now – the email you started writing.
This email response is simply waiting for you to pick up exactly where you were. It seems convenient, quite convenient, but Apple says it's actually more than just convenience.
” Such techniques can reduce the cognitive load on a user who switches between using multiple computing devices, thereby improving productivity,” the patent application states. “Additionally, such methods can reduce processor and battery power that would otherwise be wasted by excessive user input.”
Ultimately, while Apple would love to make us buy so many devices, the goal is to make us feel like we only have one. It comes in different sizes and has different capabilities, but it's exactly the device we need to do what we need to do right now.
Follow AppleInsider on Google News.
