Apple takes a much longer view with its hardware and software than most people realize. Developers are annually reminded of this at Apple's Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) when they are gently prodded to update their apps to use newer APIs -- sometimes years in advance of the hardware changes the APIs are designed to support..
This long term approach exists in tension with Apple's secretive approach to its future releases. As a result, so much of the innovative work being done only becomes clear in hindsight.
Take, for example, CarPlay. The new dashboard display that came with iOS13 was a fresh, new look—something more useful than the grid of apps. And having a map and some tappable controls available was a nice, creature comfort advance.
After the release of widgets in iOS and iPadOS the following year, however, the design of CarPlay began to look like a precursor of things to come. Now that widgets have became increasingly interactive, it is now obvious that Apple had been playing with the concept of a simplified, tappable interface for iPhones and iPads prior to its open deployment for users.
It's anyone's guess if this was always Apple's plan or if, one day, a clever engineer looked up, turned to their colleagues, and said, "You know, we could do this on a phone, too!”
I was considering this as I listened to the tvOS review on App Stories this morning — especially the parts about where Apple could go with its iOS equivalent of the Mac Mini.
Let me add to the wish list for such a device.
There is an underused USB part on the back of every AppleTV. Those USB ports are obvious places to connect a media server or a backup drive. That puts us one app away from an iOS-based Time Machine app.
As my old Mac Mini limps toward retirement, I would like to have a new method of backing up our family photos.in an ideal world, I would prefer an ids-based solution. A more advanced Apple TV is an obvious solution — especially for a growing customer base that is less interested in maintaining a macOS infrastructure alongside their iOS/iPadOS infrastructure.
In saying this, I recognize this may sound like a concern from a different era. But there is something about your child's baby pictures that makes you want to take the belt and suspenders approach to backing up your data.