Snippet: The Mac as an iOS Accessory ☇

Adam C. Engst for TidBITS:

How does the Mac fit into this new world order? It plays well with iCloud and the iTunes Store, and it increasingly taps iCloud for added functionality. It’s another link in the chain that keeps users buying iPhones and iPads because it’s easier to have a computer that talks to your smartphone and tablet seamlessly. The Mac also remains essential to iOS as a development platform, and (through macOS Server) as an organization-wide caching server for iOS and app updates. In essence, the Mac is an accessory to the iOS platform.

This is an interesting and accurate take on the current state of the Mac, especially in the context of the big picture of iOS-versus-macOS and what it means for Apple’s revenue streams. For people that need a Mac, one wonders where Apple is going to take their desktop platform next.