macOS Catalina review: Sidecar is great, Arcade is solid but has fewer games than on iOS, iPad apps via Catalyst are lacking, security prompts are overbearing
iTunes is gone, but what comes next? — It's been a messy fall for Apple software releases. iOS and iPadOS have already …
The VergeDieter Bohn
Context & Ripple Effects
Catalina is the second straight macOS release where iOS ports land undercooked: last year's Mojave review flagged Apple's first iOS-to-Mac apps as half-baked, and this year the Verdict repeats on a bigger canvas — the iTunes breakup into Music, TV, and Podcasts works, but Catalyst iPad apps are thin and Arcade ships fewer games on Mac than on iOS. The June debut pitched Catalina as the start of a cross-platform app era, and today's reviews are the first real test of that pitch.
The verdict splits: MacStories calls the iTunes breakup a success and frames Catalina as step one of an unbroken computing continuum, while Bloomberg reports developers found porting iPad apps via Catalyst more work than expected and that customers end up paying for apps again. Sidecar — the iPad-as-second-display feature from the June beta impressions — emerges as the release's clearest win, alongside the new Find My and Screen Time apps.
First-order effects
Mac users upgrading today lose iTunes and get the split Music, TV, and Podcasts apps plus Find My and Screen Time, but face overbearing security prompts and a Mac App Store where Catalyst ports of iPad apps are sparse.
Developers who bet on Catalyst at WWDC now face muted demand: their ports cost more than expected, and Mac customers are asked to repurchase apps they already own on iPad.
Second-order effects
If porting stays this costly, fewer developers will target the Mac via Catalyst, shrinking the Mac App Store catalog and undercutting Arcade's value proposition on macOS, where its library already trails iOS.
Apple's hardware story absorbs the software shortfall: Sidecar makes an existing iPad more valuable to Mac buyers, nudging purchases toward the iPad-as-accessory bundle rather than toward Mac apps.
Third-order effects
Two consecutive releases of half-baked iOS ports suggest Apple's unbroken computing continuum will arrive app-by-app on Apple's own schedule rather than through a developer-led Catalyst wave, leaving the Mac's software future dependent on Apple's first-party pace.
The escalating security-prompt friction points to macOS converging on iOS's permission-gated app model, a structural shift in how desktop software is installed and trusted.
The trend: Apple's macOS-iOS convergence is proceeding through forced first-party app breakups and Sidecar-style hardware integration while third-party Catalyst adoption lags, repeating the half-baked-port pattern Mojave set.
And here's the full @backlon review, which runs down all the other changes and suggests checking all your apps before updating: https://www.theverge.com/...
Apple has officially removed iTunes on the desktop with its latest operating system update, #Catalina. The landmark application will now be divided into three separate platforms: Apple Music, Podcasts and Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/3pX01iwb2M
There needs to be a huge warning on OS updates like this: “This Update Will Break Your Setup” 32-bit apps will not run on Catalina. You'd be surprised at how many people still depend on 32-bit Mac apps. Future-fetish isn't the only direction in computing. Old is not always bad ht…
I've always maintained that comparing Catalyst to UWP success-wise isn't a good idea. They are incredibly similar concepts, but vastly different developer bases. Just because Microsoft's flopped doesn't mean Catalyst will have the same fate https://twitter.com/...
Crazy to think iTunes will now be a thing of the past. I remember when it became my go-to player and introduced shuffling through playlists into my life. https://twitter.com/...
macOS' next big update is out today and it's great-but I think the headline should be simpler: 🚨🚨 if you use any old apps or games (Civilization IV, Quake, etc), they will never run on your computer again after you upgrade 🚨🚨 https://www.theverge.com/...
Here's my review of macOS Catalina. It feels like a fresh start, which means that some parts have a very 1.0 vibe. Not as buggy as iOS in my experience, though. The big question will be Catalyst apps. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
I'm excited to share my comprehensive macOS Catalina review. This is an important moment in the history of the Mac. I think we'll look back at Catalina as the first step in a new place for the Mac in Apple's lineup. My @macstoriesnet review: https://www.macstories.net/... https:/…
macOS Catalina is out today! And here is our in-depth review, featuring a look at all the updates apps, plus some Catalyst examples. macOS Catalina: The MacStories Review https://www.macstories.net/... https://twitter.com/...
Catalina removed the way apps like Serato and Rekordbox read your iTunes library. Reminder: As a software person involved in music stuffs, I suggest running MacOS 1-2 major versions behind what is current. I currently run High Sierra, for example. https://www.theverge.com/...
So uh, if you're a DJ and have put tons of time into sorting music in your iTunes playlists for whatever software you use ...maybe don't upgrade to Catalina just yet https://www.theverge.com/...