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Developer tools

 29th August 2024 at 2:45pm

Stephen's Developer tools Picks

Type2018 Annual PredictionsScore
Stephen Non‑graded "AppKit and UIKit give birth to something new and cross-platform" 0
  • SwiftUI was announced in 2019.
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Stephen Regular "Third party widgets gain interactivity" 0
  • Edited to clarify "third party" as a few Apple widgets are already interactive.
Stephen Regular "iPadOS is updated to include a more desktop-like mode with resizable and overlapping windows" 1
  • Was originally a Risky pick with the addition of a "with keyboard and trackpad" clause, but some WebKit source code changes made it much less risky. He watered it down further by removing an "overlapping" clause as well and not phrasing it as a "desktop-like mode", but then decided to just go all the way back to the original pick.
Stephen Flexie "AR-specific features are added to Swift or SwiftUI" 1
TypeThe EUiesScore
Stephen Regular "The two "scare sheets" for linking to external websites for payment will become optional"
Stephen Regular "Changes to rules about apps being installed from alternate sources"
  • Specifically, that users no longer need to reinstall an application to get it from a different app marketplace.

Myke's Developer tools Picks

Type2020 Summer RickiesScore
Myke Non‑graded "Developers will get tools for more control over refresh rate/frame rate in apps" 0
Type2021 Annual RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Apple releases a weather API" 0
  • The revamped weather API was announced at WWDC in 2022.
Type2021 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Risky "Apple makes changes to the rules on in-app purchases, removing restrictions on linking to external websites for account creation, etc." -1
  • This came later in the year as a result of an antitrust settlement with Japan.
Myke Flexie "Tools for developers to make smoother or faster animations in iOS" 1
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Flexie "Big improvements to SwiftUI" 1
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Myke Risky "Apple shows off their headset in March, they announce developer tools at WWDC, then show it off again at an event in September. It ships to customers in October" -1
Type2023 WWDC RickiesScore
Myke Risky "Apple introduces a Copilot-like feature for Xcode powered by AI/ML" -1
  • Not graded: "A feature in Xcode that uses AI/ML to suggest how to improve your code or solve common problems. It will most likely live in a sidebar and will probably be a Beta feature."
Myke Flexie "The iPadOS cursor appears to be repurposed for using iPad apps in VR" 1
TypeThe EUiesScore
Myke Regular "The language of "member in good standing" is removed"
Myke Regular "The core technology fee is removed for fully free applications"

Federico's Developer tools Picks

Type2019 Annual PredictionsScore
Federico Non‑graded "Shortcuts 2.0 is showed off at WWDC with a new developer framework for apps" 1
  • "Shortcuts also gets folders and AirPlay actions in 2019."
Type2020 Summer RickiesScore
Federico Risky "The iPad gets a new development tool to write code, on device, that is not Swift Playgrounds" -1
Federico Non‑graded "New Notes framework for developers" 0
Type2021 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "WidgetKit will support new widget sizes and more interactivity" 0
  • The boolean operator "and" ends up taking this pick down, as interactivity wouldn't come until 2023.
Type2021 April RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "DriverKit comes to iPadOS to let more kinds of accessories be supported on iPad" 0
Type2021 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Regular "WidgetKit gains new interactivity features that allow you to perform actions inside widgets without launching the associated app" 0
Type2022 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Shortcuts gets an API on iOS and iPadOS for apps to run Shortcuts directly, without URL schemes" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple releases a Safari API to deal with cookie consent forms" 0
Federico Flexie "Apple introduces a proper Reminders API for developers" 0
Type2023 Annual RickiesScore
Federico Flexie "Apple releases new developer APIs for Stage Manager" 0
  • At the time of picking there were not any developer APIs for Stage Manager on either macOS or iPadOS, so anything will be "new".
Type2023 WWDC RickiesScore
Federico Risky "The next version of iPadOS will introduce a brand new audio routing system, with support for selecting different input sources, similar to macOS..." -1
  • "... This feature will finally allow podcasters like me to record local audio while also being on a FaceTime or Zoom call (assuming apps add support for it)."
  • And there's even more that isn't graded: "Devices that do not require drivers will work out of the box, like in macOS. I think the Sounds page of Settings will be redesigned."
  • Federico guesses that this is his longest-ever Risky Pick, and he's right, this is in fact his longest ever pick period, beating out this one from earlier the same year.
TypeThe EUiesScore
Federico Regular "The core technology fee is considerably altered, especially for web distribution"