Re:Why iOS 13 and Catalina Are So Buggy
by mason55 on Wednesday October 23, 2019 @10:34AM
(#21335017)
I wonder if there's some anti-trust consideration to it. If Apple were able to update all their apps separately from the OS that would mean they had accessible APIs to do it. People would complain a lot more loudly about Apple blocking replacement functionality and Apple wouldn't want to allow a replacement for, eg, the messages app.
If you integrate the apps directly into the OS then you can just say that no APIs exist, those are just features of the operating system itself.
I think you're right about the decoupling. But I don't think they do it this way for press reasons to be honest. Apple is all about integration, And it makes sense that this applies to Apps/OS as it does to OS/Hardware. Also, most buzz is generated by OS level changes (Dark mode etc.).
Android OS releases do not get nearly as much fanfare because a lot of core functionality is decoupled from the OS: app store(s), mail clients, browsers, todo lists, even the text messaging apps and some security frameworks.
Which of course is exactly why Apple keeps everything in one big release. They want lots of press talking about the brand new features.