Apple CEO signals no shift toward merging Mac and iPad operating systems
John Ternus said Apple is focused on developing each product while continuing to share features across its devices.
Apple CEO John Ternus indicated that combining the company's operating systems is not currently planned, telling an earnings call that Apple has no fundamentally different changes in preparation. He also cautioned that the company would not discuss such plans anyway.
The response came after Richard Kramer of Arete Research asked whether increasing overlap between macOS and iOS could eventually lead to one operating system, potentially simplifying the software or reducing costs. Apple has previously rejected combining iPadOS and macOS.
Ternus described Apple's approach as improving each product individually while sharing capabilities among devices. He pointed to features connecting the iPhone, Mac and iPad, including Handoff, as examples of that approach.
The comments follow a 2025 interview in which Apple's software engineering chief, Craig Federighi, opposed merging iPadOS and macOS, comparing the result to a utensil that works poorly as either a spoon or a fork. Despite that stance, features continue to overlap: the new OLED MacBook Pro models include touchscreen functionality.
