Lots of good stuff already said here.... but I'd just like to add that I feel like Apple's challenge has become a weakened ability to dictate the direction the software developers need to go.
For a LONG time, Apple could pretty much call the shots on the whole thing. A new version of the OS could just rip out support for an entire portion of code (like the old "Carbon" framework), and all the developers went scrambling to do major code rewrites to keep up. The advantage was, Apple could essentially force everything in the ecosystem to be modern and more efficient. They were always just a small niche compared to Windows adoption rate and software selection, but the people who did code for Mac were a loyal bunch who would follow Apple's lead with those changes.
I feel like those days are largely over. With the dumping of 32-bit support Catalina did, it immediately rendered about 80% of the native OS X video games incompatible, and probably at least half of the software related to music production, recording and synth patch editing/programming incompatible. I imagine the same can be said for some of the other special interest applications out there too? It's a big "ask" to the very groups who make very slim profits offering Mac versions of their software products to begin with, to have them rewrite all that code for 64-bit compatibility. In many cases, it's just not going to happen -- and the products will just require you use an older Mac and OS X version to keep using them, or probably to move to the Windows platform where they'll still offer support.
Today's Apple doesn't really care, in my opinion. Not as long as a few big companies (mainly Microsoft and Adobe) keep coding for their machines. They probably give them some special help/favors to ensure that happens, too. The future Apple sees is one where OS X will run all the apps people built primarily for iOS, so that's your software library for it right there, plus a couple of "key" applications Apple makes themselves like FCP X and Logic Pro X.
It's sad, IMO, and will probably be the "straw the breaks the camel's back" here for me, to migrate back to Windows PCs after a long run being primarily a Mac user.
For a LONG time, Apple could pretty much call the shots on the whole thing. A new version of the OS could just rip out support for an entire portion of code (like the old "Carbon" framework), and all the developers went scrambling to do major code rewrites to keep up. The advantage was, Apple could essentially force everything in the ecosystem to be modern and more efficient. They were always just a small niche compared to Windows adoption rate and software selection, but the people who did code for Mac were a loyal bunch who would follow Apple's lead with those changes.
I feel like those days are largely over. With the dumping of 32-bit support Catalina did, it immediately rendered about 80% of the native OS X video games incompatible, and probably at least half of the software related to music production, recording and synth patch editing/programming incompatible. I imagine the same can be said for some of the other special interest applications out there too? It's a big "ask" to the very groups who make very slim profits offering Mac versions of their software products to begin with, to have them rewrite all that code for 64-bit compatibility. In many cases, it's just not going to happen -- and the products will just require you use an older Mac and OS X version to keep using them, or probably to move to the Windows platform where they'll still offer support.
Today's Apple doesn't really care, in my opinion. Not as long as a few big companies (mainly Microsoft and Adobe) keep coding for their machines. They probably give them some special help/favors to ensure that happens, too. The future Apple sees is one where OS X will run all the apps people built primarily for iOS, so that's your software library for it right there, plus a couple of "key" applications Apple makes themselves like FCP X and Logic Pro X.
It's sad, IMO, and will probably be the "straw the breaks the camel's back" here for me, to migrate back to Windows PCs after a long run being primarily a Mac user.
