Skip to main content

Mac users should not hold their breath for Netflix to port its iOS app

Macbook Air (2018) Review
Riley Young/Digital Trends

Even after Apple opened the app doors to Mac users to be able to download iOS apps ported with a technology called Catalyst, there’s a notable — and popular — title missing: Netflix. Even though Netflix is accessible on a Mac through a modern web browser, being able to run the video subscription service in its own native app, which would have been a ported version that was originally designed for the iPad, could enable additional features to owners of Apple’s desktop products, including the Mac Mini, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and the soon-to-launch Mac Pro.

For frequent travelers or those who find themselves in areas with limited internet connectivity, a Catalyst-enabled Netflix app on the Mac would have brought welcomed features, like the ability to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing. Another feature that Mac users won’t get to experience would be picture-in-picture integration with Apple’s platform, according to The Verge.

Netflix’s reluctance to embrace the Mac and Apple’s Catalyst development engine at this time doesn’t mean that the company prefers to shun the desktop in favor of tablets and smartphones. On the Windows side, Netflix maintains a Windows 10 app that works well on laptops, tablets, desktops, and convertibles, suggesting that there may likely be broader challenges at this early stage. Bloomberg reported that some apps that were designed specifically for touchscreen input are still jarring to use around the keyboard and mouse paradigm of a desktop. Some video apps cannot hide the mouse cursor while video is playing, a problem that Apple will likely have to correct if it intends on welcoming video services like Netflix to port their iOS apps to the Mac.

“Many of the issues originate from Apple’s initial promise of checkbox simplicity,” Bloomberg reported. “It is indeed that easy, but the resulting ported app still carries over vestiges of its iPad optimizations that don’t work as well on Mac computers.”

Editors' Recommendations

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Ranking the best (and worst) versions of macOS from the last 20 years
An Apple iMac from 2019 placed on a desk. The macOS Mojave operating system is on its display.

Apple’s macOS operating system is known for its stability and features, but it wasn’t always this way. Throughout the history of macOS (and OS X before it), there have been some real stinkers that Apple would probably rather we all forgot about. Yet there have also been some classic versions that still live fondly in the memories of Mac users new and old.

In this article, we’ve picked five of the best versions of Apple’s Mac operating system, as well as five of its worst, presented in chronological order. We’ve started with the launch of OS X 10.0 in 2001 and continued right up to the present, past the operating system’s rebranding as macOS in 2016. If Windows is your speed, we've also ranked the best Windows versions of all time. Let’s explore Apple’s greatest hits -- and some of its worst howlers.
Worst: OS X 10.0 Cheetah (2001)

Read more
I want Apple to resurrect the iMac Pro, but it’s a bad idea
Apple iMac Pro News

If you believe the rumor mill, Apple is hard at work on a new large-format iMac, just a few years after both the iMac Pro and the 27-inch iMac were unceremoniously dropped from the company’s roster.

I love the iMac, and it would be great to see a fresh, scaled-up version hit the shelves. Yet I can’t help feeling that it could also be a terrible mistake on Apple’s part. At the end of the day, there are plenty of reasons why Apple probably shouldn’t resurrect the iMac Pro.

Read more
Yes, you can use both Mac and Windows — here are some tips to get started
The keyboard of the MacBook Pro 14-inch on a wood surface.

I'm not a typical Windows or Mac user. Where most people choose one operating system and stick with it, I use both Windows 11 and MacOS regularly, going back and forth daily depending on my workflow. And it's easier to do than you probably think.

I have a fast Windows 11 desktop with three 27-inch 4K displays, and I use that for all my research-intensive work that benefits from multiple monitors. But for writing simple copy, and for personal tasks, I use a MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro simply because I like it so much. It's not MacOS that draws me to the machine, but its battery life, cool yet quick operation, excellent keyboard and touchpad, and awesome HDR display. To stay sane, I've worked out a few tricks and techniques to make the constant switching bearable. Here's what I've learned.
Adjust to your keyboards

Read more