What next for OS X?

The Apple fan boys are frothing at the mouth. The famously-secretive computer company has announced a press event for Wednesday (October 20th) but not what they’ll actually be discussing.

But that doesn’t stop the rampant speculation. Mainly based on the design of the invitation.

For those of you not au fait with all things Apple, every version of the Mac’s operating system (think Windows but, it goes without saying, infinitely superior) is named after a big cat. From OS X 10.0 Cheetah, through Puma (10.1), Jaguar (10.2), Panther (10.3), Tiger (10.4), Leopard (10.5) and, the latest version, Snow Leopard (10.6).

So, a picture of a Lion on the front leads one to the obvious conclusion that 10.7 is not only to be nicknamed Lion but is also the focus of next week’s event.

Now, leaving aside the likely polish and brush-up every version of OS X receives, making it look slicker and prettier than its predecessor – I have to wonder exactly what Apple can do next with its operating system?

What features do we “need” that aren’t already provided to us? Is there a risk of bloat (adding features for their own sake without any apparent requirement for them) ? Or is there something “big” that will revolutionise the way we use our computers?

There are a couple of, well, seemingly-dull things I expect to appear in Lion. The kind of stuff that at first glance appears only to be of interest to the geeks but, when actually put into use, provides everyday users with a better experience. Let’s deal with them first.

• resolution independence – in plain English, the ability for different elements on a screen to be larger than other corresponding elements. Imagine if you wanted to make the icon for “Application X” larger than “Application Y”; at the moment that’s not possible. Resolution independence removes the link between pixel size and screen resolution.

• reworked core applications – all of the system’s core applications (such as iCal, Safari and the Finder) will likely be re-written or, at least, trimmed down. Not only does this reduce the operating system’s footprint so it takes up less space on your hard drive it also allows things to launch quicker.

• cloud-based Home folder – a Mac user’s Home folder is their central repository for all their documents, music etc. Having all these files syncing constantly between your Mac and Apple’s data centre, so that you always have a perfect copy in case of hard drive failure, theft or, if you’re out and about, using someone else’s Mac.

Now for the sexy stuff.

• touch – the iPhone and iPad have given Apple some serious experience in the field of touch computing. Now I for one don’t want to have to lift my fingers from my mouse/keyboard to run my fingers over the screen all the time but there would be times when it would be easier to manipulate elements using a touch sensitive screen. Especially following the release of the Magic Trackpad recently, one has to wonder if plans aren’t afoot to do just this (especially when details of this little baby get leaked to the press).

• “merging” of OS X and iOS – obviously connected to my previous point: iOS is the iPhone/iPad operating system which, many people forget, is a very stripped-down version of OS X with touch capabilities on top. Merging the functionality of iOS back into OS X wouldn’t be “too” difficult. And would allow people to run their iPhone/iPad games and applications on the larger screen of their desktop/laptop computer .

• brand new user interface – well, it would be sexy to me. One of the things that Mac users love most about their shiny computers is the interface, the buttons and the windows they interact with on a daily basis. Whilst the user interface has been changed and tweaked considerably since OS X 10.0, many of the core features have remained the same. Is it time for a change? Not for its own sake but to improve usability. Or will that be left for OS 11?

My oft-repeated mantra remains true: it’s not technology that I enjoy but the possibilities it creates.

If a new and exciting “thing” in my Mac allows me to do something I couldn’t do before – or it allows me to do it quicker, easier or better – then I’m all for it. And, well, if I’m going to spend 10 hours a day staring at something, it doesn’t hurt if it’s easy on the eye also.