Ever since Apple first announced that it would let developers port iPad apps to macOS, anticipation for popular apps debuting on the Mac has been high. But today, any hopes that Netflix would show up on the Mac as a native app were crushed, with Bloomberg reporting that the streaming service won’t be launching a Catalyst app for macOS.
Netflix is one of the most popular free iPad apps on the entire platform. And while it’s true that it’s already available on Mac computers through any web browser, there are advantages to a native app that a ported iPad version could bring, including downloadable movies and TV shows to enjoy offline or full integration for Apple’s picture-in-picture mode.
There’s a precedent, too: Netflix makes a native Windows 10 app for its streaming service on PCs that, while likely intended for tablets, works great on desktop and laptop devices.
It’s the latest blow for Apple’s Catalyst app initiative, which appears to be off to a slow start, despite the fact that Catalina is now publicly available. As Bloomberg points out, at Catalina’s launch on October 7th, there were roughly 20 ported iPad apps available on the Mac App Store. That’s not exactly the revolution Apple likely hoped for. DC Universe and Asphalt 9, two of the biggest Catalyst apps that Apple showcased, missed the launch and have been removed from Apple’s Catalina website.
