After each edition of WWDC, developers do the math: what ideas and features has Apple stolen from them for its new operating systems? The practice, called “sherlocking”, has wreaked havoc again this year!
A significant part of the new features ofiOS 18 and of macOS Sequoia draws their inspiration from what is done outside of Cupertino. Here, the “Passwords” application for example: what is the point of using 1Password or LastPass, which are paid (and even subscription)? Why bother with apps for live text transcription or custom emoji creation when Apple Intelligence will offer similar features? Not to mention the Calculator app on iPad…
Copy the developers? Elementary my dear Apple
To be completely honest, third-party apps often have more features: password software is cross-platform while Apple’s app still remains quite confined to Apple’s systems (even if it is possible to use it under Windows).
This practice by Apple of “copying” third-party apps to offer them for free to users of its OS is called “sherlocking”. It’s a reference to Sherlock, the Mac search application from the 90s and distant ancestor of Spotlight, which “borrowed” features from third-party software Watson (the poor guy didn’t recover).
Apple sometimes does more than just take inspiration from what exists elsewhere. The manufacturer can also purely and simply ban a market for its own benefit, as was the case for parental control applications unceremoniously replaced by “Screen Time” – a function which is also very far from making the unanimity.
Read “Screen Time”: Apple takes three years to close a loophole that could expose children to porn
Appfigures has listed the number of “Sherlocked” apps to calculate the financial risk faced by the developers of these apps with iOS 18 and other updates.
The total sum is around 400 million dollars per year, the equivalent of what Sherlock apps generated over the last twelve months. Trail applications will be particularly affected, since they represent 307 million (Apple Maps will take over similar functions). Grammar correction apps generated $35.7 million, math helpers $23.4 million, and password apps $20.3 million.
It should be emphasized that these are potential losses, because as we have said, apps developed by Apple do not completely replace third-party apps. However, users might decide that Apple’s are good enough to cover their needs.
Read iOS 18: our top 10 best new features
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