I’ve been using the desktop version of MGP more and more because of the Sync Grid feature, and for design ergonomics (haha). What would really make this version fly is some adaptation to MacOS Finder navigation conventions. For instance:
• Being able to use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move elements around instead of hold-click drag
• Shift- and Command- Select to choose groups of elements instead of rubber-banding with the pointer (This would make it way easier to consolidate groups of buttons that are separated)
• Being able to use Tab & Tab focus to move through elements on the screen
• Right-clicking on elements for some common contextual functions/menus or services
• Recognizing Finder text-editing shortcuts. These are a colossal timesaver when editing or typing lots of text.
There are others, but you get the drift. They’re just basic Finder controls that are pretty much universal across all apps. It’s this kind of utilization that would make using the desktop app a speedier layout and design tool than using a tablet.
I’ve also noticed that when I’m using the desktop app in tandem with my iPads, disconnections happen WAY more often. I’m also not sure why I can’t use MGP desktop without having Wifi turned on. Isn’t the data access for the desktop app self-contained on the local drive?
Thanks — really useful feedback, and you’re articulating something we’ve been thinking about a lot.
Short answer: we’re not planning to rewrite MGP as a native AppKit app, but we are planning to invest meaningfully in making the Mac version feel more like a proper Mac app. Most of what you’re asking for doesn’t actually require a rewrite — it’s polish work within the current Catalyst app, and it’s on the roadmap:
Right-click contextual menus
Arrow-key nudging with modifier variants for step size
Shift/Cmd multi-select
Audit of standard Mac text-editing shortcuts to make sure they all work where you’d expect
These are the items that move the needle most on “feels like a Mac app” and they’re all achievable in the current architecture. We’d rather ship them in the next couple of releases than spend a year on a rewrite that delays everything else.
On why we’re not going the full native route: MGP is a single codebase that runs on iPad and Mac today. Splitting it into a separate native Mac app would roughly double the work for every new feature going forward — that math doesn’t work out, and it would slow down features that benefit all users. Apple has also been steadily improving Catalyst, so the gap between “Catalyst app” and “native Mac app” keeps narrowing.
The connection stability is genuinely better in the upcoming release..
That’s awesome! For sure, you don’t need to re-invent it. It’s functionally very solid. I just kept finding myself going to actions that I use with most all Mac apps by default and not having them work trips me up. For anyone who doesn’t use text editing shortcuts in Finder, they might not think it’s a big deal, but once you do start them using them not them having them available is like trying to type with all your fingers zip-tied together.
