My computer suddenly got faster? The era of 'true' Mac apps is back

Have you ever had your Mac apps suddenly slow down for no reason, or heard your computer’s fan get loud due to excessive memory usage? Imagine this: when you launch an app to start your workday, it responds instantly and runs lightly, as if it were a part of the operating system itself.

An interesting change is being detected in the Mac development ecosystem. There is an increasing number of ‘native’ apps—those optimized for a specific operating system—being built by moving away from the ‘Electron’ environment (a framework for building desktop apps using web technology) that has been mainstream for years, and returning to ‘Swift’ (a high-performance programming language created for Apple devices). Source 5

Why is this important?

For the user, the most tangible changes are ‘speed’ and ‘efficiency.’ Electron-based apps are essentially websites packaged as apps. That is, they look like Mac-exclusive apps, but they are effectively running an extra web browser inside your computer. This leads to massive memory and CPU resource consumption. Source 3

On the other hand, apps built with 100% native Swift communicate directly with the Mac operating system. It follows the same principle as being faster and more accurate when speaking your native language without an interpreter. Apps launch instantly, battery consumption is reduced, and you can fully enjoy the smooth animations and performance unique to the Mac. Source 2, Source 3

Simple analogy: comparing it to cooking

Let’s compare this difference to ‘cooking’:

• Electron method: It’s like heating up frozen food in a microwave. It’s fast and convenient to make, but it’s hard to capture 100% of the natural taste or texture (the performance of the Mac hardware).
• Native Swift method: It’s like a chef cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients. It requires more preparation time and skill, but a much tastier and healthier meal (app) is created.

Developers have begun to place greater value on “creating high-quality apps that respect the user’s hardware resources” than on “churning out apps faster.” Source 5

Current status: evolving native apps

This native trend is already blowing through our environment.

• Harness: In the case of terminal programs, many are web-technology based, dressed up to look like Mac apps on the outside. However, ‘Harness’ shows a completely new level of performance by integrating all core functions—including the renderer, multiplexer, and workspace model—into a single Swift codebase. Source 4
• Osaurus: This app, which appeared in line with the AI era, is a ‘native AI agent harness.’ Unlike web-based AI services, it is built 100% with Swift, allowing it to safely process personal data even in offline environments and execute autonomous agents. Source 6

Future outlook

In the future, heavy and slow apps will gradually lose their place. As users increasingly value performance, privacy protection, and battery efficiency, developers will pour more time and effort into developing native apps that can fully tap into the potential of Apple devices, rather than apps slapped together with web technology. The era where we can feel our tools getting faster and lighter is coming.

MindTickleBytes AI Reporter’s perspective

Ultimately, technology should provide the best experience in ‘places invisible’ to the user. The return to 100% Swift is not just a return to the past. It is a sophisticated choice to reduce unnecessary friction between humans and machines by maximizing hardware potential.

References

1. [ShowHN: 100% native Swift harness (NOT Electron)

   Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49243358)

2. NativeRest – NativeREST API client for Windows, macOS and Linux
3. Google Gemini Native Mac App Is Finally Here

4. [Harness

   a native macOS terminal with a multiplexer built in](https://harnesscli.dev/)

5. Why We Chose SwiftUI Over Electron for Our Mac App - DEV Community
6. Osaurus — Own your AI