Apple Developer Weekly #222 Split Fiction Reminds Me of SwiftUI
Weekly Newsletter Now Available in English!
From 13
I've been adjusting my workflow for writing the weekly newsletter. Last week, I discovered that I could launch an English version like Fatbobman, which would only take me a few extra minutes per issue.
So, I'm excited to announce that Apple Developer Weekly is now available in English! Interested readers can check it out here.
If you'd like to receive the English version via email, please update your subscription settings here, as it's not enabled by default. The English version will be sent at the same time as the Chinese version.
13 on March 24, 2025
🧪 Apple Releases & News
📛SE-0469: Task Naming
This is one of the more impactful Swift Evolution proposals I've seen recently.
If approved, we'll be able to add a name parameter to Task, making it easier to see more specific information in print statements or logs.
For example:
let getUsers = Task("Get Users for \(accountID)") {
await users.get(accountID)
}🕸️Model Context Protocol (MCP) and iOS Development
MCP is a hot topic in AI right now.
As its name suggests, it's a protocol - a communication standard that allows AI models to interact with external tools. For iOS developers, MCP can be compared to Apple's Shortcuts, which can connect various third-party app functions and data.
I don't think MCP is difficult to understand, and there's no magic to it. Its "power" lies in the growing number of tools supporting it, rather than the protocol itself - it's about ecosystem development trends. However, it's worth watching since it's being pushed by Anthropic, and it's unclear whether other major companies will follow suit.
From an iOS developer's perspective, if Xcode or Simulator were to integrate with MCP, AI models could directly operate Xcode or Simulator.
In fact, there's already a case study implementing Simulator MCP: ios-simulator-mcp. The author has demonstrated it in a tweet.
Additionally, in Issue 220, I mentioned NSHipster's article about MCP, which also covered Mattt's iMCP. It wraps Mac's calendar, contacts, location, messages, reminders, weather, and other APIs into an MCP server/app, allowing AI models to operate these functions. Theoretically, you could use it to create your own Siri.
If you're interested in more details or implementation of MCP, I recommend watching this video by Gao Jian Long:
🌊AI Editor News
Cursor's official documentation now includes Swift development tutorials Although there are many tutorials online with similar content, having it featured in the official documentation of one of the most popular editors still holds significant reference value
Windsurf Wave 5 The main update focuses on Tab Completion, catching up with one of Cursor's major features, including cursor jumping to the next position
🧠Latest AI Models
These are two recent open-source small-scale models that reportedly perform well. I haven't had the chance to develop an app that runs local AI models on iPhone yet, so I can't provide more detailed comments.
👋Hello Developer
Apple has been publishing a monthly newsletter for developers since November 2023, containing official information.
The content naturally overlaps with this weekly newsletter, and as developers, you should receive it monthly.
Since I haven't covered it before, I'm including a link to the issue list on the official website.
🤯Running Local LLM on Mac Studio M3 Ultra
Speaking of which, in the last issue, I mentioned wanting to see how Mac Studio M3 Ultra performs with local LLMs, but I haven't seen enough comprehensive videos yet (maybe I missed some).
Anyway, Dave2D's video shows successfully running DeepSeek R1 with 512 GB. For such large models, the video mentions an important point about modifying macOS memory settings, otherwise, it will crash due to insufficient memory.
Additionally, for those interested in running local LLMs on Mac, check out Alex Ziskind's channel. He previously set up multiple Mac mini M4s to run together, and as for M3 Ultra, it might still be in testing.
🤯Split Fiction Reminds Me of SwiftUI
This week, I finished playing Split Fiction with my friend Pofat. Split Fiction is the follow-up game from the team behind It Takes Two, Hazelight.
Why am I talking about this game in the Apple Developer Weekly? (No worries, I won't spoil it.)
The final level of this game has an amazing design. Producer Josef Fares said in an interview, "Play it to the end and you'll experience things you've never seen in a game before."
He wasn't exaggerating - it left both of us in awe.
However, the way that design was presented directly reminded me of a SwiftUI feature (probably because I've been writing a book about learning SwiftUI lately), and I even discussed it with Pofat while playing. We just couldn't record it as a weak self podcast because it would spoil the surprise.
Well, I can only say this much.
Please find a friend to play it with. Once you've finished the game, we can discuss this part privately, ha!
Split Fiction is cross-platform and only requires one person to purchase. You can play it on PS, Xbox, or Steam.
I even saw someone playing it on Mac + CrossOver, so you don't need a gaming console or PC. You just need a controller.
🌞Summary
Finally, I saw some netizens evaluating Apple's performance this quarter, saying that Apple Intelligence's lag behind is balanced out by the high quality of Severance Season 2 on Apple TV+. Of course, this is a joke, but it shows people's high regard for Severance.
Developer Mustafa Yusuf suggested that Apple's Focus Mode should be repackaged using the Severance concept, distinguishing between work and personal modes. I think it's quite interesting.
Mustafa Yusuf:
Apple should release an ad on Focus Modes.
Outie(personal) vs Innie(work) and how your phone just changes when toggled based on geofencing.
That's all for this week's Apple Developer Weekly. Feel free to like❤️, comment💬, or reply✉️ to share your thoughts.
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