Are We Still Unifying User Interfaces Across the OSes?

John Ternus, the new CEO of Apple, didn't introduce the new iPhone Duo as two devices in one. "A wide-screen iPhone mini. A new iPad nano. Are you getting it yet?" (Thank goodness he did not.) And as Dan Moren explains, it is probably intentional that Apple isn't selling half of the iPhone Duo as an iPad: This distinction also allows it the freedom to do things that the iPad doesn’t. Like the clever ability to pin a video to the top of the screen in portrait. Or being able to fold it and put it on its side for FaceTime calls. The way it shifts user interfaces away from the crease when it’s partially closed. All of these are specific affordances for this device, which helps set it apart from Apple’s other products. Even many of the interface layouts are distinct, like the vertical dock or the minimized status bar. On the other hand, my brain reminds me, Apple is unifying a lot of the user interface across its different operating systems. You get the traffic-light-buttons on iPadOS,…