Twitter may cease development, future updates for Twitter for Mac

Rumours of Twitter ceasing development for its native app for Apple's Mac operating system have been flying around like a crazed flock of pigeons. It seems that the micro-blogging platform is considering bringing to a halt all further development and future updates for Twitter for Mac, as per a report by TechCrunch.

The news came via former TechCrunch writer MG Siegler, who tweeted that Twitter for Mac won’t be killed, but no further updates for it would be released: “Word is that Twitter made the call today: Twitter for Mac is done. They won’t kill it outright, but no further updates. Goodbye, old friend”

This does not mean that the application will be done away with. All it means is that there won’t be any updates for it in the future. Users will still be able to download it from the App Store. However, since the app won’t be getting any updates, its future is doomed as it will lose support for future versions of iOS in the due course of time.

The Twitter bird for Mac may be abandoned

The news doesn’t come off as too surprising as the last time Twitter updated Twitter for Mac was in June 2011. The company still hasn’t released an update to support Apple’s new Retina MacBook Pro or support for Mountain Lion’s notification system. However, according to 9to5Mac, a Retina version of Twitter for Mac had been developed but was later ‘shelved’. 9to5Mac also states that it has separately heard the same news as Siegler.

We think other Twitter clients may have a chance to capitalise on this opportunity. It’s unclear if the recently-acquired TweetDeck might go on to replace Twitter for Mac, but third-party clients have a chance here, in spite of the limitations Twitter recently imposed. Twitter some days ago quietly did away with the ability for you to see which application or service a tweet has been posted with. This means that users will no longer be able to know if a tweet has been sent through third-party applications such as Tweetbot or HootSuite. However, if you’re tech-savvy and determined, it is possible to know how a tweet has been posted by viewing the source code of the tweet page.

It is speculated that this is a move by Twitter to further control how content on its website looks and gently pushing users towards using first-party apps and clients. Not being able to view how a tweet is posted will result in tweeters getting a more cohesive reading experience. The restriction on the ability to see the application, client or service a tweet was posted from can be good for security, but it alienates third-party clients, which are widely used for tweeting. It also deprives third parties of free visibility, which is a big factor for them.