There have been plenty of murmurings over the last few weeks and months about the possibility of Apple merging its iOS and OS X operating systems. The idea that Apple may leave Intel behind and port Mac OS X to the ARM architecture currently used on iPads and iPhones has intrigued many but there are also reasons why freestanding OS X and iOS operating systems are more likely to remain.

We recently informed readers about the speculation regarding porting Mac OS X to the ARM architecture and reckoned that although it may not be as imminent as some thought, it was certainly a possibility further down the line and made a certain amount of sense. However Tim Bajarin of PCMag has come up with some very credible reasons as to why Apple won’t be going ahead with this move at any time in the near future.

Bajarin points to the fact that the new Mac OS X, Mountain Lion, while becoming more like iOS than ever, still points to operating systems that complement each other rather than one obliterating the other. Mountain Lion will benefit from many of the features and apps of iOS 5 but each operating system still has something different to offer. Indeed its felt that Intel’s upcoming 3D chip architecture makes it even more likely that Mac OS X will continue to use Intel’s chipsets and Bajarin doesn’t image anything arriving from ARM in the next few years that could match Intel’s roadmap.

Although iOS can now manage more than ever before, Mac OS X more suits the needs of power hungry applications and those who use computing for graphic design, advanced photo editing, engineering apps and more. Many people currently using Mac OS X may also use an iPhone or iPad and enjoy what iOS has to offer and Mountain Lion has brought much of that to Mac OS X but that doesn’t mean that OS X is redundant by any means. Bajarin gives several examples of the best of cross-OS functionality such as the ability to share info and AirPlay mirroring but while Mountain Lion will bring these new advantages it still has its own OS structure for what Bajarin calls “heavy lifting computing.” If you want to find our more about Mountain Lion, check out this hands-on write-up.

Ultimately it seems that while the majority of Apple’s growth will come from iOS devices and software, Mac OS X still very much has a place for both power users and the average consumer. It’s hard to argue with Bajarin’s reasoning here but we’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Would you like to see a gradual merger of Apple’s operating systems? Maybe you agree with Bajarin that keeping both operating systems as separate entities offers the best of both worlds? Let us know with your comments.

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Tags: iOS, OS X