It has been revealed that Apple will not be merging its desktop OS X operating system, with iOS, its smartphone operating system, as the company feels it would be a "waste of energy."

Phil Schiller, Apples marketing executive, on the eve of Macs thirtieth anniversary, stated that "We dont waste time thinking, But it should be one [interface!] How do you make these [operating systems] merge together? What a waste of energy that would be," to Mac World in an interview.

"The reason OS X has a different interface than iOS isnt because one came after the other or because this ones old and this ones new," added Craig Federighi, Apples software head. "Instead, its because using a mouse and keyboard just isnt the same as tapping with your finger."

Federighi also added that they do not want to create an impression among their users that Mac and iOS is created by two different companies by merging both. "You dont want to say the Mac became less good at being a Mac because someone tried to turn it into iOS," he said. "At the same time, you dont want to feel like iOS was designed by [one] company and Mac was designed by [a different] company, and theyre different for reasons of lack of common vision."

Microsoft, Apples biggest rival in the PC/ laptops space, has been working towards merging its desktop and smartphone operating systems for a while, with of course, the tablet category the true meeting point of portability and productivity. The Redmond-giant to that end released its desktop Windows 8 operating system with a touch-friendly interface, featuring Metro-style apps, which were first seen on the Windows Phone platform. To aim at ARM-based devices, the company also made Windows RT, or an ARM-compatible version of Windows 8.

However, the much vaunted shared Windows NT kernel between the new Windows operating systems never really bore any fruit, with us not seeing any major Windows software making its way to the Windows Phone platform, or vice versa. Hopefully, the Windows Threshold update, expected to arrive as Windows 9 for desktop in April 2015, will work further towards the convergence of devices. The exact changes in the proposed OS version are not clear as of yet, but the "Metro 2.0" feature in the OS version is said to focus on enhancing Microsofts new apps and tiles.

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BlackBerry has announced the BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1 update that activates the FM hardware present in existing BlackBerry 10 handsets, adds actionable lock screen notifications, brings picture password for unlocking, and a few other features.

The latest software update - that has already begun rolling out in India and other regions - will activate the FM hardware already present in BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Q5 handsets. The update also brings actionable lock screen notifications, which means you can now tap to open a message that appears on the lock screen, letting you respond to an important message quickly or to check messages more discreetly.

BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1 brings picture password for quick unlocking that lets you unlock your BlackBerry 10 phone using a combination of a picture and a number (0-9) of your choice, which you place at a particular point on the image. When you try to unlock the phone, the picture will appear along with a grid of random numbers. To unlock, simply drag the grid so the number you selected overlays the particular point on the image.

The update includes a new feature that lets you filter messages and notifications in the BlackBerry Hub using a pinch gesture. The release also brings a new incoming call screen that lets you swipe to the left to answer or swipe right to ignore a call. If you cant take the call right now, you can respond via BBM, SMS or email by choosing from a list of standard automated responses or with a custom message.

Other new features in the update include SMS and email groups, customisable quick settings menu, an offline reading mode in the browser, optional automatic software updates, device and battery monitor, and the ability to set an account as your preferred contact sync option.

While some users have already reported receiving the update, in case you bought your BlackBerry 10 device from an operator, it may be a while before the update shows up on your handset, as the operator needs to finish its own testing before giving the rollout a green light.

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