????我女兒走過來，用一種讓老爸招架不住的眼神望著我問：“爸爸，我有一款游戲想裝在iPad上。能幫我買嗎？”

????“把游戲名稱告訴我，我一會兒看看，”我答道。

????我努力記下了這款應用的名字，這樣晚些時候我才能如約查看。但10分鐘后，我把游戲名字忘得一干二凈。女兒這次提的請求結果和她平日里成千上萬次問我的其他事一樣，都被忘光了。（但說實話，我是一個好父親。）

????第二天她問：“爸爸，那個游戲你看過了嗎？現在能把它裝到我的iPad上嗎？”

????“對不起寶貝，我忘了。那個游戲叫什么名字來著？”

????這種事反復發生了好幾次，搞得我們都很沮喪。女兒對于我沒去理會她的應用很生氣，而我對她的問個沒完也受不了了。

????最終的結果是，我終于坐到她身旁，用她的iPad查看那款游戲。游戲看起來沒什么問題，可以下載。這意味著我必須在她的設備上使用我的蘋果賬號。如果我不在家，她將不得不等我回來才能登錄賬戶。（我應該聲明一下，她媽媽并不愿沾手這種事。）

????可想而知，這種事情時有發生。這讓一個被過度工作壓榨的一心多用的父親想到：總該有一種更好的方法來為應用購買授權。我沒法總呆在女兒的身旁，但是話說回來，這些都是可互聯的設備，而且解決這一問題并不需要什么高深技術。

????一項解決方案有可能在今天秋季面世，蘋果公司（Apple）將開始在其新版的iPhone、iPad和iPod上使用iOS 8系統。這一新的移動操作系統中有一項名為“家庭共享”（Family Sharing）的功能，專為厭煩共享蘋果賬號的人群設計。該功能此前于6月份在舊金山召開的全球開發者大會（Worldwide Developers Conference）上首次亮相。

????我恨不得馬上開始使用這一功能。借助iOS 8操作系統，人們只需在多個蘋果賬號上共享支付信息便可通過任一賬號進行購買，因此家庭無需使用特定的一個蘋果賬號來登錄iTunes進行購買，也不必為了使用iCloud服務而對不同的個人蘋果賬號進行管理。最多可以關聯6個賬號，這意味著我所有家人都能夠隨心所欲地下載應用，然后由老爸來掏腰包。

????這意味著我無需在家里的每一臺iOS設備上輸入我的個人蘋果賬號和密碼，然后登錄iTunes。這也意味著我太太和女兒可以使用自己的賬號和密碼來登錄各自的設備。這還意味著蘋果客服將不再收到來自于恐慌丈夫的郵件，質問為什么他老婆在手機上收到了他所有的iMessage對話。

????My daughter approaches me with those eyes to which only a father can fall victim and asks, “Dad, I found a game I want for my iPad. Can I get it?”

????“Give me the name and I’ll look at it,” I reply.

????I try to memorize the name of the app so I can follow through on my promised research. Ten minutes later, I’ve all but forgotten the name and the request is nothing more than one of a thousand questions asked by my kids on a daily basis—all of which are forgotten. (I’m a good dad, honest.)

????The next day she asks, “Dad, did you look at that game? Can you put it on my iPad now?”

????“Sorry sweetie, I forgot. What was the name again?”

????This dance is repeated several times. Frustration builds on both sides of the purchase equation. She is annoyed that I haven’t actually read up on the app. I’m irked that she keeps asking.

????Eventually I end up reviewing the game on her iPad with her sitting next to me. It looks fine; she can download it. Which means I have to sign in using my Apple ID on her device. If I weren’t home, she would have to wait for me to get back to go through the sign-in process. (Her mother, I should note, wants no part of this.)

????As you can imagine, this situation happens relatively frequently. Which leaves this overworked and distracted father thinking: There’s got to be a better way to approve app purchases. I’m not always around, but come on! These are connected devices we’re talking about. Fairly simple technology can solve this.

????A solution is likely to arrive this fall, when Apple begins to make iOS 8 available on new versions of its iPhone, iPad, and iPod. In the new version of its mobile operating system is a feature called Family Sharing, intended for groups of people who are tired of sharing Apple IDs and first announced in June during its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

????I can’t wait to start using it. Instead of forcing a family to use one Apple ID for iTunes purchases yet manage separate personal Apple IDs for iCloud services, people with iOS 8 installed on their devices need only share the same payment information across multiple Apple IDs in order to share purchases from each account. Up to six accounts can be linked, which means my entire family can download apps at will and have Dad foot the bill.

????Which means I no longer have to sign into iTunes on every iOS device in my house using my personal Apple ID and password. Which means my wife and daughter will both sign into their respective devices using their own usernames and passwords. Which means Apple customer service will stop receiving emails from a panicked husband asking why his wife is receiving all of his iMessage conversations on her iPhone.