Yesterday Apple unveiled a variety of things at their WWDC event and heralded in a new era for their software.
Mac OS X Snow Leopard has now been replaced with OS X Mavericks. The new desktop operating system contains a variety of new features but it is clear that Apple places quite a bit of value on their desktop business.
Maps bring advanced mapping technologies from iOS to the Mac, including crisp vector graphics, stunning 3D view and interactive Flyover. With Maps you can plan a trip from your Mac, then send it to your iPhone for voice navigation on the road. Maps integration throughout Mavericks gives users helpful maps from within Mail, Contacts and Calendar, and developers can integrate the same powerful mapping features into their apps through the Map Kit API.
Aligning their desktop with iBooks and Apple maps is literally another way in which Apple creates their walled garden around their users. The other major announcement on the OS X front is that Apple has done significant work to ensure their power usage from the Intel CPU’s is even more efficient.
The 2 other major releases is the complete overhaul of iOS, with Jonny Ive written all over it and the much anticipated iTunes Radio has finally been unveiled. If one looks holistically at iTunes it makes a lot of sense to go in this direction. Enable users to play music in a streaming manner to ensure that over time they acquire the music. iTunes Radio is ad-supported and free for everyone. iTunes Match users get iTunes Radio ad-free but will cost the user $25 per year.
iOS 7 is a significant moment in Apple’s history. They called it the biggest iOS upgrade since the iPhone. It is the first major redesign since the late Steve Jobs’s passing and is the first major project that Jonny Ive has led. A lot of changes have been made; the user interface has been cleaned up (seen below) and it looks amazing. App download notifications will no longer be seen, instead updates to apps will now be happening automatically (readers, check your settings when this change is made as it could lead to a lot of data charges.)
Additional new iOS 7 features include:
- a new Find My iPhone Activation Lock feature that requires your Apple ID and password before you can turn off Find My iPhone, erase data or re-activate a device after it’s been remotely erased;
- Night Mode in Maps that responds to ambient light when you use it in the dark;
- FaceTime audio for high quality calls over a data network;
- Notification sync, so when you dismiss a notification on one device it is dismissed on all of your devices;
- Phone, FaceTime and Messages blocking to prevent specific people from being able to contact you;
- Tencent Weibo support for users in China, a Chinese-English bilingual dictionary, and improved Chinese input including handwriting recognition for multiple Chinese characters;
- the ability for businesses to more efficiently deploy and manage iPhones and iPads; and
- enhanced in-car integration, bringing an Apple designed experience into the car for the first time.
All in all the WWDC announcements make Apple move forward. How they will impact app sales etc and Apple’s future will be answered in about 6 months time..
