Apple unveils upgrades to its laptops and operating systems
Source: Gary Reyes
WorldWideDevelopersConference
Apple afficionados file into Moscone Center on Monday, June 11, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. where they listen to Apple CEO Tim Cook at this year's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Patrons will also check out new and recently-released Apple products.
Moscone West on Monday morphed into a massive candy store, as Apple (AAPL) unveiled a mind-boggling array of souped-up hardware and software features at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, turning thousands of adult developers into wide-eyed kids.
It was the first conference since Apple cofounder and perennial emcee Steve Jobs' death last year, but CEO Tim Cook used his first keynote speech to dazzle developers who had come from around the globe for the five-day tech fest.
And while no major blockbuster products were introduced, except possibly the new line of MacBook Pro laptops, the Apple executives on stage presented so many new and mesmerizing tools and toys that the overall impact at the two-hour show was overwhelming.
"There were a bunch of small, delightful features, but when you add them all up, they promise to provide an incredible user experience," said Gartner analyst Van Baker, who was on hand for the keynote.
"It's all a bit of a blur to me right now," said Australian Erik Price, 36, after Cook had finished his presentation. He was one of 5,000 developers who snapped up tickets to the show, which sold out in under two hours. "There was a lot of exciting stuff up there today,
especially mapping and other features that will change the way we use our phones."
The show started on a light note, as Apple's voice-recognition system, Siri, warmed up the crowd with a few jokes as if she were channeling Henny Youngman. "How many developers does it take to change a light bulb? None -- that's a hardware problem," Siri quipped, each wisecrack followed by the attendant crash of symbols on iPad's GarageBand app, splayed across a giant screen.
Cook bounded onto the
stage, dressed in black shirt and pants and replicating some of the same stage moves his predecessor once used to whip the crowd into choruses of hoots and hollers. After running through some of Apple's by-the-numbers accomplishments -- 650,000 apps available, Apple stores in more than 120 countries -- Cook heaped praise on the code-writers.
"Despite these blow-away numbers," Cook said, "what we do together is much more important than any set of numbers could ever reflect. For Apple and for many of you, our goal has always been to do great work and in doing so make a difference in people's lives."
Hardware came first: Marketing chief Phil Schiller introduced major upgrades to Apple's MacBook line of laptops, including a faster and thinner and more powerful MacBook Air. Then he broke the day's single most impressive bit of news, announcing the next-generation MacBook Pro, a super-thin laptop he called "the most beautiful computer we've ever made." The new machine, with the same super-sharp retina-display now sported by the iPad, drew loud applause from the crowd.
But it was what came next -- a presentation of the tweaks, fixes, and cool new features of the Mac's OS X and mobile iOS 6 operating platforms -- that truly worked the crowd into a lather for the remaining 90 minutes. The operating-system features came fast and furious: a deeper integration with iCloud so that things like messages and photos can be easily shared among a user's Apple devices; a new
app called PowerNap that allow Macs to update while you're asleep; and AirPlay Mirroring, which lets you easily transfer content from a Mac to a television screen through Apple TV.
The iOS 6 goodie-bag was even more impressive: enhanced integration with Siri, which can now give you audible turn-by-turn driving directions; more extensive use of dictation, allowing users to do things like dictate a tweet; and the "Eyes Free" Siri app that Apple says will be installed in the vehicles of several major automakers in the next 12 months.
An Apple senior vice president, Scott Forstall, told developers that iOS 6 will provide greater integration of Facebook, just as Apple has done with Twitter, making the social-networking service a nearly seamless part of the iPhone's display landscape. Users, for example, will be able to dictate Facebook postings and store logins in a way that'll let them avoid having to log in through Facebook itself.
"With this integration, we'll see Apple continue to migrate toward Facebook and away from Google (GOOG)," analyst Ross Rubin with The NPD Group said after the keynote. He pointed to Apple's new homegrown mapping function, which will replace Google Maps as the iOS 6 default, as a clear indicator of where Apple seems to be heading.
"By adding turn-by-turn, along with traffic conditions and restaurants and gas stations along your route, Apple is making a really intelligent use of location-based software," Rubin said.
e said the new Passbook feature, which lets users store things like boarding passes, baseball-game tickets, and retailers' coupons, "shows Apple's making a foray into the e-wallet space. By showing me movie showtimes, then a map to the place, then tickets in the phone that are activated when you enter the theater, Apple's leading consumers more and more along this transactional journey."
The evolution forward, said developer Price from Australia, is software that will allow consumers to use their iPhones to complete the retail process. "Payment," he said, "seems like the logical next step for Apple.
"They already have our Apple ID, our Facebook and Twitter passwords, and our credit-card information," he said. "I'm not sure what else they need."
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