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With WWDC Next Week, What Does Apple Have In Store?

Apple Promises Exciting Announcements

By James DeRuvo (doddleNEWS)

June 2, Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference will descend upon the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The annual confab, which serves as a get together for all software and hardware developers, has also been the traditional launch point for announcements of new products and updates to Apple Software. What does Tim Cook and his posse have in store this year? Some say Apple plans a lot of exciting announcements, while others believe it’ll be an off-year. Here’s a good guess of what will likely come to pass in this year’s keynote…

 

With this year’s slogan... “Write the code, change the world,” it does seem to indicate that 2014 won’t be that big a year for hardware announcements, like last year’s Mac Pro introduction. So that leaves a bunch of new software announcements, which will likely include previews of iOS 8 and the latest OS X, version 10.10. iOS 8 is looking like Jony Ive is continuing the software’s descent into pastel colors, as he tries to move it as far from the old bold colors of iOS 6.

Ive recently shuffled the software devision around and as such, some of the old guard left. And while polls have shown that users prefer the new, flat design scheme, it’s the colors that have received the most flak from tech reporters like myself. ?I’ve gotten used to how iOS 7 works, and have come to be comfortable with it. But it was definitely a case of fixing what wasn’t broken, in my opinion.

Having said that, improvements are expected for Siri and Maps, but then again, don’t they always promise that? Frankly, I think Siri has gotten dumber over time, not smarter. And it certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype of its initial announcement. Still, we’re hearing that Siri will be able to do more with third-party apps, including a new song ID feature through iTunes Music and Shazam. Maps seems to have found its feet again, and I do like some of the new things including a small compass on the screen to help show direction.

I’m also hearing that iTunes Radio will get its own app, and that’s a good thing. And with Apple’s official announcement that they’re buying Beats Audio, I’m betting that iRadio and iMusic will both integrate with Beats, to boot. There’s also talk of more closely integrated TouchI D and using it for Apple’s upcoming mobile payment system.

Then comes OS X… And there, it seems that the main speculation is, what will version 10.10 be called? What beach will they use? There’s little hint as to what may be in store for the next generation OS, but since OS X Mavericks was mostly tweaks and refinements, OS X.10 (insert beach name here) could possibly be a major release with a flatter interface that could push it closer to how iOS handles things.

Hardware wise, we keep waiting for the mythological iTV, but that’s so deep into vaporware status, that I’ve all but given up that it’s ever going to happen. Because, lets face it, it would have already, in my opinion. Apple TV is believed to be coming closer to supporting gaming, and with Amazon Fire TV putting pressure to support games, Apple may be working on a major redesign of the hockey puck which will provide greater access. Apple has been updating the software of late, giving it more functions and supporting more TV services as well, so is it only a matter of time until we see a live TV option? Maybe. But I rather doubt we’ll see it this time.

Likewise, for the iWatch, which is coming a little closer to reality with iOS 8 likely to have health monitoring features that include heart rate, blood pressure, greater fitness integration, reminders to hydrate and exercise more, and even sleep monitoring. All that will lay the ground work for what the iWatch will be able to provide, and I’m guessing that if we don’t see it next week, we’ll probably see it at Apple’s annual?Fall event (either when the iPhone is announced, or the second one when they introduce other hardware).

The Mac mini is in dire need of a refresh, and so we could hear about that, but it seems to me if this is a software-centric WWDC, that it’ll have to wait again until the fall, as well. Along with a new iMac, which insiders suggest will be a low cost, entry-level model and be available just in time for Christmas. And then there’s a promised retina MacBook Air, which looks to be taking more time as well. So in the end, I think all the hardware will likely be announced around October, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Regardless, Apple plans to finally live stream the WWDC keynote this year, so we’ll all be able to find out live and in living color.

Hat tip: Mac Rumors

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