Jun 10, 2013

Apple WWDC 2013 : Gazing into the crystal ball

Edit 12/Jun : Updated with the actual announcements !

Quick note on the WWDC which is going to happen tonight. A lot of speculation is going on, and I just wanted to list down what I think is possible to be announced tonight. After the WWDC, then I will look back and see where I was correct ! Without further ado - my expectations:

  • With Intel launching the haswell chips last week, just in time for the WWDC, I expect the laptop and PC lineup to change to this new chipset. 
    • Got It ! 
    • The macbook air line recieved the new chip and now gives full day battery life - a day in apples term is 12 hrs for the 13" MacBook Air
  • We will also learn about the retina display IPad minis
    • Missed it! 
    • No talk about iPads at all.
  • OS7 is a given. 
    • Got It. 
    • No brainer here. 
  • OS7 will still keep skumorphic design in the apps. I dont expect apple to be more like windows flat textures. 
    • Missed it ! 
    • Apple is going to remove skumorphic designs with a vengence ! However, it is not flat like windows. 
  • A streaming music service - I dont know whether it will be called iRadio ? 
    • Got It ! 
    • It is streaming music. 
    • It is just called Radio and is within the music app. Makes more sense than having it as a radio. 
    • Still does not support FM though :-/
  • An update to the maps software showing how it is better than before. However, if you checked the Google I/O a couple of weeks back and their Maps software, I think apple will still have a long way to go before catching up. 
    • Got It ! 
    • The new 3d flybys seem impressive. Eiffel tower with the rotation around it is pretty cool. And as mentioned in the video - you can see through the tower - which is a lot of data processing happening. 
    • Still no idea how it will work in places like India ;-)
  • I do not think an iPhone mini will be announced. If I was apple, i would not dilute the iPhone brand with a cheaper version. However, seeing that iPods are now available in all sizes, maybe someone in apple is thinking in this direction. 
    • Got It ! 
    • No talk at all about a smaller iphone.
  • Apple TV will now also stream the music
    • Umm. I dont remember this. Was it mentioned ? Need to check the keynote again. 
  • No new product lineup (I hope I am wrong here)
    • Sort of ! 
    • The MacPro was announced - which is a whole new beast of a computer ! What a design !