Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing, Mobile phones, Phone and communications on Friday, June 10th, 2011 at 2:45 am
Apple's World Wide Developers' Conference (WWDC) is easy to parody: Steve Jobs says "boom", the assembled hordes shout "woo!" and a million hands reach for their credit cards to buy whatever shiny new thing Steve has just showed off.
This year, though, things were a little different. Apple may not have shown off shiny new hardware, but it did demonstrate some very big ideas.
First up was OS X Lion, the latest and greatest version of Apple's desktop operating system. As we predicted last year, the lines between OS X and iOS - which runs on Apple's iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches - are blurring.
Lion has lots of iOS-inspired features including multi-touch gestures, full-screen apps and autosaving among the 250 enhancements making their way into Apple's OS.
One thing we didn't predict was OS X Lion's price: at $29.99 - around £21 plus VAT over here - it's "stupidly affordable", especially when your licence covers you for five devices. One reason it's so cheap is that there's no DVD this time: OS X Lion will only be available as an App Store download.
OS X isn't the only Apple OS heading for a major update. iOS 5 cuts the cable between iDevices and computers - you'll be able to sync libraries, apps and even operating system updates wirelessly - and the rather hopeless notifications system has been given an Android-style makeover. Interestingly, iOS 5 won't shut out iPhone 3GS owners - although if it runs like lightning on a 3GS, we'll eat an iMac.
Messaging and the cloud
So what else does iOS 5 have to offer? There's a new BlackBerry BBM-style messaging system called iMessage for free texts between Apple devices; Newsstand, which is essentially iBooks for magazines; Twitter integration, which is cooler but probably less useful than Windows Phone's Facebook integration; a new version of Safari with tabbed browsing; location-aware reminders; improved Mail and the ability to take photos from the lock screen and to trigger the camera shutter with the volume-up button.
Want to know more? Check out our in-depth guide to iOS's new features.
Brand new versions of desktop and mobile operating systems would be enough for most firms, but Steve Jobs had one more thing: iCloud. The service replaces the ageing MobileMe, and unlike MobileMe it won't cost you a penny.
There's more to iCloud than email and calendars, although it does that too. Its 5GB of free storage enables you to share documents between your various devices, so for example you might write something in Pages on the iPad and then grab it from iCloud when you're at your desktop Mac.
iCloud provides effortless photo syncing between devices - Apple calls this feature Photostream - and it will also enable you to share your purchased music between devices.
Music match
Music sharing is for iTunes purchases only: if you want to share stuff you didn't buy from iTunes you'll need the $24.99 per year iTunes Match, assuming that service makes it across to the UK. There's no word of a similar service for purchased movies or TV shows.
iCloud also keeps with the cutting-the-cables theme: it'll automatically backup your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch when you charge it, although once again non-iTunes music isn't covered. iTunes purchases won't count towards your 5GB of storage space, which is a nice touch.
Ten years ago, Steve Jobs announced Apple's "digital hub" strategy, with the iMac at the centre of your digital life. Now, Jobs says, "we're going to demote the PC and the Mac to be just a device." The digital hub still exists, but Apple clearly thinks it should move from the iMac to iCloud.
Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing, Mobile phones, Phone and communications on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 at 8:03 am
The WWDC keynote was ostensibly an equally balanced affair, with Apple providing insight into the near future of two equally important operating systems: Mac OS X for Apple computers, and iOS for Apple portable systems.
However, on closer inspection, it's clear that the two systems are no longer afforded equal billing. In fact, the word 'Mac' was rarely mentioned with regard to the desktop operating system and Apple CEO Steve Jobs was clear about Macs effectively being 'relegated' to becoming 'just another device' that can happily work with Apple's new cloud service, iCloud.
It's too soon to say that Apple is about to knife Mac OS X and mount its big cat heads on the Cupertino HQ's walls, while iOS looks on nonchalantly.
But it is clear that Apple sees its future as being increasingly away from its history in traditional personal computing.
Jobs himself said as much when he recently spoke of the post-PC era, and with iOS 5, Apple's making good on that claim. iOS 5 in combination with Apple's iCloud service finally detaches the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad from its oddly symbiotic relationship with iTunes on a Mac or PC.
Come this autumn, new devices won't need iTunes to activate at all, nor even to share and restore data. Instead, you'll take your device out of the box and set it up wirelessly; you'll then have the option, if you've previously used an iOS device, of restoring data from iCloud.
And iCloud also hugely changes working with documents on iOS, making it simple to store content and push it to various devices.
So far, so Dropbox, you might be thinking (and, to some extent, that's fair enough), but the point is that iOS devices and the apps installed on them can now be rid of iTunes, Macs and PCs entirely.
They will by the end of 2011 truly be independent devices, with increasingly powerful and capable apps running on a system largely devoid of the complexity of computing platforms bogged down by years of history.
Lion's share
When it comes to what Apple is now officially branding 'OS X Lion' - note the lack of 'Mac' in that title - it's perhaps telling that the majority of new standout features aren't extensions of the Mac experience; instead, they're attempts to make the Mac more like iOS.
Bar Mission Control, which is akin to Exposé and Spaces being smashed together with a hammer, you get Launchpad (the iOS springboard), full-screen apps (like on iOS), a Mac App Store (which will even include the only means of installing Lion, which itself is effectively afforded 'app' status), a streamlined Mail, far more emphasis on multi-touch gestures, auto-save and app resume.
The take-home here is that OS X is increasingly becoming a transitional operating system, in part to get consumers hooked on the iOS way of doing things, sending them to where Apple really wants them: iOS devices.
Counter arguments typically centre on the pro space: you can't run Photoshop on an iPad (although you can bet Adobe's working on that, if it has any sense) and you need a Mac for high-end video, audio and programming work.
But that doesn't help the platform's future; instead, we're looking at the Mac eventually existing in an increasingly niche 'workhorse' space, right up until iOS devices are 'powerful' enough to take over high-end tasks, too.
With Apple iterating iOS devices and iOS itself surprisingly quickly, this switchover may come sooner than you think, and it's likely that this year's WWDC keynote is the tipping point - the date people will look back on as the moment Apple 'cut the cord', let iOS off on its own adventures, and started the gradual long-term decline of the Mac in favour of its touchscreen-based offspring.
Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing, Mobile phones, Phone and communications on Monday, June 6th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Apple's uncharacteristically detailed announcement didn't just confirm that the WWDC would be a Stevenote: it also told us what he'd be talking about.
Here's what has been shown off. We'll be updating this page throughout the keynote as the news is announced.
OS X 10.7 Lion
First off, Apple's Phil Schiller took to the stage to show off new features of OS X Lion.
New OS X 10.7 Lion features shown off by Apple
Today's announcement sees over 250 new features added to the OS, with Schiller showing off ten key features, including fullscreen applications and multi-touch gestures.
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion features explained
We've gone in depth to look at all the new features in OS X Lion and those previously shown by Apple.
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: UK release date and pricing revealed
How much are you going to pay and when will you get it? Hint: it's stupidly affordable.
iOS 5
Next, Apple's Scott Forstall came on stage to talk about iOS 5, pointing out that iOS is the "number one mobile operating system, with more than 44% of the market". He described the iPad 2 as an "amazing product" adding that the iPad had created a whole new category of device.
So what will iOS 5, which Forstall calls a "major release" and "incredible for our developers and our customers" bring to the iOS party? It's an Android fancy dress party!
You'll see what we mean from the video below:
Apple apes Android for official iOS 5 unveiling
iOS 5 offers loads of new features that seem a little similar to Google's Android UI. The first update shown off was for notifications, with push notifications now aggregated in a pull-down menu available at the top of the screen. Sound familiar?
iOS 5: all the latest details
There's a lot more than Android-a-like changes in iOS 5, of course. We've got all the latest details in our up-close look.
iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices sold
Apple has now sold over 200 million iOS devices, an impressive number for any operating system with so few devices on the market.
Apple cuts the cord: iPad and iPhone no longer need a PC
Finally! Apple has announced that iOS 5 devices, including the iPhone and iPad, can now be activated and updated wirelessly. Post-PC era, etc...
iMessage: Apple takes on Blackberry's BBM
iMessage allows you to start a cross-device conversation where you can post text messages, photos, videos, contacts and even do group messaging. This is a massive hit to RIM, which prides itself on BBM for BlackBerry, and it is also puts the iPhone 4 in firm contention as a business phone.
Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads
Apple has confirmed that the new version of its software, iOS 5, will run across the iPhone 3GS, iPod touch third and fourth gen and both the iPad 2 and the original.
iCloud
Jobs came back on stage to talk up iCloud, saying "I'm really excited about this" (we wanted him to say "here's something I'm not quite sure about and it might be a bit crappy").
iCloud, says Jobs, is all about demoting the PC and Mac to being "a device", ending syncing hassles, so all your stuff can live in the cloud.
So it'll cost you lots of money, right? Er, no.
iCloud - Apple's streaming service is FREE
Did Jobs really say that your stuff will be backed up onto iCloud and the service is completely free? Yep, and MobileMe - which cost $99 - is over.
iTunes heads to the iCloud
Apple has unveiled its plans for iTunes in its new iCloud service, detailing how users will be able to access any song they've ever purchased through iTunes on any and all of their iOS devices – at no additional cost.
iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud
Apple has announced a new deal to bring your entire music library to the cloud and make it available on any iOS device you have synced. Spotify, you should have inked those US deals a long time ago...
iCloud: all the latest details
All the features, in one quick guide.
Below are our predictions that we wrote leading up to the event. Read on to see whether we were correct.
New hardware? Probably not
Apple doesn't usually tell us what Steve Jobs will introduce.
While it's nice to imagine a One More Thing where Jobs unveils a solar-powered iPad that can turn base metals into gold, the detail in the PR announcement suggests that Apple's trying to manage expectations here.
This one's about the software.
iCloud
The rumours were right: iCloud is Apple's new streaming service. Will it deliver some, all or none of the items on our wish list?
The music locker and music streaming appear to be a given, with Businessweek reporting that it will scan your iTunes library and let you access the same songs from any Apple device.
OS X Lion
We've been excited about this for ages: Lion promises to bring the best iPad ideas back to the Mac, with full-screen, autosaving apps, more multi-touch, a brand new version of Mail and file versioning.
Factor in AirDrop wireless sharing, Safari's new Reading List, the new Resume feature, Mission Control and Launchpad and you've got enough to keep Steve Jobs saying "boom" for days.
iOS 5
We're expecting a major upgrade of Apple's iPod, iPad and iPhone OS in the form of iOS 5, although we don't expect to get our hands on it before September. iCloud integration is a given, and it'll be interesting to see if the purported "deep voice control" makes an appearance.
Improved notifications should remove one of the more annoying things about iOS, and it's possible that Spaces and Widgets will make their merry way from OS X to iOS. Bad news for iPhone 3GS owners, though: that model's expected to drop off the iOS Happy List.
We're sure some of you are doing the Sad Mac Face at the apparent lack of hardware announcements, but if you take a step back and look at the combination of iCloud, iOS and OS X Lion you're looking at something really, really big.
After all, these are really major changes to Apple's desktop and mobile OSes that blur the line between Macs and iPod/Phone/Pad and connect everything to the cloud. And that's much more interesting than an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.
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Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing, Mobile phones, Phone and communications on Monday, June 6th, 2011 at 11:30 am
We're expecting big things from Apple this year: the iPhone 5 will be with us at some point in 2011, and some rumours suggest we'll see the iPad 3 as early as this autumn.
But in the meantime there's a new version of iOS, iOS 5 here and it's been revealed during tonight's WWDC 2011 keynote.
Read on for our list of all the new iOS 5 features but for a video rundown of what's new, check out our pal T3's video below:
iOS 5 release date
The iOS release date is Autumn 2011 - probably to coincide with the new iPhone.
iOS 5 compatibility
iOS 5 will work with iPhone 4 and 3GS (the latter is a surprise), iPad and iPad 2, and the iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen. We're also a little surprised to see it's going to be rolled out to the original iPad, but as it has the same hardware as the iPhone 4 we guess Apple doesn't have to cut it loose this time.
iOS 5 goes PC-free
Apple says it is "cutting the cable" with iOS 5 - just as well, as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air - you'll just received what's changed rather than the usual 600MB download - and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes. Ace.
You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac.
"You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall.
"Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued.
"We said, why do people go back to a computer? Calendars, people create or delete them. You can do that now. Photo editing, you can do it on the devices. Even mail - you can create folders.
"So if you want to cut the cord, you can."
With iOS 5 and iCloud, you just enter your Apple ID and password, and iCloud will seamlessly integrate with your apps to automatically and wirelessly keep all of your mail, contacts, calendars, photos, apps, books, music and more, up-to-date across all your devices without ever having to connect to a computer.
iOS 5 iMessage
There's now a new messaging service - like text messaging or BlackBerry BBM - but between all iOS users. It's designed for those with iPads and iPod touches primarily, but is cross-device and integrates with the iPhone, too.
The new application supports a multitude of features, including the ability to send pictures, videos or contacts, and also start a group message too. Real-time notifications mean you won't have to wait to see if someone is going to reply.
This is a massive hit to RIM, which prides itself on BBM for BlackBerry. According to Apple, iMessage works both over Wi-Fi and 3G, and if you want to send a message all you have to do is tap the camera icon, pick a pic and you're away.
iOS 5 Notification Center
The new OS has a new system for Notifications. More than 100 billion Notifications have been pushed so far, says Apple, but the company acknowledges that they're annoying. So now there will be a Notification Center to aggregate all the Notifications - you can access it by swiping down from the top of the screen. It is not persistent, but looks a lot like Android. It's on the lock screen, as well.
iOS 5 Newsstand
Further to Apple's subscriptions model, you'll now be able to browse newspapers and magazines to download just as you can books and music. New issues you subscribe to are automatically downloaded.
iOS 5 Twitter support
Much rumoured beforehand, Apple has introduced Twitter natively into iOS 5, with a 'one click' option for applications to let you use Twitter functionality.
All you'll need to do is sign in through the Settings menu and any app can request integration with your Twitter account, meaning no more constant signing in to every new application you download. It's also fully integrated with the Camera and Photo apps, for example.
You can also tweet articles from Safari and locations from Maps.
iOS 5 Safari
A new reading mode has been introduced in Safari, which removes distraction and provides you with a single, scrolling story. Bye bye, ads! You can now also email the contents of the story as well as the link. There's also a Reading List option so you can save stuff to look at later. We bet Read It Later and Instapaper are well chuffed about that. There's also tabbed browsing and lightning-fast window switching.
iOS 5 Reminders
A reminders feature enables you to store Lists, assign reminders to any dates or even location-specific info. These sync across devices and with iCal.
iOS 5 Camera
There's now a camera button on the lock screen, while you can also use the volume button to take pictures - a great addition. Apple says its camera is one of the most commonly used pieces of hardware on photo-sharing sites like Flickr, and has updated the functionality accordingly.
Photo editing software for easy cropping and enhancement has been added in to iOS 5, and pinching to zoom will zoom in on images when you're trying to take a pic.
iOS 5 Mail
The app now has new elements like draggable addresses so you can pop them across from To to Cc or Bcc.
Flagging and full-searchable messages have been added in too, plus rich text formatting for easier interaction with your e-mails.
A built in dictionary makes it easier to keep your spelling under control, and for the iPad: a split keyboard.
Simply grabbing it with your thumbs and sliding upwards will split it in two, making it easier to tap out emails more speedily.
iOS 5 Game Center
Game Center now lets you browse and download games directly, as well as introducing Achievementpoints, There's also Friend Discovery. Gamer profiles have been updated to include photos as well, plus turn-based gaming is baked right into the application for more responsive gaming.
Want to look back at our predictions? Read our previous iOS 5 rumours below:
iOS 5.0 release date isn't until September...
iOS has been around long enough for a pattern to emerge: a springtime reveal and then a summertime launch with the latest iPhone. Not this time, Techcrunch says: while iOS 5 is likely to be shown off at the WWDC event in June, the iOS 5.0 release date will probably be in September.
...or maybe April
According to "trusted sources", a German blog claimed that iOS 5.0 would be released at an Apple event in April. Apple had better get a move on, then.
iOS 5 now looks as though it's being tested in the wild. On 1 May 2011, 9to5 Mac said that it had received word from developers who found that their apps are being tested with iOS 5. And earlier, on 27 April 2011, a tweet from app developer Future Tap said "Just received the first iOS 5.0 crash report. MKUserLocationBreadCrumb sounds interesting."
...and iOS 5.0 might not be on the iPhone 5
There are two possibilities here: either Apple is ripping up its existing annual schedule and keeping the iPhone 5 back until the Autumn too, in which case the iPhone 5 will be an iOS 5.0 device, or Apple is sticking to its annual release and we'll see an iPhone 5.0 in the summer without iOS 5.0. Our money's on the former: the superbly well-connected Jim Dalrymple says this year's WWDC is a software show, not a hardware event.
iOS 5.0 has automatic app downloads
Automatic app updates appear to be coming to iOS devices in the iOS 5 update.
The rumour was kickstarted by a screengrab from iTunes which says, "If your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps, your updates will download to your device without having to sync."
iOS 5.0 specifications include better notifications
iOS's notification system for SMSes, missed calls and app messages is rubbish, but Cult of Mac reports that good news is coming in iOS 5.0: Apple is "working on a new notification system for iOS and will be buying a small company to build its technology into the operating system" - likely candidates include App Remix, whose Boxcar does what iOS doesn't.
NEW NOTIFICATIONS: Rumours suggest Apple's buying App Remix to boost iOS's notification system
iOS 5.0 features include cloud music and photo sharing
Amazon's already launched its cloud-based music service, but Apple's offering is more ambitious than a few gigs of server space: 9to5 Mac says there's a photo-based social service called Photo Stream in the Photos app and the much-rumoured, cloud-based iTunes service is likely to turn up alongside a revamped MobileMe.
Could iOS 5.0 also include Spaces
A patent filed by Apple suggests that iOS 5 will see 'Spaces' come to the iPad. The patent application shows a touchscreen device with Spaces controlled by multi-touch gestures, which hints at the gesture control that is only available to devs in iOS 4.3 becoming standard.
iOS 5.0 features include beefed-up speech recognition
iOS's voice recognition lags far behind Android's, but that might change with the release of iOS 5.0: according to analysts at Soleil Securities, " Apple's IOS 5.0 for the next-generation iPhone will likely feature deep voice control into the operating system and likely be demonstrated in June. We believe that Apple's partner for the underlying voice recognition technology is Nuance".
SPEAK AND SPELL: Apple and Nuance are reportedly beefing up iOS's speech recognition features
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Posted under Apple, Computing, Tablets, Mobile computing, Mobile phones, Phone and communications on Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 at 3:02 am
Apple's uncharacteristically detailed announcement hasn't just confirmed that next week's WWDC will be a Stevenote: it's also told us what he'll be talking about.
So what can we expect?
New hardware? Probably not
Apple doesn't usually tell us what Steve Jobs will introduce.
While it's nice to imagine a One More Thing where Jobs unveils a solar-powered iPad that can turn base metals into gold, the detail in the PR announcement suggests that Apple's trying to manage expectations here.
This one's about the software.
iCloud
The rumours were right: iCloud is Apple's new streaming service. Will it deliver some, all or none of the items on our wish list?
The music locker and music streaming appear to be a given, with Businessweek reporting that it will scan your iTunes library and let you access the same songs from any Apple device.
OS X Lion
We've been excited about this for ages: Lion promises to bring the best iPad ideas back to the Mac, with full-screen, autosaving apps, more multi-touch, a brand new version of Mail and file versioning.
Factor in AirDrop wireless sharing, Safari's new Reading List, the new Resume feature, Mission Control and Launchpad and you've got enough to keep Steve Jobs saying "boom" for days.
iOS 5
We're expecting a major upgrade of Apple's iPod, iPad and iPhone OS in the form of iOS 5, although we don't expect to get our hands on it before September. iCloud integration is a given, and it'll be interesting to see if the purported "deep voice control" makes an appearance.
Improved notifications should remove one of the more annoying things about iOS, and it's possible that Spaces and Widgets will make their merry way from OS X to iOS. Bad news for iPhone 3GS owners, though: that model's expected to drop off the iOS Happy List.
We're sure some of you are doing the Sad Mac Face at the apparent lack of hardware announcements, but if you take a step back and look at the combination of iCloud, iOS and OS X Lion you're looking at something really, really big.
After all, these are really major changes to Apple's desktop and mobile OSes that blur the line between Macs and iPod/Phone/Pad and connect everything to the cloud. And that's much more interesting than an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.
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Tags: iOS, Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, mobile phones, mobile
