WWDC 2013 Recap

ByMike Moffit

Monday kicked off the start of Apple’s week long conference WWDC. This year’s event marks Apple’s 24th show, which, according to Tim Cook, is the longest running conference of its kind. The Keynote presentation delivered by Cook and Apple’s top minds introduced a multitude of new features and products we can expect to see from Apple in the near future.

To start, the latest iteration of OS X was announced. Due to a dwindling number of cat species, the clever folks at Apple chose to code name the next generation of operating systems after famous landmarks in the California area. The upcoming version will be called OS X Mavericks — after a famous surf destination in Cali. With the latest OS will come new features like a Maps app, Finder tabs and performance optimizations (just to name a few).

Of course, Apple isn’t going to forget about the mobile developers it has in the crowd — and so we saw iOS 7 unveiled. iOS 7 has a radically new and simplistic design. The rumors of a flat design turned out to be true — and I, for one, love the new look. The home screen will sport a new parallax design that makes the icons truly feel like they are on top of your background. Stunning full-screen animations bring apps like Weather to life. But Apple didn’t just focus on the aesthetics with iOS 7. New features in some old favorites like Photos plus some new apps altogether like Control Center make iOS 7 a sure fire hit when it gets officially released this fall.

Apple also introduced iTunes Radio. I’m sure some of you are familiar with the concept of streaming radio. Some of you may have even used a service like Pandora or Spotify to listen to a mix of music. Now Apple is stepping in to deliver a similar service, but with the Apple twist of ultimate integration and usability.

Software wasn’t the only thing that got some stage time. Apple also released an update to their MacBook Air line. Now you will be able to go all day long without requiring a power outlet (according to Apple). They boast that the 13-inch model’s battery will last up to 12 hours. Of course, this depends on what you are doing, but Apple stated you could watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy (or 10 hours of iTunes movie playback) on a single charge.

Apple also “broke away from tradition” with this year’s Keynote by giving everyone a sneak peek at the future. Long forgotten at these events, the former powerhouse Mac Pro got a much-needed upgrade. With plenty of teaser clips and fancy music, Apple piqued the interest of the entire audience with this sneak peek.

Finally, the unsung hero award of the presentation has to go to the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule. The new AirPorts sport the latest 802.11ac standard giving you up to 3x the performance. Its unique design allows for what Apple is calling “Beamforming”, a technology that targets your device to give it the best performance it possibly can. Don’t worry though, these new AirPorts are still just as easy to configure as their older brothers and you still have the ability to plug in a hard drive or printer.

Overall, this year’s WWDC Keynote was a hit. We have a lot to look forward to in the coming year, and I am definitely excited to see it all.

Check back all week as we push out more detailed reports on each of these topics.

Similar Posts

  • Apple Offers WiFi Music Store

    One of the new and exciting things to come out of todays event is the WiFi iTunes music store. It’s essentially an application…

  • The iPad Is Here!

    More soon. We’re following along on Engadget.com Photo from Engadget.com

  • Mac Pros Get Speed Bumps

    Quietly and away from the stage at WWDC, the Mac Pro line was updated with faster processor speeds and more memory in its…

  • In Like a Lion: 10.7 Coming in Summer '11

    When the image popped up on the web for the Back to the Mac event, the cat behind the Apple was easily recognizable, prompting the accurate speculation that the next incarnation of OS X would be branded “Lion.” Today, Steve announced that 10.7 is indeed on its way, slated for release in Summer 2011.

    Lion boasts dozens of new features, including the Mac App Store, Launchpad, Full-screen apps and Mission Control. Here’s how Apple describes it:

    “We took our best thinking from Mac OS X and brought it to the iPhone. Then we took our best thinking from the iPhone and brought it to iPad. And now we’re bringing it all back to the Mac with our eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system.”

    Mac App Store
    Inspired by the success of the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch and available in 90 days from today, the Mac App Store will allow you to purchase, download and install apps from the store itself—no packaging required! Developers will be able to submit apps for approval as soon as November. We’ll have more on this shortly, since this is a big change from how you’re used to getting apps on your Mac.

    Launchpad
    As Apple puts it, the Launchpad “gives you instant access to your apps—iPad style.” When you click the Launchpad icon in your Dock, your windows will “fade away,” leaving a full-screen view of all of the apps on your Mac. From there, you swipe your fingers to see multiple pages, bringing the functionality of Spaces. If you have just downloaded an app from the Mac App Store, it will automatically appear in the Dock, ready to launch.

    Full-screen apps
    This is a great way to tune out the distractions. Apps can now go full-screen natively, something people have been asking for for a long time (I used to get this question all the time from people who were switching from Windows). You will be able to bring an app to full-screen with one click, switch to another with a swipe, and then back to the desktop with another swipe.

    Mission Control
    Mission Control gives you a “bird’s-eye view of everything” all in one place. Apple describes it thusly: “With a simple swipe gesture, your desktop zooms out to Mission Control. There you can see your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full-screen apps, Dashboard, and even other Spaces, arranged in a unified view.” Anything in Mission Control is accessible with one click.

    No word yet on the price tag of Lion, nor a firmer release date. We’ll be keeping you up-to-date on Lion news as we get it!

  • MobileMe Meltdown Redux!

    Almost every employee at Small Dog Electronics has a MobileMe account, carried over from having a .Mac account. That’s because Apple grants a…