
WWDC 2014 Prelude - _pius
http://daringfireball.net/2014/06/wwdc_2014_prelude
======
jballanc
> They wanted to hire Jimmy Iovine. Apple needs to make more deals with the
> entertainment industry, and by all accounts, having Iovine on team Apple
> will help.

When Apple was putting together the iTunes music store, Steve Jobs bought a
condo overlooking Central Park in Manhattan. He had no intention of moving
from his home in California, but he knew that he would need a place to wine-
and-dine the record label executives, and even the penthouse at the Ritz
wouldn't cut it.

I don't think people really appreciate how much Jobs "got" the entertainment
industry. He knew not only how to work with, and negotiate with, entertainment
industry executives, but he was also the head of a ridiculously successful
movie studio himself.

Apple without Jobs doesn't have to worry about design, as Ive's team has that
(mostly) under control, they don't have to worry about marketing, as Schiller
is still one of the best at what he does, and they definitely don't have to
worry about operations with Cook at the helm. What Apple without Jobs is still
missing (if they still care about being in your living room) is someone who
really understands the entertainment industry.

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gfodor
If this is the WWDC prediction thread, I'll go ahead and be the guy who
predicts a new Apple hardware device. I expect Apple's predicted "iWatch" is
actually going to be an "iBand" and is going to be a simple, elegant wristband
(likely with a minimal or non-existent display) that is meant to augment the
functionality of iOS 8 on your iPhone through the use of always-on sensors
that measure heart rate, etc. The announcement of iOS 8 seems to be the proper
venue to introduce this device since my guess is a lot of the focus in iOS 8
will seem misplaced unless you consider the value of this companion device.

In turn, I expect there to be the usual major backlash that Apple did not
release a unicorn Dick Tracy watch from the future. Many folks will say that
Nike, Fitbit, etc, already did this. But Apple's will be better designed and
incredibly tightly integrated. There will also probably be some genuine novel
parts to it, most likely around recharging (solar/wireless? Never take it
off?) and the ability for the person to customize how the device looks. There
will probably also be a few other applications beyond fitness and health.
(Payments?) Ultimately I'd guess it will eventually be worn by most folks who
buy the latest Apple phones. I expect it to be relatively cheap compared to
most new Apple products, prob $149 or something. When iPhone 6 hits you'll
probably be able to buy one for $99 or something when you buy the phone.

~~~
enscr
All in line with Apple except for the price. Probably north of $299 else how
would you stand out? They aren't willing to lower the prices on obsolete /
commoditized items. No way they would price a premium, hot fashion+tech must-
have accessory at that price.

~~~
gfodor
Apple's thing is not high _prices_ but high _margins_. I'd imagine they can
get embarrassingly good margins for a sensor-only, display-less device even at
what seems to be a low price point. We'll see I guess!

~~~
enscr
There isn't much difference between the two in this context

~~~
seanmcdirmid
It only matters if your equivalent competition is higher priced or not, and
Apple has been doing well enough there.

------
chroma
If I had to bet money on WWDC announcements, I'd probably go with Gruber's
predictions. Nothing mentioned stands out as particularly unlikely.

And that's why these predictions worry me. If you do the mental equivalent of
zooming out, these predictions seem to focus on two things:

1\. Centralizing storage of user-generated content.

2\. Catering to consumers instead of professionals.

The vast majority of Apple's value captured (AKA revenue) is from consumer
products: iPads, iPhones, iPods. But much of the value _created_ by Apple
products comes from professionals. Artists, programmers, writers; countless
creative professionals use Apple hardware and software in their work. If Apple
focuses on consumers, it will almost certainly be to the detriment of
professionals.

I love my MacBook Air, but I can see Apple's trajectory. I can see my laptop
becoming a locked-down Duplo version of itself. Then I'll be forced to switch
to something else, and my knowledge and experience of OS X will become
worthless. More importantly, many other professionals would be in the same
boat. Millions could be stymied and frustrated by these changes.

~~~
gfodor
What about the Mac Pro?

~~~
prawn
I don't know anyone who has one and I've never heard anyone talk about even
wanting one. I think dumbing down of the OS interface is what people might
fear?

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asiekierka
OS X 10.10 potential pre-alpha screen leaks have been sitting on BetaArchive
unnoticed for 2 weeks now, and I highly doubt them being fake.

[http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=31454](http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=31454)

~~~
abritishguy
What makes you doubt them being fake?

~~~
asiekierka
There is no real mention of the OS X 10.10 pre-alpha on the page and they
weren't posted with that intention. Also, the CUI icons everywhere.

Though the odd icons make it look weird... I don't know anymore, really.

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wildpeaks
Even if it's unlikely to happen, I'll cross fingers for WebGL in Safari
Mobile.

~~~
tbassetto
I wouldn't say that it's "unlikely: [http://blog.playcanvas.com/apple-
embraces-webgl/](http://blog.playcanvas.com/apple-embraces-webgl/)

~~~
wildpeaks
They might still trick us and that it's merely for desktop (and by the time I
write that, it was indeed confirmed on desktop)

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caseyf7
I'm betting on no new hardware except maybe a 4k Cinema Display. Intel's
Broadwell delay may have pushed everything back this year. Hopefully, this
doesn't depress me as much as tonight's Game of Thrones.

------
DAddYE
I think this is one of the most reasonable "predictions" read so far.

"I’d rather use an iPhone that can’t make phone calls than use one with a
broken camera."

It's very true IMHO, but having an "free" iCloud means that apple should face
a very high bill for this.

I think that the next big thing is the phone-camera, so I expect that in
future we will see a run for more (u)megapixels if not raw formats... and that
like for HD video doesn't play well with the cost curve. They probably can do
like for G+ or similar that the jpg 80% is free the 100% is limited. We'll
see.

However, can't wait for OSX ten ten! I expect big things for it.

~~~
IBM
I think generous limits are more likely than unlimited storage.

------
k-mcgrady
I think we'll see a demo of the 'iWatch' today. When you look at the iPad
launch, it was shown a few months in advance to give developers time to
prepare. They have to do the same for the iWatch. And if it will be released
in September/October what better time to show it to developers than at WWDC
when iOS 8 is being unveiled and they can teach people how to develop for it
in the sessions. This seems obvious to me which is why I'm surprised no
commentators have suggested it (that I've seen).

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guelo
Android's photo and video unlimited auto-backup has been a revelation, even
with the annoying Google+ lock-in. It's obvious that that is the future.

------
increment_i
I love my apple products and I really enjoy developing with apple tools but I
find the apple platforms themselves less and less appealing each year. Even on
new hardware each iteration of iOS feels slightly more clunky than the one
before it. I really want this years wwdc to blow my socks off but I'm not
going to hold my breath.

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cstrat
I am hoping for a macmini refresh...

~~~
justincormack
What with? I don't think there are significantly faster CPUs available. They
could switch to the 8 core Atoms (20W), but peak single thread speed is
slower. They could switch to Arm64, but they will probably do that on a
laptop-like machine first probably.

~~~
cstrat
better GFX. I have one on my desk and would love to be able to play games...

Don't want an iMac, don't need a MacPro, already have a macbook from 2008
which does its job...

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bobbles
I really really really hope this is the year of the Apple TV app store.

It just seems so overdue.

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btgeekboy
> Apple might as well get rid of Aperture while they’re at it

I hope not - I actually prefer it to Lightroom. Then again, it has been a
while since an Aperture update...

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vladikoff
I think he is expecting way too much. Personally, I doubt the new OS X will
change at all, probably just a few new features to support the new iOS.

~~~
srik
Apple has always been one for visual unity. I am willing to place all my chips
on the fact that OS X will get a UI overhaul to play well with it's iOS
counterparts.

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pjmlp
As a language and graphics geek, what I am looking for are announcements
related to Objective-C features and gaming at the programmer level.

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fpgeek
Wow. The iTunes for Android rumors weren't entirely wrong. Apple has decided
they need to engage with Android. They just did it in a way no one expected:
buying a separate brand for "insulation".

From that perspective, the Beats acquisition could be considered cheap.
Comparable brands for a streaming-music service would have been Pandora or
Spotify. But either would have cost more than $4 billion and neither would
have come with a profitable headphone business.

~~~
leorocky
I don't think Pandora is a good comparison with Beats or Spotify. Pandora is
more of a radio station. You can't make play lists, pick the song you're
playing or do much other than pause and skip a limited number of times. I
actually prefer that, because I couldn't make a decent playlist to save my
life.

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gojomo
I predict something surprising with an ARM chip, maybe a rebooted 'iBook',
combining a wispy form and unprecedented cores/battery-life.

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xwowsersx
It amazes me that this represents the bulk of the new things we can expect
from Apple. In my mind, this really drives home the point that Fred Wilson and
others have made with regard to Apple's tremendously weak showing in the area
of "the cloud". Hardware is becoming increasingly commoditized and Apple's
cloud services are really pretty terrible. At some point soon, these kinds of
updates are going to become so tired and meaningless.

~~~
DAddYE
I don't know about microsoft, but, I switched to an android phone (for a
better camera) and I miss every single day iCloud. After like 8 months I
haven't found a reliable solution on this platform. Backups seems totally
broken, photo and and other stuff like contacts it's okay, but apps data,
password etc... is still not here. Maybe they don't have their owns "servers"
or infrastructure they rely on s3 or azure, that's fine if it works.

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trackofalljades
If Apple really wants to impress nerds with the "Yosemite" reveal, they should
loop "Captain Kirk is climbing a mountain, why is he climbing a mountain?" as
people take their seats. ^_^

