WWDC 2009: What will Apple do?
The banner caption indicates the focus of Apple's developer conference will be on features of the iPhone OS and third-party apps.
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Trying to predict what we'll see at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference this year gives one the slight feeling of deja vu.
Heading into the annual conference last year, we knew there would be three basic topics covered in the event's opening keynote speech: OS X 10.6, the iPhone platform, and new iPhone hardware. You can bet that WWDC 2009--sold out for the second straight year--will hit on those same three areas. But there are still plenty of questions surrounding the specific details of what we'll see Monday morning when the conference opens at San Francisco's Moscone Center.
We know that the human headliner of the kickoff event, the conference keynote speech, will be Phil Schiller, vice president of marketing. Apple has promised he will discuss iPhone OS 3.0, which should be available this summer, as well as Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
The other headliner, that will invariably steal the show, will be new iPhone hardware, if it is indeed introduced. It seems a good bet since it's practically Apple tradition now to introduce the latest update to its incredibly popular smartphone at WWDC. The device may not be immediately for sale, and Apple could wait to roll them out in July, like last year. But the No. 1 reason Apple is likely to debut the phone Monday is that the point of WWDC is to teach developers how to work with Apple's mobile and desktop operating systems. It wouldn't make much sense to bypass the opportunity to familiarize them with new application programming interfaces (APIs) for new iPhone hardware.
Of course, rumors have been bubbling since at least January about a second-generation iPhone 3G. Some of the more credible leaked photos and uncovered clues seem to point to a more evolutionary update to the phone's hardware, instead of a major change like last year's upgrade to an iPhone that could handle 3G wireless service. Things that appear likely:
It's easy to see Apple keeping the 16GB model of the iPhone, and introduce a 32GB version, while keeping the prices the same: $199 for the smaller, $299 for the larger.
A new camera with the ability to take video.
A magnetometer built into the phone's hardware.
Speculation regarding a discount version of the phone in a smaller capacity with fewer features for $99 has cropped up also, mostly from Wall Street analysts. Apple already has a 10.8-percent share of the smartphone market, and lowering the price by $100 would be a way to expand the user base even further. But like most things with Apple, we won't know what they're going to do until they decide to tell us.
Beyond rumor, speculation, and grainy photos appearing online, it's impossible to know exactly what to expect. Despite that, some are already saying the anticipated keynote will be underwhelming compared with most years, with Steve Jobs sidelined, and no early signs of any sort of monumental update to the iPhone hardware.
Most of the updates to the iPhone will have to do with the operating system update, which Apple already detailed at a special event in March. We know for sure iPhone OS 3.0 will add some features iPhone users have been demanding since the phone's debut in 2007: background processing, system-wide search, the ability to copy, cut, and paste, multimedia messaging, and an option for a landscape virtual keyboard. There will also be 1,000 new APIs available to developers creating applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch platform. Apple didn't discuss every single one of those at the March event, so it's certainly possible Schiller and whoever else joins him onstage could have saved one or two of the best things to unveil Monday.
Apple has also promised to give more details on Mac OS X 10.6, which the company announced at WWDC last year, and promised it would be ready in "about a year." Apple will likely give us the release date on Monday.
Leading up to the event, rumors of a Verizon service plan option on the iPhone, and the unveiling of an Apple touch-screen tablet have surfaced. Those are likely wishful thinking--for now. Though those rumors could both become reality, it's not likely they'll appear at WWDC. AT&T's contract with Apple to offer the iPhone is said to guarantee exclusivity for five years. And most agree a touch-screen tablet wouldn't be available until 2010 at the earliest.
Of course, many WWDC attendees may still be holding out hope that Jobs will make an appearance Monday. Apple has been clear that Jobs' return as CEO is scheduled for "the end of June," though it's impossible to say for sure whether he would simply attend the conference or not.
We'll be live-blogging the keynote speech, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday. So please be sure to come back and read about what Apple is announcing as it happens.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
Never a truer word spoken. Viva Apple!!!
I've been using Windows 7 since the first release of the beta, it's just Vista slimmed down and only slightly less annoying. Get over yourself. Microsoft will not make any major inroads at all with it.
Now, as Jeffrey stated, a Newton redux would be very interesting indeed. The problem with the Newton was that it was too far ahead of its time. People treated it like a PDA when it was really a handheld computer. Anything that can be used ten years plus after its release and still be relevant, was ahead of its time.
Seriously though, I could run Windows 7 and Leopard on my Mac if I was really wanted.
Yeah, sure you have.
As for running two operating systems, I don't have to. You do.
Never said anything about running two OS's. But now that you've mentioned it, NO, I don't. Mac OS X and applications running on it do everything I need to do. Nice trolling attempt.
@kcotham
Yeah, sure you have.
As for running two operating systems, I don't have to. You do."
After reading your other post a little further down, I would say that you do too. Wait a minute! Make that three operating systems!! Having said that, what exactly is your point? Please explain to us utterly clueless Americans (as you referred to us on another post).
Ah, I see I have another stalker on here. I must be getting popular. Anyway, for your benefit I will attempt to explain further. See if you can follow. I don't have to use any operating system other than Mac OS. However, I am an operating system enthusiast and like to experiment with other systems. The difference should be self-evident. I am not forced to use Windows or Linux or Solaris, etc. I do so because I chose to mix it up from time to time, keep my familiarity with them up to speed. I could (and have in the past) use Mac OS exclusively for years on end. Even now, I only shift away from Mac OS for a very, very small percentage of total computing time.
@ ckh1272
Ah, I see I have another stalker on here. I must be getting popular. Anyway, for your benefit I will attempt to explain further. See if you can follow. I don't have to use any operating system other than Mac OS. However, I am an operating system enthusiast and like to experiment with other systems. The difference should be self-evident. I am not forced to use Windows or Linux or Solaris, etc. I do so because I chose to mix it up from time to time, keep my familiarity with them up to speed. I could (and have in the past) use Mac OS exclusively for years on end. Even now, I only shift away from Mac OS for a very, very small percentage of total computing time."
Dude, you highly misread my post. It was directed at "Mark_Anderson". If you'll notice at the top of the post it says "
"by Mark_Anderson June 5, 2009 3:21 PM PDT". BTW, I agreed with your other posts, but you're comments to me are a bit misdirected. Just thought I would clarify.
I am thinking he is the "One more thing" and walk out onto the stage. He will give a short speech, maybe demo something on the iPhone 3 such as video conferencing, but the keynote will be given by someone else.
- Steve Jobs will not be there
- New iPhone won't be here until July
- Snow Leopard is delayed until October
More importantly is what eggnog adds to my body :)
You may be correct about the timing of Snow Leopard. Along those lines I am thinking that an announcement at the WWDC of a new iPhone may take away media attention from the Pre.
What is the purpose of these Windows 7 posts? Just more FUDD.
Everyone wants an xxx killer. Hard core windows users are not switching to anything else, similarly dedicated Mac users are not switching to windows.
I suppose their comments are entertaining at best.
You have your preference and we have ours. Comment all you like about what you know. As the saying goes, "tis better to keep one's mouth shut and let the world THINK you are stupid, that to open it and remove all doubt."
Hopefully this will be the only post on this article that gives any notice to the non-informed trolls. The rest of you, keep posting your intelligent thoughts and ideas on this article. The rest of the intelligent world wants to hear them.
As for beign here, I own a Macbook, a Vista equipped Quad Core, an Ubuntu desktop and an XP laptop so i can pretty much go where I like.
Got a problem with that? Too bad.
I think it was your blatant trolling in the W7 topic, scw. Please don't be a bigger hypocrite than you already are.
As for beign here, I own a Macbook, a Vista equipped Quad Core, an Ubuntu desktop and an XP laptop so i can pretty much go where I like.
Got a problem with that? Too bad."
Well goodie goodie gumdrops for you. Way to prove your superiority. LOL!!
Or it was just stating the fact that we don't all have to be slavering zealots.
Guess that went over your head though, right?
You missed the point as well. I commented on ONE W7 article. Most of the Mac bashers here are regular patrons. You see their monikers on Apple blogs regularly. And they don't own the products. So don't call me a hypocrite for one little trip to their world to dish out a little of what they do.
I think Apple is keeping the hype by releasing updates to iTunes and QT with the mention of adding support for iPhone 3.0, but from all press information out there, we are not going to see either OS anytime soon. At least that is my take on this. The WWDC is just the final push for developers and to get updated SDKs in their hands.
I've read a lot of hype about Steve coming back soon, my guess is battling cancer is not as easy as most people believe unless one has been in their shoes so to speak. There are a large percentage that don't survive cancer. I hope he's not pushing himself just to meet someone's time table.
One just never knows with Apple and these events. History tells us, especially recently, to not expect anything for the end user coming out of this.
Rolling out updates as they are released is SOP. One advantage to doing it this way is that the ancillary apps are ready for the new devices and OS when it is released.
Is there any other company on the planet besides Apple that has so many people helping it design its products??? If there is, I sure haven't heard about it. Hey, let's all help H-P design their next netbook, OK? I'll start: It's going to have a Blue-Ray player, 3-weeks between battery charges, and cost $43. How's that?
What is Snow Leopard rumored to offer that Leopard does not. I bought my first Apple device in October 2007 (MacBook Pro) and I am extremely satisfied with my purchase; I?ve learned much. But given the lack of a 64bit graphic card, will Snow Leopard benefit my user experience. I appreciate your input.
The highlights are:
?MS Exchange 2007 support
?Full 64 bit support
?"Grand Central" makes entire OS multi-core aware and improves performance even on apps that aren't
?QuickTime X
?OpenCL to enable processing on the GPU
?Size of the OS has been slimmed down, taking up less drive space
?Speed has been improved
Because MS is committed to hardware agnosticism and legacy app and device support, their codebase has become oh, so complex. This doesn't make them "bad," it's merely a byproduct of their attempt to make the platform ubiquitous.
Apple's codebase may be riddled with as much anachronistic and redundant code as MSs, but they do tend to clean house peridocially, dropping support for legacy software; and, of course, they tightly control the hardware platform.
Snow Leopard, then, is pretty much an API refresh for Apple and for their developer community, and this means that the "best features" in Snow Leopard haven't been developed yet: they're latent in the gobs of new and improved frameworks they're offering. The closest analogue is, aptly enough, the iPhone/iTouch ecosystem: those gizmos do all sorts of things the designers never intended simply because they offered a clean and extensive API for development. This is the best feature of Snow Leopard, and that also makes it generally uninteresting to people looking for new and shiny stuff to play with.
Sooo, what your saying is, Snow Leopard will allow developers to design programs and architectures that help simplify my computing needs; thereby, allowing me to enjoy the more finer (and important) things in life. Which don?t include berating the author of some random cnet post because I have such a low sense of self worth. Thanks for your astute analysis, but you didn?t have to be such a &@%$. Oooh, gotta? go, I just saw something shiny.
Snow.
It makes more sense than Han Solo stating that he "made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs". A parsec being a unit of distance (not time) equal to about 3.25 light years. ;-)
if you do a bit of research, 12 parsecs makes perfect sense
No, it doesn't. A parsec is a unit of distance. When discussing a race or completing a trip, one usually states that they did it in a certain amount of time as the distance is usually a known and fixed value. This is standard English usage. One does not say that they made the trip from Atlanta to Louisville in 420 miles (a unit of distance). They say that they made the trip in 6 hours (a unit of time). Or you say you ran a mile in x amount of minutes.
Now, it has been suggested that Mr. Solo was bragging on finding a shorter route for his smuggling run, but who knows what George Lucas was thinking when they put that line in there. What's more, who cares, it was a humours anecdote. Don't post until you've completely hashed out your thoughts please.
"It makes more sense than Han Solo stating that he "made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs". A parsec being a unit of distance (not time) equal to about 3.25 light years. "
That used to bother me too. I finally decided that Solo found a wormhole somewhere that was able to shorten his distance travelled. (You'd think Lucas wouldn't make stupid mistakes like that. Nor that we'd feel compelled to clean up after him.) ;)
As for WWDC - I suspect Apple's lowering expectations so that Steve can make a "surprise" visit for "one more thing." By all accounts he's feeling and looking much better.
- by teschenk June 8, 2009 9:44 AM PDT
- The Apple Store is down... is this a sign of new iPhone hardware?
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