Apple's 2014 Developer's Conference (WWDC)

It is a wrap in San Francisco as Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has just left the stage following a 2 hour long live-streamed presentation at the Apple WWDC 2014.















The Developer Conference is focused on software Apple is working on and releasing.  However it has become a large media event and Apple uses it to announce anything they want, often including Mac hardware announcements, etc.  Last year was iOS 7.  This year it is iOS 8.  Maybe next year we'll see ... wait for it ... iOS 9.  Hmmmm.

The theme this year seems to be the "Seamless Experience" that is possible with all of your Apple devices working together.

Microsoft is definitely using that "one experience" approach to sell its devices and services and has in some ways leapfrogged Apple in making this a reality.  Apple has definitely been lagging behind in the cloud arena.  Today's news attempts to make up some of that ground.

Here are the major announcements that I feel are most worth capturing:

Consumer Facing

1. iOS 8
2. "HealthKit" acts as a software API set for developers and as a possible dashboard for all of the fitness, health & wellness, programs and devices now available.
3. Pictures and photography improvements.
4. iCloud improvements.
5. "HandOff" that provides proximity awareness between Apple devices and, therefore, better interaction between them like with a family plan.
6. Considerable updates to chat.  Since we use this app more than any other it may have the largest impact on our usage.

Developers

1. "TestFlight" beta program toolset in the app store to create instant beta programs for your new apps
2. Service-oriented app capabilites so one app can talk to another such as providing a service.  This has been available on Android for some time and will enable things like third-party keyboards (Swype!) to be used throughout the device.
3. "HomeKit" is a set of software APIs for in-home device management like turning on/off lights, etc.
4. "Metal" for 3D games replaces "OpenGL" and is basically the Microsoft DirectX for iOS.
5. "Swift" programming language runs side-by-side with Objective C.  The guide is available now in iBooks.

No direct news on payments in this announcement but the service oriented capabilities really enables all of the "other things" you'd need to make this a reality.  One Apple payments system could then interact with and be available in any other app.  The same thing is true for health & wellness functionality (HealthKit) and the in-home controls (HomeKit).

New iPhone

iOS 8 will be available in the "Fall" for all developers, to take a direct quote.  Since the new iPhone typically ships with the new iOS we can work forwards from this announcement to time the earliest possible release of the new iPhone(s). Since developers need to get the iOS before it is made available for download to consumers, so they can update their existing apps, this means a month or more in to Fall before iOS can be released.  Thus the new iPhone will likely be released mid-Fall this year or about October 22. 

That's a wrap.

Have a great day,

J.W. Gant