The alarm was set to 5:00, but at 4:30, I was already awake. Using jetlag to my advantage I arrived at Moscone Center at 6:00, 4 hours before the Keynote, to start lining up. It’s clear that the keynote is very popular, the line was already huge, and was getting bigger by the minute.
The keynote was both entertaining and informing. There are a lot of new futures, hardware and software under development. We’ll look into those shortly but first you have to watch the first 2.5 minutes of the keynote if you haven’t already done so!
Besides announcing updated hardware for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, Apple introduced a whole new line of computers. MacBook Pro with Retina display. It has a 15.4 inch screen with 2880-by-1800 resolution, just amazing. With a thickness of 1.8 cm it’s almost as thin as the MacBook Air and weighs only 2 kg.
Apple’s next operating system is due next month at a price of only $19.99. There are lots of improvements and new features that unify the user interface of iOS with OS X. With iMessage you can send and receive messages between all the iDevices and other Mac computers. Swiping left with 2 fingers from the right side of the trackpad slides in the notification center, which looks and behaves like the notification center on iOS. Want to do a presentation without connecting a cable to the computer? Now you can do that with AirPlay mirroring, which lets you show the contents of the screen on an Apple TV. These are just some of the new features, there are a lot more!
Since Bontouch is all about mobile, the improvements on iOS is the most important topic for us at WWDC. Fortunately there are lots of new exciting features! While the complete list can be found on Apple’s website, here is a summary:
Redesigned Maps app The Maps app has been recreated with Apple’s design. It now provides turn by turn navigation with Siri directing you to your destination. Also there is a breathtaking 3D flyover view of big cities.
Improved Siri Siri now understands a lot more, in a lot of new languages and works on the new iPad. She now answers sport and movie related questions. Unfortunately Swedish is not one of the new languages.
Facebook Like the Twitter integration, Facebook will now be integrated into the operating system. Similar to tweeting from anywhere in the phone, you will be able to post to Facebook as well. The apps on the app store get a like button and will display the total amount of likes.
Passbook Passbook is a new built-in app that contains your tickets, coupons and more. It can for example contain your flight ticket. When you arrive at the airport it will automatically notify you to use your ticket.
Facetime will now be available on cellular networks, so you better get a good data plan!
As you can see a lot is happening. Developers attending WWDC can’t wait to learn the details of the new features. I’m one of them and the rest of the week will be all about mastering these new features!
