Apple kicked off their Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC) yesterday, much to the excitement of Apple enthusiasts everywhere. Apple refers to WWDC as "the premier technical event for developers and IT professionals innovating with Apple platforms," and have they ever proven it this year!
Phil Schiller led this year's keynote address because Steve Jobs is on medical leave until later this month; however, this did not diminish the magic that only Apple can create. Phil first introduced several upgrades to the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, most significantly boosting the 13" MacBook to MacBook Pro status by increasing the specs. The new 13" MacBook Pro is incredibly low in price, at just $1199. The MacBook Air received in a bump in specs as well, in addition to a $700 price cut.
Apple then went on to demonstrate their new operating system, Snow Leopard, which touts some incredible new features. It will be available in September. The company wants Leopard users to upgrade and take advantage of the amazing new features so badly that upgrades will cost only $29. This may hurt Microsoft, whose Windows 7 operating system, will launch on Oct. 22 at the same prices as Vista. Apple's head of software engineering, Bertrand Serlet, even took a quick jab at the company during the keynote, saying, "What a big hole Microsoft has dug... They're trying to get out of it with Windows 7 [but] it's the same old technology as Vista. Fundamentally, it's just another version of Vista." ... And we all know how we geeks feel about Microsoft's most recent excuse for an operating system.
And for most of us, the biggest announcement of the day was the new iPhone 3G S, to be released in just a week and a half, on June 19. The phone will function at twice the speed of the current iPhone 3G, sports more storage (up to 32 GB), and has a better battery. The camera has been improved and will be video-capable, featuring both video recording and editing - could this challenge the Flip Mino? I think so! With direct upload to YouTube, e-mail and MMS capabilites (yes, Apple has added that too!), the iPhone is now a serious contender amongst digital video recording devices. The camera will also have auto-focus, auto-white balancing, and macro settings. The prices for iPhone are now iPhone 3G 8 GB $99, iPhone 3G 16 GB $149, iPhone 3G S 16 GB $199, and iPhone 3G S 32 GB $299.
Also touted amongst new features were a digital compass that will play nice with Google Maps, allowing the map to orient itself based on which direction you are facing. Voice controls will allow for hands-free operation, including voice dialing and complete iTunes control.
The new iPhone OS 3.0 launches June 17, and I've already gotten my hands on the Gold Master developers' release which Apple pushed out to developers yesterday. Thanks very much to @toxinide! I will be installing it this evening and will blog again later with my thoughts.
Who will be standing in line at midnight to get his new iPhone 3G S? That's right -- THIS geek definitely will!
Phil Schiller led this year's keynote address because Steve Jobs is on medical leave until later this month; however, this did not diminish the magic that only Apple can create. Phil first introduced several upgrades to the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, most significantly boosting the 13" MacBook to MacBook Pro status by increasing the specs. The new 13" MacBook Pro is incredibly low in price, at just $1199. The MacBook Air received in a bump in specs as well, in addition to a $700 price cut.
Apple then went on to demonstrate their new operating system, Snow Leopard, which touts some incredible new features. It will be available in September. The company wants Leopard users to upgrade and take advantage of the amazing new features so badly that upgrades will cost only $29. This may hurt Microsoft, whose Windows 7 operating system, will launch on Oct. 22 at the same prices as Vista. Apple's head of software engineering, Bertrand Serlet, even took a quick jab at the company during the keynote, saying, "What a big hole Microsoft has dug... They're trying to get out of it with Windows 7 [but] it's the same old technology as Vista. Fundamentally, it's just another version of Vista." ... And we all know how we geeks feel about Microsoft's most recent excuse for an operating system.
And for most of us, the biggest announcement of the day was the new iPhone 3G S, to be released in just a week and a half, on June 19. The phone will function at twice the speed of the current iPhone 3G, sports more storage (up to 32 GB), and has a better battery. The camera has been improved and will be video-capable, featuring both video recording and editing - could this challenge the Flip Mino? I think so! With direct upload to YouTube, e-mail and MMS capabilites (yes, Apple has added that too!), the iPhone is now a serious contender amongst digital video recording devices. The camera will also have auto-focus, auto-white balancing, and macro settings. The prices for iPhone are now iPhone 3G 8 GB $99, iPhone 3G 16 GB $149, iPhone 3G S 16 GB $199, and iPhone 3G S 32 GB $299.
Also touted amongst new features were a digital compass that will play nice with Google Maps, allowing the map to orient itself based on which direction you are facing. Voice controls will allow for hands-free operation, including voice dialing and complete iTunes control.
The new iPhone OS 3.0 launches June 17, and I've already gotten my hands on the Gold Master developers' release which Apple pushed out to developers yesterday. Thanks very much to @toxinide! I will be installing it this evening and will blog again later with my thoughts.
Who will be standing in line at midnight to get his new iPhone 3G S? That's right -- THIS geek definitely will!
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