Highlights From Apple’s WWDC:
At its annual worldwide developers conference, Apple unveiled its newest
products and features, including the Mac Pro computer and iTunes Radio.
By BRIAN X. CHEN
Stephen Lam/Reuters
Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president for
software engineering, discussing new features in the redesign of its
mobile software system.
Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, with Mr. Federighi
on Monday. In addition to redesigning its mobile software system, the
company introduced upgrades for some of its Mac computers.
Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Phil Schiller of Apple introduces the new MacBook Air.
The company on Monday introduced a major redesign of iOS, its mobile
software system, as well as upgrades for some of its Mac computers. It
also unveiled a new online music service for its music player, iTunes.
The company, under intense pressure from investors, introduced the new
software and Macs on the first day of its annual conference for software
developers.
Its stock has fallen to about $450 after peaking at about $700 in
September. Some investors worry that the company’s growth is slowing
because it has lost its way after the death of Mr. Jobs, its visionary
leader. Apple’s vexation showed at the conference. After unveiling a
major upgrade for a Mac computer, Phil Schiller, the company’s vice
president for global marketing, offered a sarcastic response to those
who have suggested that Apple could no longer innovate.
Charles Golvin, a technology analyst at Forrester Research, said Mr.
Schiller’s remarks indicated that “they have a chip on their shoulder.”
But Mr. Golvin said that Apple was adding improvements to battery life
and other enhancements to software that people would actually find
useful. “What customers are getting here is tremendous innovation under
the cover,” he said.
Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, called Apple’s new mobile
operating system, iOS 7, the “biggest change to iOS since the
introduction of the iPhone.”
The new mobile software system is the first made under the company’s
lead hardware designer, Jony Ive. He was put in charge of software
interface design after the company fired Scott Forstall, the former head
of mobile software development, during a flurry of negative news
reports surrounding Apple’s new mapping software.
The design in iOS 7 introduces thin typography, similar to Microsoft’s
Windows Phone software, and a new color palette. The keyboard looks
simple, with gray letters on flat, white backgrounds. Apple also removed
textures that made some apps mimic real-life objects. The Calendar app
has shed its faux leather; the Game Center app no longer has green felt;
and the shelves in the iBookstore app are no longer wood-grained. And
the home screen has an effect called parallax to make the app icons look
as if they are popping out in 3-D.
“We have always thought of design of being so much more than the way
something looks,” Mr. Ive said in a video demonstrating the operating
system. “It’s the whole thing, the way something actually works on so
many different levels.”
A new iOS feature, called Activation Lock, disables the iPhone even if a
thief has turned it off or erased the data on the phone. Some police
officers have called for a feature like this — a “remote kill switch”
that renders the stolen phone useless and difficult to sell in the
black market. The phone can be reactivated only after the user logs into
it with the right Apple ID and password.“We think this is going to be a
great theft deterrent,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice
president for software engineering.
In iOS 7, Apple also made improvements to Siri, the voice-controlled
assistant of the iPhone, which has been ridiculed for its spottiness and
ineptitude. The feature has new male and female voices that sound more
realistic, and it responds to more commands, like “Play my last voice
mail” or “Increase my screen brightness.” In 2014, iOS and Siri will be
integrated into cars made by a dozen manufacturers, including Nissan,
Kia, Honda and Toyota, said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president for
Internet software and services.
Apple said iOS 7 would arrive in the fall. It will be a free update for iPhone and iPad owners.
The iPhone is driving Apple’s business, but the company is not lifting
the gas pedal on its Macs. The company unveiled a major upgrade for the
Mac Pro, its desktop computer for professionals, which it said would be
assembled in the United States. The computer, scheduled for release this
year, looks like a metal cylinder — a big change from the original
rectangular tower. This was the first big upgrade for the desktop in
three years.
It also unveiled new MacBook Airs, which it said would have enough
battery life to last all day. The 11-inch version has nine hours of
battery life and the 13-inch version has 12 hours, according to Mr.
Schiller. Both versions start shipping immediately.
“You can watch the entire trilogy of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ” on a single charge, Mr. Schiller said.
Apple also previewed its next Mac operating system, called OS X
Mavericks. (The name is the first in a new theme, California, for
Apple’s operating systems, after years of naming them for big cats.
Mavericks is a reference to a major surf spot in California.) The new
system includes some minor improvements, like the ability to tag
documents to find them more easily. An urgent document can be tagged
“Important,” for example, and can be quickly found in the operating
system’s navigation window in a section labeled Important.
The hardware and software upgrades come at a crucial moment for in the
competitive mobile market. One of Apple’s chief rivals, Samsung
Electronics, has released several compelling smartphones and tablets
over the last two years. And Google has gradually bulked up the Android
software that runs on Samsung’s phones with powerful Internet services.
But Apple is, by some measures, still leading the mobile industry. The
iPhone 5 is the best-selling smartphone in the world. Samsung
Electronics sells the most phones over all because it sells multiple
smartphones at different sizes and prices, whereas Apple has released
one new iPhone a year.
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