Full WWDC 2013 Keynote Summary: Day 5

At noon yesterday, Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference with a keynote where they talked about a few key products.  My video above quickly goes over most of them.  If you're interested in more info, keep reading...

OS X Mavericks

Apple is steering away from a cat name for OS X (10.9) Mavericks.  The update, mostly likely to be $20, includes synced notifications, App Nap along with other performance and power saving features, along with new desktop apps of Maps, iBooks, and iWork with iCloud (also available on PC).  Better multiple display options and file tagging is also new.  It is releasing this fall.
Read more at: http://www.apple.com/osx/preview

Personally, I've never used OS X beyond what is required at school, so I cannot form any major opions on Mavericks.  I will say, however, that this appears to be a minor upgrade (vs iOS 7-see below).

New Hardware
Although we only got a preview of the new Mac Pro (see video), Apple went ahead and released for purchase two new Macbook Air models, at 11 and 13 inch screens.  Improvements include a new WiFi chip, faster processors, and an impressive 12 hour battery life.  Entry price for the 128 GB SSD (also new for Apple) is $1000.

Also, for those who use AirPort Extremes for WiFi connectivity, they also got bumped up to WiFi 802.11ac with a taller, more powerful antenna.
Read more at http://www.apple.com/mac/

While the new MacBook Airs looks very similar to last year's models, there are a couple of nice improvements...if you have the cash, that is.  I think, however, that the hardcore Mac desktop community is hoping that it won't end up in the trash can with the Mac Pro like its design. :-P

iOS7
And who could forget iOS 7, coming to one of 600 million Apple mobile devices, granted, if it is an iPhone 4 or later, an iPad 2 or later, or an iPad Mini or iPod Touch 5th Generation, plus any devices released this fall, when it is available for download.

The slogan, "The mobile OS from a whole new prospective" should read "The mobile OS from a whole new prospective...Android's" in my opinion.  Okay, so maybe that is a little extreme, but just do a search and you'll see that iOS 7 takes many cues from Android, Windows Phone, and the now defunct WebOS.  I don't see anything wrong with that...Google and HP let their software be open source so that features could be shared across consumers.  However, if Apple users are totally unaware of the origin of the borrowed stuff and claim it as a brand-new innovation, that's where the other communities get upset.
*And if you would like to learn about where the new iOS features came from, watch this MKBHD video below:

Anyway, iOS 7 is visually colorful and transparent, with all new icons and wallpaper support (almost live).  The default apps have a new bright look-"without the leather and green felt."  Pictures and notifications are now pre-sorted, true background multitasking is present, and Control Center allows for quick access to settings and such.  Oh, and Siri's default search provider is Bing.  Have fun with that.
Read more at: http://www.apple.com/ios/ios7/

To end, Apple's WWDC 2013 Keynote proves that something is still going on at Apple, but consumer reaction is till to be determined.  I'll leave you with what might have been one of the most bizzare tech presentation zinger ever: "[Apple] can't innovate anymore, my @$$." -Phil Schiller, Apple VP of Marketing. (Please someone make that a meme.)
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If you are interested, I am going to be playing SimCity live on http://www.twitch.tv/dougaschu tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11am CST.  Ask me questions anywhere, on anything (including below in the comments) and then come and watch tomorrow.  Talk to you then.