As we move closer towards WWDC 2014, more rumors have emerged, predicting the announcements Apple will be making at they keynote, scheduled for June 2nd. We already know Apple will preview major upgrades to Mac OS X, and iOS at the conference, but the folks at 9to5Mac have a lot more information about the announcements.
Mac OS X 10.10
- Mac OS X 10.10 is said to feature a stark, system-wide redesign with a flatter aesthetic, much like iOS 7, and Apple will reportedly place a lot of emphasis on promoting the new OS during WWDC, perhaps taking away some of iOS 8′s thunder.
- According to 9to5Mac, the new OS X update will have “sharper window corners, more defined icons across the system, and more white space than the current version.”
- OS X 10.10 will reportedly launch in fall, and Apple is pulling employees from several teams including iOS 8 to finish development of OS X 10.10 on time. This could lead to some changes in the iOS 8 roadmap.
- OS X 10.10 is internally codenamed Syrah, and it’s speculated that its public name would be OS X Yosemite, owing to the big design changes as opposed to incremental improvements.
A Finder concept for OS X 10.10 (via Dribbble)
- We’ve already heard about plenty of features in iOS 8, including new apps like Healthbook, Preview, TextEdit, iTunes Radio, and improvements and feature additions to Maps, etc.
- According to the report, some of these features could be pushed back to iOS 8.1, as people from iOS teams are being asked to work on the major OS X update and other high-priority projects.
- One of the likeliest contenders to be pushed back is the transit integration in the Maps app, as Apple wants to avoid a repeat of the iOS 6 Maps disaster.
- It is possible that Apple decided to preview features at WWDC even if they were to publicly launch in iOS 8.1. It did so with CarPlay, which was shown at WWDC last year, but was released only a few months back.
- iOS 7 brought 64-bit support to iOS for the A7 chip, and iOS 8 will add support for a new A8 chip, that isn’t very different from the A7 architecture-wise, but improves battery efficiency and performance. The iPhone 6 is rumored to come with a larger screen that consumes more energy, so battery efficiency is a key area for Apple.
Mockup of the Shazam song recognition functionality integrated with Siri
- Apple introduced iCloud with iOS 5 in 2011, but the service has largely been a disappointment for various reasons, including the low storage space, lack of file access, and more.
- iCloud also was a promising solution to let developers sync data across apps without spending money on servers, but it was mostly a disappointment due to the lack of control developers had over the service. Apple now plans to improve iCloud by adding Parse like functionality, that would make it easier for developers to create cloud-based apps.
- Apple is working on an Apple TV hardware refresh as well as a revamp of the Apple TV’s iOS-based software, and is bringing people from other teams to finish these projects on time. With competition heating up in the connected-TV space, Apple can’t afford to treat the Apple TV as a “hobby” anymore.
- As per rumors, a new software update will open up the Apple TV for third-party apps and games, add Game Controller support, and a Siri-powered voice interface to existing and new Apple TVs.
[via 9to5Mac]
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