WWDC 2013

Updates to Apple, big and small

By Anca Gagiuc on Jun 18, 2013 in Technology

“If everyone is busy making everything, how can anyone perfect anything?”

That was the opening line of the 24^th Apple World Wide Developers Conference that wrapped up last week. Tickets to this year’s event sold out in only 71 seconds. Over 1,000 engineers from more than 60 countries gathered for the first-look reveals of software, hardware, and service updates. While technology perfection may be an impossible utopian dream, the continuing quest for improvement and exuberant excitement around Apple innovation makes WWDC a high-energy event every year.

Although speculation on the unveilings was rampant in online software forums, Apple CEO Tim Cook and his team managed to present a few surprises.

OS X Mavericks

The reign of big cats (OS X Mountain Lion) is now ended, and cool California places are the new nomenclature theme for OS X), starting with the famous Northern California big wave beach, Mavericks. Craig Federighi, Senior VP of Software Engineering, introduced over 200 features of the new OS. Some of those are relevant to all Mac users, and others are geared towards professionals in different fields.

New core technologies are the most impressive updates, with great impact on power efficiency and performance. Timer Coalescing groups low-level operations, reducing CPU utilization by 72 percent (it spends more time in a low-power state) without affecting performance and responsiveness. App Nap reduces the power consumed by unused apps and Compressed Memory increases speed and responsiveness by compressing inactive data when not used, uncompressing it instantly when needed.

The sync between devices is deepened, Finder Tabs and Tags are introduced with applicability anywhere on the Mac and in iCloud, making Finder-browsing and document search easier, Tags acting as search filters. Safari’s new sidebar eases access to bookmarks and reading lists, while the Shared Links show the stories shared by those you follow on Twitter and LinkedIn. JavaScript performance is improved and the power saving feature is applied to the browser.

iCloud Keychain safely stores log-in info, credit card numbers and Wi-Fi passwords, syncing them across all devices. The Notification Center is interactive, giving the option to reply to iMessages, e-mails, and FaceTime calls from within the message box. Mavericks will display them on the lock screen when you wake your computer up. Web apps (news and eBay alerts) send push notifications even when Safari isn’t running.

The Calendar flaunts continuous scrolling and has a new events Inspector. Maps and iBooks landed in Mavericks; the coolest feature of the first is that it enables the option to plan a trip on your Mac and send it to your iPhone. Furthermore, it’s integrated with Mail, Contacts and Calendar. iBooks gives access to your current library, to over 1.8 million titles in the iBooks Store, and works seamlessly across your devices.

iOS 7

iOS 7 is considered “the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone”, both in OS and in design. Federighi and Jony Ive’s teams joined forces for this one, causing endless debates in the online environment, with special attention focused on Ive’s new flatter design. From a UI perspective, things are now much clearer, starting with the Control Center that’s accessible even when the iPhone is locked. This more logical organizational approach groups apps like Clock, Camera, Calculator, Flashlight, gives access to controls such as Airplane mode, Do Not Disturb, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay and the ability to adjust screen brightness.

Multitasking is improved, and users can now switch between the apps in a more visual and intuitive way.  iOS 7 detects which apps are most used and keeps them updated in the background. AirDrop landed on the iPhone easing file transfer with nearby people. It can be used anywhere without any network or setup required, keeping transfers fully encrypted.

The Camera received filters and the Photos app introduces Moments, a feature that automatically organizes photos and videos based on time and location, similar to Mac’s iPhoto. Photo Sharing extended to iCloud as well, and approved people can contribute their photos to your shared photo streams, with an Activity view that shows updates all in one place.

Safari offers full-screen browsing. It’s much easier to search, bookmarks have a new view, the 8-tab limit has changed, and Parental Controls has been enhanced. Siri has new female and male voices; is smarter through the integration with Wikipedia and Bing search, and can read your Twitter updates.

The Music app includes the much-awaited iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio featuring over 200 stations and the music catalog from iTunes. The App Store features Popular Apps Near Me, unveiling new apps based on your current location; iOS automatically updates those already on your device.

The Activation Lock should decrease the thieves’ interest in iPhones as now it requires your Apple ID and password before you can turn off Find My Phone, erase data or re-activate a device after it’s been remotely erased. The in-car integration has been enhanced.

Both Mavericks and iOS 7 are available for developers already, and the general public will have them on their devices this fall.

From a hardware point of view Apple made announcements for the MacBook Air and the Mac Pro. The first promises all-day battery life for the 13-inch models through fourth generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. It supports 802.11 ac Wi-Fi for wireless performance that is three times faster; new Intel HD Graphics 5000 increases graphics performance up to 40 percent and the new flash storage provides speeds up to 45 percent faster than the previous generation and nine times faster than traditional hard drives. It’s already available for purchase in the Apple Online Store.

The Mac Pro, to be launched this fall, revealed in the sneak peek a new device, one completely different from what we’re used to, due to the design in the first place, and to its massive power hidden under the hood.