Apple WWDC Wrapup

a1sx2_Thumbnail1_WWDC-2014_20140606-190443_1.jpgWell WWDC 2014 has come and gone and while there was plenty of exciting news about the future of Apple’s operating systems, both on mobile and desktop, there were no announcement for new devices as many rumor experts had predicted. If you were like the millions of others that tuned in to see this year’s live stream of the keynote, you may have zoned out while Tim Cook and friends were showing off the bevy of new features coming to iOS8 and OS X Yosemite this fall. WWDC, for those that might not know, stands for World Wide Developers Conference, and this year it was all about the developers. Much of the conversation on the keynote stage was directed at the development crowd. Apple unveiled a ton of new tools and improvements to others for the developers that make apps for our favorite devices. Which means that we should be seeing some great innovation when it comes to apps in the very near future. One of the biggest things that Apple announced is the ability for developers to now access the fingerprint ID which has, up until now, been only for Apple. This means that very soon you may be able to sign into your bank app with just a touch of your finger! Beyond the excitement that the developers were feeling, we the common users have plenty to get jazzed up about too! The new iOS 8 looks to build upon the solid base of iOS 7 and continue to improve with new gestures and a much more integrated platform between your Apple devices. Plenty of smart type features and a better notification center. And for desktops, we will be getting the latest version of OS X, named Yosemite. Seems like the days of naming the operating systems after cats is now behind us as we enter the world of Yosemite which will bring us an updated interface and a more integrated experience between Apple devices. Apple showed us how we will be able to start typing an email on our iPhone while on the go and be able to pick up on our Mac to finish it, pretty neat stuff!  There’s so much little stuff in these new OS’s that they add up to big news and I look forward to this fall when we can all get our hands on them. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on when Apple will finally announce new devices, like the long rumored iPhone 6.

WWDC 2014 to be live streamed on iOS devices

Apple-WWDC-2014.jpg With WWDC 2014 happening in just mere days, Apple has announced that they will be live streaming the entire keynote presentation via iOS devices.  So if you have an iPhone or iPad or just use Safari and go to Apple’s homepage starting at 10 AM PT (1 PM ET) on Monday June 2.  While the fact that the keynote will be streaming isn’t a brand new idea, after all, they’ve live streamed in the past and always provide videos after the fact, but that Apple has announced it in advance is new. Apple has never before made it a point to make a press release stating that they will be live streaming their keynote, which has us Apple rumor mongers excited for a couple of reasons.  One big reason is that this may mean Apple wants more than just fanboy and tech junkies to be watching, they want the general public glued to their devices.  Why? Perhaps it points to the possibility of more consumer-friendly announcements than usual.  Generally, we see one or two new gadgets and a bunch of OS and software during the keynote – not really the stuff that your average iPhone user gets too excited about, but if Apple is getting ready to unveil something big and secret, they will want as many people watching as they can get. Personally, I don’t expect any “surprise” device announcements that we haven’t already heard rumors about, and perhaps Apple is just betting that their average customer hasn’t heard many, if any, of these rumors themselves. At any rate, come Monday we will all know what Apple has up their sleeves this year that will send more than a few of us rushing to Apple Stores to gladly hand over our money.

iPhone 6 Rumor Roundup

As we inch ever closer to this year’s WWDC there’s no shortage of speculation on what we might see from Apple.  For a run down on what products, operating system updates and everything else check out our blog from May 16th, but this week we are going to round up the rumors and ramblings surrounding the new iPhone. It’s long been rumored that Apple has wanted to make a larger model of the iPhone to compete with other bigger devices like the Galaxy S4 and now the Galaxy S5, and many sources are thinking that’s exactly what Apple is about to do.  As with any rumors that surround Apple, nothing is set in stone until they make the announcements themselves.  It is widely believed that Apple with announce not one, but two new models of the iPhone the first being a 4.7 inch version, which is bigger than the current iPhone 5 model, and a 5.5 inch version, which will be close in size to the Samsung Galaxy devices. In addition to making the iPhone bigger, most rumor chasers believe the screens will now be much closer to the edge of the device, making it close to an “edge-to-edge” screen as we’ve seen. a1sx2_Thumbnail1_iPhoneSizeChart.jpg   Along with a new size will come a thinner profile – the new iPhones will be considerably thinner than previous models.  Also changing for this round of iDevices is the frame of the phone itself, which has been a flat metal surface since the iPhone 4, will now once again be rounded and smooth much like it’s grandfather, the original iPhone. Many insiders believe that Apple will announce these two new models at WWDC in the coming weeks and speculate that the smaller version will begin shipping in September, while the bigger one may not be available until the new year.  At any rate I’m personally excited to see what Apple has in store for us and can’t wait to see how much the “rumor mill” has correct this time around.