WWDC

While Apple only officially announced its 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last week, we have been reporting all of the known information about what Apple plans to unveil at the event over the course of the past few months. Now that WWDC is official, we have compiled a roundup of everything we know about Apple’s next-generation iOS device and Mac operating systems below, and we’ve also included some new tidbits not found in our earlier reporting. You can find out what there is to know so far about iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5OZMu5u0yU]

Earlier this month we reported that a developer was seemingly able to get Apple’s upcoming iOS in the Car feature running through what we assumed was the iOS Simulator. Today, the same developer, Steven Troughton-Smith, has posted the video embedded above showing the feature actually up and running in a 800×480 Simulator window. Using the iPhone Simulator and iOS 7.0.3, the video shows the Maps app, a crude multitasking tray of sorts, and the ability to search by voice to navigate. No other apps are shown in the video, but it does appear that media controls of some kind are in the multitasking tray like in previous versions of iOS.

We noted before that the design had changed quite significantly since Apple first showed off the feature on stage at WWDC last year. The first set of screenshots posted showed a horizontal navigation bar, but the new video shows a design that’s much closer to what Apple showed on stage and what it is currently displaying on its website. Smith also made some notes of his own after playing with the simulator:
Expand
Expanding
Close

During this year’s WWDC keynote address, Apple surprised pro users with a look at a completely redesigned version of the Mac Pro, a machine many thought had long been abandoned by the company. At the time, the only availability information that was available was an ambiguous “shipping by December,” though Apple recently gave a more specific release date: today.

After about an hour of downtime, the Apple Online Store has come back up with the option to order the latest-generation Mac Pro. The quad-core model starts at $2,999, with a 6-core model available starting at $3,999.

Expand
Expanding
Close

At WWDC, Yahoo received an Apple Design Award for Yahoo Weather. This coincided with the unveiling of iOS 7 and its Weather app, which displayed striking similarities to Yahoo’s effort.

With the latest update to the app, Yahoo has brought the same award-winning design to the iPad. The full-bleed imagery from Flickr really shines on a larger display. The layout for iPad is largely a port of the iPhone design with upgraded icons and assets but refinements have been made for the iPad where necessary. For example, forecast information can be much larger because of the additional real-estate.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple’s Campus 2 project will also house a 1,000-person auditorium off the main R&D ‘Mothership’, though this structure looks even more other-worldly. The Norman Foster mockups from Cupertino.org, and dug up by Apple Gazette last week, show an auditorium entrance surrounded by glass and with a metal roof.

The auditorium itself will be underground from the glass-surrounded auditorium. For its product launch events, Apple has typically either used its own Town Hall at its main Cupertino HQ or buildings in San Francisco such as Moscone West or the Yerba Buena Center.

It seems likely that with 1000 seats, Apple Campus 2 could replace most product unveilings at the main campus and in San Francisco. However, Apple will continue to need Moscone West for WWDC, a conference that brings in around 5000 people each year.

We’ve included the floor plan drawing from our original full gallery of the space from September of last year. You can see from the renderings and the floor plans that both the elevators and stairs that resemble the ones at the 5th Avenue Retail Store in New York.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Since Apple first unveiled its new MFi game controller framework at WWDC earlier this year, we’ve already got a look at a couple controllers hitting the market in the near future from both Logitech and ClamCase. One of the other companies that Apple mentioned at WWDC was Moga, and today we get a look at what might be the first press shot for the company’s upcoming MFi controller dubbed “MOGA Ace Power” (via Evleaks). A second image below shows the controller when in “closed” mode without an iPhone docked:

We don’t get many details about the controller above, but judging by the configuration and the fact that Apple already announced Moga was working on a controller, it’s a pretty good chance we’re indeed looking at the company’s upcoming MFi controller. Like some of Moga’s current controller products, the Ace Power will apparently sport a 1800mAh battery that will charge your device while docked in the controller. 
Expand
Expanding
Close

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnsR-kZUx6o&w=640&h=360]

With Apple CEO Tim Cook’s endorsement, Anki, a company with artificial intelligence and robots-based products, debuted Anki Drive at WWDC earlier this year. Anki Drive is a car game for iOS that connects to physical cars. The app is currently available via the App Store while the cars and mat system will be available via retail channels…

Expand
Expanding
Close

It seems that Apple’s beta release of iWork for iCloud has proven popular as some users are being denied access with a message stating that Apple has had an ‘overwhelming response’ to the service … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

At WWDC earlier this month, Apple once again recognized some of the top designers of iOS and Mac apps with the annual Apple Design Awards. This year, one of the apps that won the student category was Finish, a unique task management app which we reviewed when it launched in January. Finish was created by Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen, a high-school duo from Colorado.

This week, we sat down with Orbuch and discussed the inspiration behind Finish, the ADA, and more. You can listen to the complete interview below the break.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Following its introduction earlier this month, Apple’s newest operating system has fallen under criticism and scrutiny from both designers and casual users alike. Due to both the tight development timetable and the new design direction under Jony Ive, following the removal of former iOS SVP Scott Forstall last fall, iOS 7 is, understandably, the most controversial and intriguing iOS version yet.

In response to much of the negative criticism directed towards iOS 7, some have suggested that iOS 7 will change substantially before it is released to the general public. Looking back at previous versions of iOS reveals a long trend of subtle refinements to the operating system during beta periods, not dramatic changes. Let’s take a look at how each version of iOS has transformed:

Expand
Expanding
Close

MacStadium announces plans for Mac Pro hosting and colocation

Less than a week since being teased at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the Mac Pro is already finding its way into new and useful places. MacStadium, which currently utlizes the Mac mini for dedicated hosting and colocation, has announced plans to offer Mac Pro hosting later this year.

MacStadium has already developed custom racks for the new Mac Pro (via Macworld/TUAW), which features a brand-new design that is much smaller than the previous model, and can store 270 Mac Pros in each Mac Pro POD. That’s fifteen rows, nine columns, and two Mac Pros per slot.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Crytek, the company behind CryEngine and the popular Crysis series, is planning to release a new tactical action game later this year for iOS called ‘The Collectibles’.  We’re told the company implemented support for Apple’s new MFi gaming controller framework just in time to give developers a preview of the game and new controls during a session last week at WWDC.

Developers tell us team members from Crytek’s Budapest studio demoed the game on stage, which has the player command a squad of five through your typical war-torn environment. It isn’t the first time Crytek has released a game for iOS devices, but it is the first time it’s bringing a shooter of sorts– the genre its best known for– to the platform. There doesn’t, however, seem to be any first-person shooter elements, as the title looks to be an overhead, tactical action game from the screenshots below.
Expand
Expanding
Close

<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/06/07/apple-displays-ios-7-banner-at-moscone-ahead-of-wwdc/" target="_blank">(via Nick)</a>

I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco this year for WWDC and experience the City by the Bay for my first time. Though I wasn’t among the lucky few to attend the keynote this year, that hardly robbed me of any adventure in the journey. Because this was my first time making the trek (and I was technically covering a portion of the event for work), I deliberately planned what gear was most appropriate for trip and sort of compiled a list of recommendations based on my experience below.
Expand
Expanding
Close

We already told you about a few big new features in terms of improvements to Bluetooth coming in iOS 7: Developers will now have a standardized controller framework for hardware game controllers and new features for BLE devices that will bring Notification Center support and always-connected apps. That’s not all Apple has planned for accessory makers in the near future, below developers have reached out to explain some of the other big new features that will be available to accessory manufacturers with iOS 7 and Mavericks…
Expand
Expanding
Close

On Monday Apple finally unveiled to the world the next iteration of OS X, Mavericks.  A developer preview of the new operating system is available now as a Mac App Store download for registered developers.  Delivering Mavericks via a download is super conveient and easy for everyday users but can be unhelpful in several troubleshooting or advanced OS modification situations.  The only way to obtain a bootable OS X Mavericks USB flash drive is to create your own:
Expand
Expanding
Close