Now that Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) is over and I’ve had some time to look at all of the things announced I have come up with my opinions on everything. Apple announced a bunch of new things, from the long rumored iPhone 3G, an updated .Mac, iPhone Enterprise, iPhone Apps, and Snow Leopard it’s been a lot to digest. But, after looking into the details of each thing form multiple sites I think I have a (very) small grasp of what’s going on. To me it looks like the main focus of Apple at the moment is tying everything together and making a seamless experience. So, to tackle each new thing one at a time.

iPhone 3G

This is probably the most thrown around rumor (next to an Apple tablet computer, maybe), but right after the original iPhone was announced people said “Wow, that’s amazing. I want one. Thats so cool” however, seconds after that everyone thought “Wait, what about 3G?” And, so now, after a year after the original iPhone some the iPhone 3G. Along with a plethora of other things. The main things the new iPhone has over the old one is

• 3G
• GPS
• Better battery life
• Microsoft Exchange support
• Half the Price!!!

This satisfied most people, including me (I plan on getting one the second it comes out, on July 11, 2008).

MobileMe

One of the other highly anticipated Apple announcements is a major change to Apple’s .Mac service. The old .Mac provided some nifty things, such as email, web hosting, iDisk (file hosting), just to name a few. The only major problem was it cost $99 a year, in my opinion, way too much. But, with the rebranding to MobileMe, Apple also added more new features than you can count, so let me try:

• Push email, calendar, and contacts
• Instant sync between computer, iPhone, and web
• Full Web 2.0 desktop-like experience for main, calendar, photos, contacts

Thats quite a list and to me, this makes it more worth the $99 a year. I still don’t have use for it, but I think many people will love it. One of the other things that makes it even more desirable is it works in every browser; Safari, FireFox, and Internet Explorer (please switch to Safari or FireFox), this means that everyone will be able to enjoy the Web 2.0 goodness no matter what computer they are (forced) to use.

iPhone Enterprise

No, not the starship (I had to get at least one Trek joke in... forgive me), but iPhone for large business. One of the other things that kept many people from the iPhone was that they already had a decent smart phone provided to them by their place of work. Now, beyond the fact it is a free phone is the fact that they needed it to run specialized software or email to be able to stay on top of everything. This has all changed, since Apple has now released support for enterprise applications there is no excuse not to get an iPhone (or so Apple thinks, I think that also).

iPhone (and iPod Touch) Apps

Again, something that everyone has wanted (and some have already gotten). The iPhone apps demoed at WWDC were simply amazing! They ranged from useful apps, such as Ebay or MLB score, to games, such as Super Monkey Ball, and Enigmo, to educations apps, there were two medical apps. All of these are made on the iPhone SDK and apparently they are really easy to make. All of these apps can be downloaded over the iPhone App Store, either via the cell network or over WiFi, or when plugged into a computer view iTunes. Already people are jumping on the band wagon and developing some great apps.

Snow Leopard

The smallest announcement is the new version of Mac OS X, version 10.6, Snow Leopard. Apple made a very brief mention about it at the beginning of the keynote, simply saying dev would get an early look. Luckily for us, Apple released an official press release and then a small webpage showing what Snow Leopard is all about. The page pretty much says that Apple has been delivering tons of new features with every new version of Mac OS X and now they are going to try something else: unification. They are going to be focusing on building a better set of core features, such as a 64-Bit Finder, OpenCL, and better mulicore support. All sounds pretty good.

What This All Means

To me, all of the announcements that Apple made yesterday mean only one thing: brining everything home. Apple seems to be on a path to take over the world, they want everything to work (through their products). They seem to be moving towards a grand plan, where everything you do and everything you own will work in perfect sync: your pictures are sent from your phone to the web and to your computer, your email can be accessed from anywhere, and you never have to worry about having to remember someone’s email address; it’s right there waiting for you. Personally, I think it’s about time. Apple has been implementing so many things it has started to get bloated. But, I feel that Apple is going to be tiring everything together.
Here are some examples of things I think will get unified:

• First, the Mac OS X interface. In Leopard they almost did it, there is very little aqua left in the system, but it is still there. Over the years Apple has tried on a number of suits to try and make the OS look as good as possible, but each time they do an overhaul something gets left behind. Of recent, Apple has been shifting to a new look, the one that originally appeared in iTunes, and in Leopard they have many things switched over but there are still old interface elements. In Snow Leopard I feel that they will finally patch up the holes and unify they interface.

• Next, is media. Currently you have a computer with music, movie, and pictures on it. This is the central hub, you can sync it with your iPod, iPhone, or TV, but all of this is very clunky. I think in the round of updates to all the Apple perierals that accompany Snow Leopard they will end up making all of this happen seamlessly. You download a new song or movie and it instantly appears on your TV, your iPod/ iPhone, and, maybe on the web, via MobileMe. If you could not only watch your movie on your TV or iPod/ iPhone, but also online that would provide unparalleled access to your media.

• Lastly, your documents. Currently files that are on your computer are kind of a pain to get off. you have a few options: burn a CD, put them on a thumb drive or portable hard drive, or email them. All of these options are decent but out of an easy workflow, you have to manually perform each task: put a CD in the burner and drag files onto it, plug in a USB drive, or create a new email and send it. None of these are horrible, but what if you loose the USB drive, or the CD gets scratched, or the email gets filtered out into a junk folder... not good. And, really what a pain! If you have multiple computers lugging a USB drive with you everywhere you go is a pain, emailing yourself a file a troublesome. What is there were an easier way? Until Apple makes this seamless there is another option, DropBox. This amazing little application (and online service) places a folder on your computer (or computers) and then ties it to an online account. Whenever you need to share a file all you do is put a copy in the folder; it will automatically get synced to their servers and then downloaded onto any other computers tied to your account. And, if you don’t have the app installed on a computer you can use the website to upload files, they are instantly uploaded and then downloaded onto your computer and waiting for you when you get home. I think this is a very “Apple” solution: easy to use, seamless, and it works in the background.

So, that is what I think about all of these new products and announcements. I still can’t wait for the iPhone 3G or Snow Leopard. Now, if you actually read all of that, give yourself a high-five, a pat on the back, or a cold soda/ drink of choice.
Also, in the mean time until I can find a better way to do this, please Digg This.

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