The WWDC Keynote Address – A Recap, Timeline, And Links
June 6, 2011
Apple held its annual Worldwide Developer Conference Keynote address today and with it the company ushered in the Age of iCloud, iOS 5, and OS X Lion. And while Apple didn’t announce any new hardware products, there was plenty for iDevice owners to be happy about and for Apple’s competitors to have cause for concern.
Here we look at the top highlights of the keynote and when to expect each of those items.
OS X Lion
The next Mac OS version will be available in the Mac App Store (exclusively) in July for just $29.99. Until then, a free beta version is available for developers.
Mac OS X Lion - All You Need To Know
Schiller Announces Mac App Store Enhancements With OS X Lion
Apple Talks Mac OS X Lion: Will Be Available In The Mac App Store Only For $29.99
iOS 5
Unfortunately, there was no new iPhone announced today. However, the next generation iOS was demoed today. The new version, iOS 5 is available now for developers as a beta. The general public will get this in the fall.
All You Need To Know About iOS 5's WWDC Preview
BBM for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch: iMessage
Apple To Make Game Center Even Better
Breaking News: iOS 5 Will Be PC-Free
Apple Gives Mail App A Makeover In iOS 5
The New iOS 5: Camera App Changes
iOS 5 Reimagines Safari & Kills Need For Instapaper
The New iOS 5: The Newsstand
iCloud
Not only will iCloud be free, but some of its parts are already available. Existing iPhone/iPod touch and iPhone users should have already been alerted via their iDevices to turn on Automatic Downloads. Later today, we expect iTunes 10.3 to become available. This will be the tool that lets iTunes in the Cloud work with our Mac or PC iTunes application.
Here is the timeline for each part of iCloud
Apps - available now, beta
iBooks - available now, beta
Document syncing - not yet available
Backup - not yet available
iTunes in the Cloud - available now, beta
Photo Stream - not yet available
iTunes 10.3 - coming soon at http://www.apple.com/itunes/
Mail, Contacts, and Calendar - Available now once you login to iCloud for first time; current MobileMe customers have these apps now.
Apple Pushes Out iCloud Worldwide
Apple Has Posted New iTunes, Rolling Out Soon
The iCloud Service: All About The Music
Apple's iWork Apps Will Integrate With iCloud
Apple Brings Photos To The Cloud, Unveils "Photo Stream"
One More Thing...iTunes Match
Apple's "One More Thing" is iTunes Match, which lets users sync songs that weren't purchased in iTunes. The service, which retails for $24.99 will be available later this year.
What do you think about the keynote? Were you happy, sad, or indifferent? Which new features do you like the best? Leav your comments below.