7 Apple WWDC Rumors That Turned Out To Be False
June 3, 2014
Remember the separate iTunes Radio app coming to iOS 8? How about those new TextEdit and Preview apps? Many of the biggest rumors leading into yesterday’s WWDC keynote address turned out to false, including the following:
iTunes Radio app
In March, the biggest rumor bandied about was that a separate iTunes Radio app would launch on iOS 8. According to “sources briefed on the plans,” this was being done to promote the streaming music service’s presence in iOS and help spur growth in advertising revenue and usage.
As I noted on the day before the WWDC keynote, it was possible Apple’s recent acquisition of Beats Audio might change these plans. It looks like that was correct.
Maps
Apple's Maps app was expected to gain a fresh look and new points of interest this year. Public transit directions were also expected to make a debut. Maybe next year?
Siri on Mac
Ever since Apple’s voice recognition software arrived on iOS in 2011, many assumed it was only a matter of time before it would come to OS X. We’re still waiting.
Mobile payments
Apple CEO Tim Cook might still find mobile transactions “intriguing." That interest has yet to translate into Apple's own mobile payments system.
New iMacs
Other sites noted that a less expensive iMac would be making its debut on Monday. No new iMacs were announced -- or any new hardware, for that matter.
Removal of Game Center
The “little-used” Game Center app was expected to go bye-bye on both iOS 8 and the successor to OS X Mavericks. It remains on both operating systems -- at least on the first iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite betas.
iPad multitasking
Split-screen multitasking was supposed to finally arrive for iPad with iOS 8. The functionality would have allowed iPad users to run and interact with two apps at once. Here's hoping this feature arrives in iOS 8.1.
Conclusion
The funny thing about Apple rumors is that they are rarely debunked. Often, they are simply delayed. In other words, Game Center's days could still be numbered.
What were you hoping to see at WWDC but didn't?
See also: Apple Updates WWDC 2014 App With Support For Downloading Session Videos, AppAdvice Daily: WWDC 2014 Keynote Roundup, and Op-Ed: Apple's WWDC Keynote Showed Plenty Of Great Software But No New Products.