“Apple’s WWDC 2014 could well be the most important statement of intent it has ever made,” Sanjiv Sathiah writes for Electronista.
“Without a single new device on show, Apple has launched its biggest assault on Android yet. The scope and breadth of innovation and software development on show was breathtaking and shows that Apple has a crystal clear vision of where it is headed and how it wants to get there,” Sathiah writes. “It used numerous statistics to emphasise its numerical advantages over Google’s Android platform, while bringing the full weight of its creative power to bear.”
Sathiah writes, “It unleashed a wave of unprecedented software innovation in the stunning new Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 that was then driven home with the announcement it has developed a brand new computing language, Swift, for developing iOS apps… Apple has demonstrated that it will not yield on any front. It has clearly committed all of its available resources to move the company forward in a way that I suspect would have made the late and great Steve Jobs extremely proud. As Jobs said when resigning as CEO in 2011, “I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it.” After seeing Apple’s outstanding WWDC 2014 Keynote, I have absolutely no doubt that, like many other things, Steve Jobs was right.”
Read more in the full article here.
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Apple just delivered a knockout blow to Android with iOS 8 – June 2, 2014
Xcode 6 features resizable device simulators, paving way for iPhones with new screen sizes – June 2, 2014
WWDC 2014: Apple sets the scene for its next decade – June 2, 2014
Apple unveils new versions of OS X and iOS, major iCloud update with iCloud Drive – June 2, 2014
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Apple announces OS X Yosemite for Macintosh – June 2, 2014
What exactly was revealed that was so revolutionary? This “article” sounds bought and paid for by Apple.
Don’t need to be revolutionary to beat Android, Apple already did that in 2007 with the release of the original iPhone.
That is true, but the question still stands. The headline says “At WWDC 2014, Apple unleashes thermonuclear war against Android” but everything unleashed was just putting iOS much further ahead of android at what it is already much better at. You cant even scroll a webpage in android without jitter & stutter. Getting Android to the level of gaming seen with Metal is practically impossible. Android is flawed at its core. Its a blackberry clone in iPhone pants with ad tracking as its #1 goal. Not to mention its java based… ew
There was nothing released that is going to turn then head of many, if any android user who wouldn’t have converted anyway so to say “unleashes thermonuclear war” is just click bait
What apple really showed is that it is beginning to leverage it’s greatest advantage over Android. A complete ecosystem, not just a phone ecosystem but an ecosystem for your entire life, Phone, tablet, computer, your home and your health all managed smoothly and securely across everything you interact with.
I have to agree.
Of course, because a 6″ screen is “innovative”, but re-thinking fundamental aspects of two leading operating systems, while deeply enhancing them in every dimension is not.
Nadia watch the presentation video of yesterday and stop asking cheeky- dumb. And then get outta here. 🙂
First, it has long been established that developers prefer iOS to Android due to the fact that IOS attracts better customers. I.e. smarter customers, far more engaged customers, and customers willing to pay for good products. This is demonstrated by the number of people who maintain the most current version of iOS on their devices as well as many other indicative statistics. Android tends to attract kids who are attempting to express counter culture or contrarian hipness, or people who don’t have much money to spend on a smartphone. Those kids pride themselves on having ripped off software without paying. The low income folks simply prefer not to have to pay for anything they don’t have to which is rational. Neither of these groups has the depth of involvement with their devices that the iOS folks do.
As such development is typically secondary or an after thought on Android.
Now along comes WWDC 2014 and Apple concentrates innovation on developers of all things. Innovation in a big way.
CloudKit for one will bring the small to medium innovative developers who’d like to be able to afford a powerful and secure back end for their apps. Apple is providing it for free.
HomeKit, HealthKit, Metal, continuity, etc., are all ways for developers to stretch their imaginations, improve existing apps beyond what they can do on Android, and create new exciting apps.
Not to mention the fun of working in an all new programming language. I played with Swift last night. It makes to want to write code. It will also be highly useful in the enterprise and system management world.
What Apple has done is entice the people who create the bait that beings the customers.
They’ve fertilized the garden of innovation for everyone, not just made their phones bigger, which is what some people call innovation, but for those people, yeah, bigger phones are on the way too.
I agree. The keynote yesterday blew me away. The extent of the innovations in iOS 8 make me think they were working on a lot of this during the development of iOS 7. I’m especially excited for Extensibility. OS X Yosemite looks awesome from a UI perspective. I really, really liked it.
Of course they were working on it long before iOS 8 was a prototype.
Yes! Just look at what they touched yesterday. It wasn’t a handful of things, or several hands full. It was a stadium worth of hands, and they did so with apparent ease. All this has been done since last year’s WWDC. What a huge accomplishment. They have single-handedly changed the course of development for all companies with whom they compete…and they are, once again, the leader, with a huge lead.
Well said
Spot on I think, plenty of innovation here but we will only see it come to fruition when the developers exploit it. And in fact thats what a conference like this should be about in all honesty. Some will get the power of what happened yesterday, the short sighted will mostly not.
Well said. I realized in yesterday’s presentation that Apple is laying the ground for hardware products to be announced later this year and next year. Yes, we all want shiny new products. But without corresponding software and apps equal to what the hardware will deliver, you have but half a circle.
My hunch is that astute developers will notice that the code for Yosemite and iOS 8 contains subtle features that will take advantage of powerful advances in CPU technology, battery management, communications and more. These are the sort of things that escape the comprehension of the pundits.
By having apps by third party developers ready to take advantage of changes in processing capabilities, screen resolution (and possibly size) advances, inter-application communication and data sharing, system API calls, significantly increased bandwidth, cloud computing, continuity between devices and more when the new hardware products roll out, users and pundits alike will have an “now I get it” moment.
An extended beta for Yosemite, the Swift coding language are examples of where Apple is applying its resources and staff to help assure a successful launch of new products to come.
While the clueless media and pundits were looking for hardware yesterday, Apple delivered software – as the company should. The spring is being set. I think the second half of the year and next year will be most interesting indeed.
And judging by today’s stock price, perhaps it’s sinking into some normally thick skulls.
If you actually listened to the keynote and watched the demonstrations, then I believe that the answers to your question are rather obvious. If you saw nothing at all that was worthy of being termed “revolutionary,” then I have to question your bias or sanity.
Your statement is so far towards the opposite extreme (including your attempt to conflate Apple with the despicable “bought and paid” tactics or Samsung) that I have to question why you even bother to post (anonymously, of course) on this forum.
Are you a developer? To be honest that was my initial reaction but then I started to see the potential that all these developments will likely bring. And thats what this conference is actually for, the following months will prove its true value.
Nadia,
Im not sure what you don’t get perhaps because it was a developer conference and not a product exhibition you are confused. If you were a developer then you would see that Apple dropped a bombshell straight on top of the mobile platform community. Faster development with no compromise. A entire new language designed to make it faster and easier to develop with. Those I would have to say are huge for those of us that develop software. In addition the extra apps and new functionality in search cheapens googles brand by making so half a billion iPhone users can avoid google tracking them and selling them down the river to ad whores. Also as a developer I can’t wait to start adding real finger print validation to my apps. A real fingerprint scanner that works and was well thought out. Apples finger print scanner is far superior to anything thrown together in a rush by SamDung. Not to mention Apple’s is secured in hardware and Samdungs on Android is an open book.
Android is like leaving you front door open with you wallet and credit cards and the good solver on display for all the world to grab. Its open in all the wrong ways. Built around stolen Java code and half baked hardware with the life span of about 30 days. Meaning its old tech by the time it ships. Android is little more than thrown together door stops with the hopes of de-railing the real innovator Apple. Its too late people the cats already out of the bag. Apple is better in every way. its designed that way just like their desktops and laptops. Well thought out well executed for the consumer in mind from day one. You don’t get it and neither do the Android crap peddlers.
???? So sayth the android troll??
Ok. So I commented on mobile before scanning down and seeing all the above excellent replys.
I am still in jetlag. Lol
Really? New, easier programming language, Home interface API, faster graphics API, Health API, etc, etc.
Never mind the visible, user-facing changes and enhancements…changes like I listed put Apple years ahead, and it’ll happen through new apps, app improvements, and external accessories.
Add in CarPlay and other existing things, and the reasons for choosing Apple just keep growing.
We always knew that the ‘ecosystem’ was going to be important but somehow the ipod, iphone, ipad and computer seems to live somewhat separate lives. Now they will be blended together in a very exciting way. When one person only has one item, they will yearn for the others simply for this reason.
Brilliant!!!
If you cannot see that you are an idiot.
I fully agree to the article.
Maybe the announcements were not revolutionary but evolutionary. But the scope of usable fantastic enhancements was just breathtaking. I have watched many keynotes since I moved from NeXT to Mac and mostly felt not really blown away but rather underwhelmed by announcement of new features of the next version of the OS. But this time I really was stunned by number of things were I immediately realized how they would improve the usability of my Mac and my iDevices.
Great job!
To the naysayers: Get a life.
More like, get a clue!
One thing that Apple has learned — and executed repeatedly — is that every so often you’ve got to add to the foundation of your software.
Windows languished as innovations were simply piled on outdated code bases. Apple has had several moments of reinvention, such as the move to OS X, the rebuild of of the OS with Snow Leopard, forking OS X to create iOS and now visually linking the two sister OSes and adding useful compatibility between them (Air Drop, shared phone calls, etc.) Add in a new programming language to make development even easier relative to other SDKs and you’ve got a recipe for five more years of app dominance.
And all without a single new phone, tablet, PMP or computer announcement. This is all stuff that we already own that will be enhanced! It was indeed an unusual WWDC keynote and one that I don’t think will be fully appreciated for a couple of years.
Absolutely. Apple proved these are living operating systems. They are innovating at a deep, fundamental level. Not letting the platform stagnate.
Apple has just show us they’ve overcome the disease that killed the last great platform company (Microsoft). Investors should be more excited about this than even the developers!
Yes totally destroys the argument that there is a lack of innovation in the company, its just pointed where it may not be glamorous but is really useful especially as time passes. Innovation comes from deep embedded base capabilities not flashy but mostly useless gimmick ware.
It was revolutionary in that Apple provided 9 million developers with more tools than anyone imagined which will result in new, creative apps that aren’t available anywhere else.
The fact that Apple added 4 million developers in one year is staggering.
Swift.
Did anyone notice that when the developers choose to use the Swift programing option in stead of sticking with the long clumsy C programing language that those apps will not be easily ported into Android after they are developed for the Apple products and devices? When the developers go for the faster easier programing, Google and Samsung will be cut off.
Good move Apple. It is time you started the thermonuclear war against Android, Google, Samsung, and the others!
Tech pundits, Android fans, Samsung customers — this is what real innovation looks like.
This is the difference between a technology company, and an assembler.
That’s a good contrast. I suggest “Integrator” vs. “Assembler”. The latter puts individually designed parts together, the former designs parts from the bottom up to work together.
There were so many cool things revealed yesterday and one of my favorites was Metal. This means console level games will be comming to iOS 8. How can Android match this, especially on older devices?
StarCraft, WarCraft and Diablo on my iPad!!
Skyrim? I hope.
New Spotlight + Siri + Duckduckgo in Safari (& other choices) = no need for Google search anywhere
To wipe out Google search from iOS and OS X ecosystems and then to grow them is the thermonuclear bomb. Where is Google without search?
Glad you brought that up. As I watched it I couldn’t help thinking this looks like search that is marginalising google but I thought maybe that was only a superficial vision of what I was seeing, or wishful thinking. Haven’t heard anyone claim it to be a significant staging post in this process and certainly Apple didn’t make a point of that yet it does have the look of bringing search almost completely into the Apple ecosystem and if nothing else this seems to be hiding Google quite significantly from the process.
You can’t find Google without search … ba da boom!
So meanwhile, while Samsung is dependently waiting on a 64-bit OS, they can be busy making their next two a year upgrade cycles bigger, curved, more waterproof, tack on another bloat software layer on top of KitKat, make the buttons protrude, increase the texture of their plastic, etc…exactly what are they going to invent or do revolutionary.