The Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference or the WWDC 2014 will be held on June 2 – 6, 2014 at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. There will be a thousand engineers and five thousand developers that will congregate and if you are an iPhone, iPad or Mac user, everything will be different. This event will converge mainly with the developers. Apple normally uses this WWDC keynote to debut their latest products in the past, but recently they focused mainly with their software, upgrades on their operating system and other new products and services. But what does Apple users should really expect at the WWDC 2014 keynote?
The Apple executives will surely unveil the upcoming software for all the mentioned devices above. The iOS 8 and Mac OS X 10.10 will be presented to the public for the very first time, each is packed with heaps of new features. Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, co-founders of Beats, will also be introduce after the acquisition of Apple to Beats Electronics, and some rumors are also pointing to the debut of the home automation platform. It has also been said that Apple has plenty of new products this year, however, many are still not ready to be shown at Apple’s keynote event like the Apple TV, iWatch and the 12-inch MacBook Retina.
What does Apple users should expect at WWDC 2014?
iOS 8
There are very few information available regarding iOS 8 at the moment. But it may aim on improving the key visual updates that was first introduced with iOS 7 and included some new functionalities to the latest operating system. This may not be remarkable as last year’s leap to iOS 7.
Apple will present some major elements in iOS 8 such as the following:
1. Healthbook:
If you are using a Smartphone, you probably have a dieting application or health care app installed on it. Apple is on the edge to make their own hub in which they called as the Healthbook. This will record the heart rate of the user, along with the steps taken, blood-sugar level, nutrition and more. Each one will appear as a “card” in the app. The iPhone 5S contains an M7 motion coprocessor which is able to capture some of those data, and every card needs to have the body information through third-party apps and devices. This leads to a conclusion that this app will most likely work as a hub for fitness applications or Healthbook will possibly work with iWatch, which hypothetically contain the sensors needed to gather all those data.
2. Updated Maps
Apple has been frantically improving their Maps. According to some rumors, Maps will conclusively obtain directions for public transit with much better POI or Point of Interest, together with airports, parks and highways. Apple will present major changes in iOS 8 such as the comeback of the public transit information.
3. Standalone iTunes Radio App
The iTunes Radio App may also be included in the iOS 8 features. Apple presently nestles their free streaming service through the Music app, and now, the radio will have its own app with more additional features, designs and music subscriptions.
4. Improved Siri
Every version of iOS includes new improvements to the voice assistant. Siri will be improved and will include the Shazam integration so users will know what song they are listening to the radio or other resources.
5. Wild Cards:
The OS X has interactive notifications in which users can reply to without opening the app. And now, it is coming to iOS 8. It is also possible that Apple has finally given in to the multiple user profiles demand. iCloud update may also be included in the event that will give free backups for iPhone and iPad devices. This will also sync videos to the Photo Stream automatically.
Mac OS X 10.10
Available information about iOS 8 is quite few. But its lesser in Mac OS X 10.10. However, this will be one of the major improvements that Apple will surely unveil. There are no clear details on what Apple has in store about it. It will be called as either, Yosemite or El Cap according to the banners in the WWDC event. The OS X Mavericks presented few changes in UI so it is possible that OS X 10.10 will give some new important visual enhancements. The system and icons will still look textured. The basic UI of iTunes, iPhoto and Aperture has been overdue for a restoration.
Other possible products to be unveiled:
Smart Home Initiative:
Apple may launch a new software to allow iPhone to control lights directly, security systems and household gadgets based on the report from the Financial Times. It is rumored that the system will help the developers so they can easily integrate their applications in a centralized hub, allowing the users to control multiple home appliances through their iPhone. This will include partnerships between Apple and the device makers that gives them official authorization for supporting iOS 8 similar to the Apple’s “Made for iPhone” program for their accessories such as headphones and speaker docks.
CarPlay:
The WWDC event will probably have something to say about CarPlay. Apple’s unveiling of CarPlay-connected vehicles that work through a paired iOS device. The concept of this is, a duplication of a simplified user interface for a touchscreen display in a vehicle with voice commands. The aim here is to be simple and safe with no complicated interface and virtual keyboards. With CarPlay, one can see their calendar and e-mails to get ready for their upcoming events and suggest directions to the proper destinations. Siri can also read text messages and allow the user to dictate their response. Calling will be easy and possible with voice commands.
Beats Electronics:
Last May 28, 2014, Apple’s acquisition to Beats Electronics for $3 billion has been confirmed. Co-founders of Beats and the Beats team will be working with Eddy Cue, iTunes Chief. The headphones division will be under Phil Schiller. It is not yet cleared on what the Beats Co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dre. Dre’s roles at WWDC, but it will be the best time to introduce the two to the entire Apple community.
There are many possibilities, rumors and speculations on the upcoming WWDC 2014 keynote. Let’s just wait and see on what Apple will unfold on Monday morning. But whatever it is, it is truly just the beginning.
