Apple's new, insane stuff (WWDC)

It has been a very long and annoying morning really. As early as 0100 hours today, I primed myself in getting right into the action of things at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. To clarify, I was only tuned in on Engadget.com for three hours. You might think, is this the behavior you'd expect from an Apple fanboy? While a lot of people at Singularity would be inclined to agree, I'd like to think that it isn't an accurate assessment. First of all, I love oranges more than apples. Sober or not, orange juice is--hands down--my "killer app." See? Thought so. Now I urge everyone not to muddle the issue by assuming the wrong things. :)

Let's dive into Apple's new stuff, updates and upgrades:

MacBook Pro.
It was indeed disappointing at the start: Marketing boss Phil Schiller announces mere spec upgrades to both the Air and Pro line. Better processors, memory, graphics and storage (i.e. 512 GB flash). Borrring. And then Phil starts talking about a new device. Kablam! The crowd starts getting excited again. The next-generation MacBook Pro sports an all new design in a smaller chassis almost as thin as the Air. It utilizes a 15.4" Retina display with a stunning 2880-by-1800 resolution--3 million more pixels than a regular HDTV. (He also claims 75% less glare.) Aperture, Final Cut Pro, iPhoto, and later, Photoshop and AutoCAD, as well as the upcoming Mountain Lion OS upgrade (more on this after), have been updated to meet the new demands of what looks to be the best display available on any notebook in the market.

Internals have also been souped up to dominate the professional notebook category: up to 768 GB of flash storage with read speeds up to 500 MBps, the latest Intel i7 processors (Ivy Bridge series) up to 2.7 GHz coupled with up to 16 GB of memory, all-new NVIDIA 650M graphics processor (Kepler architecture), USB 3.0 support via 2 universal USB ports, dual-Thunderbolts, a thinner MagSafe 2, and first-ever HDMI slot for a Mac to accommodate external display connectivity. Okay, this is one very mean machine. Interestingly enough, every Mac they mentioned this morning ships today as well. It costs a bunch though, entry level at $2,199. Ouch.

Mountain Lion.
We've known about this one for a while now so there's nothing much new here. Nope, not really. Apart from the previously announced items like foundational iCloud integration, Messages, Notes, Reminders, and Notification Center, Apple added several great things that makes the Mac a much greater investment than ever before. Features like Power Nap that lets your Mac run updates, sync photos via Photo Stream, download messages, update email, calendar and contacts, while on sleep-mode is a truly great addition (sadly, not available on older generation Macs). Dictation is also added for apps that utilize text input, i.e. Microsoft Word, among others. New social capabilities such as Sharing, Facebook and Twitter are also big hits. With Sharing, you can share anything socially from where you are (Safari, iPhoto, Mail, Messages, etc.). Facebook and Twitter are tightly integrated on Mountain Lion and allows for a more seamless experience with the world's largest social networks. Post your status from anywhere and receive updates via Notification Center alongside other alerts.

What else? AirPlay Mirroring with Apple TV, Gatekeeper for better security, new version of Safari (unified search!), and a bunch of support with the most popular Internet services from China. My favorite is Game Center--it integrates with the iOS in a special way, i.e. multiplayer with iPads and iPhones! There are other features but there's too much to cover. Is it really 200? Well, you know Apple. They love to use large numbers. In any case, Mountain Lion launches this July and I'm more than willing to pay $19.99 to get my hands on it. In fact...

iOS 6.
Everyone in Apple keeps calling the iOS the most advanced mobile operating system in the planet. I tend to agree with that assessment if the metric is accessibility. iOS chief Scott Forstall mentioned something staggering involving the difference in adoption of the latest versions of both iOS and Android. (Both launched almost at the same time.) While iOS 5 is being enjoyed by a majority of iPad and iPhone users, only 7% is reportedly using Ice Cream Sandwich. I think this is a critical mention, though a discouraging shot at the competition, as this creates a distinction on who's in the right direction.

There's an enormous amount of stuff to look for in iOS 6. Siri is now more remarkable than ever before with answers to more advanced queries in sports (game scores, player stats), movies (with Rotten Tomatoes), finding the best restaurants (Yelp) and reserving restaurants (OpenTable). Siri is now also opening up directional search worldwide--we've all been waiting for this. She also has the ability to open dictation direct to Facebook and Twitter, as well as to launch apps directly. Apple is likewise working with the top car manufacturers to include a button on steering wheels called Eyes Free to completely remove distractions on the road. Shared Photo Streams is a welcome addition that would enable easier sharing of photos with a larger group. FaceTime is now open for cellular, nice!

A new Passbook app that puts together all your coupons, virtual cards and airline and event tickets in one app is another interesting addition. This issure to be a precursor to a future NFC and mobile wallet add-on to the next iPhone, which I expect is coming out later this year. With CEO Tim Cook's announcement that Apple is now managing more than 400 million accounts with credit card numbers, this is definitely the next step--and something every virtual currency operator ought to pay attention to. iOS 6 will be out as early as September. And right, Siri will make a debut on the new iPad by then.

Maps.
I singled this one out as it represents a significant shift in how Apple competes in certain categories. In this case, content. We all know the dictum of Steve Jobs about not entering a market that they won't be the best at. And while announcing their own Maps is not necessarily the surprise, the fact that it looks good--and in some respects--better than Google's, was quite the phenomenon indeed. It meant that iOS engineers really put their heart into coming up with something that challenges the cartographic standard that Google currently dominates on all digital formats.

Google has been in the map business for a while now and is arguably the more skillful and experienced in the area. Holding on to that fact is important at a certain degree. The difficult part is even when you think you've figured it all out (Google produced a Maps event a few days ago), a new entrant in the game comes up with something that has every potential to upset your leadership. Considering how Apple intends to replace Google Maps with their own on a few hundred million iOS devices, this will devastate Google's progression. They may not see it yet, but it will. And beyond Maps--and even Siri's participation--is a master plan that we can't really put a handle on right now. Apple is in new territory, but their first try is definitely brilliant. Wow.

I look forward for WWDC 2013. And I'm really not an Apple fanboy, only a huge enthusiast for tech companies who surely knows what they're doing.

The mobilization of our age

Much to the enduring wisdom of technology advancement, IT is no longer confined simply in the aspects of hardware and software (and services). Today, these are defined as very broad categories that aim to emancipate our generation from the world of the technical and the complex. Current usage of technology now span from the largest and most diversely connected organizations to the least connected singular individual. It is everywhere.

And with everywhere, the first thing that comes to mind is mobility. Consider what hardware has been molded into as we enter the post-PC era: smart devices in the form of the most intelligent phones and tablets that deliver unparalleled portability and ease of use, while at breakneck speeds that rival the most powerful desktop computers. The diverse options available for every way of life is unbelievable--there is literally a device type, not counting several platform varieties, for every type of character. As one tribute to the late Steve Jobs put it: While Bill Gates put a PC in every home, Steve placed a smart device in every bag and pocket.

Okay, what about software? This is the more interesting part if you ask me. Lately, in the universe of software, something had been brewing while traditional software remained idle in our client workstations and on-premise infrastructure. Apps and the Cloud have taken over development as hundreds of thousands are written onto mobile and web platforms, unseating the longheld domination of desktops in software variety and availability. The push is essentially by--and for--consumers increasingly demanding the most awe-inspiring user experiences. This, while utilizing some of what are now key foundations in application usability--simplicity in design, geo-social plug-ins and gamification elements. You must certainly agree: There is not a better time than now to be a developer.

Now what do these really mean for all of us? For one thing, none of us will ever be the same--in fact, none of us are anymore. As mobility progresses alongside the increase in bandwidth speed and accessibility coverage, we will be more connected to one another than we've ever been in our entire history as a race. Everything we do can be shared with anyone we choose instantaneously. Our individual histories are now indexed so comprehensively, we will be less forgetful; our best moments--albeit the worse ones--in life accessible on-demand.

The business realm will also be forever transformed, if not already. Now, employers and employees alike have access to better tools that enable smart productivity regardless of time and place. Collaboration--a word largely misunderstood by organizations--is now finally (and truly!) in reach. We now have access to tools that allow us to work on documents all at the same time while keeping track of every piece of information for later retrieval. Digital maps are now infinitely more capable and hav practically removed the possibility of any of us from getting lost ever again. And with it, we find out more about our world and our surroundings, every stunning bit of it. Oh what great things are in store at that road yonder!

But with all of these around, there is something we ought to never forget. However our means to connect has expanded a great deal, we shall never--and I make my case so exponentially so--never, ever cease to converse on analog. And as much as we can, let's always go for face time.

After all, the best mobile experience is the one when we move forward together. Both literally and figuratively.