Apple Considering Separate WWDC Conferences for Mac and iOS?

[autrefois]

Your entire post nicely illustrates his point.

I agree with you, except for the fact that my post illustrates that it is largely Apple's doing if customers and developers think that Apple is incapable of thinking beyond the iOS 4 / iPhone 4 moment. Do you have anything to refute this?

Apple is either doing very poorly at communicating their commitment to OS X and Macs, or they actually are not as seriously committed to these as they were before. I just hope it's the former and not the latter.

 

[heisetax]

Apple Toys Developer's Conference

I vaguely remember a "Mac OS X", but not sure why....do we ever talk about that here?

No we don't. The word MacRumors is just more of a reminder of time somewhere in our past. That must have been back in the Caveman days.

Apple first took computer out of its name, now they taken the Mac out of WWDC. What is next? Are we to the handwriting on the wall & have to change to Windows for our computer work & use the iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone as our games & eBook Reader use?

Since Macs run as long as they do we can go for several more years before we have to think about a change. Maybe by that time the iOS rage will have either taken over, the Android OS & Google OS takes over everything or that Apple remembers to finish OS 10.7 in time to compete with Windows 22.

It wouldn't have hurt the keynote if Our used car salesman leader, Steve Jobs, had at least mentioned that Apple has not actually forgotten about the Mac. But as we know that when Steve stops talking about something that it dies.

WWDC used to mean something now as my subject states the name needs to be changed to the way life is now at Apple to Apple Toys Developer's Conference.

 

[RebootD]

Breathe in and keep it rational

Before people spout anti-developer angst take a step back and look at it from their point of view.

WWDC hits and it's only iOS and mobile device focused. Then they get rid of the Mac category for their yearly awards. To top it off the Mac wasn't even mentioned by sales numbers, updates or new software.

Where's an update to Final Cut Studio? 10.7? New towers?

Adding more fuel to the "Apple doesn't care about non-iDevices" argument the Mac Pro hasn't been updated since March 2009! Slowly Snow Leopard has been phasing out PowerMac users from software updates and is forcing them to upgrade their machines if they want to stay current. Those people want to buy new machines (to replace 6yr old beats) but they still don't have any word on new machines and don't want to spend 2010 prices for 2009 hardware, and rightfully so.

I completely understand iOS is hot like magma and they should be spending most of the resources on getting those products into people's hands but throw the Mac developers (and community) a bone and remind us that our invested time and money isn't going by the wayside.

 

[drake]

Now, if only MacRumors would do the same. I'm tired of hearing about the iPhone for which I have zero interest.

 

[BTW]

That would be awesome. Say January when that other event that Apple used to attend would take place.

As the other Steve would say, "Developers! Developers! Developers!"

 

[bilbo--baggins]

It did seem a bit odd hijacking a traditionally Mac event solely for the purposes of the iPhone.

 

[I WAS the one]

OMG, the war days inside Apple has begun. I mean, go ahead and read all the history books about crazy Steve, The Apple II group VS The Macintosh Group. As the story goes all the Apple Computers died, the Apple II, the Apple III, the Apple LC all died. Macintosh still with us.

Now the "iOS" Group VS the "Mac OS X" Group War has begun. We all know what's going to happen with Mac OS X... and that's why they ged rid of the word Computer in their company name.

Small devices for small tasks will be the future of Apple Inc. Macs will be the Trucks... Now I understand Steve on D9 Conference. DAMN!

 

[heisetax]

18 month schedule

I think October would be great, with the release of the latest iMacs. But first update the Mac Pro, the MBA, and the mini, like tomorrow.

The Mac Pro is on an 18 month renew/update period. We were promised that the Mac Pro would be updated more often with an Intel processor than an IBM/Motorola processor. Since we'll have to be able to run Windows all of the time in the future the Intel Mac works oh so much better while we suffer through running Windows.

When I run Mac software my G4 & G5 PowerMacs do as well as my Intel Mac Pro & 17" I7 Intel MacBook Pro does. Its just I have to do all of that real computer work & have to suffer through Windows do I appreciate the change to Intel. We just have to wait longer for hardware updates.

 

[iBug2]

Where's an update to Final Cut Studio? 10.7? New towers?

Final Cut Studio is JUST updated last year. Apple updates the pro apps every 2 years on average. Nobody was expecting any news about those.

10.7, as well. 10.6 is already less than 1 year old. Apple said they are gonna increase the frequency of OS releases with Leopard.

New towers are up to intel and chip stock.

 

[iMacmatician]

Great news! Apple can keep the iOS WWDC at the Moscone Center. With all the attention Apple is giving OS X its WWDC could be held at an Encino McDonalds from 2pm-6pm on a random Tuesday afternoon.

At least it's Tuesday.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Now, if only MacRumors would do the same. I'm tired of hearing about the iPhone for which I have zero interest.

I am all for hearing about iPhone news, in the hopes that Apple will stop crippling such an amazing device with mediocrity. And I agree that the iOS has hijacked the conference, and polluted the minds of consumers to think that it's better than MacOS....

but

It's a necessary thing to keep Apple moving forward. They need to get the lead out of their feet and get moving like they did in the long ago days of the PPC chips.

 

[longball11]

Good idea? HELL no. It just shows that iOS is more important than mac still.
Btw, it just makes the wait longer to have updates on Macs...

 

[hiptobesquare]

That's going to be very expensive for developers who have products for both OS X and iOS.

That is what I first thought of... duplicated travel costs.

How about a two-day event?

1 day MacOS, other day iOS.

Otherwise duplicated seminar course schedule, so people could choose which day to do which sessions, or combine one or two sessions of each platform into one seminar day, if they choose to.

The travel costs would be much the same, other than maybe an extra hotel stay night.

But not duplicated airline or ground travel costs.

 

[Astro7x]

Why keep it so hush hush about what the event is about until they keynote? I mean, was there any indication that WWDC was an iOS only even aside from the fact that this time every year they announce a new iPhone?

I guess it's probably bad for business to announce two months out that there is going to be an even about a new product that would kills sales. Unfortunately, there are people that don't realize they come out with a new model every summer.

 

[Digital Skunk]

That is what I first thought of... duplicated travel costs.

How about a two-day event?

1 day MacOS, other day iOS.

Otherwise duplicated seminar course schedule, so people could choose which day to do which sessions, or combine one or two sessions of each platform into one seminar day, if they choose to.

The travel costs would be much the same, other than maybe an extra hotel stay night.

But not duplicated airline or ground travel costs.

WWDC is already a week long event.

Two keynotes, nuff said.

 

[HurryKayne]

So i think too,2 wwdc in the same week,1 after the other,not in the same day,
but ,correct me if i'm wrong,
it's not gonna happen this year right?
We Are speaking 'bout the next.. so ,what is this year
supposed to happen?
A new event on NeXT fall?
A silent update?

 

[SeaFox]

Even with the scaling back of Mac OS X this year, the conference sold out in only eight days with over 5,000 registrants packing the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco for the event this week.

That's only because of the iPhone introduction.

Here's an idea, let's do product announcements at a consumer products conference of some sort, and have a conference just for developers.

Oh, wait...

 

[iBug2]

That's only because of the iPhone introduction.

Here's an idea, let's do product announcements at a consumer products conference of some sort, and have a conference just for developers.

Oh, wait...

You gotta be kidding me.

Nobody will pay 3000$ for a conference just to sit in a room for the first time when a previously leaked product will be announced. All those people were there because of the developer aspect. Not to look at iPhone 4.

 

[rhett7660]

WWDC is already a week long event.

Two keynotes, nuff said.

This is what I am thinking. Have one keynote for the iOS and another for OSX. Have them both at the same event. No need to split them.

 

[Azathoth]

No, he's right. ...
Imagine an average family today with 5 Macs (1 deskop and 4 personal Macbooks) and 1 iPad.

The future of that family is 1 iMac and 4 iPads. That iMac will be just as important as ever, but the days of every family member needing their own Mac/PC is ending.

That's why the truck analogy is wonderful. I still see trucks all over the place. We couldn't live without them! But there are more cars than trucks. That's all.QUOTE]

Yes, because typing that essay or email on a virtual keyboard whilst looking at a 10" screen is just so much more convenient than doing so on a full size keyboard with a 27" monitor...

I didn't like the analogy that Steve made - I think rather that as iPads and whatnot become cheaper and more capable, they become commodity items, but it worries me when Steve talks about the desktop becoming increasingly obsolete. The idea of splitting the WWDC is good - right now I'm really bored of the iPad / iPhone focus, to the detriment of OS X...

 

[ermir4444]

According to **** Apple has reserved Moscone Center for June 27th. I find that quite weird since it is a Sunday but on the other hand I cannot think of another reason why would they rent the whole building other than a major announcement of some sort. Hoping that this latest report says it all...

 

[RT2020]

This would be no surprise. People whining about the death of Mac and "Pro" seem incapable of thinking beyond the moment. I really don't see the logic in taking away the desktop computers, which are so integral to the development of igadget app's.

I'll bet money Steve jobs wont even bother to do the keynotes at the OSX WWDC

 

[skate71290]

This notion floated by Steve and Apple that the iPad is replacing existing desktop/laptop computing is not valid. The computer business is huge right now, there are more computers being sold than ever. I have heard If Apple sells 10 million iPads in the first year, it will only be 1/3 of the GROWTH in the same time period for personal computers. The iPad/appliance and mobile market will grow, but don't pretend they have replaced computers for everyone, for a vast majority they haven't. smalLeople still want a big screen, mouse, keyboard, and horsepower. I just think people now want to spend more time with computing devices because the capability and fun experience is there now, so they get mobile stuff too. Don't forget about the business market and home computer, they are huge. If Apple could just double its share there, that would be great for Apple and us.

Done rambling (sorry)

Ramble all you want, I say the same thing all the time, the Mac computer line is becoming a joke, Core 2 Duo still in iMac! ******** there isn't space for i7 in the 13", even if it's only a build to order, Flash Support, FFS this is unreal, just give out the APIs, Mac OS development has pretty much come to a standstill so why bother protecting the, once better than Windows OS? The iPhone and iPad are great devices, I will be getting the iPad to quite literally annoy my boss lol, but they are not the end all, be all... And Steve I highly doubt you will read this but IN NO WAY WILL THE IPAD OR THE IPHONE EVER REPLACE A STANDARD LAPTOP/DESKTOP!!!

 

[fixmymac]

Last time I checked WWDC does not have the word "Mac" in it. Worldwide Developers Conference. This one was simply about iOS and iPhone.

You are correct, WWDC is a generic title. However, as it is the only major conference now held by Apple, it should encompass all that they do.

iOS is clearly where it is at just now and that has been recognised at this WWDC. However, it is the developers that worked solely on OS X that helped Apple to reach the situation they now find themselves in. iMac was only part of their rise back to success. The software that was then developed for it was a major player. Sure, there will be a vast number of them now developing for iOs... but not all of them. Will we see Quark for iPad, Photoshop et al, Final Cut etc etc?

WWDC is Apple's stage to doff their cap to these people and show of the shiny new, more powerful kit that will help drive sales of their work. For most of us it is pure eye candy.

As others have stated on this discussion, Apple also axed some of the developer awards. These awards can be mega important to the smaller developer and can drive sales that bring the revenue in to support future development of the OS X version and can lead to development of iOs versions, where suitable.

WWDC has had this tradition for a good few years. All of a sudden it ignores all that and focuses almost entirely on iOS.

WWDC also has an entire eco-system surrounding it. Macrumors is a perfect example.

I think the new iPhone is an excellent example of why a 'Mac' event is rather important.

We all thought we knew what Jobs was going to show us when he got on stage. We had all seen the iPhone 4 a week or two in advance. However, Jobs nailed it with his comment that we haven't REALLY seen it.

His near 2 hour keynote gave us the real reason to go out and buy one. There is no better salesman than Jobs. He could sell iSand to the Arabs.

Personally, i would be quite happy to listen to Jonathan Ive introduce his next magnificent design. I love his deep and meaningful chit-chats. But, i fear his approach will not have that 'Boom' effect. He can't reuse the '... but there is one more thing' line. That will only work for Jobs.

Will new 'non iOS' equipment just appear on the Apple Store from now on? Will it just be a snazzy picture with a few pages of text telling us why we need it? I hope not. Nowhere near as much impact as Jobs doing the demo on stage.

Oh.... there is one more thing.

Maybe consider hosting this second WWDC outside of the USA. Bring it to Europe.

 

[monke]

I'm starting to think that Apple needs to add a separate iOS event in addition to WWDC, but bring WWDC back to its OS X roots.

from this thread

I'd like to see Apple do this. Let's not forget about Mac OS X and the OS X devs.