This is the future!!!
Almost 2 years ago I emailed a few of my favorite Apple news and rumor sites with a very interesting tidbit. In the past I have been lucky enough to surreptitiously receive some choice morsels regarding Apple black ops, and passed them on in a similar manner, sometimes to notorious acclaim. This particular instance was not such an occasion - nobody reported on it or even responded to my submission.
Not entirely unexpected, as what I had to share was regarding a new software package Apple was developing. Hardware rumors are what people want software is page 2 news at best.
But this particular bit of software was, to me, very interesting. Apple was developing a brand new pro application, for web design and development, that sought to introduce an entirely new paradigm. A WYSIWYG environment, requiring almost no knowledge of coding or programming, but supporting very advanced features, and outputting clean HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. A start to finish solution, delivering everything from wire-framing to, for advanced users, debugging and optimization.
Consider the current environment. Even after many generations of evolution and revolution, the choice of technique and arsenal for web design and development is as diverse and contentious as politics or religion. It can take several skill sets and a dozen software applications to create a single website. There is no standard, and the process and mechanics, rather then being as invisible as possible, are exceedingly intrusive.
No software developer has succeeded in creating a tool that just works, and provides a comprehensive solution. Many don't even try, either preferring or a complex, technical approach, or believing it is inevitable.
As a designer with experience in web design, and an ability to create Flash, clean HTML and CSS, but no desire or inclination to go beyond this, such a tool would be almost a Holy Grail. I tremble at the possibilities.
Apple, like Ernest and Julio Gallo, sells no wine before its time. The development of this project has been a monumental task, under tight wraps. But finally, we can see a clue that the end, at last is nigh. In typical incremental, test-the-waters fashion, Apple is releasing a beta of sorts, to gauge response and performance. And this watershed event has gone largely unnoticed. I refer to the release of iAd Producer.
This remarkable app is part of Apple's iAd program, available only to registered Apple Developers. It is, quite simply, a WYSIWYG environment for creating iAds.
Please visit
http://developer.apple.com/iad/iadproducer/ to learn more, and ponder, for a moment, what you could accomplish with such a tool were it released from its iAd shackles. If it doesn't blow your mind, you, sir or madam, are devoid of all imagination and vision.