Apple's WWDC 2014 to Focus on OS X 10.10 as Apple Pulls Resources from iOS 8 to Help

[lpovoas]

why the rush

I don't understand the rush to 'update' OSX.
A few years ago macOS had updates after the .6 or .8 release, now it is clear that mavericks still has some major bugs and they already announce a new OS!! really??? WTF!

It just makes the minimum specs go up (and thus leading to less support to older hardware). Makes the software developers need to update their products, like Parallels 8 that did not supported Mavericks, so we theoretically need to buy upgrades every year (or less).. while many of the major features of previous osX's are still not mainstream supported, like OpenCL.

And also, changing the UI every year it is not something we really need. Make it customizable so we can choose what we want. We want stability, responsiveness and less RAM usage!

By the way: Finder is still buggy on Mavericks, i would rather fix it than upgrade!

 

[RedOrchestra]

"Apple Pulls Resources from iOS 8 to Help"

So Apple's got 6 people working on software, and it shows, meanwhile, the other 14,000 in Cupertino, are just counting the money.

 

[bumblebritches5]

I hope apple updates Grand Central Dispatch to support OpenCL, and that OS X 10.10 and all of their first party apps have updated UIs.

 

[jamesnajera]

Yikes, it sounds like things are being rushed again. Apple needs more developers, or they need to stop the 1 year release cycle. This does not sound good to me for OSX or iOS. Maybe something like 1 year cycles for iOS and 2 year cycles for OSX. Otherwise I am hoping for the best.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I do not understand why Apple needs a new version every year.
They could add functionality to existing versions using updates.
They could change the look of things by adding skins and allow users to customize things.
If something is perfect now, improving it will only cause trouble.

What happened? Don't you like stitched leather?
OK, dear customer, how about a free skin of brushed metal? Or a free skin with any color you like?

You answered your own question in those last 2 sentences. Apple prefers the $$$ to "free". Evolving the OS every year inevitably encourages new hardware purchases faster and faster. Of course, they could do what you say but there's no money in that.

 

[Richardgm]

Apple's WWDC 2014 to Focus on OS X 10.10 as Apple Pulls Resources from iOS 8 ...

Where exactly does Apple put all these new people? You need real estate for that.

You mean to tell me a company that made 30 billion dollars in profit last year can't find somewhere to put people?

As far as what Apple should focus on, I think one product (iPhone) generating such a large percentage of revenue is worrisome. The more Apple can diversify the better

So they should diversity in a 30 year old business that makes little money for them?

 

[TTile]

Yikes, it sounds like things are being rushed again. Apple needs more developers, or they need to stop the 1 year release cycle. This does not sound good to me for OSX or iOS. Maybe something like 1 year cycles for iOS and 2 year cycles for OSX. Otherwise I am hoping for the best.

I don't really view this as "being rushed" or unusual. Apple has a population of software engineers who are equally capable of working on either OS. If iOS is in a good position, and OSX is undergoing a major overhaul, it makes sense to move talent to make sure OSX makes a big splash. The same thing was done for iOS7. Why hire a bunch of engineers that you won't need a year later when you don't have to?

 

[OddyOh]

Dear Apple,

Buy Flux and implement it into both OS X and iOS. Your customers' eyes will be very appreciative.

This. Had to stop buying iMacs since they are too bright for normal humans to look at. I'm using Sunset on my Mac Mini & Dell monitor, that's usable.
More white space sounds annoying. But if they add colours back to the Finder sidebar icons, that be a good start.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Exactly, if it was a good idea back then, it's bound to be a good idea now, and they had plenty of time to develop or buy or whatever some other modern FS.

Unfortunately, I think filesystem underpinnings don't have any "ooh/ahhh" potentials except for the geeks that can appreciate the differences of ZFS vs. HFS. It's like the Snow Leopard release where there was all this "behind the scenes" improvement without that many new tangible enhancements people could see/touch/use. It was a great step forward for OS X but it got some gripes about the lack of tangibles.

The filesystem is way down underneath almost everything. Most people couldn't tell you anything about the difference between ZFS vs. HFS except the letter. Some might assume Z is better because it's further along in the alphabet. It's probably hard to spin such a change in a big rollout. Instead, we get iRadio, Maps, Siri, FaceTime, iMessage, etc some of which then makes it to OS X.

I'm still with you one wanting something like a ZFS but because I'm one of those that grasp why beyond a letter change. The average Joe probably has no concept about that level of things.

 

[MacrumoursUser]

iOS8 needs multi user support on iPad.

It's a personal device that wasn't meant to be shared by two or more persons. Adding such feature just because someone somewhere might benefit from it is not worth the investment not to mention all the headaches that would arise implementing such a feature on a mobile device with very finite resources and battery life. If anything it would worsen user experience for other 99.9% currently very happy customers.

 

[BWhaler]

I fear OS X will gain the terrible button and targeting system from iOS.

There is little and inconsistent affordance in iOS—something that needs to be fixed in iOS 8—and so I worry Apple will bring the problems to the Mac which has been immune from these changes to-date.

As others have pointed out, there are tons of improvements needed. Apple should remember Steve's "design is how it works" and fix the hundreds of functional problems. For example, the fast reply box doesn't always show full message and when someone sends several in a row, you can't see them all. It's just crappy design.

 

[redscull]

How can you call something you haven't seen hideous? Maybe people should wait until they see something/use something before passing judgment on it.

I said "if". I don't know that it will be hideous. But I think iOS 7 is hideous, and I think excess white space is hideous. All rumors thus far suggest those are things that are happening to OSX, so I'm scared my "if" will be true.

 

[bluespark]

The fact that this even needs to be said terrifies me.

It needs to be said only because some people have been quite worried that Apple harbors some hidden intent to merge iOS and Mac OX X, even despite significant evidence that Apple disagrees with that approach.

 

[MacrumoursUser]

You mean to tell me a company that made 30 billion dollars in profit last year can't find somewhere to put people?




So they should diversity in a 30 year old business that makes little money for them?

Don't be thick. First they are building a new campus and second if it was just as easy as hiring more people so thats what Apple or any other company for that matter would be doing. They need to be experienced and have a good background in that area. Most importantly its not that easy to jump in and catch up with the project. Not easy at all if you tried you would understand. So that would actually slow the process not speed it up.

 

[bumblebritches5]

Did the same thing. My macbook pro had been upgraded from Leopard to Mavericks without ever clean installing. Doing a clean install has done wonders and so should upgrading my ram from 4gbs to 8 gbs with a solid state drive too.

I am loving Mavericks for sure!

My Retina Macbook has been far more stable on Mavericks than it was on Mountain Lion.

 

[chrisbru]

Hmm...

Image

Lighting-port headphones actually makes a decent amount of sense... But would sometimes suck that you couldn't charge and listen to music at the same time.

 

[Marx55]

Apple is destroying the fantastic Mac OS X interface. Apple should bring back acroll arrowheads and true color labels, for instance.

 

[smetvid]

I would like to see the Apple TV have a better and faster update process. Seems kind of odd to update the entire OS every time a new channel is added. The channels should be app based to create more of a modular environment. Hate having to turn on my Apple TV to watch something and start an update that can take a very long time when only a new channel I will likely never watch has been added.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I don't really view this as "being rushed" or unusual. Apple has a population of software engineers who are equally capable of working on either OS. If iOS is in a good position, and OSX is undergoing a major overhaul, it makes sense to move talent to make sure OSX makes a big splash. The same thing was done for iOS7. Why hire a bunch of engineers that you won't need a year later when you don't have to?

Then the spin is poor. The spin makes it sound like they are in a crunch and have to take from one team to help another team. If they are all equally adept at both iOS & OS X, there should be nothing to report here: one big team of programmers working on both OS variants. There's no taking from one project to focus on another- the one big team is just doing what they do.

Instead, it very much sounds like the crunch is on so they are pulling people off their focus on iOS to work on OS X: great for OS X, worrisome for iOS. This would be typical in a small company without ready cash to have an abundance of human resources on hand but Apple has plenty of ready cash.

Also, this isn't the first time we've heard about Apple taking resources from one area of focus and shifting them to another. That implies a recurring problem of having sufficient staff on hand to get everything they want to get done on the schedule they desire.

So, Apple has amazing cash flow but a recurring human resource problem. The solution seems remarkably simple but this kind of story keeps coming up. I think the issue some are having is in thinking Apple should learn from the recurrence and solve this particular problem so it doesn't keep happening.

 

[Richardgm]

Don't be thick. First they are building a new campus and second if it was just as easy as hiring more people so thats what Apple or any other company for that matter would be doing. They need to be experienced and have a good background in that area. Most importantly its not that easy to jump in and catch up with the project. Not easy at all if you tried you would understand. So that would actually slow the process not speed it up.

I understand the hiring and integration process. I'm simply pointing out that they should hire more engineers. I do not intend to engage in a war over words, but the person I quoted cited a space issue; something which I find makes little sense.

 

[flat five]

I do not understand why Apple needs a new version every year.
They could add functionality to existing versions using updates.

we've been on version 10 for 12-13 years now..
they are using updates.

osx is the most unchanging program, version wise, of any application i use.

(i get it that that's arguable.. just sayin tho)

 

[TsMkLg068426]

Please let it be free again!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Interesting, I clean installed mavericks on my 2009 iMac and it has never been faster?

I clean installed Mavericks on my 2009 Macbook, and OS X has never been slower. Like I said, Apple needs to work on their bugs, majorly.

 

[BigBeast]

I clean installed Mavericks on my 2009 Macbook, and OS X has never been slower. Like I said, Apple needs to work on their bugs, majorly.

No, sounds like you need to install more RAM. With Terminal, Activity Monitor, and 1 tab open in Safari, I'm using 5GB of RAM. The 2009 MB came standard with 2 GB of RAM, upgradable to 6GB.

 

[pickaxe]

This is pretty frighetning. Last year Apple pulled resources from the OS X team at the last minute to pull off a (very!) rushed redesign in iOS 7. I really hope OS X doesn't get a rushed paintjob that introduces plenty of bugs yet also breaks UI cohesion.

Also, the last time Apple changed stuff around in OS X for no reason other than making it more iOS-like, we got Lion. Which was dreadful.

Here's hoping this turns out fine... but unless this redesign has been under wraps for at least 18 months (which is very unlikely if the rumors that Apple used OS X developers as iOS 7 approached its deadline are true) it most likely will be rushed, an adjective that I certainly would have used to describe Apple several years ago.