I thought that cinematically, the whole thing was much more visually interesting than the keynotes of the past where we've just had the presenter standing on the stage, screen behind him or her, and that was that. Being able to be treated to visuals of the Apple Park campus and various places within it was much more intriguing and attractive, and I suspect that for many of the presenters it was also much more comfortable doing their bit on familiar ground rather than standing on-stage, too.
I liked that Craig Federighi ("Hair Force One") got a fair amount of air time, as IMHO he is really much more dynamic a speaker and presenter than Tim or some of the other key players at Apple. The incredibly charismatic Steve Jobs was one of a kind and we just aren't going to see someone like him again, unfortunately. Many of us will always miss Steve and the keynotes just aren't quite the same for anyone, but time moves forward inexorably.
Apple certainly is moving on -- they have to, in order to keep the company alive -- and with the personnel they currently have on board. I was also very pleased to note in viewing the keynote today the nice balance of diversity, with men and women from all different backgrounds and nationalities, with the very subtle but also important inclusion of at least one key presenter with a disability, etc., etc. Each of these people makes a significant contribution to Apple and it is nice to see them briefly moving into the spotlight to shine for a brief time.
I did miss a few familiar faces from the past.....but that's the past and we all need to move forward.
I'll say that I really didn't miss the usual demonstrations of games and such from various developers from other companies. This was an all-Apple event all the way and IMHO much better for that.
Yes, there was a lot of information and new stuff thrown at us (and at the developers who will be participating in WWDC this week) but I felt it was far more stimulating than many presentations from the past several years, and even though some particular new features or functionality might not be of interest to me and I probably won't use them, it was still nice to learn a little about them. Definitely we are getting closer and closer to the eventual merging of iOS and MacOS, which may or may not be satisfying to all consumers. Apple using its own Silicon chips for processors is indeed going to be a huge game-changer.
When everything, the new software, arrives in the fall, I'll probably wait a day or two before installing anything on my current devices or in a couple of cases may simply just wait and buy the new item (iPhone, Apple Watch, whatever) and have the new version of its OS already installed on there. I'm due for a new Apple Watch, right now am still using Series 3, and so an update is definitely in my radar for a purchase sometime in the fall or winter of 2020. More than likely I'll succumb to the siren call of a new iPhone 12, too.....(anyone who knows me isn't even going to bother taking bets on this one! LOL!)
Also, since 2020 is the year when I'm concentrating more on my photo gear, it isn't going to be the time for replacing my computers -- my current 2018 MBP is doing just fine, still under AppleCare+ and should continue to do all that I want and need for quite a while longer -- ditto for the 12" 2017 MacBook that I use mainly for travel and occasional use around home. That said, I may or may not be able to resist eventually getting a fully-tricked-out new iPad Pro when it is offered. Maybe I can hold off until the spring of 2021, though....
Anyway, the keynote today was, in my opinion, well done and certainly kept my interest throughout the entire near-two-hour presentation. How we all feel about the final products in a few months remains to be seen, but they certainly are offering intriguing possibilities!
