Live Coverage
Live from Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote with Steve Jobs!
By: Zach Epstein | Jun 6th, 2011 at 12:20PM
Welcome one and all to BGR’s live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote! Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on hand to unveil the latest Apple has to offer, and we’re expecting a huge event despite the fact that Apple is not expected to reveal a new iPhone model at the show this year. Instead, Apple will focus on software, with the big addition being the company’s new iCloud service. Apple will also show off more OS X Lion details during the keynote, but we have to admit: we’re much more anxious to see Apple show off iOS 5 for the first time. We think iOS 5 is going to be the most significant update to the platform since Apple introduced the App Store alongside iOS 2.0. A completely rebuilt notification system, basic widget functionality, a new automatic app update delivery mechanism and deep social integration are among the changes we’ll be looking for, but we’re certain that Apple has a few surprises up its sleeve as well. Hit the break for our live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote for the latest updates!
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12:28PM:We're heading in and should be seated soon!
12:40PM:Doors are finally opening.
12:45PM:Alright we're almost seating, there are still tons of people pouring in.
12:49PM:We have a feeling the event might be starting a little bit late as we are getting reports that WWDC attendees aren't even in the building yet, but still in line outside.
12:59PM:"Please turn all your devices on silent."
1:01PM:Pair of MacBook Pros on stage, for demo time, obviously!
1:02PM:Steve Jobs is out! Everyone is applauding!
1:03PM:There are over 5,200 people here today — the biggest place we have, sorry to everyone who couldn't make it.
1:03PM:over 100 hands on labs, 1,000 Apple engineers, and 120 sessions.
1:04PM:We're here to talk about 3 things today. And we're going to talk about software. Hardware is the brain, software is the soul.
1:04PM:We're starting with Lion. Phil Schiller is up on stage/
1:05PM:Ha — he's trying to get people riled up in Ballmer-esque fashion.
1:05PM:"We have over 54 million active Mac users."
1:05PM:Sorry guys, we're having major camera issues! Working on it!
1:06PM:PC market has shrank 1% this year, Mac has outgrown the industry. Products are incredible like the MacBook Air
1:06PM:Leading in notebooks, over 70% of Mac sales are notebooks
1:07PM:Entire PC industry wants to copy our hardware. We make the best, not just hardware, but software, too.
1:07PM:Showing off OS X 10 years ago.
1:08PM:Next up is Lion. There are over 250 new features, only have time to show 10.
1:08PM:Multitouch gestures. We have built multitouch trackpads into all our laptops
1:08PM:Kinetic scrolling, multitouch zoom and taps and swipes
1:10PM:Phil is talking about fullscreen apps and how in Lion there is a simple swipe to get in and out.
1:11PM:Mission control is up
1:13PM:We're now seeing full screen apps — three-finger swipe will take you from the full screen back to the desktop/dashboard.
1:14PM:The three-finger swipes will also switch from one app to the next. To exit full screen it just takes one click.
1:15PM:PhotoBooth looks awesome full screen — especially with effects being added in real time as you add/remove them.
1:15PM:Three-finger swipe up on the trackpad will bring mission control back into focus.
1:16PM:Spaces can bee added simply by clicking at the top corner of mission control, and windows can then be added to a new space by simply dragging and dropping.
1:17PM:When you close a space in mission control view, the windows within will slide back into the main windows — very smooth.
1:17PM:Spaces can bee added simply by clicking at the top corner of mission control, and windows can then be added to a new space by simply dragging and dropping.
1:18PM:Schiller is talking about the Mac App Store now, which is now the number one PC sales channel for software, passing Best Buy.
1:19PM:The Mac App Store is now built right into Lion. There are also push notifications to alert users of updates. Auto updates are also supported.
1:20PM:Launchpad — a simple pinch gesture brings up an iOS-like inteface where you can access all of your apps and launch them.
1:21PM:The next key feature is Resume — when you launch an application in Lion, it will bring you right back to where you were when you left the software. The feature even works after a reboot!
1:21PM:Applications, Spaces and settings are all covered by Resume.
1:22PM:Auto-save — Lion will automatically save documents in the background with no need for the user to do anything.
1:23PM:The feature can be enabled and/or disabled for each document individually. There's also a lock feature that will stop auto-saving at a certain point.
1:23PM:Versions — like Dropbox, Lion will make past versions of documents accessible in a document history.
1:24PM:The Versions interface is similar to Time Machine — you can scroll through every version of a document with a smooth animated interface.
1:24PM:Sorry again for the lack of photos guys... we're working on it!
1:26PM:Now we're watching a demo of these new features. Launchpad really is awesome — think of it as a giant iOS home screen that is automatically populated with all of the apps on your computer.
1:27PM:Auto-save also means there is no prompt to save a document if you're made changes just before closing a program. When you open it again, it will be exactly as you left it — including cursor position!
1:28PM:With Versions — and this is awesome — you can view multiple versions of a document in live windows. This means you can actually copy/paste things from one version of a doc to another!
1:29PM:Feature number 9: Airdrop — this basically a peer-to-peer Wifi-based network that lets you move files from one computer to another by simply dragging and dropping.
1:30PM:When you drag the doc to another person's PC — which will appear automatically in Finder — they get a pop up where they can accept the transfer.
1:30PM:The last feature is a completely redesigned Mail app. Needless to say, it looks A LOT like the iPad version.
1:32PM:The coolest feature of the new Mail app is easily conversation view. Think Gmail threads but a little sexier.
1:32PM:Craig is coming back up to demo the new Mail app now.
1:33PM:The message list runs down the left side in a column just like the iPad version. Folders are further to the left, and they're hidden when you don't need them.
1:33PM:The search is enhanced, and it suggests searches as you type based on your mail and your search history.
1:34PM:Users can also search for keywords and date-ranges with one string. Awesome!
1:35PM:Finally, conversation view will auto-hide everything but the new content within each message. Craig just poked Gmail for now doing that very well. Wink, wink.
1:36PM:Lion also features a new migration feature for users switching from Windows, not just another Mac. There are over 3,000 new APIs total in Lion. Get cracking, developers!
1:36PM:Lion will be available ONLY in the Mac App Store. No more discs!
1:37PM:Lion will be about a 4GB download and a single purchase can be installed on ALL of your authorized Macs.
1:37PM:Lion will cost... just 29.99 when it's released. WOW!
1:38PM:Lion developer preview will be available today, and the release version will be available in July.
1:38PM:Next up... iOS 5! Scott Forstall is coming up on stage
1:39PM:To date, Apple has sold over 200 million iOS devices total.
1:39PM:That makes iOS the No.1 mobile operating system with over 44% of the market.
1:40PM:In the first 14 months, Apple has sold more than 25 million iPads. That's iPad and iPad 2 combined.
1:40PM:Apple has sold more than 15 billion songs through the iTunes music store across all platforms.
1:41PM:More than 130 million books have been downloaded through iBooks.
1:41PM:There are now more than 425,000 apps in the App Store, with more than 90,000 of them built for the iPad.
1:42PM:The iOS App Store has served more than 14 billion downloads, and more than $2.5 billion has been paid out to devs.
1:43PM:Apple now holds more than 225 million accounts on file, all with credit cards and one-click purchasing enabled.
1:44PM:iOS 5 is a MAJOR release, Forestall stressed. There are more than 1,500 APIs and more than 200 new features!
1:44PM:The first new feature being covered... NOTIFICATIONS!
1:45PM:Apple has served more than 100 billion push notifications so far.
1:46PM:Apple has completely redesigned the push notification system for iOS. Notification Center is the big addition. It combines all over your notifications into one panel that is accessed by swiping down from the top. Oh hi, Android.
1:46PM:Stocks and weather sit at the top of the notification center.
1:46PM:Notifications are no longer disruptive — they appear at the top of the display and they do not interrupt usage.
1:47PM:The lock screen displays recent notifications as well, and a swipe on a notification will open the applicable app.
1:48PM:A swipe brings you right to the relevant message, by the way, as longer as the developer makes full use of the notifications APIs.
1:48PM:Second feature: Newsstand
1:50PM:Newsstand lets users access magazines through a new, separate interface. It is accessible in the App Store and there is a new newsstand on the home screen where all of the magazines are accessible (it works like a folder).
1:50PM:Background downloading is supported!
1:50PM:Newspapers and magazines can take advantage of newsstand.
1:51PM:Third feature... Twitter integration.
1:51PM:Twitter is now built into the Settings app in iOS. Every twitter app will work with the new single sign on feature!
1:52PM:Twitter is now integrated with the Camera and Photos apps in iOS. Photos can be tweeted from either app now.
1:53PM:Other apps that have twitter integration are Safari, Maps, and YouTube. Also, contacts features contact integration — contact photos will automatically be pulled from Twitter.
1:53PM:Next feature: Safari. Nearly 2/3 of all mobile web browsing is done with Safari.
1:54PM:Safari now has a Reader feature that takes the story you're reading and eliminates all of the noise around the story and just displays the images and text from the body.
1:54PM:Safari will also let users email a link AND story content right from within the browser.
1:55PM:There's also a new Reading List feature that lets users save stories to read later. Uh oh, Instapaper.
1:56PM:Safari will also now include full tabbed browsing. Tabs are displayed across the top and switching between them is lightning fast. We're watching a demo now.
1:57PM:The Read Later feature is accessible on the same button as bookmarks, and it will save items across all of your iOS devices and Mac computers.
1:58PM:Next feature: Reminders. 50,000 apps were just made obsolete.
1:59PM:Reminders is a reminder and task feature that lets you set time or location-based reminders.
1:59PM:In other words, a date and time can trigger a reminder, or a GPS location can trigger a reminder. Reminder also sync with Exchange which is nice.
1:59PM:Next new feature: camera.
2:00PM:The iPhone 4 is now the most popular camera phone used to take photos on flickr and second most popular over all.
2:01PM:The new camera app opens much, much, much faster. Camera is also accessible with a double-tap on the home button.
2:01PM:The volume up button can also be used to take shots. FINALLY!
2:02PM:The native camera app now also has grid lines available and pinch to zoom works in the UI. There's even a zoom-lock feature!
2:02PM:There are now integrated editing features as well. Cropping, red eye removal, and one-tap enhance are all supported.
2:03PM:The seventh new feature being covered is a redesigned Mail app.
2:03PM:Rich text formatting is now supported, indentations are supported, dragging addresses between cc and bcc is supported, and so is flagging!
2:04PM:Search now supports content searching on the server as well.
2:04PM:There's also added support for SMIME for enterprise users.
2:05PM:Now we're getting a demo. Flags can be added and removed with a single tap, and there's also an integrated dictionary that lets you look up words in emails with just a tap.
2:06PM:There's also a new system-wide thumb keyboard available. Users can now split the keyboard into two halves and thumb-type very easily. Not sure how the split keyboard will be received, but it's nifty.
2:07PM:Eight new feature: PC Free. Uh oh... Tons of applause.
2:08PM:With iOS 5, users will no longer need a PC to activate iOS devices. FINALLY! The "post-PC" marketing is slightly more realistic now...
2:08PM:Setup is now done right on the device, as is activation.
2:08PM:Software updates are now OTA (over the air)!!
2:09PM:Delta update are supported as well, so only changes to the OS will be updates and the entire OS doesn't need to be downloaded.
2:10PM:Ninth new feature: Game Center. That's still around?
2:11PM:iOS is by far the most popular gaming platform in the mobile world, and Apple currently has over 50 million registered Game Center users. That's 20 million more than Xbox Live.
2:11PM:Game Center now supports user photos, game recommendations, and game purchase support right within Game Center.
2:12PM:Turn-based game support is now supported as well (think Scrabble).
2:12PM:iMessage is the next iOS 5 feature being covered.
2:12PM:WOW. Apple is launching a new iOS-only messaging service called iMessage.
2:13PM:It supports text, photos, videos, contacts, group messaging, delivery receipts, read receipts, typing indications, and multi-device support so you can move from an iPhone to an iPad and not miss anything.
2:14PM:It is fully encrypted as well, and it works over Wi-Fi or cellular connections.
2:15PM:Poor, poor third-party messaging app devs. We're now seeing a demo and it really is BBM for iPhone. Multi-platform is all app like WhatsApp and Kik have going for them now...
2:16PM:We're now seeing how easy it is to send photos and videos — the interface, by the way, is the same as the Messaging app so it's beautiful and familiar.
2:17PM:Those are just 10 of the 200 new user features. Others include TV mirroring, which let's you mirror your iPad 2 to your TV to Apple TV.
2:18PM:Wi-Fi sync to iTunes is now supported as well! Your iOS device will back up and sync to iTunes automatically over Wi-Fi. FINALLY
2:19PM:iOS 5 is available to developers TODAY. Fire up those accounts, fellas!
2:19PM:iOS 5 will ship to end users this fall.
2:19PM:The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, both iPads and the two latest iPod touch models are all supported.
2:20PM:Next up... Steve Jobs is coming back up on stage to unveil iCoud!
2:21PM:iCloud has been in the making for 10 years, when APple realized the PC was going to become your digital hub — one device to hold all of your media.
2:22PM:A new problem has risen lately though — multiple devices all need the same data and it's become necessary to sync them all separately. Wonder where this is going...
2:22PM:With iCloud, the digital hub is being moved to the cloud.
2:23PM:So now, photos (even new ones as you take them), music, etc are synced to the cloud automatically and they become available across all devices.
2:24PM:iCloud also is completely integrated with your apps — everything happens automatically. "It just works."
2:24PM:"Why should I believe them? They're the ones who brought me MobileMe?" Steve joked. Zing!
2:25PM:Contacts, calendar and Mail are no longer MobileMe apps — they're now iCloud apps. For example, a new contact will automatically be uploaded to the cloud and synched across all devices. Changes to existing contacts are handled the same way.
2:26PM:iCloud also supports calendar sharing, so changes you make on your calandar will automatically be visible by anyone you share your calendar with.
2:27PM:Jobs also highlighted the fact that there are no ads involved with this service... at all.
2:27PM:MobileMe was $99... Mail, Calendar and Contacts with iCloud are completely free!
2:28PM:There are also three new apps coming with iCloud that weren't in MobilMe. The first is the App Store.
2:28PM:Apps purchased on one devices can now be added to any other device through iCloud.
2:29PM:For future devices, all apps are automatically added to all devices.
2:30PM:The next app they added is iBooks — books purchased on one device can be downloaded to all devices. Also, your read history is synched between devices as well, as is reading position.
2:30PM:Finally, Apple added automatic cloud backup.
2:31PM:The service will back up your important data once daily, and when you get a new device, all of your data will sync wirelessly from the cloud.
2:31PM:Uh oh... there are three more apps being added to iCloud!
2:31PM:First... Documents in the Cloud.
2:32PM:Documents now sync automatically via the cloud from one device to all your other devices.
2:32PM:Pages, Numbers and Keynote are all supported as of the latest versions of the apps, which have already been released. Sneaky!
2:34PM:There is a new interface within the apps that lets you view all of the documents that are synced to the cloud, and they all sync automatically.
2:36PM:Apps can store documents to iCloud as well!
2:37PM:Developers have access to iCloud Documents in the Cloud APIs with the iOS 5 SDK.
2:37PM:Macs and PCs are supported as well! This is a huge ding for Dropbox and the like.
2:38PM:Next up, Photo Stream.
2:38PM:Photo Stream will sync photos taken on any device to the cloud, and then to all other devices.
2:39PM:The functionality is all built right into the apps, so there is nothing new to install or configure. It all just works.
2:40PM:Photo Stream is also built into Lion on Macs, and on PCs it will work with the Pictures folder. What's more, Photo Stream will work on Apple TV as well.
2:42PM:Another feature of Photo Stream is memory management. It will store the last 1,000 photos on each iOS devices, and all photos on Macs and PCs. In the cloud, photos will be stored for 30 days so they can be synced to all other devices before they are automatically removed.
2:42PM:Eddie Cue is on stage now to demo Photo Stream.
2:43PM:He just took two photos on stage with an iPhone and as soon as he launched the photos app on his iPad, the photos wer already there.
2:43PM:Since only the last 1,000 photos are saved with Photo Stream, users can drag any photos they want to keep permanently into an album.
2:44PM:Last up... iTunes in the Cloud!!
2:45PM:This is what we've all been waiting for — music purchased in iTunes will automatically be synced to all devices.
2:46PM:Songs you've already purchased pre-iTunes in the Cloud can be downloaded on other devices for free.
2:46PM:For future purchases, once this feature is enabled, a song purchased on one device will be pushed to all devices.
2:47PM:Eddie Cue is back up to demo the service. Unless they throw us a curveball, it looks like music purchased outside of iTunes will not be supported by the service. We'll know for sure in a few minutes.
2:48PM:In the demo, it looks like they just snuck in a redesigned iPad music app.
2:49PM:The service is amazingly seamless. Buy a song on one device and it's available everywhere else immediately.
2:49PM:iTunes in the Cloud supports up to 10 devices.
2:50PM:WOW. Everything relating to iCloud, including iTunes in the cloud, is completely free!
2:52PM:Awesome — to set up iCloud, all you need to do is log in with your Apple ID. What's more, users get 5GB of free storage... and that doesn't include music/etc purchased through iTunes.
2:52PM:iTunes in the Cloud becomes available today for iOS 4.3 as a beta — the full release will launch with iOS 5 in the fall.
2:52PM:ONE MORE THING
2:53PM:iTunes in the Cloud is just for songs purchased from iTunes... but you might have music you got elsewhere.
2:54PM:These other songs can be synced to the cloud one time, and they will become available everywhere.
2:55PM:Rather than syncing, there is also an "iTiunes Match" application that will scan your library and match songs with versions available through iTunes. These songs will then become accessible just like iTunes purchases!
2:55PM:In addition, iTunes Match will upgrade all of those songs to 256 AAC.
2:56PM:iTunes Match service will be $24.99 per year.
2:56PM:That yearly fee will support up to 20,000 songs!
2:57PM:"If you don't think we're serious about this, you're wrong," Steve said. He's talking about the new data center in NC now.
2:58PM:"It's a pretty large place and it's full of expensive stuff."
2:58PM:This facility will manage all iCloud services.
2:58PM:It looks like that's it folks — thanks for tuning in!
Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein is the Executive Editor of BGR. He has 10 years of industry experience, first in marketing and business development with two private Telcos, then as a writer and editor covering business, technology and telecommunications.
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