7 ms·

> The WWDC, sacred nerd summit of Appledom, is where they announce things like a new “night mode” for the operating system and try to convince programmers that

by jack9 8y ago

> The WWDC, sacred nerd summit of Appledom, is where they announce things like a new “night mode” for the operating system and try to convince programmers that Apple Watch matters. Bloomberg got an honest laugh out of me.

senectus1 8y ago
they're not wrong.
- culturestate 8y ago
  They aren't right, either. I wasn't exactly wowed by the public-facing announcements (other than the Siri-related stuff) but there's some nice stuff in the side sessions...and the Apple Watch is somehow the hottest product in both wearable devices and watches at the moment.
  - sixothree 8y ago
    And are they not expected to make some product announcements at this conference?
    - culturestate 8y ago
      I guess it depends how you define "products," but if we're talking hardware then WWDC as a product announcement platform is a relatively recent phenomenon. It is a developers conference, after all.
      - sixothree 8y ago
        Right but there is always some announcement that is not developer related. In 2017 it was iMac Pro, HomePod. In 2016 it was Apple Watch Updates. In 2015 it was El Capitan.
saagarjha 8y ago
I don't see why this is relevant for this article, though…
- flafla2 8y ago
  The whole article is tongue-in-cheek. It's relevant mostly because it's funny and partially because it provides context. Also, later in the same paragraph: > For Microsoft to trot this out during WWDC is a real thunder-stealer. It’s nice to see global-platform capitalism played with a little verve.
- Volt 8y ago
  Because Apple and Microsoft are still at war. Or something.
CharlesW 8y ago
It is funny, but (for the benefit of those who haven't been to one) also a complete mischaracterization of WWDC. The keynote has always been "dumbed down" for press/analysts desperate for between-product-launch news, with most of the juicy stuff saved for in-depth developer technical sessions.
- dmitriid 8y ago
  And that's the problem. It's a World Wide Developer Conference. And then, in the keynote and later in news and announcements all they come up with is emoji and dark mode?
  - SllX 8y ago
    The Platform State of the Union is the real Keynote and the sessions are the meat of the conference.
Razengan 8y ago
Apple Watch is apparently the best selling watch (not just best selling smartwatch) in the world [0], with millions of users, and many copycats. Why shouldn’t it matter? Of course, there’s only so much you can do and make on such a small screen, and it is an accessory rather than a “primary” device, but that is another issue altogether, if one. I think it may even function as a motion control input for the rumored VR headset they’re planning. And is anyone seriously trying to pass off Dark Mode as a MINOR feature? It can be a significant productivity and wellness boost for many people who have to look at a screen all day. Microsoft has struggled for decades to achieve universal consistency across their OS even for a single system theme, and they still haven’t gotten it right, whereas Apple is already doing seamless switching of UI appearances across many apps (this is more than just changing the colors; I’m currently watching their WWDC session about it, and the amount of thought they’ve put into it and how easy they’ve made it to implement is impressive imo.) [0] http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-outsold-the-entire-swiss-watch-industry-in-2017-2018-2 http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-outsold-the-entire-swis...
- redial 8y ago
  It matters for Apple, for developers? not so much. Millions of users and not a single third party "killer" app.
  - Razengan 8y ago
    Which developer wants to miss out on serving potentially millions of users? What kind of “killer” app do you envision for a watch? Being able to check messages, calls, Uber, flights, etc. right on my wrist are all killer applications for me, along with the fitness features of course. I suspect the upcoming walkie-talkie will be fun too (something that should’ve been there from the start.)
    - chris_wot 8y ago
      I think you make your own point. There is no killer app, so why would developers care about millions of people with a watch they can’t do anything novel by a third party?

by jack9 8y ago

senectus1 8y ago

they're not wrong.

culturestate 8y ago
They aren't right, either. I wasn't exactly wowed by the public-facing announcements (other than the Siri-related stuff) but there's some nice stuff in the side sessions...and the Apple Watch is somehow the hottest product in both wearable devices and watches at the moment.
- sixothree 8y ago
  And are they not expected to make some product announcements at this conference?
  - culturestate 8y ago
    I guess it depends how you define "products," but if we're talking hardware then WWDC as a product announcement platform is a relatively recent phenomenon. It is a developers conference, after all.
    - sixothree 8y ago
      Right but there is always some announcement that is not developer related. In 2017 it was iMac Pro, HomePod. In 2016 it was Apple Watch Updates. In 2015 it was El Capitan.

saagarjha 8y ago

I don't see why this is relevant for this article, though…

flafla2 8y ago
The whole article is tongue-in-cheek. It's relevant mostly because it's funny and partially because it provides context. Also, later in the same paragraph: > For Microsoft to trot this out during WWDC is a real thunder-stealer. It’s nice to see global-platform capitalism played with a little verve.
Volt 8y ago
Because Apple and Microsoft are still at war. Or something.

CharlesW 8y ago

It is funny, but (for the benefit of those who haven't been to one) also a complete mischaracterization of WWDC. The keynote has always been "dumbed down" for press/analysts desperate for between-product-launch news, with most of the juicy stuff saved for in-depth developer technical sessions.

dmitriid 8y ago
And that's the problem. It's a World Wide Developer Conference. And then, in the keynote and later in news and announcements all they come up with is emoji and dark mode?
- SllX 8y ago
  The Platform State of the Union is the real Keynote and the sessions are the meat of the conference.

Razengan 8y ago

Apple Watch is apparently the best selling watch (not just best selling smartwatch) in the world [0], with millions of users, and many copycats. Why shouldn’t it matter? Of course, there’s only so much you can do and make on such a small screen, and it is an accessory rather than a “primary” device, but that is another issue altogether, if one. I think it may even function as a motion control input for the rumored VR headset they’re planning. And is anyone seriously trying to pass off Dark Mode as a MINOR feature? It can be a significant productivity and wellness boost for many people who have to look at a screen all day. Microsoft has struggled for decades to achieve universal consistency across their OS even for a single system theme, and they still haven’t gotten it right, whereas Apple is already doing seamless switching of UI appearances across many apps (this is more than just changing the colors; I’m currently watching their WWDC session about it, and the amount of thought they’ve put into it and how easy they’ve made it to implement is impressive imo.) [0] http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-outsold-the-entire-swiss-watch-industry-in-2017-2018-2 http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-outsold-the-entire-swis...

redial 8y ago
It matters for Apple, for developers? not so much. Millions of users and not a single third party "killer" app.
- Razengan 8y ago
  Which developer wants to miss out on serving potentially millions of users? What kind of “killer” app do you envision for a watch? Being able to check messages, calls, Uber, flights, etc. right on my wrist are all killer applications for me, along with the fitness features of course. I suspect the upcoming walkie-talkie will be fun too (something that should’ve been there from the start.)
  - chris_wot 8y ago
    I think you make your own point. There is no killer app, so why would developers care about millions of people with a watch they can’t do anything novel by a third party?