Apple : Updated: OS X 10.9: what we want to see from Apple's new Mac OS |
| Updated: OS X 10.9: what we want to see from Apple's new Mac OS Posted:  The previous major release of OS X, Mountain Lion, was largely a hit, boosting the system's feature set and security; however, it also mangled some iOS features into the mix that didn't work terribly well, such as iCloud documents, and a sub-standard full-screen mode. Still, that didn't stop OS X Mountain Lion enjoying strong sales. According to Apple, more than three million people downloaded the OS during its first four days on sale, and it's pretty much topped the Mac App Store charts ever since. OS X 10.9 release dateThe eighth major release of OS X, Lion, arrived only a year after its predecessor, and the same was true with Mountain Lion. The expectation was therefore that we would see a preview build of OS X 10.9 in February or March and then a shipping date of July 2013. However, pundit John Gruber claimed iOS 7 is "running behind" and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on that project. On that basis, it's reasonable to expect the revision of Apple's desktop OS to be previewed at WWDC 2013 over the coming days. Whenever that final release arrives (and whatever it's called — after all, there aren't many cats left for Apple to use), we're looking forward to its new features and changes, and hope they'll include at least some of the following… 1. iBooks and Newsstand for OS XOS X Mountain Lion was largely about bringing relevant features from iOS to the Mac, but Apple should go further. It's bizarre that both of Apple's major iOS apps for reading are not available on the Mac. With OS X 10.9, Apple should release both iBooks and Newsstand for OS X, enabling you to read your favourite books and magazines on any Apple device, rather than restricting them to the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
2. Siri for OS XAlthough Siri's not quite the revolutionary feature that was once promised, it nonetheless continues to improve. It's now finally useful outside of the USA, and once you've trained it to your voice, Siri can be used to rapidly speed up many tasks. OS X already has plenty of built-in accessibility clout, and a number of different playback voices, and so it seems like a no-brainer to integrate Siri into the system. 3. Maps for OS XWhen it first arrived on iOS, Apple Maps was rightly slammed, not least for its boneheaded assumptions when it came to directions. But the service continues to improve and is great for turn-by-turn. On the Mac, it would be less useful, but we'd nonetheless like to see it, not least for researching and planning routes and journeys that could subsequently (along with favourite places) seamlessly sync to your iOS devices via iCloud.
4. A more usable Contacts appPeople bang on about skeuomorphism in OS X, and also confuse it with texture-oriented graphic design, which isn't really the same thing. In many cases, these approaches also happen to be a matter of taste (Calendar's leather, for example), but in Contacts, Apple's created a usability disaster. Half-way house between digital book and app, Contacts is just a mess. We hope whatever Jonathan Ive brings to the OS X 10.9 party in terms of human interface leadership, it includes a firm emphasis on usability and not merely a hankering for minimalism. (More attention to detail regarding bugs would also be nice — Game Center remains an ugly, unusable, broken mess on OS X and needs some serious help.)
5. An enhanced FinderFinder remains a straightforward way to get at your files, and recent updates have improved inline previews. However, we'd still like to see changes. For power users, the addition of tabs would be great to cut down on clutter; and for everyone, an emphasis on speed and performance would be welcome. Spotlight could also do with a kick up the bottom speed-wise, which would improve Finder window searches, the standalone Spotlight menu and any app it's integrated into (such as Mail). 6. A broken-up iTunesOn iOS, iTunes is just a shop. Individual apps take care of other things: Music and Videos for media playback, App Store for buying apps, Podcasts for playing podcasts, and so on. The mess that is iTunes for OS X could benefit from a similar approach, although with the app also having to exist for Windows, we doubt this is a wish on our list that Apple will ever fulfil. 7. Better window managementWindow management on Mac OS and OS X has always been weak and Windows zoomed past with Aero Snap and related features. Third-party utilities exist on OS X for managing windows, but Apple appears hostile towards them. Really, it should enable you to more easily and rapidly place windows side-by-side and in other common layouts, rather than making you move/drag/move/drag like it's 1984.
8. Improved iCloud document managementApple's iCloud still seems very much like a work-in-progress, with the company feeling its way regarding what the system can do. In terms of document management, it's great for people working on their own and who produce relatively few files. For anyone else, it's problematic at best - OS X 10.9 really needs to improve filing, sharing and collaboration regarding this aspect of iCloud.
9. Interface improvementsIt's possible to argue all day about the direction in which Apple's interface should head, but two major widespread problems are apparent that really need fixing. First, Apple's infatuation with desaturation needs to end - people use colour to navigate and spot things, and that's now a problem in some apps (notably Finder and iPhoto sidebars). Secondly, the company must address scalability. What works on an iPad and just about works on a MacBook Air frequently looks ridiculous on an iMac, such as full-screen apps with acres of space, sickness-inducing animated transitions, and the Fisher-Price-style Launchpad. 10. More cross-device intelligenceOur final wish is that Apple's operating systems would be a little more intelligent when it comes to cross-device purchases. In some cases, Apple gets it right: buy a song and you can (optionally) have it sent to all your Apple kit; buy an app on your iPhone and it'll download in iTunes and be sent to your iPad. Great. But why can't we browse the Mac App Store (which, after all, is simply a web browser wrapper) on an iPad, buy an app and have it waiting on a Mac the next time we use it? It's almost like Apple doesn't really want us using a Mac any more, once we're comfy with an iPad… |
| Updated: WWDC 2013: what to expect from this year's event Posted:  The clue is in the title regarding what Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is all about. Like every year, though, it won't only be app developers keeping a beady eye on proceedings, because WWDC often provides insight into what's next from Apple. At WWDC 2011, Apple showed off OS X 10.7 and iOS 5, along with enthusing about iCloud. Last year was mostly about iOS 6 (including boasts about a certain mapping app that wasn't all it was cracked up to be), but also added hardware to the mix, with Phil Schiller talking up Apple's notebook range. (By contrast, the Mac Pro got a behind-the-scenes spec bump, and was pulled entirely from the EU this March.) WWDC 2013 sold out in under three minutes, yet all we officially know about the event is that Apple likes really colourful logos. But on examining previous events, donning our speculation hat and subduing our iUnicorn wishes, we've compiled a list of what we'll see at this year's WWDC, what we'd love to see and what we probably won't see as Apple execs take the stage on June 14. What we will see at WWDC 2013iOS 7 previewThe rumour mill reckons iOS 7 is getting a major visual overhaul, courtesy of Jony Ive, along with radical changes to Calendar and Mail. Ahead of the show, some fuzzy and generally suspect images of what is supposedly a handset running iOS 7 surfaced showing a fairly unchanged homescreen with only a couple of tweaked icons to write home about. What's definite is we'll see an iOS 7 preview of some sort, perhaps showing off revamped aesthetics, but definitely outlining some new and improved features; these could include a better Siri, more eyes-free car integration services, an improved lock screen or Notification Center, or even file-sharing via AirDrop. And we're all hoping the company will finally let us delete the Stocks app. OS X 10.9 previewMac pundits have claimed OS X 10.9 was held back to ensure iOS 7 ships on time. It's just as reasonable to imagine Apple's staggering its OS releases, and OS X 10.9 was always due later in 2013. Regardless, we'll be amazed if Apple's desktop OS doesn't make some kind of appearance at WWDC 2013. Again, we expect some form of preview, most likely showing off interface upgrades and more glued-on bits of iOS. Although rumours about iOS-style multitasking are baffling, we wouldn't say no to iBooks, Newsstand, Maps and Siri on OS X. And happily for us, reports have long surfaced suggesting that Maps and Siri are being tested for an OS X 10.9 debut.
What we'd love to see at WWDC 2013iLife '13 and iWork '13Apple no longer refers to collection names - iWork is Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and iLife is GarageBand, iPhoto and iMovie - but we put the numbers above for a reason. Check out the Mac App Store pages for the current versions of these apps and you'll see how neglected the OS X incarnations are; the ex-iLife apps still retain '11 branding, and Pages and Numbers still refer to '09. On iOS, these apps are regularly updated, and include features desktop users would kill for. We'd therefore like to see Apple give its OS X software a little love - or at least dust off the cobwebs - and WWDC 2013 would be the perfect opportunity to do so. An Apple TV SDKApple refers to the Apple TV as a hobby, but it's not even that for developers. The unit remains locked, with only Apple having the keys to new apps. For everyone else, squirting content across Wi-Fi from an iOS device is the only way on to the Apple TV. We'd like to see an SDK for the Apple TV, opening it up to a world of apps. At the very least, the Apple TV could do with more content channels, but in the hands of skilled devs and with enough great apps and games, it could become another must-have item from Apple rather than a hobby the company may soon tire of.
The 2013 Mac ProShortly after WWDC 2012, Tim Cook replied to a pro customer who'd emailed outlining his concern about the lack of a new Mac Pro: "Our Pro customers like you are really important to us. Although we didn't have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro [at WWDC], don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year." A new and radically rethought pro machine - extensible but not a giant like the old Mac Pro - would undoubtedly go down well at WWDC 2013. Happily for fans of the Mac Pro, Apple's Pro project manager Douglas Brooks let slip that "something really different" is on its way. Although such a thing being a niche (pro market) within a niche (desktops) within a niche (Macs) in Apple's books might scupper its chances, regardless of Cook's promises.
Retina iMac and Retina MacBook AirSooner or later, high-res displays will be the default. Apple tends to lead in such things rather than play catch-up, and its MacBook Pro line's currently transitioning towards Retina displays. If Apple's going to make a dev-oriented Mac-based hardware announcement at WWDC 2013 that doesn't involve the words 'new Mac Pro' and doesn't merely entail minor upgrades, Retina displays for the MacBook Air or even the iMac could become a reality. (On the latter, it's even possible that could be Apple's new vision for a 'pro' Mac, as much as that would irk certain professionals.) In early June, SKU-based hints were dropped that the MacBook Air would be getting the high-res Retina display at WWDC - unless it turns out to be another Retina-toting MacBook Pro. What we won't see at WWDC 2013A single merged Apple OSWhenever rumours appear about Apple welding another bit of iOS to OS X, pundits inevitably claim that, eventually, Apple will only have a single OS for desktop and mobile. But Apple cares more about user experience; it's not conceivable it'd shoe-horn a desktop OS on to iOS or force desktop users to work with something entirely designed for mobile and touch. Perhaps in a decade, the argument will be moot, Macs will be gone and everyone will have an iPad 10 glued to their face, but until then, OS X and iOS will remain separate. A new Apple television/the mythical iTVWe're sceptical an Apple television will happen. People rarely upgrade TVs (Apple likes people who regularly buy hardware), margins are razor-thin (Apple likes margins), and the industry's under pressure from the so-called second screen, a business in which Apple already does rather well (Apple likes this also). If an Apple television did appear, it'd almost certainly be iOS-based, and so any 'announcement' at WWDC 2013 could be sneaked in under the radar, as part of a general Apple TV SDK. The hardware could then be shown off at a separate event.
The iPhone 5S, iPad 5 and Retina iPad miniAlthough WWDC 2013 will undoubtedly provide us with insight into iOS 7, we doubt very much any new iOS hardware will be unveiled (although it might be possible to guess at new features, if software demos make them obvious). Our reasoning: despite gaining a certain amount of coverage in the press, WWDC remains a conference for developers, and a new iPad or iPhone would warrant its own show, where it didn't have to share the stage with anything else. Also, we might be tempting fate a bit here, by stating clearly that Apple definitely won't unveil a Retina iPad mini, because, man, we'd look so stupid if Apple unveiled a Retina iPad mini that we definitely don't want. Therefore, Apple absolutely won't unveil a Retina iPad mini at WWDC 2013. (Crosses fingers.) An Apple iWatchWearable tech! It's the latest thing, what with Google's sci-fi specs and smart watches people mostly don't care about! We think it's pretty unlikely an Apple watch will ever appear, but, again, like other iOS devices it would warrant its own special event. It's not going to show up as second billing to the next version of OS X, after an Apple exec's got all excited about something new and technical that iCloud's totally supposed to do (and, in the event, probably won't).
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