Any geek (or developer) with even a passing interest in Apple surely is aware that the Cupertino company hosted their annual developer’s conference this past week. And what a doozy it was, with massive, meaningful updates planned this fall in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, emphasizing continuity and cloud. There’s a lot to digest. But even given a limited, initial analysis, I’m pretty stoked. Here’s an early breakdown of two compelling Apple software initiatives:
iCloud, meet Photos: What’s changing for your images in iOS 8
Enable the library, and any photo or video you shoot or import will automatically upload to iCloud, where that content is stored at its full resolution and in its original format. All of those images will be viewable on any iOS device or on the Web; starting in early 2015, you’ll be able to upload and view photos from your Mac, too.
Here’s how Apple iOS 8 HomeKit works
With HomeKit, Apple isn’t looking to recreate the wheel: it’s aiming to balance it. Rather than coming out with a range of its own home automation components, Apple will instead make managing and controlling third-party devices more straightforward.
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"with massive, meaningful updates planned this fall in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, emphasizing continuity and cloud."
Personally, I'm really not a fan of being locked-in to the same company for hardware and services. Best practices have always been to keep 'em separated.
The tight integration is like crack cocaine. It's incredibly appealing at first, but inevitably leads to tears in the end.
So, the precise things that excite you make me increasingly scared to be a Cupertino customer.
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The one good thing that did seem to come out of WWDC was Apple's 180 degree turn from being at war with its developers, to trying to help its developers. (It was kinda like the famous yelling, jumping Ballmer clip of a decade ago, but without the yelling and jumping.)
Since I see the treatment of 3rd party developers as a useful proxy for the treatment of end-users, that tempers, to some degree at least, my overall reaction to what I regard as bad news on the 'continuity and cloud' front of WWDC.
(If they actually follow through with 3rd party developers, and if Apple can just get a single edition of OS X bug-fixed before they roll out the next half-baked edition, something they haven't done since Snow Leopard, I might actually start trusting them a smidgen.)
Yep, that's the tradeoff for increased convenience and acknowledge it'll be harder to untangle oneself should that time ever come. Also agree this seems to be a more supportive, less parochial Apple.
I'm just excited threy 're finally allowing 3rd-party keyboards.