'Twas The Night Before WWDC19

Two years ago Apple released iOS 11 and it was a damn mess. So they spent last year’s WWDC getting everybody’s trust back with a huge focus on stability and performance. iOS 12 cleaned up all the problems iOS 11 caused, so much so that it even supported the iPhone 5s. Which doesn’t sound too impressive until you realize the 5s came out in 2013. Most developers/consumers didn’t bat an eye at Apple focusing on stability - hell, many encouraged it - but I remember thinking: “This is great… but that means next year they gotta come out swinging.” So here we are on the eve of the most interesting WWDC in my lifetime… Apple is facing criticism from competing companies on their anticompetitive nature, their rivals are pushing further into the future with AI updates that are trumping Siri, their own iPads are held back by a software that was made for phones, and their iPhones have slowed in sales so they’ve shifted into more services; such as Apple Music, TV, News, and Arcade…

Apple Inc. has a lot to prove this year.

iOS 13 is going dark

We’ve gotten a lot of info on WWDC19 but not many images. A few leaks here and there have shown us what some apps will look like but overall there’s still a lot up in the air as far as what our eyes have seen (as of the moment I’m writing this at least). But one of the things we know for sure thanks to those images and leaks is that iOS 13 is finally going to have a dark mode. A text from your boyfriend won’t burn your eyes out when you open iMessage in the middle of the night. Aside from dark mode (which I can’t overstate how great that is), Apple seems to be continuing it’s focus on Health and Wellness, with a plethora of updates to it’s health app such as hearing health and menstrual cycle tracking, new features to screen time, and a system wide sleep mode (yay!). But don’t think Apple is gonna reintroduce a bunch of bugs to your phone; it’s rumored they’re still focusing on stability and performance this year. I don’t think anybody want’s a repeat of iOS 11. Especially not Apple. Along with that renewed focus on stability, we’re also going to get a renewed focus on some of our homegrown apps that are due for some lovin’. Mail and Reminders are going to get themselves a makeover, and boy do they need it. I can’t tell you the amount of different email apps I’ve had to download over the past year because I just couldn’t take the native mail app anymore. And when I’m downloading third party apps, you know there’s a problem.

Marzipan: a sweet, yellowish paste of ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites, often colored and used to make small cakes or confections or as an icing for larger cakes.

There, now you know what the hell a Marzipan is. Cause I sure didn’t.

Last year Apple released macOS Mojave and with Mojave, macOS was done playing hard to get with iOS and they went out on a few dates… not every date went as expected: Apple News on Mac is pretty crappy. But now, iOS and macOS are engaged and iPad apps will be migrating over to your Mac whether you like it or not. And honestly? I’m excited. Sure, like many others, I’m a little scared I’m going to lose some pro functionality and I don’t think the transition is going to be smooth. But there’s only one way for Apple to correctly blend Macs and iPhones. It’s not making the Mac a touch screen device, it’s not keeping iTunes and the new Music app on your dock, it’s by taking a risk at migrating some apps while outright replacing others… and if those apps suck. They gotta fix them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The death of iTunes is a perfect symbol of the Marzipan movement. And how it’s handled will be a reflection of how Marzipan will be taken. iTunes has become a bloated mess of an app and using Apple Music in it is akin to using Apple Music in a web browser. If it’s replaced with a watered down version that removes usability and features that Mac users have taken advantage of, then the developers will riot. If, however, it’s replaced with multiple apps, each with in depth functionality and low on memory, then we have ourselves a clear example of a Marzipan win. We focus on the Mac with Marzipan (and rightly so), but we forget that iPad apps on the Mac will make those iPad apps better and in turn make the iPad better and dare I say, more “Pro”.

Speaking of iPads

We make fun of Apple pushing the iPad as a computer replacement, but the fact is that may well be a good idea. The problem is that the iPad is hampered by it’s own file system and software capabilities. So many of us that have truly tried to use the iPad for heavy duty stuff, end up opening our MacBook lid to finish the project. Because it’s easier to drag and drop and organize stuff there… oh and we have a mouse. So this year it’s rumored a lot of that is going to finally be addressed and the iPad will start to stand on its own two legs. We’ll get a better multitasking feature, refreshed file system, and some home screen adjustments. The iPad Pro is a beast of a machine… but right now it feels like driving a Ferrari in a residential neighborhood. Yeah you’ve got a lot under the hood, but you can’t go more than 30mph.

Independence, thy name is Apple Watch

The Apple Watch got cellular last year. This year Apple intends to make use of that independence. It’s rumored to get a native voice memo app and books app, as well as its own App Store (this one I’m iffy on). While MacOS and iOS get hitched, watchOS is breaking free of it’s commitments and enjoying that single life… Problem is; it’s still pretty attached. I’m willing to bet those that buy the cellular editions of Apple Watches are in the minority - let alone those that actually make use of the feature - and it still needs an iPhone for many things. As much as I’m looking forward to the new watch updates, I’m not sure I’ll actually be making much use of them so long as I’ve got an iPhone in my pocket. And I always have an iPhone in my pocket.

Surprises? To be sure

We’ve gotten some info, yes. But I think there’s still a lot to look forward to for this year’s WWDC. Or I’m at least hopeful there’s still a lot to look forward to. I need Apple Music to get better and make my Spotify friends jealous, I need Siri to compete with Google, and I DESPERATELY need to be able to justify getting a HomePod. Oh yeah… and a sneak peak into the new Mac Pro