Apple's WWDC Keynote

It's that time of year again, when Apple talks software. While we're likely to learn more about iOS 8 and OS X 10.10, will we also get some new hardware? Will we learn more about Apple's plans for Beats? The keynote begins at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Last year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference brought us a complete redesign of Apple’s iOS software, a refresh of the OS X desktop software, and the reinvented Mac Pro desktop computer.

This year, rumors have been swirling non-stop, and many of them revolve around plans for iOS 8 as a platform for health and fitness. With companies such as Google and Samsung ramping up their efforts in these areas, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Apple unveil something along those lines.

Other rumors suggest that we could see Apple dive into home automation or bring iOS and OS X a little bit close together. There's even an outside chance Apple will unveil some new hardware.

Join Fast Company's editors and writers in New York, Chicago, and California on June 2 for ongoing, live coverage of WWDC. The keynote kicks off at 1 p.m. Eastern.

3rd & 7 37yd

No line for the ladies room here! #wwdc

by tiffanyarment via twitter 6/2/2014 3:38:06 PM
Any sort of hint at iOS/OS X unification, for instance.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:34:58 PM
Maybe they'll reveal that iCloud is finally useful.

by Adrian Covert 6/2/2014 4:35:55 PM
I hope to have some photos for you, but the connectivity is really wheezing here.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:36:12 PM
So we expect to see Healthbook--Apple's new wellness platform (which I assume will also announce partners like Nike and Jawbone, maybe?)--what are the odds that we'll see a home automation platform? I see arguments each way.

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:38:05 PM
Healthbook seems like a given. First hint of Apple's health plans.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:38:30 PM
Also possibly something relating to home automation.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:38:40 PM
We saw shades of how iOS can power connected devices with that demo of the Anki Drive toy cars last year, but I'm curious if they can get an entire industry on board with them.

by Adrian Covert 6/2/2014 4:39:02 PM
Google hasn't had much luck so far.

by Adrian Covert 6/2/2014 4:39:32 PM
What about Siri? We haven't heard from her in a long time. I feel like Apple may actually stay away from this space, now that Amazon does speech recognition with Fire TV, and Microsoft is leveraging it with Cortana on Windows phones.

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:40:47 PM
@MarkWilson: I don't think we'll see a smart home "platform" so much as another passbook style app -- like the rumored Healthbook -- that will connect with a few
third-party devices.

by Noah Robischon 6/2/2014 4:41:05 PM
Healthbook leaked screen for context.

by Mark Wilson via A.fastcompany.net 6/2/2014 4:44:31 PM
Apple's hesitance to jump into the contextual computing space and expand Siri's functionality is a bit confusing. You already wrote about how well that technology meshes with wearables (in theory), and it just seems like the next big thing for tech in general.

by Adrian Covert 6/2/2014 4:44:56 PM
I would assume some Siri updates. Overall, I think Google has a healthy lead on this concept with Google Now.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:45:04 PM
Basically, anything Mark Gurman reported for 9to5Mac is likely true.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:45:32 PM
Software is MUCH easier to keep secret than hardware--hardware requires partners, factories, etc. More opportunity for leaks.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:47:40 PM
But services and standalone apps have never been Apple's strength historically, so it will be curious to see if they can reverse that trend.

by Adrian Covert 6/2/2014 4:48:51 PM
Apple loves hardware, basically. Right. That's where they make all of their money. The software is an excuse to sell that hardware.

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:50:07 PM
Operating systems aside, the software is also rarely spectacular.

by Adrian Covert 6/2/2014 4:51:14 PM
Ouch, Adrian!

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:51:42 PM
The hardware makes money; the software provides a high percentage of the differentiation.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:52:24 PM
Apple made that official last year when it started making most of its consumer iOS and OS X apps free with the purchase of its hardware.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:53:27 PM
You know, that's what I think is so interesting about the Beats purchase. Everyone says it's for the software--for streaming music. But in reality, while that's probably a bit true, I think Apple will make their hardware business a lot more profitable than it's been. I think the hardware justifies the purchase of the software on the balance sheet.

by Mark Wilson edited by Anjali Mullany 6/2/2014 4:54:05 PM
Purely in terms of dollars and cents, selling headphones with the margin that Beats headphones have is an attractive proposition. Boring, but attractive.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:55:17 PM
What's the incentive for Apple to be first to market with a new hardware category? I don't see much. Wait for a competitor to get in and then learn from their mistakes. Apple's done that in the past.

by Noah Robischon 6/2/2014 4:55:55 PM
Did you see the recent report, Harry? The Beats margins were far lower than expected. The reason? Inefficiency in the supply chain. Apple can definitely bring efficiency into play.

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:56:17 PM
Yup. Beats by Apple is a better business than Beats by Dre.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:57:16 PM
Here's that report I alluded to for everyone not following our esoteric conversation!

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:58:53 PM
I think I've given up on photos: My Verizon connection is wheezing on a 69K low-res JPEG.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 4:58:56 PM
Word on the street: The truly big stuff did not leak.

by John Gruber via twitter 6/2/2014 4:59:28 PM
Are things quieting down yet over there, Harry?

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 4:59:49 PM
Everyone is sitting down, at least. Lights dimming....

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 5:00:24 PM
So weird all this transparent desktop stuff that Apple is showing off actually debuted in Windows Vista.

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 5:22:12 PM
Yosemite Spotlight uses Bing for Web search continuing the deGooglization of Apple products.

by Ross Rubin via twitter 6/2/2014 5:22:12 PM
Johnny Ive custom-crafted al-u-minium chili spoon gag.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 5:22:43 PM
by Harry McCracken via twitter 6/2/2014 5:23:29 PM
Craig just made an authentically great joke about Jony Ive's custom-made diamond-chamfered chili spoon.

by Farhad Manjoo via twitter 6/2/2014 5:23:31 PM
Craig Federighi is announcing "iCloud Drive."

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 5:24:53 PM
The joke was: You just have not had chili by the campfire until you've had it on one of Jony Ives' diamond-crusted 'al-u-minium' chamfered spoons.

by Noah Robischon 6/2/2014 5:25:20 PM
iCloud Drive is a new feature that looks just like Dropbox.

by Mark Wilson 6/2/2014 5:25:51 PM
He's rushing through this stuff so quickly there must be a LOT more to come.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 5:25:54 PM
iCloud Drive: "You can store your own files in any sort and organize them however you wish with folders and tags and they're synchronized automatically across your Macs," Federighi says. "What the heck? We're throwing in Windows too."

by Alice Truong 6/2/2014 5:26:20 PM
With iCloud Drive, Apple is going head-to-head with Dropbox, Box, and others. Cross-device syncing and it works with Windows. How much does it cost I wonder?

by Noah Robischon 6/2/2014 5:26:58 PM
iCloud sort of evolving into what a lot of people wanted it to be in the first place.

by Harry McCracken 6/2/2014 5:27:15 PM
New Mail features: A new feature called Mail Drop will allow users to send encrypted attachments up to 5 GB in size. Users will also be able to sign PDFs with their iSight cameras.

by Alice Truong 6/2/2014 5:27:53 PM

Apple's WWDC Keynote

It's that time of year again, when Apple talks software. While we're likely to learn more about iOS 8 and OS X 10.10, will we also get some new hardware? Will we learn more about Apple's plans for Beats? The keynote begins at 1 p.m. Eastern.

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