Hey, Apple: We want a new laptop. Our old one is starting to show its age. Between the gradual slowness, evolving needs and (admittedly) three and a half years of aggressive usage in coffee shops, on Amtrak rides, on MegaBus trips, and (really) anywhere with an open wi-fi connection, we’re ready. Three batteries, one RAM upgrade, one big dent to its unibody exterior and two power supplies later, we could see ourselves upgrading in a week or two. We imagine we’re not alone here — a lot of people are probably waiting for some crazy announcement at Monday’s WWDC. With that in mind, it seems that now’s a good time to recap what rumors are cropping up at the moment:
» What could developers see? With WWDC being a developer’s conference first, the software details offered to developers are also expected to be robust, with some suggestions that iCloud might open up for developers who wish to run apps on the platform, more details on Mountain Lion and a more details on iOS 6, which is rumored to include an upgraded map app. But you know what, considering that everything here is just a rumor, it’s entirely possible that Tim Cook could go out there and say, “You know what? We just rested on our laurels this year. We’re switching to Android.” Which, honestly, would be the biggest news of the day.
I’m sure that in the next 2-3 years we’ll see it all translated back to the desktop from the mobile devices. I’m sure it won’t be as cool as Growl, but it’ll be interesting.Growl creator Christopher Forsythe • Discussing the nature of desktop notification systems with The Verge. He was a bit off — OSX Mountain Lion’s recently-announced desktop notification system basically does what he said, and it’ll be out by the summer. Forsythe (in reacting to the news) noted that, unlike Apple’s new system, Growl still gives users a multitude of customization options. Is Growl, which has basically had the OSX notification market to itself for years, a goner? Do you use it and dig it? Would you keep using it? Personally, nothing against him, but Growl’s notifications are starting to wear a little thin for us. source (via • follow)
That was quick. After a stretched-out development cycle for the previous two versions of Max OSX, it looks like version 10.8 — Mountain Lion — will be ready to go later this summer. And it sounds like it continues the trend of 10.7 by bringing elements of iOS to the desktop, most notably the notifications panel (awesome for those annoyed by Growl), Twitter integration and a reboot of iChat as iMessage. Welcome changes all around. Are you looking forward to a new version of OSX?
The most striking thing about Apple’s unveiling of Mountain Lion today is how differently the company played it this time. There were absolutely no rumors; not even a peep. Apple announced Mountain Lion with no event, but embraced the tech press for this unveiling in a way I haven’t seen in a long time, including one on one demos.
Some sites got advance developer previews days before the announcement, from my former coworkers at Macworld to TechCrunch.
I have to admit, I’m a little surprised and delighted at how quickly the post-Jobs Apple is changing. Tim Cook’s been sending letters about Apple as a company and responding on the topic of working conditions at its suppliers. Now it’s flying under the rumor radar while still managing to give press early copies of major OS updates. Well done, Mr. Cook.
Perhaps it’s time to readjust our expectations of Apple.
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