AppleInsider StaffJim Dalrymple at The Loop reported Monday that sources have informed him that the upcoming WWDC in June is a "software show," and "not a hardware event." This year, Apple reportedly plans to focus on iOS, which powers the iPhone and iPad, as well as the upcoming release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
Apple set the tone earlier Monday in announcing that WWDC would be held June 6 through June 10 at Moscone West in San Francisco, Calif. In its announcement, Apple said that this year's show would be used to "unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS."
A preview of the next version of iOS is typically shown to developers at a special event prior to the June WWCC show. But Apple's announcement would suggest that the company will instead give developers their first look at the anticipated iOS 5 in June.
Apple's statement that this year's WWDC will focus on software corroborates with what sources have told The Loop. That would mean Apple will break from its annual release cycle for new iPhone hardware. Likewise, new iPad and Mac hardware were also ruled out.
"It's important to remember that this is a developer conference, not a consumer show," Dalrymple wrote. "Apple will host developers from around the world to show them what's new in their mobile and Mac operating systems."
The news follows another rumor that Apple is working on a cloud-based update to iOS that will arrive this fall. The major update to iOS will allegedly add support for accessing music, photos, movies and other content from remote storage on the Internet.
William Gallagher
Andrew Orr
Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew O'Hara
Marko Zivkovic
75 Comments
I almost find this a little hard to believe. Apple, if anything, should release new devices a little faster than a year apart.
Apple will break from its annual release cycle for new iPhone hardware. Likewise, new iPad and Mac hardware were also ruled out.
Apple's hardware lines used to run different OSes, but Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 seem to represent a convergence as has never been seen. The closer Mac OS X and iOS come to becoming a single, unified OS, the less need there is, from an OS standpoint, to stagger the various hardware releases. This could be part of Apple's motivation for reworking its product release schedule.
Suddenly the verizon iPhone debut makes some more sense. Some were wondering why they should buy an iPhone 4 when a new one was just 4 months away. Ah, not 4 months away.
Also makes sense with the rumor about no iOS five till fall.
We've gotta remember that not every rumor is an employee spilling beans against company wishes. Rumors are a well-established way for a company to manage expectations.
I now definitely expect iPhone 5 with iOS 5 and not till late summer at earliest.
iOS 5 (Universal), Lion, iPhone 5, maybe ATV 3 all come out together. Lion w/in-built server software ties MMe cloud and cloud apps to iOS 5 on devices, of which iPhone 5 is the flagship.
I think I believe this now.
If true, it suggests that the next iPhone will either be released later than normal, or it will simply be an iPhone 4+, not an iPhone 5 (even if it's called a 5, it would have only marginal spec improvement). And if it's a 4+, what does that mean for when we'd see a "real" 5? They aren't going to do a spec increase in June/July and then release a whole new iPhone later in the year.
Perhaps they are waiting for further build-out of LTE so the next redesign can be an LTE phone? Maybe iOS 5 is going to take longer to deliver so they delay the accompanying new hardware (recall that at about the 4th or 5th iteration of Mac OS X they started lengthening the OS release timelines).