Apple’s Phil Schiller tried to get some energy going with a sarcastic “Can’t innovate any more, my ass.” This was intended to lead into new and allegedly innovative features and technologies for Apple products, but which ended up looking more like a list of features copied from Google’s Android. The good news is that now iOS has many of the same features that Android does, but there is nothing really new there. Even the refreshes on the Macbook line are nothing “new” but just updates to existing products. Arguably their new Mac Pro is… different, but it does not redefine the desktop or workstation by any means. The shape is less than stellar for cooling and you lose functionality when you really think about it. The design also ties you to Apple and from the inside images it looks about as user upgradable as one of their laptops. If by redefining the workstation they mean making it impossible to work with and lower spec than most other workstations then they accomplished their mission. Now all of this is before we even talk about the goody trash can shape, which has been done before by Cray computer and others (including a real trash can computer).
Sorry to let you in on this Phil, but there were not much that could be considered innovative or original in the presentation that you gave. Facetime Audio, iWork iCloud, Notification Center (borrowed from Android), new camera tweaks iRadio, etc. All are simple updates to existing services or Apple’s attempts at someone else’s idea. Despite the multiple articles that are popping up like weeds claiming this or that feature was the real “sleeper” of the show the consumer will know what is, and what is not, a real feature. You know it as well which is why the show was did not have the same flavor that people are used to. We when wrote up our pre-WWDC analysis we expressed concern for Apple if they did not have a solid base of real “new” features and technologies and after the show we are going to reiterate this. Apple has to stop trying to push our incremental upgrades to their products and ether completely reinvent them or create something entirely new. Some might feel that the Mac Pro does this, but in reality all it does is turn Apple’s workstation into the same throwaway product that their laptops and all-in-ones are already.
The new automotive version of iOS is also a late comer, Microsoft has had Sync out for a long time and before that Futuremark was working on the displays in vehicles while nVidia has had Tegra SoCs in several cars. So there is nothing to see here folks, move on.
What makes this situation even worse is that Microsoft is working very hard to be just like Apple. Does this mean that we are looking at an exceptionally bleak outlook for the PC? If so that is a shame as we are hitting a point where we are seeing fantastic developments in hardware, but we are looking at two companies that are failing to being anything useful or new to the tablet on the OS front. We have always maintained that Linux would not be able to gain a serous foothold on the consumer market unless Microsoft and Apple both dropped the ball at the same time… right now we see Steve Ballmer and Tim Cook on the field and the ball is sitting on the ground right between them waiting for someone else to scoop it up I honestly have to say that I never thought I would see the day when this would happen.
With another lack luster WWDC behind we expect Apple stock holders will want to take a hard look at where the company has gone under Tim Cook’s leadership and who might be able to get the company back on track and going in the direction it was only a few months ago.
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