WWDC Keynote
So I watched the keynote this morning and, like many people, was underwhelmed.
Maybe I was expecting too much after Steve's amazing performance announcing the iPhone but there was just nothing to get really excited about. The best part was John Hodgman at the start. Steve's high point (which isn't saying much in this talk) was his faux announcement of all the different versions of Leopard.
Nothing new was revealed about Leopard that excited me. The interesting stuff for me is mostly hidden away at http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/technology/unix.html: Terminal 2 (with tabs), Python 2.5, Scripting Bridge support for Python, DTrace support (including for Python). Time Machine and iChat Theater are cool but we already knew all about them.
All evidence continues to suggest Spaces will be application-centric rather than window-centric. i.e. it's not clear to me you can have different Safari windows in different spaces. All the demos talk about having different apps in different spaces but not different windows from the same app. Hard to see how you could divide up activity areas without allowing more than one to have a browser. But maybe that's supported and I just haven't see it yet.
Regarding the "Web as iPhone SDK" announcement: I have no problem with that (and actually talked about it when the iPhone was first announced). It's actually my preferred way of developing applications for the iPhone. But I think Steve presented it the wrong way. It felt too much like "sorry, it's the best we could do under the circumstances".
Am I still looking forward to Leopard? Absolutely. Do I still plan to buy an iPhone at the end of this month? Of course.
I just don't think this was one of Steve's best.
Comments (3)
Roger on June 13, 2007:
re: spaces --- in the demo video, there's a moment where the move an application window from one space to another. I adore VirtueDesktops, but this Exposé-like aspect of arranging spaces looks amazing.
Gerd on June 14, 2007:
I completely agree with your assessment that it felt too much like "sorry, it's the best we could do under the circumstances".
But i think that it more was a “sorry, it’s the best we could announce under the circumstances”.
You can find my reasoning that Apple can do WAY better (and is prepared to do) at http://relations.ka2.de/?p=178
Last Modified: June 12, 2007
Author: James Tauber
Cactus Jack on June 12, 2007:
There's couple of fatal flaws in the iPhone third party app approach. For example, using ajax apps require working data connection. If you don't have wifi available where you are, the packet data connection will make your phone busy. If you want to make a call, the packet data connection must go.
On the other hand, what's that multi-touch display worth if you can't really use it? Or in other words, since when has javascript had support to multi-touch input? And the apps can't access any of the devices such as camera or anything you might want to use over the bluetooth.
Feels like being given a tricycle, and I've already driven cars for a decade.