As the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) grows nearer, news about the Apple TV service may disappoint some fans of the corporation. It now seems extremely unlikely that we will see either Apple TV or Apple’s remote Internet TV service launched during Monday’s WWDC keynote.
According to a report in at the New York Times, there will be no new Apple TV hardware on display at the San Franciso confab. According to the popular publication, Apple did indeed intend to release a set-top box at the annual developers conference, and this was still very much in place as recently as a couple of weeks ago. However, Apple has apparently encountered both technical and contractual issues which have prevented this plan.
Apple TV hits problems
Firstly, Apple has apparently decided internally that the product is not yet of the quality required for the mainstream marketplace and thus scrapped its unveiling. This will be considered a great shame by many Apple fans, as it is reputed that the new Apple TV comes complete with an improved remote control. This would enable Apple developers to create applications that can be displayed on a television screen for the first time. Unfortunately, Apple has seemingly decided against giving this product the green light.
Additionally, contractual issues have been a problem for Apple with the Apple TV service for sometime. Apple has had difficulty in forging requisite deals with content providers, and the delays in this department have apparently impacted on the unveiling of Apple TV. Reports indicate as well that Apple’s Internet TV service is also some distance from completion. Apple is still in negotiations over price and technology issues, and these certainly will not be resolved within the next couple of days, not even to the degree to which teasing the service is a possibility.
Another challenge for the Apple TV service is related to Apple’s intention to include live, local broadcast networks on a nationwide scale once the product is released. This has caused further technical and technological problems, and has resulted in Apple instead intending to offer the Apple TV service sometime later this year, or possibly early in 2016. However, considering the complexities and issues which the company has already encountered in this department, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see this estimated time of arrival pushed back further still.
No iPhone 7 for WWDC
In other news that will be considered rather less surprising, Apple will apparently not unveil the iPhone 7 at the Worldwide Developers Conference event. The flagship Apple smartphone was never really expected to be part of this conference, but a few murmurings had suggested that it could put in an appearance. With just a couple of days to go until the conference takes place, this suggestion is now absolutely dead in the water.
So what can we expect from Apple at the Worldwide Developers Conference? Clearly the focus at this event nowadays is much more on software and services than hardware. Once upon a time, it was the case that Appl would unveil hardware at these events, but the consumer electronics giant is clearly now much keener on emphasizing the developer aspect of its business at WWDC.
iOS 9
In accordance with this impression, it now seems a certainty that Apple will unveil its latest mobile operating system, iOS 9, at this San Francisco event. There have been a few suggestions in the last couple of weeks that Apple might delay the release of iOS 9, which certainly would have been a big surprise, but this now appears to be baseless gossip.
Rumors related to iOS 9 have not been as rife as has been the case with previous releases of Apple’s flagship mobile operating system, and Apple will seemingly be placing a big emphasis on debugging the OS this time round. This should result in a slicker and more stable operating system and user experience when iOS 9 is released.
But several new features have also been linked with this software. Apple is expected to make significant changes to its Maps application, and is intending to seriously challenge the dominant Google Maps. New transit directions are particularly being rumored; a feature that has been requested by many users of the software for quite some time.
A Home application is also expected to make its debut at the WWDC this year, enabling users of Apple devices to set up new smart home products and group them according to location.
Apple’s personal assistant Siri is also expected to be significantly upgraded, possibly in line with the existing Apple Watch version of the software. There are also persistent suggestions that Apple will introduce split-screen multitasking to iOS 9 in order to accommodate a future iPad Pro. It is notable that this is something that Google has brought to its Android tablets with the forthcoming Android M release.
OS X
Apple may also announce a new version of its desktop OS X operating system, although there has been a curious lack of information emanating from the usual sources on this subject. This could mean that the latest update of this operating system is pretty minimal, or that Apple has big plans for its entire desktop range in the longer-term future. Certainly a Retina version of its 21.5-inch iMac model has been floated by many people.
Other WWDC News
Aside from its major operating systems, Apple is also expected to launch its Beats music offering at the WWDC conference. This has been an enduring assumption, and it now appears that Apple is ready to launch a service that will compete with existing music streaming offerings such as Spotify and Deezer.
Many Apple servers also expect the corporation to announce news related to the Apple Watch at the Worldwide Developers Conference. This is expected to have a particular focus on developing apps for the embryonic Apple smartwatch, with the intention of making it easier to develop a wide range of diverse software applications.
Although there will be no new hardware announced that this year’s WWDC event, there should still be enough interesting information and announcements in order to make the event an unmissable one for Apple fans all over the world.
