+iPad iPhone Life - USA (2019-Fall)

pple’s hardware announcements each fall get the
most fanfare, but its software announcements
each spring at the Worldwide Developers Con-
ference (WWDC) are arguably more important.
New hardware is meaningful for prospective
buyers; software affects almost everyone who owns an Apple
device, old or new. In addition, since WWDC always comes
before the fall iPhone event, it is a preview of Apple’s direction
for the year. Here are my top fi ve takeaways from this year’s
WWDC keynote.

Apple Lacks Clear Direction with iOS 13

With past operating systems, it’s typically

been easy to fi nd a theme that connected

the new features. With iOS 12, Apple focused

on bug fi xes and improving usability for old-

er devices. Perhaps the best example of a

themed software upgrade was with iOS 7. That year, Apple re-

designed virtually every element of Apple’s operating system,

moving away from skeuomorphism (where Notes mimicked a

legal notepad and the Calendar app looked like one you’d see

on the wall) in favor of a more modern interface.

With iOS 13, there was no such theme to be found. While

many of the new features will be useful (see page 12 for de-

tails), they were disconnected. Our Senior Web Editor Sarah

Kingsbury compared iOS 13 to a meal you put together with

leftovers in your fridge. Furthermore, all of the updates were

TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS

FROM WWDC

“SINCE WWDC ALWAYS

COMES BEFORE THE

FALL IPHONE EVENT, IT

IS A PREVIEW OF

APPLE’S DIRECTION

FOR THE YEAR.”

A

1

“WHILE DARK MODE’S

NEW COLOR PALETTE

MAY PROVE TO BE

POPULAR, IT’S HARDLY

A REVOLUTIONARY

FEATURE.”