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Now that the “SteveNote” from WWDC has been finished - lets see how I went with my predictions.

RIGHT

100% - 3G iPhone
100% - iPhone 2.0 software & App Store
95% - 3G iPhone to be triple or quad band
90% - GPS on 3G iPhone
75% - 3G iPhone in different colors
70% - OSX 10.6 announced
95% - OSX 10.6 called Snow Leopard
50% - .Mac refresh announcement
10% - iPhone Nano / Alternate models
0% - OSX 10.6 to have no new features

WRONG

75% - New MacBooks announced
65% - BluRay available
95% - .Mac Free (95% the basic service will be made free if its refreshed)
20% - MacBook Air 2.0
10% - iPhone gets plastic back
10% - MacBook Air Pro

DON’T KNOW YET

95% - Better camera on iPhone
65% - OSX 10.6 to be Intel Macs only

HOW DID WE GO?

10 right, 6 wrong (including a couple of long shots), 2 we don’t know yet.

Pretty happy with my guesses. I was pretty sure this was going to be the 3G iPhone 2.0 show with not a lot of room for other things like new Macs. Thought one of those I got wrong might have made a sexy “One More Thing” - but I guess Apple want the next 4 weeks of millions of dollars of free press to be all about the iPhone.

I like the changes to .Mac - now MobileMe. Pity the logo reminds me so much of Windows ME. Don’t think MobileME will ever really take off until it become a free service for all. $99 for a solo user with a iPhone is just a little too much. It rocks when you have multiple machines, but really it should just be free.

iTunes Music Store would never gotten to 80% market if people had to pay for it.

I kinda hate the plastic backs on the 3G iPhones. But as someone who has spent last few years with Motorola phones (with metal backs) and the crappy reception - it might not be such a bad thing.

No (RED)?

No 32Gig version?

Quick note on 10.6 Snow Leopard

I think the “low key” treatment of Snow Leopard was a good idea. The next 3 months are going to be a press frenzy on the 3G iPhone. The gestation of 10.5 Leopard from public announcement to release was way too long. But given 5000 developers are there for WWDC - your not going to call them back in a few months to show em 10.6. No doubt there will be a big Snow Leopard feature in January 09, when the software will be only a few months away from release.

No new features? Hardly. Improved enterprise support, new video with QuickTime X, no doubt the next generation of MobileME integration. Maybe nothing as shiny as Time Machine or Quick Look - but all important improvements nonetheless.

Roll on July 11.

Tags: Apple, OSX, Predictions, WWDC, iPhone by Michael Quinn
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Thought I would make a quick summary of my predictions for the WWDC 2008 - then tomorrow I’ll post my score card.

From Top to Bottom

100% - 3G iPhone
100% - iPhone 2.0 software & App Store

95% - Better camera on iPhone
95% - 3G iPhone to be triple or quad band

90% - GPS on 3G iPhone

75% - 3G iPhone in different colors
75% - New MacBooks announced

70% - OSX 10.6 announced
95% - OSX 10.6 called Snow Leopard

65% - OSX 10.6 to be Intel Macs only
65% - BluRay available

50% - .Mac refresh announcement
95% - .Mac Free (95% the basic service will be made free if its refreshed)

20% - MacBook Air 2.0

10% - iPhone Nano / Alternate models
10% - iPhone gets plastic back
10% - MacBook Air Pro

0% - OSX 10.6 to have no new features

Time to get some sleep and prepare the score cards for the morning.

Tags: Apple, Predictions, WWDC, iPhone by Michael Quinn
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Following on from my WWDC 2008 Predictions Part Three - .Mac Update, lets take a quick swing at the idea of new Macs. (gotta be quick - starts in 3 hours)

New Macs Announced - 75%

Even with the reported delays of the new Intel notebook chips by a few weeks, I still think Apple will announce a new forma factor MacBook tomorrow with the Aluminum casing. The world is going to be watching - might as well use that spotlight for something that looks so sexy.

BluRay - 65%

Should be made a BTO option for Mac Pro’s, maybe even iMacs and Mac Book Pros

MacBook Air Pro - 10% / MacBook Air 2.0 - 20%

What the hell. Everyone needs a dark horse to bet on.

The Air has been a huge success in many areas - but it is lacking a few features. I could see a small spec bump tomorrow, maybe an extra port or two.

The MacBook Air Pro - why not. An Air with decent graphics chip, firewire, gigabit net. If not now, then soon.

Tags: Apple, Hardware, Predictions, WWDC by Michael Quinn
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Following on from my WWDC 2008 Predictions Part Two - OSX 10.6 , lets look at the rumors around the refresh of the .Mac service.

.Mac refresh announcement - 50%

On the surface, any announcement about some trivial upgrade to the .Mac service would seem out of place at WWDC08. The rumors of a name change involving Apples recent acquisition of me.com - possibly point to something bigger to me.

Extending .Mac to Windows computers? Oh Yes Please! Even just for sharing Safari bookmarks.

Extending .Mac functionality to iPhones - seems obvious doesn’t it?

Making .Mac FREE and available to all Mac users in a “Beta” form (ala Bootcamp in Tiger) - this make more sense than anything to me regarding the “next step” for .Mac

(A “test” of .Mac for all could then form the basis for OSX 10.6)

FREE .Mac - 95%

Why make .Mac free? Sure it doesn’t have a huge take up with users - but I have seen figures somewhere it turns over $100 million in sales - a nice cherry on top for sure.

But make it free-for-all, and suddenly the opportunities for developers to create some really interesting “cloud based” stuff really opens up.

.Mac is the “cloud” that Apple has neglected for years. Let it go free and let developers and customers turn it into something awesome for Mac 2.0.

As for existing customers - like myself. Credit us @ the iTunes store and I’ll be happy. I’ll just be happy to see .Mac developed more.

Tags: Apple, Predictions, WWDC, iPhone by Michael Quinn
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Following on from my WWDC 2008 Predictions Part One - iPhone, lets look at the Mac OS - OSX.

OSX 10.6 Announced - 70%

Apple has updated OSX 10 on a regular basis since it was released. A fact they were pretty proud of - comparing 5 updates to OSX since the release of Windows XP. Give or take, it’s been about every 18 months between major updates.

Its now 8 months since the release of OSX 10.5 Leopard in October 2007.

Given they seem to like about 6 months of testing and build up for most releases - the time is kinda NOW to at least announce it. If not at the WWDC - then when? MacWorld 09 in another 6-7 months?

With the focus definitely on 3G iPhones and other possible announcements, 10.6 might be buried this week. But the timing shouldn’t be seen as “early” if they do. Perhaps 10.6 will have even more integration with the iPhone and other lifestyle / business options.

OSX 10.6 - No New Features? 0%

Would find it very hard to believe that OSX 10.6 would just be a “stability” upgrade. Sounds too much like a Service Pack 1 to me. Very Microsoft-ish.

It might not have the “300+ New Features” that 10.5 Leopard had, but it won’t be a glorified Point upgrade either.

OSX 10.6 Intel Macs Only - 65%

Apple have been switching to Intel based chips for over 2 years now. Sooner or later they will leave behind the old Power PC architecture. I’m not sure how long OS9 lasted once OSX was released - but it was 2-3 years.

If they DID support Power PC chips in 10.6, that would mean by the time it was released, and the life of the OS, they are likely to be supporting machines that are 5-6 years old at the end of it.

It seems a bit early - but long term I think its a great idea. Leopard is a great OSX to leave for older machines, but going forward I think intel only is the way to go.

Many programs are already specifying intel only machines.

10.6 Name - Snow Leopard - 90%

It’s as good as any.

Tags: Apple, OSX, Predictions, WWDC by Michael Quinn
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