That the WWDC 2013 Apple has told us about the company?

For more than a week has passed since the moment when the closed world conference for Apple developers in 2013 year. Kupertinovtsy introduced many products and will agree that they were able to not only meet our expectations, but largely surpass them. The new OS X, iOS, iWork for iCloud, Mac Pro, MacBook Air, iTunes Radio... All these innovations have caused a flurry of comments and emotions.

But time passes, and it's time for more valid conclusions, based not only on emotions, but on a sober analysis of what has happened within the walls of Moscone Center two weeks early. Introducing new products, each company not only tells about the changes and innovations that it has made, but also talks about his future, positioning itself for the market and consumers.

Which way is Apple now? What people are saying about the company its new products? On these and other questions in his big analytical article I tried to answer the famous apple resource Appleinsider.com. We offer translation of this interesting article for you in Russian. We wish you a pleasant reading!

The World Conference of Apple developers over and gave us an understanding of what the company does with the Macintosh, OS X, iOS and iCloud.

OS X ordered to live long

Apple has made it clear that the era of OS X will continue for a long time. Despite the fact that kupertinovtsy "left" with "cat" theme names of its desktop OSes, its essence has not changed dramatically.

Changing the names of OS X company emphasizes the geographical affiliation. The inscription «Designed by Apple in California 'has become something of a kind of household. Imagine how many interesting places in California that can "to call» OS X?

However, if you are not familiar with the great surfing spots near San Francisco, the name «OS X Mavericks» may be for you, and do not mean anything. Microsoft «Vista», Google Android «Honeycomb» - is also quite strange designation, to which today nobody cares.

But do not forget that only 3 years ago, most journalists do not have to like the name of the Apple Tablet PC - iPad. Now this brand is perceived positively around the world. You can still remember the story of the renaming of the PowerBook to MacBook, which is very much not like owners eplovskih laptops.

You can give many more examples, but is that renaming the product does not affect the reputation of the real and the real success is still determined by other things.

iCloud develops

It seems that over the past two years, Apple has understood what the main purpose of iCloud. It is to provide a wireless bundles of Mac desktop computers to mobile devices on iOS. However, iWorks for iCloud shows that the vision of Apple is somewhat broader than we previously thought.

With iWork for iCloud Apple delves into competition with its eternal rival: Microsoft and Google. In Cupertino have decided to face off with the help of the launch of its office suite "in the cloud", thus adding value to their platforms, OS X and iOS.

OS X and iOS are not combined into a single platform

Some analysts have long been advised to combine Apple OS X and iOS into a single platform, like before kupertinovtsy task with which Microsoft has faced in 90 years - transplanted users with older versions of the operating system (DOS, Windows 95) to the new (Windows NT). But mass migration did not occur until redmondovtsy not released Windows XP in the early 2000s.

Apple overcomes such obstacles much faster and better. Due to the aggressive policy, Apple succeeded in a relatively short time to force their users to switch from classic Mac OS on OS X. The apotheosis of this process can be considered "burial» OS 9, arranged at WWDC 2002.

Similarly, by kupertinovtsy "transplanted" its users with a PowerPC platform to Intel, through the mechanism of regular automatic updates, OS X and iOS. And the merging OS X and iOS as much sense as in the cross BMW cars with the Mini brand. It's just ridiculous.

Cleaning of giving names

It is also worth noting that now Apple marketing machine is not very strong and is working to users sitting in the current version of the OS, as is the case with Microsoft, which is trying actively to transplant their customers on Windows 7 8.

Apple does not need to change the value of the «X» in the «OS X» title to go with the market, which is carried away by the constant change of numbers and numbers. The end customer is not particularly interesting, because number change does not alter the essence of the product.

The fact that Apple does not change the name of its desktop OSes OS X suggests that the focus on kupertinovtsy fundamental changes in the platform, rather than on the "screaming", "tectonic svdigah" with the release of new version of its product. The Apple focused on the internal content, and not on the external manifestations.

Mac - luxury brand for Apple

Notice how Apple markets its Mac computers. Many swear that Apple has a small market share in operating systems. However, if we look at it more deeply, it becomes clear that Apple is not very much and need a mass market for their computers.

Look, from Apple, except the Mac mini computers are no more thousands of dollars cheaper. This is particularly evident when you look at the Windows-PC, an average price is about $ 500. Here it is clear that Apple controls the price segment above average.

If you think that PC makers are happy to have a price advantage over Apple in the notebook market, then think carefully again. Look at what they are trying to sell in recent years - ultrabook form factor which is required to MacBook Air. And they cost nearly as much, and MacBook. And here we are confronted with the fact that the market is not ready to accept PC-manufacturers of products such as premium-class.

Since 2009, Apple has captured 90% market share of computers, valued at $ 1000 and above. And with the fall of the PC market, this segment is currently the most preferred. Ask any realtor that he prefers to sell: luxury homes for the rich or cardboard boxes for the homeless? The answer is obvious.

High volume in the budget segment sales are not always compensate for the high price in the premium segment, because the percentage of the market in share (the so fond of boasting manufacturers Android-devices) is not always equal to the profits, which was appropriate company.

Fantastic Mac Pro

At WWDC 2013 Apple's, finally updated its Mac Pro computers for professional users. This product is difficult to attribute to the mass market. Rather, it is a representative of this luxury computer, which can be attributed, and released last year, the MacBook Pro with Retina-display.

It is these products are best reflect Apple's philosophy: to create the best products in its class.

Instead of creating a new luxury-brand, Apple simply creates a powerful Mac computer and adds its name to the only three letters - Pro. But these letters are much better than those same luxury-brands.

The concept of luxury on the tech market is different from the luxury, which we understand when we say. for example, about cars. Luxury cars can cost in the tens of times more expensive than their counterparts with similar characteristics, but belonging to a different class.

In fact, Macy's only slightly more expensive than PC-products of similar build quality and specifications. Apple just deliberately refused to "race for survival", in which the PC-software vendors are trying to reduce the final price due to the reduction in price of the individual components and accessories.

iOS helps sell millions of devices, billions of applications

Still, we should not forget that Apple - a commercial company who needs profit. Along with the Mac, Apple has another relatively new brand that is focused on the mass market thanks to affordable prices. At WWDC Apple deliberately shared Mac and iOS: device on the second platform is much cheaper than a thousand dollars, and now they come with a host of exciting new features.

"Multi-layer" moving, transparent and luminous, iOS 7 is designed to delight the mass market. iOS 7 is not intended for editing of feature films, organization of metadata in documents or work with across multiple displays.

The new design of iOS 7 is addressed to a broad segment of the market. It does this by focusing on applications. The new design of iOS 7 is designed to focus on the platform, applications, and user-generated content.

Ignore the application on other platforms

Some analysts, who do not understand the strategy of the platform from Apple, rushed to discuss the "overhaul" iOS 7 in an attempt to invent their way out of the "crisis." They are trying to criticize a new design based on the raw beta versions of the system, accusing Apple of the transfer of the so-called "Flat" design on its platform (though Apple has made no apparent effort to follow this trend).

See what kind of support has a major hi-tech-media-clones of Apple's products over the past decade. Just take a look at their "Editor's Choice" in recent years: a group of ordinary-looking gadgets that often suffered setbacks in the market.

Much of the success of Apple in the mobile field associated with the role, that Apple assigns applications on its platform. It defines, for the functionality of mobile devices to a greater extent depend on the applications that users install on them. This is not the iPod nano, which is buying, you will not be able to expand its functionality.

WWDC 2013 was aimed at to show the competitive advantages of Apple: application development ecosystem for customers and developers.

Google and Samsung would like to have at their disposal a development that would make exclusive applications for their platforms. This is similar to how the PC makers want to get customers for ultrabooks - MacBook Air clones. But in both cases, these attempts have not been successful competitors like Apple in the mobile market, as well as on compact computer market.

Application stores are not doing development platform

Apple criteria for the development of platforms set the bar so high that the company takes a product like Apple TV as a hobby, a hobby. At the same time, the market there are companies that sell about the same number of devices, which are perceived by the companies as the key (for example, Microsoft Surface RT).

Some observers were disappointed that Apple did not open the App Store application store for its Apple TV set-top box. But if it were that simple, and one discovery app store immediately made platform functional and attractive to consumers, Apple probably would have decided on such a move. But remember WebOS experience, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows mobile - they all had their own app stores, which, however, did not help them to make their platforms interested buyers.

Moreover, observers who compared a large number of devices that work with Google Play and its content and optimized applications for the iPhone and iPad from the App Store, do not see many details that have long been known to other markets.

Take, for example, a video game for consoles. Sony PS3, unlike the Xbox 360, almost did not have exclusive gaming fraynchayzov, however, users of Microsoft's console after a while began to tire of these very exclusive products. We would hardly all discussed both platforms offer roughly the same software features as Android with iOS. It is not only exclusive products.

New track for iOS 7

A lot has been said about the new design Apple's iOS 7. We saw a lot of witty comments and criticism, bordering on outright nonsense. To iOS 7 release, no one knew what in the world are so many professional designers, each of which is sure to know "how to".

The strangest idea that came from these people was the fact that Apple copied the idea and vision of design in Android. Specifically, in iOS there are moments that are reminiscent of Android. But how broadly and abstractly now used the phrase "like all other Android» says everything and nothing at the same time.

A significant part of the "Platform» Android (Android 2.x, starting in 2010) did not have any specific shape. Android devices often have a lot in common with Apple in terms of appearance and functionality due to the borrowing of WebKit - a project created by Apple and is now actively exploit Google.

Even Google's recent attempts to unify its UI in Android 4.x includes a light appearance, an alternative to dark colors and mixed colors. A single corporate identity is still there.

Google is doing some things monochrome, and other colorful. And everyone uses Android, is trying to change the user interface on your own, the benefit of Android allows you to do it.

It turns out that the concept of "pure Android-design" simply does not exist, due to the fact that the Android is not a clearly defined concept of design. The reality is that Apple does not really even care that some elements of the interface iOS 7 are similar to those in devices on Android, because they are not patentable.

In turn, the Google has created a special guide for Android-developers to get their apps on Android does not look the same as on other platforms. This guide demonstrates Google iOS screenshots.

In Google believe that the new iOS 7 violates their every design element, because in studying Android Apple to improve its own user interface. Just like Samsung, which was inspired by the iPhone and iOS, when you created your Samsung Galaxy smartphones and the interface shell TouchWiz.

iOS 7 and Android 4

New buttons and others in iOS 7 controls are radically different from what we used to see in iOS earlier versions. But they also do not look like «WinDroid 1990 edition», as many like to call the new iOS design. Take a look for yourself.

It is easy to see that Apple does not use Google tips for user interface development. This can be seen in the following examples:

On the other hand, if you look closely at their Google interface guideline, they are very similar to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, which were released in the distant 1980s. Of course, we do not consider the changes associated with the terminology and concepts that have occurred during this time.

This is similar to how Microsoft has used in the Windows interface of the Macintosh operating time. And in the same way as Microsoft, Google replaced a simple desktop with a single window on the desktop with two windows, one of which is placed a list of all installed programs, just like In Windows - Start> programs.

Android does the same thing with their applications and the home screen. Also, the Google added the so-called widgets - in fact, the application with reduced functionality. And Apple makes no effort to copy and use this in iOS.

Instead of adding new layers that are harder to confuse users, iOS 7 simply extends an existing home screen for a clearer presentation of the application. Double-click the Home button to see the gallery with running applications, icons and their snapshots, instead of the usual icons at the bottom of the screen.

This is similar to multi-tasking mechanism used in Android, but Apple did not pile up a lot of snapshots interface. Instead, they focused on easy and quick navigation between open applications, rather than piling up the maximum number of appov. And this approach seems to us the right Bole.

Despite the criticism of the converted icons of Apple's applications, they look good, because of their simplicity and use of color. Android icons, often seem borrowed from the desktops of the 1990s.

Another thing that does not change with the advent of iOS 7 - the device on the apple platform immediately become leaders of sales in emerging markets. But Apple has never been interested in a greater market share in the number of sales. Kupertinovtsy interested in profit from each individual device sold, rather than the total amount of units sold.

iOS 7 Exit carefully shook the development of the entire mobile OSes from Apple. Now, developers will have to seriously upgrade their applications to conform to the new design of iOS 7 and its functionality. This was stated in his article and Marco Arment.

The combination of features such as AirDrop, Control Center and Siri promise to make the implementation of utilitarian tasks, such as management parameters or file sharing, easier to understand for users, which should improve the iOS platform for developers applications.

A few more important things

Finally, at WWDC 2013 we saw several other strategic announcements. This new series of products that use Wi-Fi 802.ac technology and expansion of control devices for the Mac, iOS and Apple TV, support for gamepads, which It is to change the gaming industry, the tight integration of iOS with cars, as well as the continued expansion of iAd, Maps and the iBooks, which is often perceived as unsuccessful.

But if the same iAd was really a failure product, why Google is actively copies the advertising platform from Apple?

iTunes Radio also demonstrates the new possibilities for the use of iAd.

New Maps for Mac stunning

iBooks for Mac, too, is essential for the formation, which Apple has paid much attention. The emergence of iBooks on Mac will increase the capacity to create interactive books iBooks Author (with embedded interactive elements created in iAd).

If you think that iAd, Maps and interactive books iBooks Author is a failure, then how many of these same failures had kupertinovtsy rivals - Google and Microsoft? It turns out that their way is nearly all of the failures and falls.

Throughout 2013, we will see the final version of OS X Mavericks, IOS 7, iWorks for iCloud and the new Mac Pro. All of these new products will not let us get bored.

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And what do you think talking about the Apple held WWDC? How does the company following the departure of Steve Jobs? Is it possible to develop and demonstrate a new great products? We will be glad to hear your opinion in the comments.