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The dark side of the WWDC 2019 keynote
It's easy to be distracted by all the shiny new stuff. But peel that away and what we actually got at WWDC 2019 keynote was mostly irrelevant and niche stuff.
It's very easy to get carried away watching Apple's WWDC keynote. There's a lot of glitz and glamour, heart-tugging video clips, music, cheering, and clapping. And there's lots and lots and lots of shiny new stuff clawing for attention.
WWDC 201
But if we step away from the intoxicating buzz, and dial the hype down a few notches from eleven, what did we actually get at the WWDC keynote this year?
Must read: WWDC 2019: The new Mac Pro
Here's what we got:
- A bunch of free operating systems, of which iOS is really the only one that's really relevant, and most people will upgrade to in order to get their hands on new emojis
- iOS split like an amoeba into iOS 13 and iPadOS, yet iPadOS is a tablet operating system that still doesn't understand what a mouse is (correction, there does seem to be mouse support, but buried in the midst of the AssistiveTouch feature)
- We got a ridiculously expensive Mac that most people can't afford and don't need
- We got a preposterously expensive display that most people can't afford and don't need
- The preposterously expensive display doesn't come with a stand
- The stand for the display is an optional extra, which is itself eye-wateringly expensive
- We got a lot of hype and noise about AR tech, but the interest in that is lukewarm at best
The new Mac Pro: Detailed tech specs
Do you think that the WWDC keynote is not too focused on hype and pushing new products, or do you think that it still has value for both Apple developers and customers? Let me know!