Monday morning is not generally the highlight of my week, but I’m making an exception for this coming Monday as it brings with it the start of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), and with that the opening keynote. There's already been plenty of speculation over what Phil Schiller will unveil during the session... Being a developer conference, the content is likely going to revolve around the nuts and bolts of Apple software, so I expect we're probably looking at two potential focuses: Mac OS X Snow Leopard 3.0, and iPhone 3.0. I’m pretty excited about both, but being a gadget addict, I'd like to focus on the latter of the two.
Last year's keynote introduced the new SDK as well as the features for iPhone 2.0 firmware, including Microsoft Exchange support and improvements to Apple's App Store.
Hopefully this year the iPhone 3.0 feature set will be just as impressive, and as I said there are plenty of wish lists and rumors floating around. On that note, I talked to a few of my fellow iPhone fans and asked them for their honest opinion on what they wish to see featured in the iPhone 3.0 update:
"I would really like it to shoot lasers this time around. The iPhone has revolutionized the way many people interact with their cell phones, music, and most importantly the apps. It's time we had laser beams to improve that experience further. Also, Ghostbusters."
-Nick G., Apple user
Nick brings up a good point. On release, the Apps for the iPhone seemed to be an afterthought to the iPod, photo sharing and GPS mapping abilities of the iPhone. Now just look at how that changed as more and more people developed Apps. Fans become developers. The Apps are now a huge part of the iPhone experience, and largely thanks to the SDK and App Store updates, both of which have really let the developer community shine.
“I would really like to have the ability to etch-a-sketch with the iPhone, where I have the great ability to shake it so I can clear the screen! Then I can write on it some more, and shake-shake-shake it clean again! I LOVE SHAKING THIS THING!!!"
-Ariel Leroux, Seattle Designer Developer Interaction Group (D2ig)
It's true, while the touch screen is an integral part of the iPhone look and feel, the accelerometer isn't widely utilized in the day to day use of the iPhone, and is usually limited to gaming applications (which happened to be another highlight in last year's WWDC keynote).
"I'd enjoy having a virtual servant. That's basically what it comes down to. It would serve me tea in the morning while it reads my incoming e-mail and tells me how important I am."
-Rawee K., Parallels
This really reflects what a few people have been asking for with the push services proposed last year. The ability to keep data flowing, even while the iPhone itself isn't running a particular app. It applies to many applications where you have data being constantly sent from a server, most importantly e-mail. Somewhat technical stuff, I know, but trust me it's a useful part of the smartphone experience.
Personally, I’m looking forward to the ability to cut, copy and paste. For such a simple feature, it’s going to make a huge difference in my every day use. It’s annoying when you’re trying to post somewhere online and you can’t include a link or quote in your message. As a secondary request, some sort of pan-dimensional or time travel ability would be great, too.
Who thinks they know what Apple has up their sleeve? There's still time before Monday, so respond in the blog comments below, and tell us what you expect/hope will be in the keynote!
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