iPhone 4 And More: Cool Scenes From Apple's WWDC 2010
App Pupils
Apple is holding its Worldwide Developers Conference this week (June 7 -11, 2010) in San Francisco -- and from the very start it was clear that WWDC 2010 is about the iPhone operating system and App Store ecosystem. Mac OS developers? They’re certainly not persona non grata at WWDC, but they weren’t getting much attention from Apple, either.
Live From Moscone West
It’s a flurry of activity in the media section ahead of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ opening keynote on Monday at WWDC 2010, being held this week at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Prior to the doors opening, a line of more than 5,000 software developers and other Apple fans snaked around three-quarters of the downtown San Francisco block where Apple hosted WWDC 2010.
He's Also His Own Gaffer
Some media attendees turned up with their own film crews for Jobs’ WWDC 2010 keynote. Others had to make do on the fly, such as this fellow taping himself on a Flip video recorder attached to an extendable wand. Apple pulled out of the MacWorld Expo this year, meaning the Worldwide Developer Conference now plays host to the most high-profile keynote-slash-product introduction on Steve Jobs’ calendar.
Get Ready For Steve
As the strains of Louis Armstrong’s ’It’s a Wonderful World’ faded softly, the capacity crowd’s anticipation of Steve Jobs’ entrance grew ahead of Jobs’ opening WWDC 2010 keynote on Monday in San Francisco. Here, Apple’s familiar logo adorns the enormous backdrop that will soon flitter with images of iPhones, iPads and more.
They Also Sell iPads
Steve Jobs spends a few minutes delivering a refresher course on the iPad -- apparently Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple has sold quite a few of them -- before unveiling the real star of WWDC 2010, the company’s fourth-generation smartphone. The iPhone 4 will go on sale in the U.S. and a handful of other countries on June 24.
Consumer Culture
How successful has the iPad been in the scant few months since Apple released its sleek new tablet computer? Successful enough that the company had no trouble stringing together a video montage of happy iPad buyers emerging from various stores around the world with their new toys in hand.
Book Smart
After introducing the Apple iPhone 4, Steve Jobs tells the WWDC 2010 crowd about a brand new function of the device -- it’s now an e-reader like the iPad, with titles also available at Apple’s iBook Store. Apple’s three online shopping destinations, the App Store, iTunes and the iBook Store, collectively possess ’150 million accounts with credit cards ready to buy your apps,’ Jobs told developers at the event.
Frustrated Genius
Steve Jobs jokes with the crowd following the derailing of one of his iPhone 4 demos during the Apple CEO’s keynote at WWDC 2010. Apparently, more than 500 attendees were accessing the keynote hall’s WiFi network, slowing the Internet access on Jobs’ own iPhone 4 to a crawl.
Should Have Switched To Verizon
Seriously, though, the connectivity error during one of Steve Jobs’ demos on his iPhone 4 wasn’t AT&T’s fault. When the Apple support crew figured out that there were more than 500 WiFi base stations active in the keynote audience, Jobs’ pleaded with the crowd to switch off their wireless access so he could proceed with his presentation.
Annoy People From Anywhere
One of the new apps available on the iPhone 4? Zynga’s popular FarmVille virtual vegetable game. Facebook FarmVille fiends will no doubt be pleased, but judging by a few scattered groans, some in the audience seemed miffed that there weren’t any actual rotten tomatoes to throw at the WWDC 2010 stage.
Retina Review
Steve Jobs admires the improved, 960x640-pixel screen resolution on the iPhone 4, right, over the previous generation of Apple smartphones. The iPhone 4 has a 5-megapixel camera on the back that takes stills as well as 720p HD video, while its 3.5-inch, scratch-resistant glass display is the delivery vehicle for what Apple calls ’retina apps.’ With a screen delivering 326 pixels per inch, the iPhone 4’s image fidelity is now in tune with the human retina, according to Jobs.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Apple’s latest smartphone really does take nice pictures, and features a powerful movie editor for the first time on an iPhone. The company will sell two flavors of iPhone 4 -- a 16-GB device priced at $199 and a 32-GB edition priced at $299. Apple will begin taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4 on June 15 and buyers will have their choice of either a black or white version.
Vini Viddy Vici
A second, front-facing camera, a first for an iPhone, makes the new FaceTime video chatting application possible -- but only where WiFi is available. FaceTime doesn’t work with normal cellphone carrier signals, Steve Jobs said. Here, Apple showcases assorted uses cases for FaceTime in a video montage at WWDC 2010.
One More Thing
Now we know why Steve Jobs was so insistent that the WiFi work early on during a keynote that lasted the better part of two hours. The Apple CEO’s famous ’one more thing’ at WWDC 2010 was a live demonstration of FaceTime, which requires wireless connectivity to work.
Jobs Well Done
The crowd heads for lunch following Steve Jobs’ opening keynote at WWDC 2010 in San Francisco. How did Jobs do? ’I’ve never seen him have more fun at a keynote,’ said a happy Mike Romo, Symantec’s product manager for Norton for Mac products. ’I think having Google around put a little fire in his belly. I felt like he was saying, ’Yeah, there might be other people who have good technology but we have an emotional story as well.’’