Today's WWDC event certainly went off with a bang, and as well as a new Retina iMac, MacBooks, iOS 6 with all the expected trimmings, there was also a big surprise in the form of the next-generation MacBook Pro.
There has been a lot of chatter over the Internet for last few months about OS X Mountain Lion, Apple's latest OS for the Mac. Considering Apple is an ever evolving company, with consumers developing a growing admiration for their OS X and iOS operating systems, the company have opted for a new direction with Mountain Lion with an offering that shows the first signs of unity between desktop and mobile.
While Apple's annual event may be dubbed as Worldwide Developers Conference and will be mainly focused around development workshops for iOS and OS X developers, the company likes to cater to all tastes and always has a number of announcements and releases to keep all Apple loving tech fans happy. The yearly event is regarded so highly amongst Apple aficionados that the $1600 tickets regularly sell out in minutes, with attendees queuing outside the Moscone Center hours before the doors open for the keynote.
With iOS 6 having just been announced, the beta version of the upcoming firmware has now been seeded. And, as usual, this first released build of iOS 6 beta is only available to registered members of Apple's developer program, so if you're a non-developer hoping to catch a glimpse of the future, sadly, you're going to have to wait.
Having wowed the crowds with the introduction of the next-gen MacBook Pro, Apple's Craig Federighi began unveiling some brand-new features of the forthcoming iteration of OS X, known as Mountain Lion. As well as reiterating what's already been showcased in the Mountain Lion Preview, he also gave an in-depth look into some of the new apps and features Apple has been working on over the past few months, in anticipation for the release in July.
As anticipated, Apple has announced its very own, completely rethought Maps app to replace the long-serving Google offering, and as equally foreseen, it's got the hallmarks of a truly great new feature. The days of relying on a city's A-Z are long gone in this digital age, and although it has taken a few more years than Apple would perhaps have liked in order to develop, iOS Maps is now well and truly in the pipeline.
Apple always manages to come through with a surprise or two at WWDC, and this year is no exception. In a move that nobody foresaw, the Cupertino outfit has unveiled a brand-new, "Next Generation MacBook Pro."
Although talk of iOS 6 has been rampant in the run up to WWDC, the speculation regarding a refresh of the Mac range has been equally rife. There has been a lot of on-off reports regarding a Retina display MacBook Air, Pro and iMac, and Apple has today confirmed, and debunked most of the rumors and reports once and for all.
With WWDC just two days away, you could be forgiven for thinking the end of the world was nigh considering the non-stop coverage throughout the tech world. Despite no promise of an iPad or iPhone - the two main instigators of rampant Cupertino commentary, there's still plenty to look forward to, and with so much having been mentioned over the past few days/weeks/months, we take a more classified look at what we're expecting to see.
If ever confirmation was needed that iOS 6 will be showcased at this year's WWDC event - set to kick off on Monday - then one Instagram member has removed any lingering doubt. Brought to our attention by 9to5Mac, Zac Altman, member of the popular social image-sharing app recently acquired by Facebook, has upped a photo showing a new banner being readied over at the Moscone West convention center, confirming beyond dispute that the sixth iteration of Apple's mobile operating system will be a huge significant talking point from Monday.
