Steve Jobs To Keynote WWDC iPhone Announcement

Stoobalou writes "Apple's worst-kept secret will be revealed on June 7. A press release from Apple HQ has made it almost certain that the company will announce the new iPhone 4G on June 7, in our opinion, at least. The missive from Cupertino simply states that Steve Jobs will kick off the Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 with a keynote address. The thing is, Apple's enigmatic frontman doesn't turn up to these geeky WWDC shindigs unless he has something to announce that will get the hyped-up gang of Apple fanboys and girls a-whoopin' and a-hollerin'."

Comments

Great. :(

[Anonymous Coward]

Now we'll get another two weeks of constant and blatantly stupid speculation about this announcement here at Slashdot and basically every other tech site.

Really, does it matter what he announces? It's going to end up being a locked-down piece of proprietary shit anyway.

Re:Great. :(

[rolfwind]

Yes, but it will be a shiny locked-down piece of proprietary shit, so people will still buy it :p

It mostly does what people want. Shiny is just a bonus.

Re:Great. :(

[jackspenn]

Exactly, until they don't.

Jobs is going to loose the smart phone wars just like he lost the PC wars. My phone has a better resolution, a better network, tethering app, cheaper data plan, better data service, supports Flash, can run multiple apps at the same time, works with Windows, Apple and Linux, backs up my data online, lets me put apps and icons on my home screen how I want, etc. etc. If Jobs wants to be a contender he will need to do the one thing he hates most ... give up control to users and outside developers. If he doesn't get on other cell providers this year, it is game, set, match.

Otherwise, if he keeps going the way he is, he will be left owning 2-6% of the smart phone market with his 2-6% being users obsessed with devices they believe to shiny beautiful and magical.

Re:Great. :(

[negRo_slim]

Yay! Good for you! You found a device that works great for you. The rest of the world also has devices that work for them and does what they want their phones to do.

For a large majority of people, that device is the iPhone.

I like how they are devices now.

Re:Great. :(

[0100010001010011]

Define loose[sic] the market. Mac has "lost" the PC wars, yet Apple remains very much in the black.

Apple sold 2.94 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The company also sold 8.75 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 131 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. iPod sales came in at 10.89 million units, representing a one percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

"We're thrilled to report our best non-holiday quarter ever, with revenues up 49 percent and profits up 90 percent," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We've launched our revolutionary new iPad and users are loving it, and we have several more extraordinary products in the pipeline for this year."

As of this year, they're in the Top 10 companies globally for Market Cap.

WHO CARES IF THEY AREN'T #1! Apple set out to make good devices and a good UI for people. They're profitable doing so.

Then again I guess Kia, BMW, Benz, Chrysler, Renault, and Fiat are loosing[sic] the Automotive Market because they're not Toyota (1), GM (2) or VW (3).

Re:Great. :(

[dingen]

Jobs is going to loose the smart phone wars just like he lost the PC wars.

Last time I checked, Apple has both larger revenues and larger profits than any other manufacterer of consumer desktop and laptop computers on the market. I'd be happy to "lose" like that too.

Re:Great. :(

[Enderandrew]

McDonalds didn't become #1 by making the best hamburger. McDonalds became #1 through marketing.

Apple has the best marketing. Don't count them out. And this is coming from a guy who owns precisely one Apple product, that I both love and hate.

Re:Great. :(

[Pojut]

So these guys are shipping more computers and making less money doing so, which makes Apple the loser? That's an interesting view on business.

Actually, if they are shipping more units and making less money, that means Apple is just ripping you off more than the other guys.

Have fun overpaying for your products! I'm glad you like getting reamed and boasting about it.

Re:Great. :(

[Eponymous Coward]

I like how they are devices now.

Me too. I look at my phone the same way as I look at my dishwasher or microwave. Yeah there may be a little computer running things behind the scene, but if the things are made well, the abstraction shouldn't leak that information.

Re:Great. :(

[oiron]

Yes, it would be rather difficult to run software that's no longer coupled to the hardware...

Re:Great. :(

[frnic]

And how many multi-billion dollar businesses have you built by following your advice?

Re:Great. :(

[MBGMorden]

Wrong. McDonalds became #1 by pushing cheap assed burgers well below the price of a decent burger.

When push comes to shove a much higher percentage of people are willing to get something that works, even if barely so, at a significant cost savings. Same reason why Wal-mart is the #1 retailer. I haven't seen a Wal-mart commercial in YEARS. Sometimes I doubt that they even have a real marketing department. They're #1 though, because while they sell junk, it's CHEAP junk.

The same applies to PC's. HP sells a metric ton of systems because their systems are cheap. Same with the other top few manufacturers. Together, they collectively stomp Apple pretty good.

Apple itself couldn't even survive without their draconian tying of hardware to their OS. When clones were licensed and they came with cheaper hardware even Apple's customers FLOCKED to the clone makers, nearly bankrupting Apple, because what most of them wanted was MacOS. Most couldn't care less what hardware the OS ran on. This is the reason why Jobs immediately terminated the clone licenses upon his return to the company.

Apple has basically just managed to create an OS so good that they can con you into paying 3x as much for a plain old computer with a "Can run MacOS!" flag set (and they've also convinced users to rejoice in the fact that they're overpaying for this hardware).

Sure, you can claim that "They're a hardware company.", but that's misleading. Let them drop MacOS (software) and sell their shiny machines with Windows and see just how fast that company tanks. They're a hardware company as much as a strip club is an alcohol vendor - it might be what they make money off of but people aren't paying $5 for a bottle of Bud Light because they just like the way you pour it.

Re:Great. :(

[Karlt1]

Jobs is going to loose the smart phone wars just like he lost the PC wars.

Well considering that Apple basically owns the high end of the computer market where the profits are and that the only aim of a corporation is to make money. I don't think Apple lost at all.

Also Apple is currently the most profitable cell phone manufacturer in the world, I don't think either they or their shareholders are crying right now. Yes, the iPhone generates more profits than every Nokia sold worldwide combined.

If he doesn't get on other cell providers this year, it is game, set, match.

Apple is on other cell providers. You know the world doesn't just consist of the U.S. don't you?

lets me put apps and icons on my home screen how I want,

But it doesn't let you put apps on a MicroSD card that you just bought. Even the new HTC 4G coming out has a paltry 384MBs to store apps in even if you do buy that $200 32GB MicroSD card.

Re:Great. :(

[Pojut]

Me personally, I don't want an iPhone because of my problems with Apples restrictions regarding development and your freedom to use your phone. In all honesty, an iPhone would likely provide a better experience than the phone I'm using now...but I don't care. The only way I can show Apple my dissatisfaction with their methods is by voting with my wallet, which is what I've done.

Re:Great. :(

[intheshelter]

Jeez, refuting you people gets tiresome at times. . . "Jobs is going to loose the smart phone wars just like he lost the PC wars." - You mean like he lost the MP3 player wars. . . .ooops, he won that one. How about how he lost the digital music store wars. . . . dang, Apple won that one too! . . . .Maybe it's time you woke up and realized it is not the 80's and the war you are using as your reference may not have much relevance in the market you are discussing? There have always been multiple manufacturers, multiple OS versions, multiple form factors in the cell market and I don't see that changing, nor do I see anyone owning it all. "My phone has a better . . ." - 5 words in and I can already see YOU JUST DON'T GET IT! The iPhone's popularity has nothing to do with point by point feature list comparisons. If you think that is a valid argument in this market then you obviously have no idea why the iPhone is popular to the average consumer. "If he doesn't get on other cell providers this year, it is game, set, match. " - Really? Care to put a firm timetable on your prediction? Maybe wager some money? Don't bet anything you're not prepared to lose. As one person on here has pointed out, I'm not too worried about the doom and gloom prognosticators, Apple has been about to die for 30+ years not and not only are they not dead, they are stronger than ever. "his 2-6% being users obsessed with devices they believe to shiny beautiful and magical." - I'm sure this ridiculous statement allows you to sleep at night, but the blatant truth is that is not reality. It goes back to my previous point, YOU DON'T GET IT. . . . Which is fine, you don't understand the market appeals of the iPhone then you aren't the target demographic, but in your attempt to explain away your own ignorance don't be a simplistic fool and something so ridiculously stupid.

Re:Great. :(

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

A 3% global market share is your idea of a "large majority"? (Score:5, Informative)"

Alrighty then, you guys can't cry "monopoly" any more.

Re:Great. :(

[dingen]

::shrug:: defend it however you want. The fact is, they are selling less numbers of the same hardware, but making more money. If you can't see that means they are charging more than their competition for the same hardware, I don't know what to tell you.

I don't think Apple is selling the same hardware as most other PC companies. For instance, Apple is selling a lot of all-in-one desktop computers, which isn't big in the PC-world at all. Also, Apple is selling laptops with very long battery life, without sacrificing on the looks, weight and performance too much. That's the sort of stuff people will pay premium for. And that's why Apple is making more money than the rest.

And besides, if it's the software that people like so much, why not just build a Hackintosh?

Because of the same reasons the year of the Linux desktop has never arrived.

Re:Great. :(

[yttrstein]

Yeah, it is what I want. I've been doing comp/net security for twenty years. I don't want to "fiddle" with things anymore. I just want them to work, and stay the hell out of my way when they do so.

It's awesome that you haven't hit the point in your life that I've hit in mine yet... the point where you're just tired of compiling kernels, writing wrappers and patches to make things work the way you want, etc... the point where you want your computational device to quietly cough up its functionality without wrestling it's user into an inescapable web-of-tweaks, but it would be more awesome if you tried very hard not to poo poo those of us who participated joyously on the front lines of GPL and other, better open source licenses, but who now really just want to see some tits and go have a sandwich.

Re:Great. :(

[gtall]

Not really, their software and its integration with hardware IS worth more than Windoze + box. I never met a Linux interface I liked.

Re:Great. :(

[BarryJacobsen]

So these guys are shipping more computers and making less money doing so, which makes Apple the loser? That's an interesting view on business.

Actually, if they are shipping more units and making less money, that means Apple is just ripping you off more than the other guys.

Have fun overpaying for your products! I'm glad you like getting reamed and boasting about it.

Or that the people buying apple products are buying more add-ons, which are more profitable...

Re:Great. :(

[debatem1]

I really don't understand the hate

The idea of being locked out of a platform that's pretty good but could be so much better is incredibly frustrating to people with the desire and capability to make it their idea of better. Slashdot has a high percentage of such people. Note that Slashdot is also poorly representative of the population in general.

Re:Great. :(

[bnenning]

I replaced my Ubuntu desktop and laptop with a Mac Mini 2 years ago

Mac OS X is a great OS because it both "just works" and lets you tinker when you want to. It's baffling to me that Apple has convinced so many people that they have to keep an iron grip in order to provide usability, when half of their product line is a counterexample.

Re:Great. :(

[medcalf]

For a marginal player, they are doing an exceptional job of both capturing outsized profits and driving every other company's cell phone designs and features. They have changed the assumptions about what a smartphone is and in the process they have dramatically grown that market, as people who used to use the inaptly-named "feature phones" started buying smartphones instead. They may not be large in total cell phone market share, but "marginal" is the wrong word to describe them.

Now let's hope that Android can push Apple and HP, and WebOS can push Google and Apple, and Apple can continue to push Google and HP. Competition is good, and we'll be better off if no one ends up with a majority share of the overall cell phone market.

Re:Great. :(

[cowscows]

Even with the general decrease in prices over the past couple of decades, for most people the price of a computer is still beyond the blind impulse buy range. People are not blindly throwing down $1000+, and they're not somehow being forced into buying Apple.

Everyone's used windows, they know there are PCs available for cheaper than the average mac, yet they're still paying the money and ending up happy about their purchase. There's nothing wrong with that. They aren't being taken advantage of, they aren't getting reamed. They're paying more money for a different product than you would, probably because they have different priorities than you.

I'm all for paying less for things in general, but there comes a certain point where quality costs money. Because people sometimes choose to pay for that quality doesn't mean they're getting ripped off.

Re:Great. :(

[microbee]

but who now really just want to see some tits and go have a sandwich.

What, has Jobs reversed his policy of 'do no porn'?

Re:Great. :(

[hawkeyeMI]

Funny, I recently switched back to Ubuntu (and Android/google web apps) from Mac stuff for largely the same reasons. It felt like OS X started being neglected once the iPhone became a big money-maker. Depends on your specific needs, I suppose. I'm still doing nixy things all day, so stuff just works better on a full-blown Linux machine. I switched workstations not too long ago, but before that I was running Linux on a Mac pro that formerly ran Leopard. Regardless, I don't see myself switching back to Windows any time soon.

Re:Great. :(

[Draek]

So do I, but that's why I got a regular, cheap phone instead. If you're buying a Smartphone then treating it as a mere appliance, well, I'm sorry but you're doing it wrong.

+1 Troll for Summary

[CaseM]

I share a lot in common with the many who criticize Apple, but even I can admit that the summary was a massive piece of trolling.

Re:+1 Troll for Summary

[MBGMorden]

Depends. I can respect that from a usability standpoint, it's an impressive device. I like the UI, and it works well. HOWEVER, from a simple political perspective, the iPhone is just WRONG. They way it's locked down is repulsive to many on a site that is heavily frequented by people involved in a movement (OSS) that stipulates that users should have absolute control over their systems.

It's akin to having almost everything you could want but living as a slave, versus living as a free man with much less. I'm willing to accept a slightly lower standard of living if it means maintaining my freedom to do and act as I wish. Most people here seem to have similar views.

Re:+1 Troll for Summary

[StoatBringer]

You're quite correct. Slavery is just the same as brand preference in mobile phones.

Shiney

[confused one]

RDF All hail Jobs! Bow before him now! Behold the miraculous wonder he has created now! /RDF

Apple running out of hype fuel?

[erroneus]

I think even people who once said I was being harsh on Apple are now coming around to seeing what a ridiculous and often impractical and restrictive company Apple actually is. In time, I think everyone will tire of it -- even the lay people.

Re:Apple running out of hype fuel?

[osgeek]

I don't know. They're selling a gazillion iPads, Apple's stock continues to move upward, and I believe that a recent /. story highlighted the fact that Apple is gaining grounds on the higher ranked cell phone providers.

Maybe the FOSS crowd is increasing in animosity toward Apple, but "the lay people" are clamoring for more as far as I can tell.

Re:Apple running out of hype fuel?

[pandrijeczko]

They're selling a gazillion iPads, Apple's stock continues to move upward, and I believe that a recent /. story highlighted the fact that Apple is gaining grounds on the higher ranked cell phone providers.

And there you have, in a nutshell, what separates "informed user" from "fanboi"... namely that an informed user looks at what they just purchased, enjoys using it and feels he/she has got good value for money. But only a fanboi is so ardently rabid that he/she wants their manufacturer of choice to wipe every other competitor off the map, like it actually changes a damned thing with the actual product.

Re:Apple running out of hype fuel?

[jimicus]

And on /. we have reverse fanbois (hatebois?), who don't look at what people are purchasing, don't consider that using it may be enjoyable and don't think anybody is getting good value for money.

These hatebois are so ardently rabid that they want the manufacturer of this product to be wiped off the map, without considering that possibly - just possibly - having competition in the market is a good thing.

Re:Apple running out of hype fuel?

[sznupi]

I see...so if a product does poorly on the market, you just call it a "hobby" and can boast an uninterrupted string of successes. I have to remember that...

Re:Apple running out of hype fuel?

[sznupi]

"Gaining grounds on the higher ranked cell phone providers" is a very generous way of saying what's happening. Nokia had 37% of a bit over 1.2 billion mobile phones sold in 2009, Samsung 21%, LG 11%, SE & Motorola both 5%; it won't change much in 2010 (Nokia, for one, actually gained a bit). And at this point a typical ranking ends. But by looking at numbers, Apple had...2%. Should have 3 this year, I guess.
Nokia itself sells annually an order of magnitude more mobile phones than the total number of iPhones ever sold.

Re:Apple running out of hype fuel?

[qortra]

having competition in the market is a good thing

Quite the contrary, we like competition here. What we don't like is anti-competitive behaviors, like those perpetrated by Apple recently.

These hatebois are so ardently rabid that they want the manufacturer of this product to be wiped off the map

Personally, what I'd like is for Apple to stop being stupid and fix some of the things that we (its users and developers) have been complaining about for a while now. I always prefer reform. However, if that fails to happen, extinction will do quite nicely. That is the path that all software companies who flagrantly ignore its users and developers should take, no exceptions (not even shiny, pretty ones).

who don't look at what people are purchasing, don't consider that using it may be enjoyable and don't think anybody is getting good value for money

Are you talking about iPhones or cheap cocaine? People are purchasing cocaine, and many of those people enjoy it for a brief time. But the experience of cocaine grows bitter after a time, and then it destroys lives. Overly dramatic? Yes - it is merely an illustration of the fact that people buying a product and enjoying it does not legitimatize it, especially not in the eyes of the people here.
Personally, I try to encourage people to choose more open options that will give them greater flexibility for the future.

Android already stole the thunder..

[Yahma]

I know I'll get modded down for this, but here goes...

Almost everything that Jobs will announce has already been revealed. Like the OP states, Apple fanboi's will likely hoop and hollar over anything Job's announces; however, its going to be hard for the average techie to get excited about some of the new "features" of the iphone, such as pseudo-multitasking, when the competitors such as Android and WebOS have had almost all of these features since day one.

Now with the recent release of Froyo (Android 2.2) at Google I/O, and the significant improvements brought with the upgrade, even pro-Apple sites such as Gizmodo feel that Android has Leapfrogged iPhone.

Re:Android already stole the thunder..

[pandrijeczko]

Don't get me wrong, I love Open and hate Closed...

I've never once bought an Apple product and have no intention of ever being Jobs' bitch...

I like Google and the stuff they do, even bought a HTC Hero phone that I'm chuffed to bits with...

But as usual, because I'm not in the USA, I've got to sit here and fucking wait with my fingers crossed in the hope that I'll see an Android 2.1 release for my phone this side of Armageddon...

Re:Android already stole the thunder..

[Aqualung812]

its going to be hard for the average techie to get excited about some of the new "features" of the iphone, such as pseudo-multitasking, when the competitors such as Android and WebOS have had almost all of these features since day one.

I'm very excited about "pseudo-multitasking" since it only gives the software developers what they need to do MOST of what is needed for multitasking. I love having the ability to customize my PC in a million different ways, run whatever software I want, etc. However, on my phone, I want it to work & be stable. I don't mind Apple being draconian on my phone.

As an aside, before my iPhone I had several Windows Mobile phones that also did multitasking before WebOS and Android or iPhone even existed. From what I've seen, I'll take Apple's version.

Re:something else to expect too

[jo_ham]

[citation needed]

Can you show me some examples of past "made up benchmarks" that make you expect them?

Lab benchmarks are pretty staple for the tech industry - they are not unique to Apple, and all are conducted with benching suites that often don't reflect real-world use. The same sort of people who take them as gospel are the same sorts of people who look at the benchmarks for the latest GPUs being tested at tomshardware.com.

All that negativity about the IPhone

[Petersko]

I really don't understand it. I caved and got one recently. I know I'm late to the party, but the company-negotiated data plan was just too good. I don't own a single piece of Apple equipment except for that phone, and I'm very happy with it. The only thing I find a bit annoying is the crappy video codec support.

I went from happy to thrilled at this announcement: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/teaser_20100506.php

Re:Troll mod? Come on mods.

[Dishevel]

YMBNH. This is /. Of course -1 Troll is a synonym for "I disagree"

Epic Non-News Item of the Year!

[Bradicus]

Really guys? This is a post about an announcement stating who will do the announcement of something we all already know about. Just because it's Apple related doesn't mean it's news. If it weren't from Apple, this wouldn't make headlines anywhere on the planet. Surely theres something else to talk about today??

Iron grip or soothing tentacles in every orifice?

[joh]

I replaced my Ubuntu desktop and laptop with a Mac Mini 2 years ago

Mac OS X is a great OS because it both "just works" and lets you tinker when you want to. It's baffling to me that Apple has convinced so many people that they have to keep an iron grip in order to provide usability, when half of their product line is a counterexample.

Well, for me the difference is that a fucking smartphone is something I do not want to invest even minutes in to tinker with. I surely wouldn't tolerate that kind of iron grip on a computer. But a phone is something that goes into my pocket and goes out again only to use it.

I have to say that a while ago I realized that I just can't handhold every bit on every digital device I'm using. So I opted to source parts of this out, so to say. Let others take care of that. Iron grip? Yeah, maybe. Better than me having to keep an iron grip on dozens of rather unimportant devices all the time.

And while I'm still not really sure where all of this will be going, I'm somewhat happy that Apple is trying it this way. Someone has to try it. Either it works or it does not work but we need to know if such an iron grip can help to manage such devices good enough to have a safe and secure environment without the users having to nurse the things along (which they wouldn't do anyway, not if we're talking about the mass-market).

And with Google and Apple you're between a rock and a hard place anyway. Android is much more open, yes. But then you (or at least the majority of users) will have Google inhaling all of your data day and night. Google will see what you search for and what you mail to whom and which maps you look at and what your calendar contains...

Apple may try to keep an iron grip on the soft- and hardware you're using, but Google inserts dozens of soothing tentacles into every orifice of your digital life.

Re:Whoop! Whoop! Holler! Holler!

[krakelohm]

Yea I hear ya how about those gas prices too... GM should be getting on Chevron about that, oh yea don't forget about the toaster I just bought, damn electricity bill is OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!