Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off today at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco, with the event headlined by the traditional keynote address beginning at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time. At the keynote, Apple is expected to provide the first official look at OS X 10.10 and iOS 8, discuss initiatives in home automation, health, and iBeacon technology, and perhaps make additional announcements.
In addition to Apple's video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
Full Keynote Transcript Below in Reverse Chronological Order
With Apple's WWDC Keynote kicking off on today, some users are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until Apple posts the recorded video of the event so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with the link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events refrain from making any posts in the thread about the announcements.
Fortune has just released its annual "Fortune 500" list, which is a high-profile ranking of the largest companies in the United States ranked by revenue. This year, Apple has taken the #5 spot, up from #6 in last year's rankings and from #17 in 2012.
Apple’s net sales keep climbing, as the tech giant continues to sell more iPhones and digital content. But the company faces pressure in the smartphone business, as Android phones grow increasingly dominant. Meanwhile, Apple reported an annual drop in net income in fiscal year 2013, a first in more than a decade. Activist investor Carl Icahn last year disclosed a stake in Apple and subsequently pushed for the company to spend billions on share buybacks. In April, the company increased the amount of shares it is authorized to repurchase and raised its quarterly dividend by 8%, and in late May it announced it was acquiring Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 billion.
Wal-Mart once again beat out ExxonMobil for this year's #1 ranking, with Chevron and Berkshire Hathaway ranking ahead of Apple's $170.9 billion in revenue. Apple's profit of $37 billion dollars also ranked first among Fortune 500 companies despite falling 11.3% from last year.
Apple announced last week that it would be buying Beats Electronics and the Beats Music streaming service for a total of $3 billion, making it the largest acquisition in company history. Apple is also expected to launch a number of new products this year, including a larger iPhone, new Macs, new versions of OS X and iOS, and an "iWatch" smartwatch.
Ahead of today's keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the company has once again made its "Apple Events" channel available on the Apple TV, signaling that it will streaming live video of the event on the device.
Apple will also be streaming the event live on its website, as users will need Safari on Mac/iOS or QuickTime 7 on Windows in order to watch the stream.
New products likely to be revealed at the keynote include iOS 8, OS X 10.10, a home automation platform, and potential new hardware. Apple is also said to be unveiling more plans for its iBeacon technology.
Apple's keynote kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Tine, and MacRumors will also be providing a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.
The artwork seen on the banner for iOS 8 at WWDC 2014 has been discovered on stock photo site GreenBox Art, revealing where Apple sourced the image.
"Water Rays" artwork by Christopher Ross
Titled "Water Rays", the photo was taken by artist Christopher Ross, who is noted as being the principal photographer for National Geographic Channel's "Expedition Great White/ Shark Men" special and taking a particular interest in depicting marine life. The artwork itself is available to purchase for $139 on a 30x20 premium canvas.
The banner displaying the artwork
The banner utilizing the artwork was first seen last week inside of the Moscone Center, as Apple will reveal iOS 8 for the first time during its WWDC keynote later today. iOS 8 is expected to retain the same general look as iOS 7, offering refinements along with new features including a new "Healthbook" app, new TextEdit and Preview apps, and possible improvements to both Siri and Maps.
Apple will be live streaming the event both on its website and on the Apple TV. MacRumors will also be providing a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler-free page for those who want to watch the full keynote afterward.
Earlier today, a thread appeared on the Reddit Mac community claiming to share a set of four blurry photos of OS X 10.10. The poster, using a throwaway account, claimed to have taken the photos himself at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, but did not offer any further details on how he was able to gain access to a system running the next-generation operating system.
In researching the potential legitimacy of the images, we have been provided with some additional pieces of information that begin to paint a rather interesting picture pointing to an individual who may indeed have had such access. While we can't say for sure that these images are genuine, the evidence we have seen privately is enough for us to consider it a distinct possibility.
Assuming the photos are legitimate, they reveal a number of changes in both the look and feel of the operating system, as has been rumored for OS X 10.10. Among the biggest additions is a Control Center very similar to that seen on iOS. In this case, the translucent pane slides out from the left side of the screen and offers quick access to a number of features, including "About This Mac" and System Preferences at the very top, followed by what appear to be buttons for an Airplane Mode and the existing Do Not Disturb feature currently accessible through Notification Center.
[Photos removed at the request of the original poster]
Below those are buttons with drop down menu functionality for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth along with a screen brightness slider, followed by audio controls that include the ability to display album art. The next section includes a volume slider, as well as AirDrop and AirPlay buttons. At the very bottom of the pane is a set of four buttons that appear to be for system sleep, log out, restart, and shutdown.
A second photo shows Notification Center sliding in from the right side of the screen, appearing very similar to the "Today" view on Notification Center for iOS. The screenshot shows a large date at the top, a timeline Calendar view, a section for Weather information, and a Stocks section.
[Photos removed at the request of the original poster]
Two other photos show a bit of Safari, with a blank page resembling the iPad version of Apple's browser with large buttons for bookmarks and frequently visited sites. Toolbar buttons in Safari are somewhat flatter than on OS X Mavericks, while one of the photos shows what appears to be a floating systemwide search box with integrated Quick Look functionality.
[Photos removed at the request of the original poster]
Visible in all four photos is the Dock, which does away with the current "shelf" motif in favor of a translucent strip as on iOS. The vast majority of the app icons appear unchanged, with the most obvious exception being the Finder icon, which does away with the current background but keeps the iconic double face line drawing.
[Photos removed at the request of the original poster]
Based on dates shown in the images, the photos were taken on March 24. As a result, there may have been substantial changes since that time, perhaps including new icons for the various Mac apps as they have moved through the redesign process.
OS X 10.10 will be officially unveiled at the keynote for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off in less than twelve hours. A banner for the next-generation OS X is hanging in the lobby of the Moscone Center, and appears to show a Yosemite-themed image, perhaps revealing the name for the new operating system.
Apple is offering a live video stream of the keynote, and we'll have live text and photo updates here on MacRumors, as well as live Twitter updates on @MacRumorsLive.
Apple will unveil more plans for its iBeacon technology at the start of this week's WWDC 2014, reportsThe Wall Street Journal. In addition to new details about the technology, the company will promote iBeacon by placing transmitters throughout the Moscone Center while offering sessions for developers on how to better implement the technology into their apps and services.
It is not known what exactly Apple has in store for the technology, but it is possible that the company could announce a more prominent role for iBeacons in iOS 8, new partnerships with companies, and more. iBeacons could also see integration in Apple's highly rumored mobile payment service.
First introduced during last year's WWDC, iBeacons enable iOS devices to wirelessly communicate with physical beacons through Bluetooth, as the transmitters are able to deliver relevant information to apps and services when a user is physically nearby. Apple implemented a new iBeacon "Made for iPhone" specification in February, signaling a more significant role for the technology in its devices.
iBeacon technology has also been used by a number of companies in a variety of ways since the end of last year. Shopping app Shopkick and Macy's partnered to integrate the technology into stores to assist consumers, while Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have used the technology to provide enhanced live experiences.
Apple has also implemented iBeacons into its own retail locations to deliver messages about picking up online orders and store events, although early experiences with the technology were mixed. The technology has also been featured in the UK, where a cafe and London's Heathrow Airport have integration iBeacons to notify users of promotional deals.
In addition to new details about iBeacon at WWDC 2014, Apple is also expect to unveil iOS 8, OS X 10.10, a new home automation platform, and perhaps some new hardware.
Apple will be live streaming the event both on its website and on the Apple TV. MacRumors will also be providing a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.
The New York Times reports that Apple will be delving into two new areas on Monday -- connected health and the smart home.
At WWDC 2014, Apple is expected to introduce a new health tracking app that will track statistics for health and fitness. Author Brian Chen cites an anonymous source "briefed on the product"
The health app will initially pull data from third-party fitness and health-monitoring hardware, the person said, but it will most likely be able to connect with a smart watch that Apple is widely expected to release this year.
Apple has also been rumored to be announcing their efforts in the connected smart home. On this front, Chen reports that Apple may introduce "tool kits for developers" to make smart home integration easier for developers and consumers. This initiative was previously described as a "Made for iPhone"-like certification.
Both of these products have been rumored in the lead up to WWDC, but last minute rumors and reports frequently leak out in the hours and days before the keynote. Apple's WWDC Keynote kicks off tomorrow at 10am Pacific. We'll provide live coverage here at MacRumors.com.
Apple's WWDC Keynote kicks off tomorrow, and while we've posted about iOS 8 banners and OS X 10.10 banners, there are also covered banners on the upper floors of Moscone that we neglected to point out.
Appleinsider points out the existence of the covered banners, but only were able to get poor quality shots from afar.
In the two levels above, Apple has additional banners, but they're still covered up. While the floors aren't accessible to outsiders (or even registered attendees yet), is has been possible to catch a sneak peak in previous years by trespassing on the top floor of the Fifth and Mission parking garage, which is technically closed.
TheVerge, however, was able to get a peek of one in their WWDC photo gallery.
Covered banners aren't unusual at WWDC, and will show technologies and features that are introduced in the Monday keynote address. We already know Apple will be featuring iOS 8 and Mac OS X 10.10 at the show.
Apple is offering a live video stream of the Keynote on Monday. We'll have live text and photo updates here on MacRumors, as well as live Twitter updates at MacRumorsLive.
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Apple's 2014 WWDC kicks off tomorrow with a Keynote at 10am Pacific. Today, attendees are registering for the conference and receiving their usual WWDC badges and WWDC jackets, but Apple also included a $25 App Store gift card.
The gift card is in celebration of "25 years and coding", as noted by @HarrisonW1998:
Apple is offering a live video stream of the Keynote on Monday. We'll have live text and photo updates here on MacRumors, as well as live Twitter updates at MacRumorsLive.
As announced earlier this month, Katie Cotton, head of Apple's public relations department and an 18-year veteran at Apple, has left the company, reports Re/code.
Cotton is known for having been fiercely protective of Apple executives, particularly Steve Jobs, serving as gatekeeper for all media access and shepherding executives through their formal and informal meetings with the press.
Given Apple's penchant for secrecy, Cotton has long been tasked with keeping a tight rein on the company's PR operations, managing Apple's image and contributing to the company's presentations.
But, despite what many of her detractors have written since the news of her departure came, I was never “scared” of her, any more than I fear any of the other hard-charging PR and communications execs I have encountered over the many years I have covered tech.
Was she aggressive? Sure. (So is Facebook’s Elliot Schrage.)
Did she sometimes ice our reporters out, ignore calls or reply with newsless answers? Sometimes. (Please meet Yahoo PR for much of my time covering it over the last 20 years, especially under the current administration, which does not return any of my calls.)
Did she try her hardest to showcase Apple and its products in a way that benefited it? Yep. (Paging Andreessen Horowitz’s Margit Wennmachers!)
Was she vocal when she did not like something we did? And how. (So are Microsoft’s Frank Shaw and Google’s Rachel Whetstone, both of whom can throw a decent uppercut at me when they are not happy with something we have written.)
So what? That kind of hard driving is part and parcel to the business, even if she was harder driving and, because of that, more successful than most. As she once told me when we talked about her outsize reputation in the tech press: “I am not here to make friends with reporters, I am here to put a light on and sell Apple products.”
Swisher goes on to note that many negative comments made about Cotton might not have been made about a man in such a powerful position, saying that reporters who "did not get any PR love" from the company should "grow up."
Apple is continuing to decorate the Moscone Center ahead of its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, and following the addition of outside banners and the first iOS 8 banner, the inaugural OS X 10.10 banner has just appeared, with a photo courtesy of The Verge.
Click to view larger
The mountainous background of the banner suggests OS X 10.10 will be receiving a land-related name to complement the water-based name given to OS X 10.9, possibly Yosemite or El Cap, as the image appears to feature the national park's El Capitan rock formation. We detailed some of the names Apple has apparently filed for trademarks on back in April.
Some trademarked land-themed names include Yosemite, Redwood, Mammoth, California, Diablo, Miramar, El Cap, Redtail, Condor, Grizzly, Tiburon, Skyline, Shasta, and Sierra. Newly discovered trademarked names also include Mojave, Sonoma, Ventura, and Sequoia.
Because OS X Mavericks only introduced minor visual changes, OS X 10.10 is expected to feature a more drastic redesign, adopting a "flatter" look and taking on some iOS 7-style design elements. While little is known about the operating system at this point, we will get our first glimpse of the operating system on Monday June 2 at 10 AM Pacific Time, when Apple kicks off the Worldwide Developers Conference with its keynote presentation.
Apple will be live streaming the event both on the web and on the Apple TV. MacRumors will also provide a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.
One of the major new features expected in iOS 8 is "Healthbook", a system for keeping track of and providing at-a-glance access to various types of health and fitness information. The system would be ideal for interfacing with Apple's rumored iWatch with built-in biometric sensors, but even before that device's introduction would also be useful for collecting data from sensors within the iPhone and third-party health accessories.
MacRumors has now discovered several trademark applications related to the Healthbook name, and while information on the applications available online does not directly link them to Apple, circumstantial evidence suggests that they are indeed Apple's filings. The filings were made earlier this year in Trinidad and Tobago, one of Apple's favored early trademark filing locations.
First is a pair of filings protecting Healthbook itself and a two-word variation of Health Book. Rumors and a leaked screenshot have indicated that Apple has been planning to use the one-word variation, but it is understandable that Apple would want to protect both versions. The applications were filed on February 3 of this year, just days after the name was publicly revealed.
Supporting the notion that these are Apple filings is the fact that two different trademark applications for "Apple CarPlay" were filed on the same day, roughly a month before iOS in the Car was publicly announced as having been renamed CarPlay.
Just one day later, another series of trademark applications were filed for several other terms, including HealthKit, iResearch, and iReasearch. Again, while these can not be directly linked to Apple, the timing and other circumstantial evidence suggests that these are in fact Apple's applications.
It is not entirely clear what these terms are intended to describe, although HealthKit could be a set of developer tools for Healthbook integration in much the same way Apple has named other kits such as UIKit and GameKit. The focus of iResearch is even less clear, and iReasearch could simply be a typo that was quickly corrected with another filing.
All of the new health- and research-related trademark applications are filed under four international classes: 9 (computer software), 10 (medical apparatus), 14 (jewelry and watches), and 42 (computer hardware and software development services).
With the shift from OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion to OS X 10.9, Apple opted to switch from naming its desktop operating system updates after big cats to naming them after distinct California landmarks or "places that inspire us," as Craig Federighi explained during the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Mavericks, a popular surf spot, was the company's first choice, and as we approach the initial preview of OS X 10.10, there's a lot of speculation about which landmark Apple will choose next. Back in April, several possible naming choices were discovered in the form of trademarks that Apple applied for on California-related terms including Yosemite, Redwood, and Mammoth.
An OS X 10.10 mockup image
MacRumors has now discovered an additional set of names that appear to be linked to Apple, which trademarks were filed for on March 11, 2014 in Trinidad and Tobago, a favorite early filing spot for the company. The terms, all of which could be slated for future OS X releases, include OS X Sequoia, OS X Mojave, OS X Sonoma, and OS X Ventura, as well as the individual names Sequoia, Mojave, Sonoma, and Ventura.
While Sonoma and Ventura are major California cities known for vineyards and beaches, respectively, Mojave refers to the state's Mojave Desert while Sequoia likely refers to the Sequoia National Park famous for its giant sequoia trees. All of the names represent well-known California landmarks and are suitable for Apple's new OS X naming scheme.
At this point, the full list of known trademarks Apple has registered for includes Yosemite, Redwood, Mammoth, California, Big Sur, Pacific, Diablo, Miramar, Rincon, El Cap, Redtail, Condor, Grizzly, Farallon, Tiburon, Monterey, Skyline, Shasta, Sierra, Mojave, Sequoia, Ventura, and Sonoma.
It is unknown which name Apple is leaning towards for OS X 10.10, but an iOS 8 banner currently hanging at the Moscone Center ahead of WWDC featured an underwater theme, which may hint at the company's OS X plans.
Along with the trademarks for several OS X terms it filed for on March 11, Apple also appears to have applied for trademarks on the terms "Apple Watch" and "Watch," continuing its long trademarking spree of iWatch-related terms, which included several new filings under shell company Brightflash back in April.
OS X 10.10's official name will be unveiled this coming Monday, during the keynote presentation of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. The event will take place at 10 AM Pacific Time.
The 21.5" 2.7GHz current generation iMac is seeing a $149 discount at Adorama and Best Buy. The iMac, however, is near the end of its refresh cycle and while we probably won't see the new low-cost iMac debuted at WWDC, it does seem imminent. So, we recommend you wait on buying any new iMacs.
The 13" Retina MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD, however, is seeing a $199 discount at both Amazon and B&H Photo, bringing the price from $1799 to $1599.99. That's the lowest price we've seen. The buy recommendation for the Retina MacBook Pro is more complicated.
The Retina MacBook Pros were last updated in October 2013, according to our Buyer's Guide and receives a "Caution" rating. Current MacBook Pro rumors place the next update in between Q3 and Q4, so approximately 4 months from now. That is enough time that if you are on the market specifically for the 13" Retina MacBook Pro, a $199 discount may be enough to pull the trigger.
B&H Photo and Adorama only charge sales tax in NY and NY/NJ, respectively.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
Apple is beginning to decorate the inside of the Moscone Center ahead of WWDC, adding banners for OS X 10.10 and iOS 8. A photo of the iOS 8 banner has been supplied by BusinessInsider's Jay Yarow, depicting a simple "8" on what appears to be a watery background.
Apple's iOS 8 is expected to retain the same general look as iOS 7, offering polish along with several new features including a health-aggregating "Healthbook" app, new TextEdit and Preview apps, and possible improvements to both Siri and Maps.
We will get our first glimpse of iOS 8 on Monday during Apple's WWDC keynote, which kicks off at 10 AM Pacific Time. Apple will be live streaming the event and MacRumors will also provide a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.
Update 11:38 AM PT:MacStories has provided another image of the banner, which can be seen below:
Apple has plans to add both targeted local advertisements and broadcast radio stations to its iTunes Radio music service in the coming months, according to a report from The Information. The move will boost its advertising efforts and introduce new content on iTunes Radio, better positioning it to compete with market leader Pandora. Apple is also expected to begin advertising its own iTunes content through the iAd network.
In a move that strikes at the heart of Pandora's advertising business, iTunes Radio is expected to enable locally targeted advertising later this year, according to ad buyers who have spoken to Apple. Apple may begin promoting iTunes with "house ads" on its iAd mobile advertising network, an unusual move for the company.
Apple has reportedly contacted broadcasters like Cumulus Media, the second largest operator of radio stations in America. Cumulus serves approximately 150 million listeners in 110 metropolitan areas and could potentially bring multiple local stations to iTunes Radio. Apple made its first moves towards introducing local content on iTunes Radio earlier this year with the launch of the National Public Radio (NPR) channel, which will eventually include local stations offering a mix of live and taped news.
Since the launch of iTunes Radio, Apple has had a renewed focus on advertising, redirecting its iAd team to monetize iTunes Radio through advertising sales. While the company has signed deals on a national level with several high profile companies like McDonald's, Nissan, Pepsi, and Procter & Gamble, local ads are new territory.
The addition of local ads could significantly boost the revenue iTunes Radio pulls in, which is a major threat to Pandora. Pandora currently focuses heavily on local ads with sales teams located in more than 35 markets around the United States.
In April, Apple moved towards expanding into Pandora's local advertising territory by making it easier to create and buy iAds on its network. While a developer account was previously required to create an ad campaign, that restriction has now been removed, making it simpler for advertisers large and small to create ads for the platform.
Apple's efforts to bolster its iTunes Radio revenue through local content come as the company works to acquire Beats Music, a paid streaming music service that delivers content on demand. With both iTunes Radio and Beats Music, Apple is hoping to boost its overall music sales, which have waned in recent years.
Walter Isaacson, known to the Apple community for his authorized Steve Jobs biography, believes the Apple co-founder would have approved of Apple's acquisition of Beats. Isaacson shared his thoughts on the Beats deal during a CNBC interview earlier today (via Fortune).
Isaacson points to the close relationship between Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, both of whom shared a similar appreciation for music.
Isaacson argues that Jobs and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine and Jobs had bonded over their shared love of music, and that Jobs would have been interested in adding Iovine's "cool" factor to the company. "I think Jimmy is the greatest talent spotter now in the music and content business, so it feels like part of the DNA of Apple."
Before the acquisition was announced, Isaacson speculated that Iovine was Apple's real target, bringing the veteran producer on board to head up the Cupertino company's content business. Isaacson said Iovine could "help Apple launch the TV product that analysts have been gossiping about for years," by using his influence in the media business to negotiate content deals. During an interview at the Code Conference earlier this week, however, Iovine noted that he has enough on his plate with music and has no plans to become involved in television negotiations.
Iovine has a long history with Apple, helping Steve Jobs sign deals with music labels in the early days of iTunes and working with Apple and U2 on a special edition iPod. Before the launch of Beats Music, he also pitched the idea of a streaming music service to Apple, but neither Steve Jobs nor Tim Cook was interested at the time.
Upon completion of the acquisition, Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple while the Beats team will work under the guidance of Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
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