Events

Tim Cook began the WWDC 2014 keynote promising “the mother of all releases for developers” and “the biggest release since the launch of the App Store.” He was not exaggerating. In a 30 minute span, Apple knocked nearly every item off the community’s list of wishes and complaints. As I said on the Debug podcast last week, it’s as big a Monday as I can remember for developers. And I can remember quite a few.

Releases like this don’t come often, because the decisions and effort behind them aren’t applied lightly. The massive technical and political change required and subsequently generated by things like extensibility, third-party keyboards, and a new programming language, bears massive risk both inside and outside of Apple. That risk — to security, to battery life, to a consistent experience that customers know and trust — was constantly evaluated when I fought for SDK enhancements as a Technology Evangelist inside Apple. And more often than not, it was decided either that the risks were too high, or that there wasn’t enough time to solve the problem while sufficiently containing those risks.

Apple caught up with itself this year. As with the first iPhone OS and SDK, the consumer experience (iOS 7) took priority, and developers had their day a year later. Apple has decided that moving iOS forward is as much in developers’ hands as it is in Apple’s. Consider that all this is happening at a time when Apple has more money and is hiring more engineers than ever. If anything, Apple is more suited to shut the doors and go it alone. But that’s not what’s happening.

And it seems to be coming from a place of confidence rather than concession. It wasn’t just the announcements themselves, or the energy behind them. It was the energy from first-time attendees who made up 70% of the crowd. It was the energy from employees when I spoke to them in the conference halls and after hours. It was Craig Federighi sitting on the floor during sessions and taking pictures with everybody who lined up. It was the easing of the conference and pre-release NDA. Apple seems just as excited as developers about this new era. And yet despite this shift, true to old form, nearly everything remained secret until showtime.

This was my first WWDC since 2011. That keynote was Steve Jobs’ last, and it lacked the excitement needed to counter his visible lack of energy. Responses to the events since (and perhaps even a few prior events) paled in comparison to the response we saw last week from press and developers alike. Apple has needed time to cope not just with losing Steve, but with the idea that Apple wouldn’t be his company anymore.

That process began some time before October 5, 2011. It ended on June 2, 2014. Josh Topolsky kind of said it, Ben Thompson kind of said it, so let’s just say it:

This wouldn’t have happened under Steve Jobs.

The “Continuity” suite of features says more to me than anything else announced last week, naturally blurring the line between Mac and iPhone and iPad while still accepting each product for what it is. Recent updates to OS X seemed intent on forcing iOS down the Mac’s throat. Last week, for what felt like the first time ever, the two were on equal footing: an Apple device is an Apple device is an Apple device. This shot of creativity, connectivity, integration, and inclusion points to drastic change from within. When I wrote “Regime Change” in 2012, nearly everyone assumed the title referred to the fall of Scott Forstall. It in fact referred to the rise of Tim Cook.

What we saw at WWDC 2014 was built by thousands of people. The leadership at the top empowered those people to not only proceed, but to succeed. The attitude behind WWDC 2014 was one of increased openness and increased confidence — an attitude that managed to depart from the worst of the past while staying true to the best. Apple is undeniably the new company it deserves to be, and Tim Cook’s stewardship is on full display. I’m as excited for the future we haven’t yet seen as I am for the one we were just shown in San Francisco.

WWDC has always been unique for having dual identities: developer conference and consumer event. Attendees seek technical knowledge that’s not applicable to most people, while the keynote announcements draw interest from millions around the world. Other developer events such as GDC do have consumer impact, but don’t enjoy nearly as much coverage in the mainstream media.

This year, however, Google I/O rose to that level, with announcements of both new and upgraded consumer products drawing strong publicity. Its keynote rhetoric also highlighted the intensity of the now full-blown rivalry between Apple and Google. As expected, Apple fired back in the WWDC keynote last Monday, with varying degrees of subtlety.

It’s important to note that Apple does not frequently acknowledge competing products when discussing its own; the keynotes and special events typically promote the strengths of the product alone. A significant amount of last Monday’s keynote content was, by contrast, clearly influenced by competitive pressure.

The breakdown of mobile market share was predictable and direct. The financials were there, as always, to show developers that iPhone is a platform worth investing in. But the third party demos were telling. Apple often chooses these demos carefully to showcase specific new Apple hardware or software features. Not so this year: the chosen demos did nothing new and were not using iPhone 4 or iOS 4. They were simply leading brands, all in the entertainment space, that consumers recognize and respond to. (Yes, including Farmville.) Rather than “look what iPhone can do,” these demos said “look what iPhone’s got.” It’s a notable difference in message, presumably driven at least in part by the new competitive landscape.

Steve Jobs also spent a lot of time Monday deflecting heavy criticism of Apple for not being “open” enough. The first point made to this end was a clear differentiation between the open web — which Apple not only supports but continues to drive — and the “curated” native App Store. The use of “curated” was very deliberate, and a direct response to the much more negative “closed” thrown around lately. Look for it in future statements and interviews until criticism subsides. Meanwhile, developments in Safari and WebKit continue to raise the bar for standards-based web apps.

The introduction of Bing as a search provider for Safari on iPhone had been rumored for some time. Naturally, everyone saw this development as an attack on Google. But the presentation itself sent just as much of a message. Jobs used the word “choice” six times in less than twenty seconds during the Bing announcement. While Apple’s addition of Bing was a shot at Google’s core business, the announcement was a shot at its melodramatic PR.

One can’t help but appreciate the irony here. The initial friendship between Apple and Google was surely inspired in part by a common rival in Microsoft. Now the tables have turned, with Apple and Microsoft sharing the stage against Google. The reversal is so severe that a busted Bing demo in a later session drew heavy applause upon finally working. A WWDC audience would not have been so kind to Microsoft in earlier years.

The announcement that FaceTime would be an open standard was another surprise. Would Apple have done this without the pressure Google and Adobe have been applying? Maybe. But we certainly wouldn’t have seen a slide with a giant “OPEN” on it.

Finally, the free iOS 4 upgrade should give Apple some high ground on Android among developers. This is the first time iPod touch users have not had to pay for a major OS upgrade, thanks in part to looser accounting rules. But too much is at stake, and Android’s fragmented installed base will become a louder talking point. Apple wants every customer on 4.0 as soon as possible, and wants every developer to know that it’s safe to move forward without looking back. Don’t be surprised if Apple becomes unusually vocal about the number of users running 4.0.

Probably the biggest takeaway from the keynote, though, was the lack of a supporting cast for the first time in many years. No Phil. No Scott. No Bertrand. Steve Jobs is back, and back in charge, and nobody else was going to deliver the news or the message under this kind of pressure.

The battle continues to heat up. With both words and actions, Apple is taking the competition very seriously.