Tips: no iPhone, Macs at WWDC 2011
updated 11:10 am EDT, Mon March 28, 2011
Tip has WWDC 2011 skipping iPhone and Mac hardware
Apple may skip hardware entirely at WWDC 2011, according to insider claims. The messaging on the future of iOS and Mac OS is said to be a direct reflection of the show being exclusively hardware focused. No iPads, iPhones, or Macs would be unveiled at the event, The Loop's Jim Dalrymple said.
The claim would be supported by a rumor of iOS 5's release moving to the fall. Apple has regularly introduced a new version of iOS to showcase new iPhone hardware features. Without shipping code in the summer, the company wouldn't have the incentive or possibly the ability to release a new iPhone.
Mac OS X Lion was still due in the summer and would be in the late stages by June, the sources said. Apple is rumored to be updating the MacBook Air the same month, but the company has been known to launch new models near an event to seize on news from an event without drawing attention away.
Dalrymple has historically been accurate and conservative with leaks. The move would nonetheless break with Apple tradition and could leave the iPhone serving until September, the rumored timeframe for iOS 5's release. It would also give Android a large window and could leave phones like the HTC Evo 3D an uninterrupted launch.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2009
no hardware, that's fine
Apple can do what they want to do and use their forums/conferences to announce and work on whatever they want to work on. I see no problem with Apple focusing on software at WWDC since that's what WWDC is for. Apple can announce hardware whenever they want to, including during WWDC if it works for them and doesn't detract from the software. I keep trying to figure out whether the software drives the hardware or the other way around but we already know the general direction Apple is going regarding hardware so let's focus on the software, get it right, and educate the developers on how to get the most out of it. The hardware will follow just fine.