Mobile phone owners, gamers and those looking to update their main computer will all have some new angles to consider as some of the world’s most successful firms have unveiled their new products.
Perhaps the most anticipated was Apple’s revelation of the most radical overhaul of their iOS mobile firmware yet. iOS 7 - due to launch this autumn following an upcoming Beta test - significantly revises the look and features of the iconic iPhone and iPad operating system. You can read more details here, and the update will also see the launch of an iTunes Radio service.
The new OS will offer the major update many Apple fans and critics have long requested, although initial response has been mixed. Many journalists given the chance the preview the software have praised the improvements, with many features improved or adapted from both previous Apple devices and their competitors.
However, the visual upgrade - including a new look for icons and the homescreen - has been met with some uncertainty, with the Verge writing “whether this new design is actually good design, well, that's a different story entirely”. There are likely to be further refinements before launch, but many observers are still very much on the fence.
More radical still, perhaps, was the announcement of the new Mac Pro - the first major desktop hardware upgrade from Apple in quite some time. The vastly improved tech specs - as well as a significant revision to the core OSX - are likely to make this an enticing proposition for many Apple enthusiasts. Like iOS7, though, it’s the design that is likely to turn most heads, with the hardware itself - a small & slick black cylinder - a huge deviation from existing models. It’s also been met with jokes that it looks like a wine cooler.
Game consoles
Elsewhere, the annual E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) gaming event in LA is roaring ahead. The expo has long been the place for major news about upcoming games and gaming hardware. But it’s two new consoles that made yesterday (and very early this morning) an E3 to remember.
Both the Xbox One and Playstation 4 had been previously announced, but many details remained unclear. Microsoft held their press conference first, unveiling a host of games to counter accusations that last month’s big reveal was too focused on everything but the games themselves. Microsoft also announced a price - €499 - and a release window of November this year.
A few hours later, Sony arrived and suckerpunched Microsoft. Again, a selection of game announcements for the PS4 (as well as for the existing PS Vita and PS3) piqued interest. It was, though, the hardware revelations that caused the real excitement, and not just the reveal of the hardware itself (it, unsurprisingly, is a black box).
In no uncertain terms, Sony announced their new console will not be subject to the same sort of limiting, controversial digital rights management of the Xbox One. Used games and disc media will be fully supported, unlike the competitor. And then came the price announcement - €399. Boom.
In one press conference, Sony gave themselves a significant head start in the upcoming console war: the (allegedly more powerful) PS4 positioned as a pure gaming device where Mircosoft is aiming for a multimedia hub. There was some minor bad news - that online multiplayer will no longer be a free service - but little could taint the rapturous reception enjoyed by the PS4 this morning. The general public will decide the victor - and Microsoft is undoubtedly courting a very wide audience with their new focus on multimedia and big franchise games - but Sony won over the enthusiasts almost completely, and that €100 could make all the difference.
Much of the excitement, of course, lies ahead, with all this technology due on shelves before the holiday season. Gadget freaks - get saving.
