WWDC 2017 brings high expectations beyond ecosystems and operating systems

WWDC 2017 takes place in new and uncertain territory

 By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose - Apple's WWDC or World Wide Developers Conference, is first and formeost. a developer event designed to usher in new technologies and ecosystems for the coming year.

Ten years ago, WWDC was all about macOS and later, the focus shifted to iOS. 2017 has the most number of ecosystems than ever before. iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, HomeKit, HealthKit and CarPlay are just some of the ecosystems that developers are expecting updates on. There's also a surging interest in ApplePay, in a standalone smart assistance and now, more than ever before, a focus on new hardware.

Hardware announcements at WWDC were always a rarity. I remember seeing the first new generation MacBook Pro and the then new Mac Pro. These were all cherries on top of multiple layers of innovative iOS and macOS announcements and that was fine, then.

It is 2017, and confidence in Apple's hardware focus has been greatly challenged. Apple has grown to be an even bigger and more profitable company than before, but it is being challenged on all sides. The Cupertino company has focused primarily on its iPhone business. It has neglected and shut down peripheral product lines like its WiFi routers and desktops.

Competitors like Microsof have aggressively attacked Apple's notebook and even desktop lines with similarly premium products that have touch displays, take stylus input and look and feel just as premium and innovative as Apple's MacBooks and iMacs but at a similarly competitibe price. 

Since Apple hasn't had a proper media event since last September, there's a lot of weight on this WWDC to serve and a big Apple reveal event, not just for future software initiatives but for sexy new hardware.

Apple does have a lot to update. There's Intel Kaby Lake processors expected on iMacs and MacBooks. MacBook Air notebooks, still Apple's biggest PC product, haven't been updated in ages, same with the iMacs. There's some speculation that the 2-inch MacBooks as well as iPads will receive highly anticipated updates as well. Let's not even bring up Apple TV, the company's set-top box product that's due for an OS and hardware overhaul in order to compete with cheaper and 4K-capable competitors.

Apple seems to be behind the eight ball. Specially after Microsoft has unloaded a slew of Surface Books, Notebooks, Studios and Pros catering to a wide range of users. Google, on the other hand, has the WiFi and smart assistant space covered in Canada and the US while Samsung has made major moves to leapfrog the current smartphone status quo, a stark contrast to Apple's three-years-in-row design for the iPhone and Apple Watch.

The pressure has never felt greater than it does today for Apple. Thankfully, this is a company that's got a track record of proving detractors wrong, of zagging where other forces are zigging, and being capable of rewriting entire business segments with pivotal products and strategies. Tomorrow's WWDC will hopefully be a landmark event that will bring various new directions in the Apple ecosystem.