There were a lot of new products and features announced at the WWDC 2012 Keynote presentation, including a refresh of the MacBook Air and Pro lines, a brand new iOS Maps application with 3D, and a more robust Siri. But there were also a lot of things that were left out of of the presentation. Could these omissions provide clues to future Apple releases?
No Retina display for MacBook Air or MacBook Pro
High definition Retina displays first came to the iPhone before making their way to the iPad. There was much speculation that this years WWDC keynote would bring Retina displays to both the Macbook Pro and MacBook Air. Instead, these these laptops remain at their previous resolution while a new computer, aptly called the MacBook Pro with Retina display, got the monitor upgrade.
People waiting for an 11-inch MacBook Air with Retina display will have to wait another year. If we had to guess, next year will bring Retina displays to the rest of Apple's laptop lines.
No Siri on MacBook Air or MacBook Pro
Siri, the digital personal assistant that premiered on the iPhone 4S, has arrived on the iPad. But she is mysteriously missing from the new OS X, Mountain Lion. Although the new MacBook Airs and Pros feature speech recognition, there's still no way to ask your computer questions and receive a helpful--or witty--response.
It's obvious that Siri will eventually be integrated into Apple's notebook lineup. The only question remaining is: when?
No Apple Television Set
Those waiting for Apple to revolutionize the television set will need to continue waiting. The 2012 WWDC keynote brought no news of the much-rumored, highly-anticipated Apple Television. For now, we'll just have to be content with Airplay, seamlessly viewing our iPhone, iPads, and OS X devices on our televisions.
The future of an Apple television set is uncertain but one thing is clear. The company hasn't revolutionized the TV industry just yet.
No Siri API
Unfortunately, developers still don't have access to the voice recognition power of Siri. Many were hoping that this year would bring an open Siri API, allowing apps to respond to audio inquiries. Instead, Apple brought a ton of new features to Siri, including Sports stats, restaurant reviews and reservation booking.
Maybe Siri isn't ready for the explosive innovation that would occur when her technology is made available to other applications. Whatever the reason, this just leaves another feature for us to wonder and guess about until the next developers conference next year.
No iPhone 5
Apple announced iOS 6, but there's still no word about the iPhone 5 just yet. Although Apple broke the tradition just last year of announcing new the new iPhone at WWDC events, there was still hope that we'd get even a preview of the new device. These rumors were supported by numerous leaks about potential new iPhone hardware from Apple's supply chain.
Alas, there was no new iPhone announced at this years WWDC keynote. We'll most likely see the new iPhone 5 in the Fall when iOS 6 is made available.
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