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Live from Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote with Steve Jobs!

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:17PM EST
BGR

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Welcome one and all to BGR’s live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote! Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on hand to unveil the latest Apple has to offer, and we’re expecting a huge event despite the fact that Apple is not expected to reveal a new iPhone model at the show this year. Instead, Apple will focus on software, with the big addition being the company’s new iCloud service. Apple will also show off more OS X Lion details during the keynote, but we have to admit: we’re much more anxious to see Apple show off iOS 5 for the first time. We think iOS 5 is going to be the most significant update to the platform since Apple introduced the App Store alongside iOS 2.0. A completely rebuilt notification system, basic widget functionality, a new automatic app update delivery mechanism and deep social integration are among the changes we’ll be looking for, but we’re certain that Apple has a few surprises up its sleeve as well. Hit the break for our live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote for the latest updates!

2:58PM:It looks like that’s it folks — thanks for tuning in!

2:58PM:This facility will manage all iCloud services.

2:58PM:“It’s a pretty large place and it’s full of expensive stuff.”

2:57PM:“If you don’t think we’re serious about this, you’re wrong,” Steve said. He’s talking about the new data center in NC now.

2:56PM:That yearly fee will support up to 20,000 songs!

2:56PM:iTunes Match service will be $24.99 per year.

2:55PM:In addition, iTunes Match will upgrade all of those songs to 256 AAC.

2:55PM:Rather than syncing, there is also an “iTiunes Match” application that will scan your library and match songs with versions available through iTunes. These songs will then become accessible just like iTunes purchases!

2:54PM:These other songs can be synced to the cloud one time, and they will become available everywhere.

2:53PM:iTunes in the Cloud is just for songs purchased from iTunes… but you might have music you got elsewhere.

2:52PM:ONE MORE THING

2:52PM:iTunes in the Cloud becomes available today for iOS 4.3 as a beta — the full release will launch with iOS 5 in the fall.

2:52PM:Awesome — to set up iCloud, all you need to do is log in with your Apple ID. What’s more, users get 5GB of free storage… and that doesn’t include music/etc purchased through iTunes.

2:50PM:WOW. Everything relating to iCloud, including iTunes in the cloud, is completely free!

2:49PM:iTunes in the Cloud supports up to 10 devices.

2:49PM:The service is amazingly seamless. Buy a song on one device and it’s available everywhere else immediately.

2:48PM:In the demo, it looks like they just snuck in a redesigned iPad music app.

2:47PM:Eddie Cue is back up to demo the service. Unless they throw us a curveball, it looks like music purchased outside of iTunes will not be supported by the service. We’ll know for sure in a few minutes.

2:46PM:For future purchases, once this feature is enabled, a song purchased on one device will be pushed to all devices.

2:46PM:Songs you’ve already purchased pre-iTunes in the Cloud can be downloaded on other devices for free.

2:45PM:This is what we’ve all been waiting for — music purchased in iTunes will automatically be synced to all devices.

2:44PM:Last up… iTunes in the Cloud!!

2:43PM:Since only the last 1,000 photos are saved with Photo Stream, users can drag any photos they want to keep permanently into an album.

2:43PM:He just took two photos on stage with an iPhone and as soon as he launched the photos app on his iPad, the photos wer already there.

2:42PM:Eddie Cue is on stage now to demo Photo Stream.

2:42PM:Another feature of Photo Stream is memory management. It will store the last 1,000 photos on each iOS devices, and all photos on Macs and PCs. In the cloud, photos will be stored for 30 days so they can be synced to all other devices before they are automatically removed.

2:40PM:Photo Stream is also built into Lion on Macs, and on PCs it will work with the Pictures folder. What’s more, Photo Stream will work on Apple TV as well.

2:39PM:The functionality is all built right into the apps, so there is nothing new to install or configure. It all just works.

2:38PM:Photo Stream will sync photos taken on any device to the cloud, and then to all other devices.

2:38PM:Next up, Photo Stream.

2:37PM:Macs and PCs are supported as well! This is a huge ding for Dropbox and the like.

2:37PM:Developers have access to iCloud Documents in the Cloud APIs with the iOS 5 SDK.

2:36PM:Apps can store documents to iCloud as well!

2:34PM:There is a new interface within the apps that lets you view all of the documents that are synced to the cloud, and they all sync automatically.

2:32PM:Pages, Numbers and Keynote are all supported as of the latest versions of the apps, which have already been released. Sneaky!

2:32PM:Documents now sync automatically via the cloud from one device to all your other devices.

2:31PM:First… Documents in the Cloud.

2:31PM:Uh oh… there are three more apps being added to iCloud!

2:31PM:The service will back up your important data once daily, and when you get a new device, all of your data will sync wirelessly from the cloud.

2:30PM:Finally, Apple added automatic cloud backup.

2:30PM:The next app they added is iBooks — books purchased on one device can be downloaded to all devices. Also, your read history is synched between devices as well, as is reading position.

2:29PM:For future devices, all apps are automatically added to all devices.

2:28PM:Apps purchased on one devices can now be added to any other device through iCloud.

2:28PM:There are also three new apps coming with iCloud that weren’t in MobilMe. The first is the App Store.

2:27PM:MobileMe was $99… Mail, Calendar and Contacts with iCloud are completely free!

2:27PM:Jobs also highlighted the fact that there are no ads involved with this service… at all.

2:26PM:iCloud also supports calendar sharing, so changes you make on your calandar will automatically be visible by anyone you share your calendar with.

2:25PM:Contacts, calendar and Mail are no longer MobileMe apps — they’re now iCloud apps. For example, a new contact will automatically be uploaded to the cloud and synched across all devices. Changes to existing contacts are handled the same way.

2:24PM:“Why should I believe them? They’re the ones who brought me MobileMe?” Steve joked. Zing!

2:24PM:iCloud also is completely integrated with your apps — everything happens automatically. “It just works.”

2:23PM:So now, photos (even new ones as you take them), music, etc are synced to the cloud automatically and they become available across all devices.

2:22PM:With iCloud, the digital hub is being moved to the cloud.

2:22PM:A new problem has risen lately though — multiple devices all need the same data and it’s become necessary to sync them all separately. Wonder where this is going…

2:21PM:iCloud has been in the making for 10 years, when APple realized the PC was going to become your digital hub — one device to hold all of your media.

2:20PM:Next up… Steve Jobs is coming back up on stage to unveil iCoud!

2:19PM:The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, both iPads and the two latest iPod touch models are all supported.

2:19PM:iOS 5 will ship to end users this fall.

2:19PM:iOS 5 is available to developers TODAY. Fire up those accounts, fellas!

2:18PM:Wi-Fi sync to iTunes is now supported as well! Your iOS device will back up and sync to iTunes automatically over Wi-Fi. FINALLY

2:17PM:Those are just 10 of the 200 new user features. Others include TV mirroring, which let’s you mirror your iPad 2 to your TV to Apple TV.

2:16PM:We’re now seeing how easy it is to send photos and videos — the interface, by the way, is the same as the Messaging app so it’s beautiful and familiar.

2:15PM:Poor, poor third-party messaging app devs. We’re now seeing a demo and it really is BBM for iPhone. Multi-platform is all app like WhatsApp and Kik have going for them now…

2:14PM:It is fully encrypted as well, and it works over Wi-Fi or cellular connections.

2:13PM:It supports text, photos, videos, contacts, group messaging, delivery receipts, read receipts, typing indications, and multi-device support so you can move from an iPhone to an iPad and not miss anything.

2:12PM:WOW. Apple is launching a new iOS-only messaging service called iMessage.

2:12PM:iMessage is the next iOS 5 feature being covered.

2:12PM:Turn-based game support is now supported as well (think Scrabble).

2:11PM:Game Center now supports user photos, game recommendations, and game purchase support right within Game Center.

2:11PM:iOS is by far the most popular gaming platform in the mobile world, and Apple currently has over 50 million registered Game Center users. That’s 20 million more than Xbox Live.

2:10PM:Ninth new feature: Game Center. That’s still around?

2:09PM:Delta update are supported as well, so only changes to the OS will be updates and the entire OS doesn’t need to be downloaded.

2:08PM:Software updates are now OTA (over the air)!!

2:08PM:Setup is now done right on the device, as is activation.

2:08PM:With iOS 5, users will no longer need a PC to activate iOS devices. FINALLY! The “post-PC” marketing is slightly more realistic now…

2:07PM:Eight new feature: PC Free. Uh oh… Tons of applause.

2:06PM:There’s also a new system-wide thumb keyboard available. Users can now split the keyboard into two halves and thumb-type very easily. Not sure how the split keyboard will be received, but it’s nifty.

2:05PM:Now we’re getting a demo. Flags can be added and removed with a single tap, and there’s also an integrated dictionary that lets you look up words in emails with just a tap.

2:04PM:There’s also added support for SMIME for enterprise users.

2:04PM:Search now supports content searching on the server as well.

2:03PM:Rich text formatting is now supported, indentations are supported, dragging addresses between cc and bcc is supported, and so is flagging!

2:03PM:The seventh new feature being covered is a redesigned Mail app.

2:02PM:There are now integrated editing features as well. Cropping, red eye removal, and one-tap enhance are all supported.

2:02PM:The native camera app now also has grid lines available and pinch to zoom works in the UI. There’s even a zoom-lock feature!

2:01PM:The volume up button can also be used to take shots. FINALLY!

2:01PM:The new camera app opens much, much, much faster. Camera is also accessible with a double-tap on the home button.

2:00PM:The iPhone 4 is now the most popular camera phone used to take photos on flickr and second most popular over all.

1:59PM:Next new feature: camera.

1:59PM:In other words, a date and time can trigger a reminder, or a GPS location can trigger a reminder. Reminder also sync with Exchange which is nice.

1:59PM:Reminders is a reminder and task feature that lets you set time or location-based reminders.

1:58PM:Next feature: Reminders. 50,000 apps were just made obsolete.

1:57PM:The Read Later feature is accessible on the same button as bookmarks, and it will save items across all of your iOS devices and Mac computers.

1:56PM:Safari will also now include full tabbed browsing. Tabs are displayed across the top and switching between them is lightning fast. We’re watching a demo now.

1:55PM:There’s also a new Reading List feature that lets users save stories to read later. Uh oh, Instapaper.

1:54PM:Safari will also let users email a link AND story content right from within the browser.

1:54PM:Safari now has a Reader feature that takes the story you’re reading and eliminates all of the noise around the story and just displays the images and text from the body.

1:53PM:Next feature: Safari. Nearly 2/3 of all mobile web browsing is done with Safari.

1:53PM:Other apps that have twitter integration are Safari, Maps, and YouTube. Also, contacts features contact integration — contact photos will automatically be pulled from Twitter.

1:52PM:Twitter is now integrated with the Camera and Photos apps in iOS. Photos can be tweeted from either app now.

1:51PM:Twitter is now built into the Settings app in iOS. Every twitter app will work with the new single sign on feature!

1:51PM:Third feature… Twitter integration.

1:50PM:Newspapers and magazines can take advantage of newsstand.

1:50PM:Background downloading is supported!

1:50PM:Newsstand lets users access magazines through a new, separate interface. It is accessible in the App Store and there is a new newsstand on the home screen where all of the magazines are accessible (it works like a folder).

1:48PM:Second feature: Newsstand

1:48PM:A swipe brings you right to the relevant message, by the way, as longer as the developer makes full use of the notifications APIs.

1:47PM:The lock screen displays recent notifications as well, and a swipe on a notification will open the applicable app.

1:46PM:Notifications are no longer disruptive — they appear at the top of the display and they do not interrupt usage.

1:46PM:Stocks and weather sit at the top of the notification center.

1:46PM:Apple has completely redesigned the push notification system for iOS. Notification Center is the big addition. It combines all over your notifications into one panel that is accessed by swiping down from the top. Oh hi, Android.

1:45PM:Apple has served more than 100 billion push notifications so far.

1:44PM:The first new feature being covered… NOTIFICATIONS!

1:44PM:iOS 5 is a MAJOR release, Forestall stressed. There are more than 1,500 APIs and more than 200 new features!

1:43PM:Apple now holds more than 225 million accounts on file, all with credit cards and one-click purchasing enabled.

1:42PM:The iOS App Store has served more than 14 billion downloads, and more than $2.5 billion has been paid out to devs.

1:41PM:There are now more than 425,000 apps in the App Store, with more than 90,000 of them built for the iPad.

1:41PM:More than 130 million books have been downloaded through iBooks.

1:40PM:Apple has sold more than 15 billion songs through the iTunes music store across all platforms.

1:40PM:In the first 14 months, Apple has sold more than 25 million iPads. That’s iPad and iPad 2 combined.

1:39PM:That makes iOS the No.1 mobile operating system with over 44% of the market.

1:39PM:To date, Apple has sold over 200 million iOS devices total.

1:38PM:Next up… iOS 5! Scott Forstall is coming up on stage

1:38PM:Lion developer preview will be available today, and the release version will be available in July.

1:37PM:Lion will cost… just 29.99 when it’s released. WOW!

1:37PM:Lion will be about a 4GB download and a single purchase can be installed on ALL of your authorized Macs.

1:36PM:Lion will be available ONLY in the Mac App Store. No more discs!

1:36PM:Lion also features a new migration feature for users switching from Windows, not just another Mac. There are over 3,000 new APIs total in Lion. Get cracking, developers!

1:35PM:Finally, conversation view will auto-hide everything but the new content within each message. Craig just poked Gmail for now doing that very well. Wink, wink.

1:34PM:Users can also search for keywords and date-ranges with one string. Awesome!

1:33PM:The search is enhanced, and it suggests searches as you type based on your mail and your search history.

1:33PM:The message list runs down the left side in a column just like the iPad version. Folders are further to the left, and they’re hidden when you don’t need them.

1:32PM:Craig is coming back up to demo the new Mail app now.

1:32PM:The coolest feature of the new Mail app is easily conversation view. Think Gmail threads but a little sexier.

1:30PM:The last feature is a completely redesigned Mail app. Needless to say, it looks A LOT like the iPad version.

1:30PM:When you drag the doc to another person’s PC — which will appear automatically in Finder — they get a pop up where they can accept the transfer.

1:29PM:Feature number 9: Airdrop — this basically a peer-to-peer Wifi-based network that lets you move files from one computer to another by simply dragging and dropping.

1:28PM:With Versions — and this is awesome — you can view multiple versions of a document in live windows. This means you can actually copy/paste things from one version of a doc to another!

1:27PM:Auto-save also means there is no prompt to save a document if you’re made changes just before closing a program. When you open it again, it will be exactly as you left it — including cursor position!

1:26PM:Now we’re watching a demo of these new features. Launchpad really is awesome — think of it as a giant iOS home screen that is automatically populated with all of the apps on your computer.

1:24PM:Sorry again for the lack of photos guys… we’re working on it!

1:24PM:The Versions interface is similar to Time Machine — you can scroll through every version of a document with a smooth animated interface.

1:23PM:Versions — like Dropbox, Lion will make past versions of documents accessible in a document history.

1:23PM:The feature can be enabled and/or disabled for each document individually. There’s also a lock feature that will stop auto-saving at a certain point.

1:22PM:Auto-save — Lion will automatically save documents in the background with no need for the user to do anything.

1:21PM:Applications, Spaces and settings are all covered by Resume.

1:21PM:The next key feature is Resume — when you launch an application in Lion, it will bring you right back to where you were when you left the software. The feature even works after a reboot!

1:20PM:Launchpad — a simple pinch gesture brings up an iOS-like inteface where you can access all of your apps and launch them.

1:19PM:The Mac App Store is now built right into Lion. There are also push notifications to alert users of updates. Auto updates are also supported.

1:18PM:Schiller is talking about the Mac App Store now, which is now the number one PC sales channel for software, passing Best Buy.

1:17PM:Spaces can bee added simply by clicking at the top corner of mission control, and windows can then be added to a new space by simply dragging and dropping.

1:17PM:When you close a space in mission control view, the windows within will slide back into the main windows — very smooth.

1:16PM:Spaces can bee added simply by clicking at the top corner of mission control, and windows can then be added to a new space by simply dragging and dropping.

1:15PM:Three-finger swipe up on the trackpad will bring mission control back into focus.

1:15PM:PhotoBooth looks awesome full screen — especially with effects being added in real time as you add/remove them.

1:14PM:The three-finger swipes will also switch from one app to the next. To exit full screen it just takes one click.

1:13PM:We’re now seeing full screen apps — three-finger swipe will take you from the full screen back to the desktop/dashboard.

1:11PM:Mission control is up

1:10PM:Phil is talking about fullscreen apps and how in Lion there is a simple swipe to get in and out.

1:08PM:Kinetic scrolling, multitouch zoom and taps and swipes

1:08PM:Multitouch gestures. We have built multitouch trackpads into all our laptops

1:08PM:Next up is Lion. There are over 250 new features, only have time to show 10.

1:07PM:Showing off OS X 10 years ago.

1:07PM:Entire PC industry wants to copy our hardware. We make the best, not just hardware, but software, too.

1:06PM:Leading in notebooks, over 70% of Mac sales are notebooks

1:06PM:PC market has shrank 1% this year, Mac has outgrown the industry. Products are incredible like the MacBook Air

1:05PM:Sorry guys, we’re having major camera issues! Working on it!

1:05PM:“We have over 54 million active Mac users.”

1:05PM:Ha — he’s trying to get people riled up in Ballmer-esque fashion.

1:04PM:We’re starting with Lion. Phil Schiller is up on stage/

1:04PM:We’re here to talk about 3 things today. And we’re going to talk about software. Hardware is the brain, software is the soul.

1:03PM:over 100 hands on labs, 1,000 Apple engineers, and 120 sessions.

1:03PM:There are over 5,200 people here today — the biggest place we have, sorry to everyone who couldn’t make it.

1:02PM:Steve Jobs is out! Everyone is applauding!

1:01PM:Pair of MacBook Pros on stage, for demo time, obviously!

12:59PM:“Please turn all your devices on silent.”

12:49PM:We have a feeling the event might be starting a little bit late as we are getting reports that WWDC attendees aren’t even in the building yet, but still in line outside.

12:45PM:Alright we’re almost seating, there are still tons of people pouring in.

12:40PM:Doors are finally opening.

12:28PM:We’re heading in and should be seated soon!

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.