While many of the advances that Apple Inc. NASDAQ:AAPL) announced at the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference represent significant product enhancements for the iUniverse, most do little to surpass the functionality that already exists on other platforms. This is not to suggest that Apple has not successfully put the Cupertino gloss on iOS 7, iTunes Radio, iWork for iCloud, and the new MacBook Air, but much of what makes these releases new — beyond the aesthetic — are available in other places. Ultimately, the new offerings from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are good news for investors, but if the brand that Jobs built is to truly return to the top, it will need to awe us soon.
The new releases and where else to find them
iOS 7: Of the myriad new features that will be included in the new iOS, two notable ones include a control center and enhanced multitasking capability. The control center is available by swiping your finger up from the bottom of the screen to pull up some of the most commonly used controls. The multitasking will allow iOS 7 to run more apps simultaneously — currently only a few apps can be run in the background. These are great features to be sure, but the control center concept was been included on Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android devices for some time; both the Motorola RAZR MAXX and HTC One have this feature. Furthermore, extensive multitasking has been a part of Android for quite some time.
iTunes Radio: This new foray into the services side of the business for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is meant to compete with music services like that offered by Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) . The service will be ad-supported and allow users to select from as many as 200 stations as well as build custom stations. Users that choose to pay $25 iTunes Match will get an ad-free version . The big enhancement — it would seem — is the ability to listen to music that is “trending” or gaining hype. The interplay between this option and Pandora will be critical in Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P)’s long-term viability.
iWork for iCloud: Can we say Google Docs? The new service allows users to store documents on iCloud and then access them across both devices and even operating systems and browsers. The existence of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Docs has already driven Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to introduce Office 365, which takes the functionality of the productivity suite into the cloud. When Google Docs was first introduced, Microsoft foolishly assumed it was not a legitimate competitor until its business was affected; for business purposes the two options are considered legitimate competitors. Google Docs may be cheaper, but the functionality of Office is still, in my experience, superior for users who need to do any heavy lifting. While it may seem early to begin thinking about iWork as an enterprise option — Apple is playing catch-up — the blogosphere is already there and underestimating Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would be an unwise move for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).
