SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is switching from its decade-long practice of naming its Mac operating system updates after big cats. Instead, it’s paying homage to the geography of its home state.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) software head Craig Federighi says the next version of Mac OS X will be called “Mavericks,” after an undersea rock formation that produces big waves near Half Moon Bay, Calif.
The new operating system will extend battery life and shorten boot-up times, Federighi told the audience at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday. The system improves support for multiple displays and imports the “tab” concept from Web browsers to the Finder file-organizer.
The software update will include “iBooks” for the first time, giving people who buy e-books from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) a way to display them on the computer screen in addition to the iPhone and iPad. Competing e-book vendors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble have cross-platform applications already.
There have been nine OS X versions named after big cats. The latest was “Mountain Lion,” released last year.
“We do not want to be the first software release in history to be delayed by a lack of cats,” Federighi joked.
He said the new software will be out in the fall.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also revealed a complete revamp of the Mac Pro, the boxy desktop model that’s the work horse of graphics and film professionals. The new model is a black cylinder, one eighth the volume of the old box.
The current Mac Pro is the only Mac with internal hardware that can easily be modified and expanded by the user, but that possibility disappears with the new model. The company is adopting the same compact, one-piece design present in the Mac Mini and iMac.
The new Mac Pro will be the first Mac to be assembled in the U.S. in many years. CEO Tim Cook promised last year that the company would start a production line in the U.S., but didn’t say where.
The new computer will launch later this year, Schiller said.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is also expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads at the conference.
For the iPhones and iPads, speculation has been that Apple would simplify and freshen up the graphic look. If the speculation is correct, it would be the most radical design change since the iPhone made its debut in 2007, showing consumers that phones could do much more than make calls and exchange messages.
This week’s event comes at an important time for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The company’s stock price has fallen amid concerns that another breakthrough product isn’t imminent. Although CEO Tim Cook has said people shouldn’t expect new products until the fall, Apple is likely to preview how future products will function in its unveiling of new services and features.
Monday’s highlight is expected to be an updated version of iOS, the software that runs iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. It will be called iOS 7 and will come with new devices expected to go on sale this fall. Owners of recent models such as last fall’s iPhone 5 will likely be eligible for free upgrades.
Icons in iOS now have a three-dimensional look that tries to mimic the real-world counterparts of certain apps. For instance, the icon for the Notes app looks like a yellow notepad and the Contacts app is represented by a leather-bound address book. The speculation is that Apple will do away with that theme in iOS 7. Instead, icons will look plain and simple, offering more consistency from app to app. The new design is likely to favor black and white elements rather than splashes of color.
While design modifications could help Apple distinguish its devices from rival phones and tablets, they risk alienating longtime users.
Apple riled users of its gadgets last fall when it kicked out a beloved app using Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)‘s mapping service and replaced it with its own Maps app. Travelers complained of misplaced landmarks, overlooked towns, and other problems. What was supposed to be a triumph for Apple served to underscore Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s strength in maps. Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a rare public apology and promised improvements.
Apple may use iOS 7 as an opportunity to update its Maps app. Other features in iOS 7 may include new ways to do things through gesture commands.
Apple is also expected to debut a streaming music service dubbed iRadio.
Apple is a pioneer in digital music sales. The debut of its iTunes music store in 2003 gave people an easy, legal way to obtain music for their iPods. Apple persuaded the major recording companies to join its efforts as a way to thwart online piracy. What started with a catalog of about 200,000 songs has grown to tens of millions today. The iTunes store is now the leading U.S. retailer of music.
With iTunes, people buy songs or albums to download to computers, phones and tablets. But streaming services such as Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) and Spotify have emerged as popular alternatives for listening to music. Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) relies on its users being connected to the Internet at all times and plays songs at random within certain genres for free. The service is supported by advertising. It is the most similar service to the one Apple is expected to announce Monday. The difference is that Apple is expected to feature a seamless way for listeners to purchase songs through iTunes.
The announcement could further cement Apple as a leader in digital music and cut into Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P)’s status as the most-listened-to Internet radio service.
But Apple faces a new type of competition that it didn’t have when it debuted iTunes. Rival Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) started an on-demand subscription music service called All Access last month. The service joins Spotify, Rhapsody, and others that give subscribers the ability to pick and choose specific songs and albums from a catalog of millions for playback on computers, tablets and smartphones. Such services allow songs to be saved on mobile devices for playback outside of Internet connectivity as long as the user keeps paying a monthly fee — usually $10 a month in the U.S.
The article Music Service, Mobile Software Expected From Apple originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Associated Press.
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