THE APPLE WORLDWIDE DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE - Wavemaker

THE APPLE
WORLDWIDE
DEVELOPERS
CONFERENCE

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWCD) held on
                 June 4-8th is where Apple leadership shares Apple’s software (and
                 sometimes hardware) priorities for the year. Attendees include
                 software developers who have the opportunity to work with Apple
                 engineers and learn about upcoming focuses and products that will
                 impact brands and marketers. Past WWDC events announcements in
                 cluded the launch of the world’s first iApps (2003), Mac Pro (2006),
                 App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch (2008), iPhone 4 (2010),
                 Apple Maps (2012), Apple Music (2015), and more major milestones.

WHAT HAPPENED?
This year’s major software announcements impact all of Apple’s key devices within its ecosystem,
including iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, and Apple Watch, thanks to updates to all four of its platforms
(iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS) coming this fall. Apple kicked the event off by focusing on Apple’s
mobile software platform that powers its biggest consumer-facing devices: iPhone and iPad.
Available for all Apple users later this year, iOS 12 features major improvements across
augmented reality, Apple’s AI/voice assistant Siri, its video messaging tool FaceTime, and more.

MAJOR WWDC ANNOUNCEMENTS INCLUDED:
• iOS 12
• ARKit
• Siri
• Messages & FaceTime
                                                             “WITH IOS 12, WE’RE ENABLING
• Safari                                                     NEW EXPERIENCES THAT WEREN’T
• …and more!                                                 POSSIBLE BEFORE. WE’RE USING
                                                             ADVANCED ALGORITHMS TO MAKE
                                                             AR EVEN MORE ENGAGING AND ON-
                                                             DEVICE INTELLIGENCE TO DELIVER
                                                             FASTER WAYS TO GET THINGS DONE
Read on to understand why these updates matter               USING SIRI.”
and what they mean for your current brand initiatives
as well as engaging your consumers.                          CRAIG FEDERIGHI, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
                                                             OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, APPLE

iOS 12
•   Apple’s mobile software platform iOS, which powers its biggest consumer-facing devices: iPhone
    and iPad, will be designed to be more personal, faster, and less addictive than ever before.
    Available to all Apple users running on iOS 11later this year , iOS 12 features major
    improvements across augmented reality, Apple’s AI/voice assistant Siri, its video messaging tool
    FaceTime, and more. For example, grouped notification support will keep home screens cleaner,
    CarPlay will support third-party apps (e.g. Waze), and the Photos app will include search
    suggestions, search refinements and sharing suggestions for a better, easier to navigate
    experience.
•   Unlike previous iOS updates, iOS 12 is designed to speed up older phones (i.e. devices released
    as early as 2013), promising that apps will launch up to 40% faster while the keyboard should
    appear up to 50% faster.
•   Apple introduced features to help consumers manage screen time especially for kids. Screen
    Time will offer activity reports showing users how much time they use on specific apps, how
    often they picked up their iPhone and where most of their notifications came from to better
    understand and reflect on their usage behaviors. App Limits enables parents to cut down their
    kids’ screen time and monitor which apps or app categories can’t be used. Do Not Disturb has
    been updated to provide a more friendly, welcome way to wake up and manage notifications
    while a phone is in Do Not Disturb mode.

What Marketers Should Know
• iOS 12’s promised performance enhancements across all facets is a clear focus on
  efficiency. Increased speed, self expression and personalization opportunities are
  designed to reinforce Apple’s positioning as a consumer-first company with products that
  enhance everyday living. While features will help users monitor their behaviors and
  adapt for smarter experiences, the reality is that these updates have been made to drive
  smart device usage across the Apple ecosystem in more seamless, safe, intuitive ways. It
  should also be noted that Apple hasn’t made major moves in the automotive space yet,
  so the CarPlay improvements may be a start at integrating into the cars of the future.
• Digital wellness is officially a thing. The health-focused announcements (Screen Time,
  App Limits) comes after Google announced its own Android digital wellness offerings.
  Operating systems are increasingly encouraging better digital behavior and time
  management for healthier relationships with technology, something that could benefit
  consumers overall. It doesn’t hurt that the child protection mechanisms Apple is
  touting would encourage grateful parents to only get their kids Apple products.

ARKit
•   ARKit 2.0, the next generation of Apple’s AR development kit, comes with a slew of
    improvements, including face tracking and 3D object detection, as well as the opportunity to
    develop digital AR worlds to a physical real-world object, accessible at any given moment.
•   The upgraded ARKit will offer the ability to create shared experiences, which means you can
    create multi-player AR gaming opportunities, as well as the ability to integrate AR into 3rd party
    developer apps.
•   Measure is Apple’s new AR app for iPhone and iPad that enables users to gauge the size of
    real-world objects by measuring them (think width, length and height via a smartphone screen).
    While Measure isn’t the first AR measurement app available on iOS, it’s Apple’s first official
    offering.
•   USDZ is a new AR file format (developed with Pixar) that creative-software companies (e.g.
    Adobe) are supporting and will work in multiple applications (e.g. Adobe’s Creative Cloud).
    Thanks to USDZ, Apple’s News app will support AR features.

What Marketers Should Know
• Apple has made it clear that it is looking to bring AR mainstream. The slew of new
  AR experiences is designed to help developers build the bridge between conceptual
  experience and marketplace-ready experiences. The ability to play with friends is a
  massive boom for driving the creation and adoption of AR experiences.
• There is potential for AR apps to create the next app ecosystem and it’s critical Apple
  gets ahead of the user curve to ensure tomorrow’s top AR experiences are designed for
  Apple devices. Brands are already seeing value in AR; in fact, Lego was the brand demo’d
  for the AR shared experiences offering.
• We know that AR has major market potential (just look at the success Pokémon Go had ,
  which Nintendo is even banking on in the coming months). The new development kit,
  Measure app, USDZ, etc. are all pieces of a larger puzzle Apple is trying to put together,
  one that will be driven by developers being able to successfully develop, create and
  deliver.

Siri
•   Siri, Apple’s AI/voice assistant, is getting a major iOS 12 upgrade, touting new features and is
    being opened up to developer apps.
•   Shortcuts enables users to create their own Siri workflows that tap into multiple apps to execute
    multiple actions with one command via both first and third-party apps. For example, you can
    create a “going to work” shortcut that would pull up your GPS, set your iPhone to your favorite
    podcast, and even pull up the brand app for your chosen coffee stop. There will also be
    preloaded shortcuts (e.g. “Find my keys” will open up the Tile app and start geo-locating a user’s
    keys…if they use Tile).
•   Siri will also be more useful by learning a user’s routine over time so that she can offer location-
    based suggestions.
•   Siri is also more Apple Watch accessible; watchOS 5 moves away from forcing users to say
    “Hey, Siri” before speaking to now having users simply raise their wrist, start to talk, and have Siri
    respond to the voice commands/asks.

What Marketers Should Know
• Siri still drags in popularity behind voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s
  Google Assistant. The increased customization and ease of interacting with Siri is
  designed to solidify consumer behavior and sway them from turning to another
  non-Apple assistant within and outside the home.

Communication Tools: Messages & FaceTime
•   The Messages app will soon get new stickers and filters, borrowing from Snapchat and
    Instagram’s popular features (like Bitmoji). Animoji, Apple’s animated emoji avatars that let users
    translate their facial movements to select emojis (e.g. unicorn, robot) will have tongue detection
    and new Animoji options, including T-Rex and ghost. Memoji (or a personalized Animoji), looks
    like a cross between Bitmoji (a personal emoji that’s popular on Snapchat) and Animoji (an Apple
    avatar-like animation that allows users to create Animoji characters that look like them vs. a
    generic unicorn or robot).
•   iOS 12 offers FaceTime group video chat support via Group FaceTime, enabling users to have a
    FaceTime video call with up to 32 people joining. Users can be added mid-chat or opt to join
    later, as well as join in using audio-only. FaceTime now also supports Messages features,
    including sticker packs, Animoji and the new Memoji. These FaceTime updates will work on
    iPhone, iPad and Mac, while users can answer with audio-only via Apple Watch.

What Marketers Should Know
• Snap spent $60 million+ to acquire the makers of Bitmoji, while Samsung offers its own
  version of Memoji. As messaging continues to be one of the dominant forms of
  communication globally, it is critical that Apple maintain and grow iMessage usage.
  Customized offerings like Memoji offer ways to make communications more
  personalized.
• Group FaceTime changes how users can communicate with those who matter most,
  changing how one cascades news or important information. The ability to join and leave
  active conversations as well as join via a slew of different devices, lends a feeling of
  fluidity and offers consumers a strong contender for communicating with multiple
  parties at once.

Safari
•   Apple’s Safari browser will limit the amount of data Facebook, Google and other companies can
    collect via third-party websites, an effort to prevent the collection of browsing data without a
    user's permission.
•   Apple's Safari browser will soon have ”intelligent tracking prevention" designed to block
    social media "like" or "share" buttons and comment widgets from tracking users' keystrokes
    without explicit permission. Safari now also presents simplified system information when users
    browse the web, preventing them from being tracked based on their system configuration. The
    goal is to provide ad-tech companies who use ad trackers – utilizing technology to determine
    who a user is while browsing the web via details from a device and browser (e.g. plugins
    installed) - with only very basic information.

What Marketers Should Know
• Apple is not in the advertising and marketing business, putting measures to cull data
  collection makes them look good to consumers without much impact to their business.
  Among users who choose to opt out of tracking, minimal impact is expected considering
  iOS and Safari’s smaller penetration compared to other browsers. Ultimately, the impact
  lies in the scale of audience behaviors and/or the confidence in these users’ behaviors.

• Users having to opt-in to allow sites to track their Safari browsing behavior, as well as
  limits on fingerprinting by third party companies, offer new protections from data being
  collected and shared, a pro or a con, depending on your preference. It also increases
  overall consumer awareness about the practices.
• The Safari browser updates are a clear swipe at Facebook, currently the most famous
  collector of data via tools like Social Plugins. As Craig Federighi, SVP of Software,
  explained when unveiling these updates, “We’ve all seen these ‘Like’ buttons and ‘Share’
  buttons. It turns out these can be used to track you whether you click on them or not. So
  this year, we’re shutting that down.” Protecting companies from collecting user browser
  data may prove frustrating to advertisers, but will help drive consumer confidence
  amongst users.

                             “NOW, IF YOU DO WANT TO INTERACT WITH
                             [A PLUGIN] OR ONE OF THESE APPS TRIES
                             TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION, YOU GET A
                             [POP-UP NOTICE] AND YOU CAN DECIDE TO
                             KEEP YOUR INFORMATION PRIVATE.”

                             - CRAIG FEDERIGHI, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF
                             SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, APPLE

So Many Apps!
•   The Stocks app will be joining iPad for the first time, will have relevant business news and
    sparklines showing stock movement throughout a day while clicking a stock will open a more
    in-depth analysis of its performance.
•   The News app will allow users to go straight to their favorite news sources, while News on iPad
    will have a sidebar for easier navigation.
•   The Voice Memos app will be coming to iPad for the first time, arriving with a redesign that
    makes easier to use on any Apple platform and offers iCloud support so users can access their
    memos across any Apple device.
•   The iBooks app is getting a redesign and a new name: Apple Books.
•   The Mac App Store (not the Apple App Store to be clear) is getting a redesign focused on more
    intelligent grouping, easier developer use and a more streamlined consumer experience.
•   Fun fact: Apple App Store hit 20M registered developers, $100B in revenue and 500M visitors
    per week. For those overwhelmed with all of these app introductions and updates, App Limits is
    a new tool that lets users set time limits for using a specific app in a day, and sends a notification
    when a user is approaching that limit. In a most-likely subtle swipe at Facebook, the app used for
    this particular demo was Instagram.

What Marketers Should Know
• For a company that doesn't like to share data, the fact that Apple shared that Apple App
  Store hit 20M registered developers, $100B in revenues and 500M visitors per week
  underscores the success of the Apple app-driven ecosystem. But that’s not all, read on
  for more from Apple WWDC….

                              “WE’RE ALSO HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS WEEK
                              WE’RE GOING TO ACHIEVE ANOTHER HUGE
                              MILESTONE. THE MONEY THAT DEVELOPERS HAVE
                              EARNED THROUGH THE APP STORE WILL TOP $100
                              BILLION... "THE APP STORE IS CLEARLY THE BEST
                              PLACE FOR YOU TO BE REWARDED FOR YOUR HARD
                              WORK AND CREATIVITY.”

                              – TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE

Apple TV/tvOS 12
•   Apple is working with more TV providers to make Apple TV a primary viewing device for live,
    on-demand and cloud DVR. The platform that powers both Apple TV and Apple TV 4K is adding
    Dolby Atmos audio support for smart surround sound-driven experiences.
•   It’s also working with providers to streamline the sign-in process to access content, such as a
    “Zero Sign-on” feature designed to unlock supported apps included with a user’s TV service if a
    user is on a specific provider’s broadband network.
•   For those obsessed with Apple’s screen-saver drone videos, they will now include space footage
    (thanks to a partnership with the international space station) and location information (so you
    don’t have to guess what gorgeous city you’re looking at).

What Marketers Should Know
• While TV has never been Apple’s biggest success story, owning the living room is critical
  to ensuring users remain loyal to Apple’s ecosystem of products. As homes become
  increasingly intelligent, ensuring all Apple devices, especially an entertainment-driven
  one like Apple TV can alleviate frictions (vs. cause them) and help users connect third-
  party apps they prefer will be the key determinant in Apple’s success in this space.

Apple Watch/watchOS 5
•   Updates to Apple Watch, and its operating system, were focused on both improving health
    tracking and communication capabilities. The free watchOS 5 update will be available this Fall for
    all Apple Watch Series 1 and later models.
•   Upgrades focused on health and wellness via the Activity app, including automatic workout
    detections, the ability to challenge friends to fitness competitions (and receive notifications
    throughout if you are winning or losing), and tracking for additional sports like yoga and hiking.
•   Other updates include the Siri Apple Watch face supporting Shortcuts and third-party app
    content, the ability to play background audio, increasingly interactive notifications, and the
    Apple Podcasts app.
•   Walkie Talkie lets users send/receive push-to-talk audio messages via Apple Watch over both
    WiFi and cellular.

What Marketers Should Know
• Amongst all of these updates, Apple still made it clear that health is the primary focus
  for Apple Watch. It’s less about being the device that enables users to do it all (that’s
  more of a job for iPhone) bur rather Apple’s way of assisting in monitoring one’s overall
  health while providing better health-driven experiences.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Whitney Fishman Zember
Wavemaker US
WHITNEY.FISHMAN@WMGLOBAL.COM