CORE CHANGES

Apple unveils new operating system, buys breathing room from critics.

Investors and analysts alike have spent months accusing Apple Inc. of a lack of innovation, but the company’s day of judgment won’t come until this fall.

That’s when Apple will release the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 7 — unveiled Monday at the company’s annual developer conference in San Francisco. It was hailed by chief executive Tim Cook as the “the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone.”

A new version of the company’s desktop operating system, OS X Mavericks, alongside refreshed laptop and desktop computers, was also revealed.

As it becomes more

dif- ficult to choose between devices based on appearance or the hardware within, software has emerged as a crucial factor in setting mobile devices apart.

Reaction on Wall Street remained almost flat, with shares in the company closing down just 0.66%, or US$2.92, to US$438.89.

Recent criticism has centered primarily around the fact that Apple has yet to create one new product line in its post-Steve Jobs era, while naysayers have frequently pointed out that the company’s last new product, the iPad Mini, was released last October.

It was enough for Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller to exclaim “Lack of innovation my ass” on stage, as he unveiled an update to the Mac Pro — a redesigned and much smaller version of its desktop workstation aimed at high-end audio, video and creative professionals, and the company’s first update in nearly two years.

“It’s a little odd that they felt defensive enough to showcase a piece of hardware [early],” said Colin Gillis, a financial analyst with BGC Partners in New York, who called Apple’s decision to tease a product before it was quite ready out of character — something Mr. Schiller also admitted to on stage. “It’s a reactionary move.” And yet, there was nothing new to share regarding iPhone or iPad — nor any of the exciting new product categories or “game changers” that Mr. Cook has said are in the pipeline.

“I thought it would have been nice if they had [shown something new],” Mr. Gillis said. “The expectations were low and what we got what was expected.”

Also unveiled were next- generation MacBook Airs — Apple’s thinnest laptop — with next-generation Intel chips meant to improve performance while extending battery life by hours.

But the biggest applause came for Apple’s newest version of iOS, which boasts a completely redesigned user interface spearheaded by the company’s vice-president of industrial design, Jonathan Ive.

iOS 7 does away with the playful interface elements that simulated real-life textures and objects — such as wood surfaces or green felt — opting instead for flatter icons and designs that were touted as cleaner and more simplistic.

Some of the operating system’s new features include updates to Siri, Apple’s voiceactivated personal assistant; improvements to core Messaging, Calendar and Mail apps; and a new quick-access settings menu called Control Centre that is invoked with an upward swipe from the bottom of the screen.

“Apple has been in a funk, and this is an important event to highlight how they are innovating,” said Ben Reitzes, an analyst at Barclays Plc in New York.

The company also detailed its long-rumoured streaming music product, iTunes Radio. The service is similar to Pandora Media Inc.’s Internet radio business, as it allows users to listen to personalized radio stations based on popular genres, songs or artists. It will be available for free with ads, or ad-free to subscribers of iTunes Match.

iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks will be available to the public in the fall. Canadian businesses and IT leaders are still looking for the silver lining in cloud computing.

While 73% of cloud-reliant businesses reported improved ability in their IT strategy as a direct result of cloud computing, organizations are continuing to scratch their heads about the benefits of cloud computing, according to a recent study that suggests nearly two-thirds (63%) of non-public cloud users simply don’t know enough about the cloud.

The joint IDC Canada and Telus Corp. Enterprise Cloud Study released Tuesday showed an improvement from the previous year’s survey, in which 71% of IT managers dismissed alternative IT delivery models.

However, respondents seemed to indicate a general lack of knowledge around nebulous terms such as “cloud,” which encompasses Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), shared public cloud, private cloud and even hybrid cloud.”