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Hello from WWDC16
Beyond the usual feature announcements, Tim Cook reaffirmed Apple’s commitment to user privacy at WWDC16, sharing some general info on the company’s use of “differential privacy” (which anonymizes user data while giving Apple’s engineers enough access to just enough user data), as well as education, with the announcement of a new Playgrounds app aimed at teaching kids the Swift programming language.
Apps referenced
Apple sent out the following cryptic poem leading up to WWDC16. I've added the apps they eluded to:
print("Hello, WWDC!") Hello love at first swipe. Tinder Hello other side of the road. Crossy Road Hello yogi on my wrist. Pocket Yoga Hello driver, fast as you can. Uber Hello workout in my living room. 7 Minute Workout Hello every pitch, every highlight. MLB at Bat Hello self-combusting selfies. Snapchat Hello double tap heart. Instagram Hello rain in five minutes. Dark Sky Hello 6 seconds of fame. Vine Hello big idea. The next big thing...
The fact that Apple would highlight these specific apps is not surprising. Many of them have been featured by Apple on the front page of the App Store, and some of them have even made appearances during Apple keynotes in the past.
The most interesting app on the list is Snapchat (now just Snap), which has never been featured as part of an Apple keynote in the past. Apple has added it to its "essential" app collection, but the inclusion in the poem indicates the potential for a closer relationship.
Getting named as one of Apple's "Editor's Choice" can be worth between $100,000 and $300,000, according to The Information. According to the poem, it sounds like these apps have an inside track — and they may already know what Apple's "big idea" for its WWDC conference is.