Apples WWDC keynote – which saw the unveiling of iOS 7, iTunes Radio and its new, cylindrical Mac – took two hours from start to end. Watching the announcement was something of a marathon, but one of the great things about announcements of this size is that everyone can take away their own highlights. 

So naturally, we reached out to people who know much more about their individual specialties than we could ever hope to, and asked them what they thought of the launch.

The app marketers view

Case in point Craig Palli, VP of business development at Fiksu, who took the opportunity to look in-depth at two key elements of the announcement which should be of particular interest to app developers and marketers. First up, the fact that apps will now auto-update: 

“This is great news for app developers,” says Palli. “It ensures that they can always reach their users with a consistent, up-to-date version of their app, and every update is a reengagement opportunity. Delivering new features and content provides a reason for users to return to your app, without requiring the user to make a conscious decision to update. Auto updates also eliminate the need to support multiple older versions – at least within iOS 7.”

Secondly, the addition of a Popular near me section to the App Store: “Near me listings could provide a huge advantage for local small- and medium-sized businesses looking to promote their apps within a given city, state, or region. It could also provide considerable value for dealers, franchise businesses, large retailers, and chains that want to reach consumers in particular areas. 

“Popular Near Me lists may also influence developers of social apps, as theyll be able to generate interest and downloads among users interested in interacting with others in their area and the immediate environment.”

The designers view

Meanwhile, Hampus Jakobsson, co-founder of mobile design company Dexplora, examined the OS from a design standpoint:

“It’s about time that Apple refreshed its user interface and added gestures to the interaction as well as getting rid of the skeuomorphism in the graphic design,” says Jakobsson. “The simplicity of iOS7 is well-balanced with elements of playfulness, evidenced by the live clock, weather and accelerometer play, so should be intuitive and well received by consumers.

“However, there is a danger that the new design is maybe a bit too delicate and therefore more difficult to read. The thin lines of its Helvetica Neue Light typeface, coupled with smooth half-transparent backgrounds will probably require a better screen for optimal viewing – which is a hardware update Apple will likely look at this autumn.”

The analysts view

The big question a lot of people were asking before the announcement was whether Apple could reclaim its position as the great innovator. Phil Schiller, Apples senior VP of worldwide marketing answered that himself during the keynote, saying “Cant innovate any more, my ass”.

But taking an impartial view, the truth is a little more complex. 

“iOS 7 represents a massive overhaul of the look and feel of the operating system, which has remained largely unchanged visually since the original version,” says Jan Dawson, chief telecoms analyst at Ovum.

“The new version is almost unrecognisable, which will make it polarising. Some people will love that their phone feels new and different, while others will be disoriented by the newness. Finding your Settings app is hard when the icon has totally changed, and the many people who easily get disoriented by their gadgets may well have a negative experience. On the other hand, this is a clear statement from Apple that it acknowledges the need to refresh the user interface and is willing to do something pretty dramatic. 

“But many of the new features Apple added to iOS 7 are fixes to problems rather than dramatic or clever new ideas – Notifications, Siri, and Multitasking enhancements and the introduction of Control Center all deal with deficiencies rather than providing surprising new features no-one would have thought of.”

The brands view

Nevertheless, everyone seemed to agree, more or less, with Apples claim that iOS 7 represents “the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone” – and according to Paul Francis, head of commercial systems at Dominos Pizza, its been a long time coming.

“Six years is a very long time for a smart phone operating system to stay unchanged and I think it’s testimony to the popularity of the iPhone that Apple have pulled it off,” says Francis. “iOS 7 is long overdue and users will be hungry to get their hands on the sharp new interface, for me the question is, is it too late?

“The Android (HTC One) and WP8 (Lumia 920) handsets I have access to do essentially the same thing but in different ways. WP8 is socially-oriented while Android still feels very task-focused – and crucially for Apple, both are very good. 

“Of course, Apple still has a huge volume of available content on its side, and this will probably be the deciding factor when many customers upgrade. People don’t care much about hardware or OS, they value what their smartphone can do for them.”