Tencent Technology News, Beijing time June 7th, according to foreign media reports, at Apple's annual developer conference held on Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs presented a series of new products and services awaited by the industry. Apple highlighted these products and services through a new generation of cloud computing-based iTunes. However, the market's reaction to this news from Apple was rather mediocre. The company's stock price closed at $338.04, down $5.40 from the previous trading day, a drop of 1.6%. This was also Apple's largest single-day decline in its stock price since May 16.
Jobs said on Monday at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco that Apple will launch a free online service called iCloud, which allows users to access media via the internet using different devices. The iCloud service has been highly anticipated by the industry, but many Apple observers had hoped that Apple would showcase more products at this year's annual developer conference, such as a new version of the iPhone grey market phone. However, at this year's Apple Global Developers Conference, Jobs and other Apple executives emphasized more on software upgrades, with no mention of the new iPhone.
Jobs said, "If hardware is the brain and muscle of our products, then software is the soul." Jobs stated that Apple will officially launch iCloud in the fall, providing each user with 5GB of free storage space. iCloud integrates Apple's music service, system backup, file transfer, notebook, and tablet device product lines into an organic whole.
Apple also introduced a new feature called iTunes Match, which can be managed through iTunes. It recommends music similar to local styles to users and offers audio quality upgrade services for an annual fee of $24.99. Jobs said that compared to Google and Amazon, Apple's iTunes Match supports local management through iTunes, while competitors only support web management. Only Apple can provide audio quality upgrade services, and additionally, the annual fee for iTunes Match is the lowest among the three, at just $24.99.
Brian Marshall, a market analyst at Gleacher & Co., an American investment firm that tracks Apple stocks, said that Apple's actions were within market expectations, indicating that Apple aims to maintain its leading advantage in digital innovation.
In addition to the iCloud service, Jobs also showcased the next-generation Mac operating system, Lion. Mac users will be able to download Lion from the Mac App Store starting in July, at a cost of $29.99.
Moreover, Jobs demonstrated the latest version of the mobile operating system, iOS 5. iOS 5 comes with the PC Free function, enabling wireless connection with computers without the need for data synchronization cables. According to Apple's plan, the company will officially release iOS 5 in the fall.
This was also Jobs' second public appearance since his brief leave earlier this year due to illness. Jobs' health issues have garnered significant market attention; he previously underwent pancreatic cancer surgery and received a liver transplant. To date, neither Jobs nor Apple has disclosed the reasons for his brief departure earlier this year.