Snow Leopard gets hip to CoreLocation and multitouch
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Feb 5th 2009 1:07PM
posted Feb 5th 2009 1:07PM
We're in the Q1 2009, folks, and while we'd love to believe that the release of Snow Leopard is imminent, it looks like all we'll have to be sustained by is rumors and innuendo for the time being. According to "insiders" at, well, Apple Insider, the eagerly awaited operating system will be taking some cues from the iPhone, adding both CoreLocation and opening up the multitouch trackpad to third-party developers. Since MacBooks don't currently have GPS, we're guessing CoreLocation will be powered by Skyhook's WiFi-positioning service, but anything can happen down the line. With all the buzz over Google Latitude making its way onto all manner of devices, including the G1, select Blackberrys, and (someday!) the iPhone and iPod touch. With Mac sales being particularly laptop-heavy lately, it looks like location awareness is shaping up to be the must-have functionality of the coming year. Fabulous, darling. Fabulous.
Oh, man. CL in OS X will be awesome for us Mac developers.
"With Mac sales being particularly laptop-heavy lately, it looks like location awareness is shaping up to be the [most over hyped, worthless, niche] functionality of the coming year."
There, fixed that for ya.
Of course, if anything does come of it, we can expect you to praise it unduly when it's announced as the next big feature of Windows 7.
Mac developers? ahahhahahaaha
@iFail: Pays better. Can't argue with that.
Oh, and don't try to speak about a profession about which you haven't the slightest inkling.
I thought it was funny so GTFO :P
HunterXI: Ignore the trolls. These people wouldn't know code if it hit them upside the head. I'm with you on the CoreLocation integration - it's going to open a lot of possibilities for developers, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting my grubby paws on it :)
As for the naysayers... I can think of a *single* application that'd make the feature useful: Google Maps. How many times have you opened GMaps and had to type in your current location just to do a "around me" search? I spent barely 5 seconds and I've already got a killer application for location-awareness in a laptop.
All 2 of you?
This is already featured in Windows 7 by the way.
Welcome late to the game as usual Apple, and also per the status quo, one could have ostensibly expected Engadget to go out of their way to make note of this feature for Apple, yet conveniently forget to give credit where credit is due and mention Microsoft's already existent use of these features in Windows 7.
CoreLocation is like the other iPhone features that made it onto the Mac. When you're used to it on the iPhone you just find it weird your big, expensive laptop wouldn't be able to do it. Multi-touch, location awareness are the biggies, though integrated 3G WWAN can't be far behind.
I was just thinking about it 5 minutes ago when I realized that the photos taken by my MacBook Pro's webcam don't have GPS data embedded in them. Which makes them much less useful than the photos from the iPhone.
You are an idiot, Hamidxa - the iPhone obviously had it before Windows 7, so it is actually MS that is "late to the game" and it is you who are "late to think".
Very very cool
WWDC is coming up people. Fingers crossed on some Mac revisions and the new iPhone.
Wondering if GPS will be included in a new MacBook or if CL will interact with third party GPS chips like the one built into the ModBook
Why don't you wait until there's some actual news from apple?
Like the iPhone nano and the Mac Mini update, if you rely on rumors all you're doing is setting yourself up for disappointment.
Don't forget the long fabled (7 years now?) Mac Tablet.
I'm surprised they don't mention the GPS, accelerometer and location aware settings already in Windows 7?
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Windows-seven-Netbook,review-1164-7.html
Uh, this is Engadget, not the fucking NYT. If you can't handle rumors, then you're in the wrong place.
HunterXI,
Oh, I can handle rumors. But I bet most of the commentor population here can't.
And didn't the NYT get busted for not fact-checking once?
There's a difference between this and most other Apple rumors. I hate when people troll Apple's patent portfolio and start reporting on every single patent as if it's a coming product.
But if this news comes from the people who have access to the Snow Leopard builds, then it's a lot more concrete than some arbitrary patent somewhere.
Nice! Time to get cracking on some CL code..
I'm surprised Angadget didn't label this as breaking news...
Angadget? You can't do better than that? How about Engapple? iEngadget? Engadget Book Pro? Any of these would be better than Angadget.
Also, reading blogs just to compain about them is soooo 2007.
Haha.. It was actually a typo that probably happened when I tried to capatialize the E.. But I guess reading comments just to complain is now in? Thanks for pointing it out for me :)
But "I am not iEye, i swear ".. That was a terrible, terrible joke.. I would even say a bit worse than my sarcastic joke with an ironic typo...
Ceiling Cat watches over El Jobso
Ha, someone beat me to it.
Multitouch screen or even just a plain old touchscreen? No? Thanks for living in the 80's, Apple.
In a parallel universe, Apple came out with a multitouch/plain old touchscreen.
And your parallel self wrote, "I can get a multitouch screen on a PC for just $500. Thanks for living in the 90's, Apple."
Honestly, a quarter of the people commenting now are burning Apple just for the sake of being Apple, and would stick with PCs regardless.
I'm sure multi-touch would go great with those glossy screens...
I think the issue here is what you think is meant by "multi-touch". If you think that Apple is going to be introducing MacBooks with a touch-screen then think again. What this means is that developers will be able to use the new trackpads for gestures that are supported by Apple's own applications, such are pinching and rotating. Under no circumstance would I be interested in a silly touchscreen unless tablet computers suddenly took off.
You mean like the iPhone, Verlin?
@Saad Rabia
Exact..Oh crap..
@The WC:
In a reality note, a quarter of the people commenting now are burning Microsoft just for the sake of being Microsoft, and would stick with Mac's regardless.
I'll rip on Windows XP for being pretty shitty and virus/trojan/rootkit prone, but at least it had touchscreen.
On a side note: I hate trackpads.
@Saad Rabia,
In my five months here, most of the Macboy comments that I've seen are directed toward promoting Apple, not dissing Microsoft.
Maybe I don't hang out at the Microsoft-oriented articles enough?
Saad Rabia: Actually... the iPhone touchscreen will never work on a laptop :) I find myself polishing my phone *way* too much (it's a smudge magnet, honestly)... and I don't think I can do that to a 13" screen all day.
Since GPS chips are so cheap and low powered now it's hard to think of a reason not to add the hardware, and either way it's well worth the API for all manner of things... like Twitter!
And soon, post to twitter right from your iSight! ...because people want to see more of you in your pajamas.
Or eating a big mac
I guess I'll just have to upgrade from my trustee old first gen MacBook...
I don't see anything to suggest that it won't run great on your MacBook. I think they're dropping G4 support and that's about it. G4 chip was introduced, what, 8 years ago?
In other news, it offers what Windows 7 will offer?
*Wow*
In other other news Windows 7 includes features that OS X Panther offered...
Lol.
yup. these two features are the entirety of the 10.6 update. nothing else. just those 2 things.
(guess what i am saying "wow" about? hint: it involves your level of knowledge on the subject matter at hand.)
@Verlin:
Name those features.
@Ruben: A functional OS.
Kidding. On a more serious note: a proper theft of Dashboard.
Oh, and not to mention the Dock and Stacks.
"With Mac sales being particularly laptop-heavy lately, it looks like location awareness is shaping up to be the must-have functionality of the coming year."
I thought everyone's sales were laptop-heavy these days, not just Apple, and have been for a while now.
yes, but noticeably in apple - the main reason is the company has not updated imacs/mac pros significantly in a long time
Honestly, I disagree. The reason is that people aren't interested in desktops these days. Given the performance of laptops these days, why would you want a desktop?