Developers conferences from three of the major global IT heavyweights took place in a mere ten-day timeframe: Facebook “F8” from April 30th to May 1st in San Jose; “Microsoft Build” from May 6th to May 8th in Seattle; and “Google I/O” from May 7th to May 9th in Mountain View. Each of these events brought a plethora of announcements, and – as distant as they may seem from chip design and manufacturing – some of them will inevitably have an impact well beyond the developers’ communities of these three companies.
Early May announcements overload
Just a brief, non-exhaustive summary. Pledging to “a privacy-focused social platform”, Facebook introduced many new functions across all its apps and products, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and AR/VR. The Facebook app itself will get a new design, new group-oriented features, and a match-making function called Secret Crush aimed at exploring relationship opportunities within a circle of friends – without risking an embarrassing moment: the two persons will be notified only if both express interest for each other. WhatsApp news include the possibility for people to see a business catalog right within the app when chatting with a business; Instagram users will be able to simply tap on their smartphone screen to know exactly what ‘creators’ are wearing and buy the same outfit on the spot; “Portal from Facebook” and Portal+ will expand in Europe this fall; and Facebook’s two newest virtual reality headsets — Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S — will start shipping May 21.
Mark Zuckerberg at F8. Image credit: Facebook
