Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just held in San Jose and several big announcements were made at the event.
It has been in tradition for quite some time that Apple puts a mostly-annual developers conference in California showcasing new software, software updates, and often even technologies that can be leveraged by the developers so as to make their apps more innovative and up to date. This conference is named Worldwide Developers Conference. Although developers are in focus here, consumers are also invited to attend it.
When WWDC took place?
This time around Apple’s WWDC conference took place in San Jose, CA, instead of the usual city of San Francisco, CA. It was from 5th June to 9th June at the McEnery Convention Center, which means it occurred on the doorstep of Apple’s new Cupertino Complex.
Let’s explore what happened at WWDC
Usually, there is a lot in store for consumers in the conference, and this year, Apple came up with a lot more. Like, a Siri-powered speaker called HomePod, a new iPad Pro with a 10.5-inch screen, watchOS 4 for Apple Watch, MacOS High Sierra for Macs, iOS 11 for iPhones and iPads, and much more.
Find here everything Apple announced at Worldwide Developer Conference:
tvOS
It is a big announcement indeed; however, Apple has just one thing to say about tvOS application development. Well, the Apple TV will have a big new content source as Apple’s CEO Tim Cook revealed that Amazon Prime Video would come to Apple TV. He also promised to offer more updates for tvOS, later this year. The services consist of more TV shows and movies along with innovative content.
watchOS
Apple Watch is going to be all the more empowered as Apple’s next OS for Apple Watch is watchOS 4. Amongst its brilliant features is a new Siri-powered watch face that automatically suggests the content required by you. Upon shaking your wrist, the watch will update with fresh, up-to-date information on relevant items such as reminders, upcoming meetings, traffic information, news, etc. The fitness features like smart workout controls allow dual-way workout data exchange and set goals using specific gym equipment. Also, the watch face can be used as a blinking light or a flashlight.
macOS High Sierra
There is no major update for macOS in 2017, as the company instead chose to spend the year perfecting it, as put in by Apple SVP Craig Federighi. This comprises of updates to Safari, consisting of autoplay video blocking and “intelligent tracking prevention” to cut back at ad trackers; better Photos editing and organization; a faster new behind-the-scenes file system; stronger updated graphics engine supporting VR development; as well as support for the Unity and Unreal gaming engines (well appreciated by the developer audience).
It seems to be a good move and with new features, the Mac is all the more efficient and more powerful. The free update will be shipped this fall, along with a beta program that starts soon.
The MacBook and iMac Pro
Comprising of efficient chips and drives, the MacBook and MacBook Pro has advanced features like improved display, better graphics performance, and faster processors. Further, it is the best choice for VR content creation and more memory capacity. The MacAir gets a faster chip, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro is getting a lower entry-level price.
Meanwhile, iMac, the high-performance version, and a 27-inch device with up to 18 core processors, darker gray iMac Pro is going to be available in December. Starting at $4,999, it’s designed for Pro users using the high-end specification that requires for things to develop such as VR games for creative professionals.
iPad Pro 10.5
Coming at $649, this 10.5 inch iPad Pro consists of more screens and portable look, with upgrades to its cameras and better screen technologies. This tablet works best for professional users, having thinner borders around its edges, though it still has a home button, and supports a full-width keyboard cover.
The display is alluring with richer color, and it comes with a new feature called ProMotion, which updates its content up to 120 times per second, so it feels smoother and more responsive. Further, it works faster and comes with twice the standard amount of memory, i.e. 64 gigabytes.
You can buy it at $649 as its shipping starts next week.
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HomePod
Homepod is Apple’s own music system that will be released later this year. However, the company did reveal a sneak peek during its keynote. It is designed to take on the Amazon Echo for its smart functionality, and also systems like Sonos in audio quality. Homepod has a seven-beam forming tweeter array able to fill a room multi-directionally, along with a 4-inch woofer. This small but powerful speaker will sense the shape of your room and customize the audio for its surroundings. Further, it can be paired with a second HomePod for greater effect.
With the speaker being controlled by Apple’s A8 processor, it enables many features, like multi-channel echo cancellation and separation. A ‘musicologist feature is going to respond to ‘Hey Siri,’ play from your Apple Music account as well as it will answer questions about the track it’s playing. Not only this, but it will also handle other Siri queries, like weather, news, messages, podcasts, stocks, controlling smart home devices via HomeKit and a lot more.
This new breakthrough home speaker will start selling US, UK, and Australia from December in white and space gray for $349.
iOS 11
Apple has announced the new version of iOS which is set to be released sometime in September. iOS 11 boasts of a string of new features. Let’s explore the biggest new features of iOS 11:
‘Apple Pay Cash’ Card: This new feature allows you to make person-to-person payments using the Apple Pay inside Messages “Apple Pay Cash” Card. With it, you can authenticate your transaction using Touch ID, and the money can send in the body of the message.
Photos: This new feature works great in saving memory while also maintaining a good quality of photos. It enables you to store videos and images in compression standards known as HEVC and HEIF, as the camera will be using more efficient algorithms and file formats for photos and videos. Thus, it takes less space than before.
Apple mentioned that the memory feature utilizes AI so to form custom presentations of videos and photos and to make it possible to scan the library quickly to recognize things like people, wedding and sporting events.
App Store: The App Store is being redesigned by Apple for the first time, and it appears a lot like the Apple Music like there is a big promo art, a tab for games and more visibility into in-app purchases. Today Tap presents videos and information for featuring games, updates, and apps. There will also be some new features for app developers, comprising of ‘phased releases that allow you to launch major new updates in an easier manner.
Siri: With new and advanced features of Siri you can translate queries into other languages such as Spanish, Chinese and French. It will support more third-party apps via the SiriKit developers kit that was released last year, and it will also have more context for proactive suggestions.
Further, it will read the text on your screen, thus enabling you to easily spell complex words you just looked at, like Louis Vuitton.
Apple Music: Apple Music turns more social with MusicKit. It makes it easy for developers to integrate Apple Music into other services and apps.
AirPlay 2: With new AirPlay 2 you can play music to other devices. It supports multi-room home speakers from different leading manufacturers and also creates multi-room audio environments.
Apple Maps: With iOS 11, Apple unraveled new mapping features including indoor maps for airports and malls, information about speed limit and guides during navigation about which lane being appropriate. It works brilliantly for vehicle drivers as they can now turn off notification while driving. This new ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ mode allows for the same.
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Final Note:
With these awesome updates, Apple is certain to allure more users and iOS developers as they will hugely benefit from its techno-driven software and hardware system.
