Apple’s one of the biggest software event was kicked off this Monday which continues for about a week. Tim Cook rocked the stage by presenting the world with new updates which will soon be available for Apple users which would include the latest versions of iOS and macOS to a new iPad, updated MacBook Pros, and a shock iMac Pro appearance.
So without further ado, here are the biggest announcements from this year’s WWDC below.
1)APPLE ANNOUNCES HOMEPOD SPEAKER TO TAKE ON AMAZON ECHO AND SONOS
Apple unveiled this brand-new piece of technology which is powered by Siri and is a smart home speaker. The 7in tall, bin-like speaker packs an A8 processor, which sits alongside an Apple-built subwoofer and seven tweeter arrays with precision acoustic horns and directional control. It also uses spacial awareness feature to tune and fill the room with the sound based on the space it’s in. The “Musicologist” feature also helps the user to play any track from the music streaming service by Apple. It will be available in a black and white variant. Apple priced the HomePod at $349, with plans to ship it in December first to customers in the US, UK, and Australia.
2)New 5K iMac Pro unveiled
This might controversially be the best surprises from this event. The new 5K iMac Pro is a VR-ready beast that will come packing up to 18-cores, 16GB of vRAM, and AMD Vega graphics, up to 128GB ECC memory and four USB-C ports and built-in 10GB Ethernet.
3)MacBooks
MacBook Pros will now also be getting Apple’s Fusion Drive, along with improved Retina displays, graphics boosts, Kaby Lake processors, and USB-C.
4)IOS 11 COMES WITH IMPROVED SIRI, AUTOMATIC DO NOT DISTURB DRIVING MODE, iMESSAGE FEATURES
It was already anticipated that Apple would be releasing a new system OS. The new OS will pack all-new Apple Files directory to a bigger dock, improved app switcher, and the addition of Apple Pencil smarts in the Notes app. Now you can synchronize your conversations into the icloud database. Now purchase/pay can be done via iMessage. There’s a new control center as well, which relies a lot on 3D Touch and condenses most controls on the lower half of the screen without looking cluttered. The biggest changes are coming for iPad users, though, which will find an expanded dock, improved multitasking, multi-touch drag and drop support, a new Files app, and souped-up Apple Pencil support. Apple’s also bringing back the “App of the Day” section to promote users to open the App Store more frequently. There’s also a new safety feature that recognizes when a user is driving which further switches the device into Do not disturb mode to avoid distractions.
5) macOS Sierra
This brand-new OS comes out with updates to Safari that help block site trackers and auto-playing videos. It also features the
Apple’s new file system (APFS), which is an update further allowing assistance VR support and provides developer access to the GPU which can be used to tune apps for external graphics.
6)WATCHOS 4 BRINGS NEW SIRI WATCHFACE, FITNESS COACHING, AND A NEW APP-BROWSING UI
The brand-new wearable gadget from Apple will introduce us to new faces that display different types of information, such as Siri reminders or more visual ones that feature Toy Story characters a la Mickey Mouse. It also brings improvements to Apple’s fitness-focused Activity app and a redesigned Apple Music app with better support for playlists.
7)iPad Pro 2
Finally, it breaks the ice by unveiling iPad Pro which will be available in three different sizes. Apple unveiled a new 10.5-inch one in this event. It mounts a 12-megapixel camera with a 7MP selfie cam. It also supports USB 3.0 and has 10 hours of battery life. ProMotion is the newest and the biggest upgrade which reduces the Apple Pencil’s latency to 20 milliseconds, and also can adjust the refresh rate automatically. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro will be available starting with a 64GB configuration at $649.
8)Amazon Prime Video for tvOS
Tv OS will now have Amazon’s Prime Video app. There’s no firm release date yet, but Apple is promising a release date later this year.