No fancy dance around introduction this time, folks. There’s a lot to cover from the annual WWDC held by Apple. This year it was mainly about new technology throughout the various devices and operating systems. In other words, these are additions that Apple enthusiasts have been waiting for, as they have fallen behind the market in innovation. There were also a couple of anticipated “surprises”.
So high
The new macOS is called, get this, High Sierra. The new OS updates and makes improvements on Safari, like helping block site trackers and auto playing videos. There is also a new photo editing tools like curves (something you’d find in Photoshop), alongside better filtering tools for images by keywords or faces. This goes swimmingly with Apple’s new filing system, which now allows drag-and-drops on a single display for all platforms. In addition, this opens up for the new iOS 11 features.
Through windows
One of the new iOS features for iPads is the multitasking ability, similar to what you might see with Windows. As mentioned, the concept is not new; it’s more of a simple addition they should have had a while ago. iPad users will now be able to hold and drag folders, files and photos into different apps that are open at the same time. For example, opening the Mail app or iMessage on one side, while you drag photos and other files into the app on the split screen.
Within the same frame, Apple is really pushing their “deep learning” approach to technology advancements. For example, a handwritten text by using the Apple Pencil, used on the Notes app, can easily find you written files that have been saved away from long ago. Simply by recognising your handwriting allows the iOS to search for files you couldn’t pluck out by rummaging through all the folders and files.
Make-believe
They continued with the theme of introducing slightly new advancements for the iPhone and iPad like the ARKit, which essentially is an augmented reality app. Popular apps like Pokemon Go will use the ARKit tool to create or improve real-time renders. Think about playing an app on a real, blank table with little monsters battling each other, on your display as if they are actually there. With the demo shown during the keynote, they made it quite clear there were no other accessory or device needed to use the ARKit. You can use the Apple gadgets you already have. And it’s safe to say, the quality looks amazingly impressive.
Beauty of the beast
A huge pleasant surprise, if you want to call it that was the new and improved, also very sexy, introduction of the iMac Pro. Professionals can now rejoice at the most powerful Mac ever made. Let the specs of the gorgeous space grey Mac speak for itself. With a 5K display, there’s improving cooling capacity, 8-core Xeon processor (can be upgraded to 18-core), up to 4TB of SSD, up to 128GB of ECC memory, four Thunderbolt 3 ports and built-in 10GB Ethernet.
That’s not the only upgrade for Macs. The new line of iMacs possesses better Retina displays, graphics heavy boosts, Kaby Lake processors and USB-C. VR is also a huge component on the new additions. It was so enticing that we were given a live demo of a Star Wars VR game. And yes, there was plenty of geeking out.
The new iMac base model can be purchased at $1,099 (21.5-inch), while the 4K model is set to $1,299. The MacBooks were also given a slight upgrade and start at $1,299 (13-inch model). The beast that is the iMac Pro starts at $4,999.
And another one
There is also a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro in the new line of products. The Pro now will be available in three different sizes. The iPads have a 12-megapixel camera and a 7MP selfie cam. The 10 hours of battery life is still there and now supports USB 3.0.
New gadgets also mean better technology. A new feature called ProMotion reduces the Apple Pencil’s latency by 20 milliseconds. There is also an automatic refresh rate adjustment based on what you’re watching on your display. The 10.5-inch Pro will be available for $649 for the 64GB model. You can actually order one now and receive it within a week or two.
Back to music
Apple’s rise to dominance started with the iconic iPod, so the company’s roots will always have music at its base. The newest gadget from Apple is the new HomePod. It’s a stereo and smart-home gadget that will interact with voice control, which means plenty of conversations with an improved version of Siri. There are plenty of new additions to Apple Music, like its new interface and navigation, but it will project best through the new HomePod. Aside from music, you have news, unit conversation, messages, reminders, podcasts, translations, weather, sports and well, you get the idea.
The $349 gadget is nothing revolutionary and definitely nothing new. Apple is simply playing catch up. In a way, they did what Sony used to do: improve or make better already established products. In any case, these will fly off the shelves no matter what.
