Apple’s WWDC 2017: a Siri speaker, iOS 11, and what else to expect

[Guest Nicole]

It’s June again, so it’s time for Apple to give the world a look at what it’s been up to and what we should expect from the iPhone, the Mac, and everything in between in the months to come.

On Monday, Apple will kick off this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference with a keynote presentation where, like every year, the company’s top executives will take the stage to talk about their next big releases. Traditionally, WWDC has been a software show, with a heavy focus on iOS and macOS (and, recently, tvOS and watchOS as well). But this year, there have been rumblings that we should expect some hardware news too — including at least one brand new product — which could make the event even more interesting than usual.

The keynote starts at 1PM ET / 10AM PT on June 5th. The Verge will be reporting live from San Jose, so be sure to come back then for all the news.

For now, here’s our guide on what to expect on Monday. There haven’t been a ton of leaks this year, so while we have some ideas of what Apple’s planning, there should still be plenty of surprises in store.

Continue reading

[The Librarian]

Woohoo!!

[Guest Nicole]

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off in San Jose, Calif. with a product keynote.

Apple unveiled new versions of its iOS, macOS and watchOS platforms, a connected home speaker device called the HomePod — shipping in December — and a new iPad Pro tablet.

Here’s everything important Apple announced today, in roughly chronological order.

tvOS

Apple only had one thing to say about tvOS: The Apple TV is getting a big new content source, as Amazon Prime Video is coming soon to Apple TV and Apple’s newish TV app. Apple CEO Tim Cook promised more updates around tvOS later this year.

watchOS 4

Apple announced a new version of watchOS, the software that powers the Apple Watch. It’s not nearly as big of a change as last year’s watchOS 3, but there are a few interesting new features.

A new Siri-powered watch face uses machine learning to customize its content in real time throughout the day, including reminders, traffic information, upcoming meetings, news, smart home controls, etc., when they’re supposed to be most relevant.

New fitness features include smarter workout controls, more prompts to set goals, and two-way workout data exchange with certain gym equipment, via partnerships with major manufacturers. You’ll also be able to use the watch face as a flashlight or blinking light during runs — a neat safety touch.

The Apple Watch will also be able to better connect with other hardware gadgets, such as continuous glucose monitors, via Bluetooth. We’ll be looking for more about this when Apple unveils this year’s new Watch hardware, expected in the fall.

macOS High Sierra

Apple isn’t doing a major macOS update this year — instead, the company has spent the year “perfecting it,” Apple SVP Craig Federighi said. This includes updates to Safari, including 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; a stronger updated graphics engine that supports VR development; and support for the Unity and Unreal gaming engines (which drew a round of applause from the developer audience).

This seems like the right move: The Mac isn’t hurting for new features as much as efficiency and power. The free update will ship this fall, with a beta program starting soon.

New Macs, including the iMac Pro

The summer updates: Apple’s iMac is getting a nicer display, faster processors and graphics performance — suitable for VR content creation — more memory capacity, and some new ports. The MacBook and MacBook Pro are getting faster chips and drives. The MacBook Air is getting a faster chip. And the 13-inch MacBook Pro is getting a lower entry-level price.

Apple also showed off a sneak peek at a new, high-performance version of the iMac — a 27-inch, darker gray iMac Pro, with up to 18 processor cores — that’s shipping in December. Starting at $4999, this is designed for Pro users, including those waiting while Apple resuscitates its Mac Pro desktop. Tim Cook called it “pretty badass.”

Continue reading

[Guest Nicole]

Apple Announces New iMac Pro and Updated MacBook Pros at WWDC

Apple announced a new iMac Pro and updated MacBooks today at their World Wide Developer Conference 2017 in San Jose, Calif. According to MacRumors Buyer's Guide, it had been 221 days since updating the MacBook Pro, 412 days since updating the MacBook, and a staggering 601 days since updating the iMac. Check out the stats on the latest hardware with some super high-end performance options that could be great for photographers and video editors alike.

New iMac Pro

While the entire iMac line of 21.5-inch and 27-inch models got a refresh, the biggest announcement was the new iMac Pro. Starting at $4,999 with a target availability of December 2017, the new iMac Pro includes four Thunderbolt 3 Ports, a built-in 10 GB Ethernet port, 1080p FaceTime Camera, improved cooling, and up to 18-core Xeon processors. The new display is touted as being 43 percent brighter with one billion colors. The iMac Pro is configurable with up to: 

16 GB of VRAM

128 GB of ECC RAM

18-Core Xeon Processors

Continue reading