Technology

Top 6 Tech Announcements from Apple WWDC 2017

Every Year Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference brings together developers and the newest innovations and software that apple will be bringing together for the year. It’s a one of a kind event which is held in high regard among developers and consumers alike.

So for those of you haven’t got the chance to watch the keynote but want to know what apple showcased here’s the 6 main announcements. Apple introduced a ton of updates and changes to their line of products at Apple WWDC 2017 and we have it all organized for you. So lets dig in –

1. TV OS

TV OS got a face lift with a refreshed UI and other enhancements with amazon prime video coming to the TV OS.

2. Watch OS 4

Apple added some watch faces to the apple watch, with some minor software improvements to the slightly tweaked UI. Now there are several watch faces that display a whole lot of information right on the apple watch. There’s a few toy story based watch face, a kaleidoscope watch face that keeps changing and a Siri watch face that displays information on the go. Apple will now be collaborating with fitness equipment manufacturers to support two way communication through the apple watch to sync up data between the apple watch and compatible gym equipment during workouts for more accurate data collection.

Watch OS 4 will be available this fall as a free update.

3. Apple Macs get upgrades!

There were plenty of announcements regarding the MAC lineup. There were hardware refreshes announced to the existing Macs nothing too crazy

Mac OS (High Sierra)

Faster browsing with safari and new search improvements.
Safari now gets ad tracking and auto load blocking, to block auto loading ads on sites.
Mail now supports split view and uses up 35% less disk space.
Photos App gets new organization tools, light editing capabilities and face syncing across the app.
Apple file system gets an update for better performance.
H.265 video codec support which is hardware accelerated and built into Final Cut Pro.
Support for VR and external GPU’s.

iMac

Better and brighter displays.
Newest 7th gen i7 processors (Kaby Lake) for a boost in performance.
Better graphics.
Fusion drives for faster data speeds.
Macbooks, Macbook Pro
Kaby Lake processors.
Faster SSD’s.
Better Graphics.

iMac Pro

This is a high-end iMac which is supposed to be a powerhouse with, Up to 18 core xeon processors, AMD Radeon Vega Graphics (Still not out yet), Up to 128 Gb RAM, Up to 4 TB SSD, 4 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports. The iMac Pro comes in Space grey with matching apple wireless keyboard (with a number pad), trackpad and apple magic mouse.

4. Apple is introducing HomePod to compete with Echo

HomePod is a home speaker to tackle Amazon’s echo and Google Home’s market. The HomePod is a speaker with assistant capability.

A8 chip to power up the entire speaker (Overkill).
Covered in fabric.
Has a 6 microphone array for talking to the speaker.
Siri to control it.
A 4 inch sub woofer on top for better low end audio.
7 tweeters around the base for omni-directional sound.

Sounds way better than any other home speaker. Will be retailing at around 349 USD.

5. iOS 11 is coming!

New messages app with a new app drawer at the bottom.
- Messages app will now be synced to iCloud so switching between phones will be easier.
- End to end apple pay support through the messages app.
Siri now has a new voice and a refined interface with added features
- Siri can now translate any phrase to a desired language.
- Siri will be synced across all devices and give you on the go information through machine learning.
- Siri has a male voice too now.
There are several improvements to the camera app especially in portrait mode
- Apple announced their new Depth API (for AR), which will be released to developers.
Major redesign of the control center for better 3D touch responses.
Maps gets an update with lane guidance capabilities.
The lock-screen and the notification panel are have been fused.
DND while driving will silence all notification sounds while driving.
New design for the apple app store.
iOS 11 is available to developers with a free update for everyone this fall.

6. The iPad gets an upgrade

New iPads with brighter true tone displays.
And refinements to the existing system with the new iOS update.
New file system for the iPad ecosystem.
iPad Pro with a new 10.5 display.
- Larger screens with smaller bezels.
- 120 Hz refresh rate for a much smoother experience. Low latency for apple pencil with 120 Hz refresh rate.
- iOS 11 update brings a new persistent dock to the iPad much like the Mac OS for multitasking.
- New app switcher and drag and drop for texts, images and links.
- Flick keyboard buttons to symbols without switching panes.
- Files App for iPad.
6 core A10x processor.
iPhone 7 camera system on the iPad pro.
USB-C for faster charging.