It turned out to be software event after all and Tim Cook thanks all the developers for their contributions. WWDC 2018 closes without any hardware announcements. Shares are currently trading up 0.9%.
Looks like that’s it. Tim Cook is giving an overview of all the announcements made today. No iPhone SE 2 as predicted! No updates to iPad. No updates on Air Power also. At least Siri got some updates.
“People keep asking us are you merging iOS with MacOS? NO! We love the Mac OS.” Meanwhile, Apple will bring a few iOS apps to Mac with some code changes in the coming years.
Announces Create ML, which allows to create machine learning tools, without an expert. “We’re also making models run much faster on devices by using Core ML 2. 30% faster in on-device processing.”
Metal for gaming. “Metal also enables these games to scale to take full advantage of modern Macs. Across iOs and Macs, there are over 1B metal devices.” It now supports external GPUs.
Now to Apple store. Apple has redesigned Mac App Store from the ground up. The UI looks better than the predecessor. Microsoft is bringing Office 365 to Mac App Store later this year. Adobe will bring Lightroom CC, Panic will bring Transmit and Barebones is bringing BB Edit.
“Will have simplified system configuration, etc. Your Mac will look like everyone else’s Mac, and it will be much harder for data companies to identify and track you.”
Privacy talks. Mails, history and other sensitive materials are automatically protected. Better security on camera and microphones. “It turns out comment fields, share buttons can be used to track you even if you don’t click on them. We are closing that down.”
Trim videos, sign documents inside quick look in Mojave. Continuity Camera is an innovative feature in Mojave, where users can click pictures on phone, which immediately reflects on the Mac. A quick-scanning-plus-transferring kind-of stuff. Voice memos coming to Mac.
Up next is MacOS. MacOS Mojave! It features a Dark Mode as expected. It does look gorgeous. Features dynamic desktop. Also has desktop stacks so that the desktop is not a mess of icons. It has a new gallery view as a finder.
“Last year we introduced single sign on. Now we’re making it even easier with Zero Sign-On.”
“This fall iTunes will be bringing you the largest collection of Atmos content anywhere. Will upgrade previously purchased titles for free.” It also offers a range of live sports on 4K. Over 100 video channels. Quick access to Apple TV on iPhone. AAPL shares are now trading up 0.8%.
Tim Cook is back to talk about tvOS. “Since its introduction, the Apple TV business has grown an incredible 50%,” he says. Yes Apple TV gets DOLBY Atmos!
“We’re happy to introduce an all-new Pride edition watch band. and a new watch face.”
New updates in Siri watch face include live content, sports, maps, heart rate, as well as Siri Shortcuts. Also, now third-party apps can be used on the Siri watch face. Just raise your hand and talk to Siri. You don’t have to say “Hey Siri.” Apple Podcast is coming to Apple Watch. WatchOS 5 has a GymKit.
Wow! Apple Watch now has a Walkie Talkie! Has high audio quality and works on Wifi.
Apple watch also becomes more runner-friendly. Will show data on current pace and show current steps per minute. New Yoga and hiking features added.
Next up is Apple Watch. Tim says Apple Watch is number one in customer satisfaction, grew 60% in 2017. Introduces WatchOS 5. Features more accurate data. Also has monthly goals, celebration of achievements etc. You can also challenge friends in health competitions.
GROUP Facetime can be used to call up to 32 people. It is aloso integrated with Messenger. New UI. The speaker’s tile gets larger automatically during the group call. Animojis, sticker, filters can be used in Facetime as well. Group chatting is going to get a lot more comic!
“We are bringing fun effects into the Messages camera.” You can now use the filters and mimojis to take selfies and send to your friends on Messenger.
Animojis have an innovative new feature. Tongue detection. And there are some new Animojis. There is also memoji. “With Memoji, you can create your very own personalized Animoji.” Basically, you can create a Animoji that looks exactly like you (not really, still).
Parental controls have updates. Can now easily set it remotely from parent’s devices. Can allow or block individual apps.
Instant Tuning allows users to mute notifications. “If you see an app you’d like to be spending a little less time, you can set your own limit. During the day when you’re using the app, you can receive a helpful notification, letting you know time is almost up.”
Apparently, Apple is worried about iPhone addiction. So here is a bed-time DND feature. Nothing but a black screen during your bedtime if you use it.
iBook is now Apple Books. Features better e-books, the feature of finding where you left off.
Talking of Apps. There is now a new sidebar for News App on the iPad. “We are bringing Apple News to Stocks. Stocks features all the stock market-related news, specially designed to look great on iPhone and iPad. It also has the stock performance details.
Siri now features numerous shortcut phrases. You set the phrase and say “Travel Plans” and Siri would give you the updates. Siri Shortcuts is definitely what many iPhone fans were looking for.
We are now on Siri. If you say you have the Tile app because you’re always losing keys, you can add a shortcut to Siri, — such as – ‘I lost my keys.’ As you say it, Siri automatically activates Tile and start ringing your keys. “Help me relax” will bring up meditation.
Photos have a “For You” tab for featured photos as well as old photos taken on that day (Much like Facebook memories). It also notifies sharing options – including showing the people who feature in the image so as to share with them.
A demo shows how Lego creative sets are used to create a virtual world, using ARKit 2. That was fun. Multiplayer AR gaming is a great concept. AAPL shares are trading up 1.4%.
Apple introduces a new app that can measure in a virtual environment. It’s called measure. Take a look at how a photo is measured.
Adobe will have features where Photoshop can be used to make AR content, which can be converted to AR using USDZ.
AUGMENTED REALITY. iOS12 will make AR easy with Pixar collaboration. Introduces new file format called USDZ to streamline AR. Adobe CTO Abhay Parasnis takes the stage to talk more about USDZ.
The latest iOS will be called iOS 12 and it will be a free software upgrade. It will support devices that came back till 2013. Apps to load 40% faster.
Tim Cook takes the stage. Says Apple has 10 million developers worldwide.
Apple’s most followed annual event after the iPhone launches, the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) of 2018 is scheduled to take place at McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. You can catch the live blog here as the event starts at 1PM ET. Over the past few weeks, the tech world has been going crazy over all sorts of rumors, leaks and predictions on what are expected from the tech giant this time. For some background knowledge of the predictions and expectations from WWDC 2018, we recommend you to see here.
Image courtesy: AppleMeanwhile, last year, Apple (AAPL) made a slew of announcements at the WWDC event including updates to operating systems of iPhone and Apple watch. In spite of being an event that focuses on software and apps, it also saw the launch of a 10.5 inch iPad Pro as well as an iMac Pro. Going by rumors, we should see some surprises this year as well, including an update to iPhone SE.
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