Here Are the Major Takeaways from Apple WWDC 2017

The wait for the Apple’s biggest event has come to an end. Like every year, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2017 keynote took place on 5th June in San Jose Convention Center. Along with the key executives Craig Federighi, Phil Schiller and the Apple CEO, Tim Cook took the stage to announce the new updates in the Apple world.

As promised by Mr. Cook at the start of the event, this WWDC was even more interesting and jam-packed than last year with the most exciting announcements that were revealed one after another. More than 5000 Apple developers were present at the event as the company unveiled its most powerful Mac, Siri Speaker, and various other upgrades. Do not worry even if you have missed the keynote speech, here are the major highlights from this year WWDC:

1. Apple’s Smart Speaker-HomePod

Like the smart speakers of Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant, Apple’s Siri now has its own new speaker with the name HomePod. It is a 7” device that runs on Apple a8 chip and comes with 7 tweeters. It uses special awareness to fill the room with the sound based on the space it’s in. With the ability to control smart home devices, update day’s weather, the speaker can also answer complex questions related to music. HomePod will be available by December in two colors (white and black) with the price of $349.

2. MacOS High Sierra

The new macOS High Sierra will update almost everything on your system with the Safari that will not only run 80% faster but will support auto play blocking & intelligent tracking prevention. Mail will use spotlight to find the search top hits and will come with a full-screen split view. An updated file system of Apple with fast directory sizing and file level encryption. Photos will support more editing and filtering tools with the ability to detect the person in the photos. This new OS is available in developer beta now and soon be available to everyone.

3. iMac Desktops & iMac Pro Upgrades

Apple updated iMac desktops with improved features like faster processors, super-fast storage, Retina displays, etc. Talking about the CPU, the Intel 7th generation core processor called Kaby Lake will be used and 21.5 inch systems can be configured with up to 32 GB & 27 inches with 64 GB. Also, the SSD options will be 50% faster and will support up to 2 TB. With the I/O upgrade, iMacs will support 2 USB-C connected that supports Thunderbolt 3. The brand-new iMac Pro was introduced with a 5K display, 8-core Xeon processor, memory up to 128 gigs and 4 TB storage.

4. Amazon Prime Video in Apple TV

Already integrated with more than 50 partners that let you stream whatever entertainment you want; Apple TV will now support Amazon as well. The Prime Video library of Amazon will be coming to Apple TVs by the end of this year.

5. iOS 11 is out

The newest version of iOS is out with new features like the update to Siri with improved speech, the ability to translate sentences into various languages, as well as on-device learnings that will suggest actions based on whatever you do on your iPhone or iPad. iMessages will now live in the iCloud with synchronized conversations allowing you to delete from any device you own under the same account. Payments can be paid or received to/from contacts using iMessage. Photo capture is also much better with better low-light performance & option to edit live photos. The feature of “Do not disturb while driving” will help users to prevent distractions.

6. WatchOS 4 with new Siri watch face

The new faces of the Apple Watch powered by Siri will display different information relevant to users like event reminders, updates on the fitness routine, photo memories, etc. The WatchOS 4 will not only track your workouts but also sync playlists to the Apple watch & listen through AirPods without the phone kept nearby.

7. Augmented Reality on iPhone

Apple has invested in the technology of Augmented Reality on iPhone that can detect surfaces and put AR objects using computer vision. The concept looks interesting but there is no information on how developers will use it with the games, informational apps or any other purpose. With the AR capabilities enabled in millions of iPads and iPhones, Apple will become the largest platform across the globe.

8. iPad Pro 10.5 inch

The new iPad Pro comes with 10.5 inch iPad with the same size as the old 9.7” model without bezels. With the full-size on-screen keyboard and a six-core A10X Fusion, iPad Pro is believed to be the fastest model yet developed as per Apple. It will also bring HDR video to an iPad for the first time and will be available for the price of $649.