The opening keynote of WWDC 2017 just ended so Cody and Sebastien get together to discuss Apple's big announcement including watchOS 4, macOS High Sierra, new Mac hardware, iOS 11, and of course, the HomePod. This is also the big reveal of the winner of the first annual WWDC fantasy draft. Get ready!
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One of the few new hardware announcements Apple made on stage during its WWDC keynote is the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro model. It's essentially a refreshed version of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, with a slightly larger display panel sitting between thinner bezels.
As usual, Apple allowed members of the press to go hands-on with the new tablet after its keynote event. And as usual, we've put together a roundup of some of their videos to give you a good idea of what to expect before deciding whether or not to purchase it.
The Vergehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-L7Eu89r34
CNEThttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDmONcSS83k
SlashGearhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qgECMZ2ZPE
TechCrunchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJyjFmV4bSU
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro (and updated 12.9-inch model) goes on sale next week, starting at $650. Unfortunately, a lot of the new iOS 11 features you see demoed in the above videos will not be available until iOS 11 launches to the public sometime later this year.
Apple has refreshed its notebook lineup during this morning's keynote presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose. Like its updated 12-inch MacBook, the refreshed MacBook Pro lineup now provides Intel's latest seventh-generation processors, code-named “Kaby Lake”, that were announced in March.
All MacBook Pro models now include enhanced SSDs, up to 50 percent faster than before.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,799. If you need a notebook with a 15-inch display and Touch Bar, that'll be a cool $2,399, at least.
The 13-inchers have Intel CPUs up to 3.5 GHz Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.0 GHz while their 15-inch counterparts include up to 3.1 GHz Core i7 chips with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz.
In terms of graphics, the baseline non-Touch Bar model uses Intel's Iris Plus Graphics 640. The more powerful Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 is powering other 13-inchers without Touch Bar.
All models of the 15-inch MacBook Pro have been upgraded to Radeon Pro 555 discrete graphics with 2GB video memory. A Radeon Pro 560 GPU with 4GB memory is available as a build-to-order option on Apple's web store.
Here are the stock MacBook Pro configurations:
$1,299 13-inch MaBook Pro
13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 128GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports$1,499 13-inch MaBook Pro
13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports$1,799 13-inch MaBook Pro
13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID$1,999 13-inch MaBook Pro
13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 512GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID$2,399 13-inch MaBook Pro
15-inch LED-backlit 2880-by-1800 display with IPS technology at 220PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Discrete Radeon Pro 555 graphics with 2GB video memory 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID$2,799 13-inch MaBook Pro
15-inch LED-backlit 2880-by-1800 display with IPS technology at 220PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 512GB SSD storage Discrete Radeon Pro 560 graphics with 4GB video memory 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch IDThe updated machines are available with 1-day shipping, in Silver or Space Gray.
It's worth reiterating that the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro model without Touch Bar now costs $1,299 instead of $1,499. Being a cool $200 cheaper actually makes in comparison MacBook Air a tougher sell as it's only gotten a faster 1.8GHz Intel chip today.
Apple also continues to offer the previous-generation MacBook Pro with a 15-inch screen, Intel's 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz, 16GB 1600MHz memory, 256GB SSD storage, Intel Iris Pro Graphics and two Thunderbolt 2 ports.
It's available in Silver finish only and costs $1,999 a pop.
These updated MacBook Pro models, plus improved iMacs and the 13-inch MacBook Air models with a faster 1.8GHz CPU, are all available to order today on Apple.com.
You can buy them in Apple Stores starting on Wednesday, June 7.
During the keynote address earlier this morning at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Apple announced that its twelve-inch MacBook models are getting faster Intel chips and speedier flash storage. MacBooks now ship with Intel's seventh-generation Intel Core CPU platform, code-named “Kaby Lake”, that was unveiled in March.
The clock frequency has been increased to 1.3 GHz, but Intel's Turbo Boost technology can temporarily increase the CPU clock speed to up to 3.6 GHz during heavy workloads. Flash storage is now up to fifty percent faster and the notebooks now support up to twice the RAM than before, for up to 16GB of RAM.
Configure-to-order options available via Apple's online store allow you to outfit your new 12-inch MacBook with up to a 1.4 GHz Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz.
The following stock configurations are available:
$1,299 MacBook
12-inch 2304-by-1440 LED-backlit display with IPS technology and 16:10 aspect ratio 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.0GHz 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 615 Built-in keyboard with second-generation butterfly mechanism$1,599 MacBook
12-inch 2304-by-1440 LED-backlit display with IPS technology and 16:10 aspect ratio 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 memory 512GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 615 Built-in keyboard with second-generation butterfly mechanism“Weighing just two pounds and measuring 13.1mm thin, MacBook is our thinnest and lightest notebook for all-day, on-the-go computing,” says the company. The refreshed MacBooks continue to be available in Apple's standard Gold, Rose Gold, Silver and Space Gray color finishes.
The updated MacBook models—along with improved iMacs, specc'd up MacBook Pros and a slightly updated 13-inch MacBook Air with a faster 1.8GHz processor—are available to order today on Apple.com. You can buy them in Apple Stores starting on Wednesday, June 7.
For other tech specs, configure-to-order options and accessories, visit apple.com/mac.
Apple discontinued the Mac Pro to work on a completely new kind of all-in-one computer that has comparable specs. They're going ahead and calling it the iMac Pro, and behind that super sexy space gray finish is a ton of computing power that appeals to professionals who need the extra processing power.
In this piece, we'll talk about the tech specs of the iMac Pro, which was just announced by Apple at WWDC 2017.
Apple is taking a new responsibility in the world of delivering music to your home by unveiling the HomePod, a new wireless speaker and assistant for your house.
This intelligent new wireless speaker uses similar technology to what’s available in the AirPods, except it’s incredibly more advanced on both the software and hardware ends of things.
Among all the new gadgets and accessories Apple unveiled at WWDC 2017, a revamped iPad Pro was one of the lead attention-grabbers. In this piece, we'll go over the tech specs of both the new 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
It is now definitely clear that MacBook Air is, sadly, on its way out. First and foremost, Apple hasn't really updated its design following the 2010 debut. And while Apple continues to update MacBook Air with faster Intel chips and graphics, the latest hardware refresh to the popular notebook leaves a a lot to be desired.
The notebook now ships with a faster 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 processor from Intel—a step up from the previous 1.3 GHz one—but that's about it in terms of hardware upgrades.
It didn't even get Intel's Kaby Lake chips, introduced in March.
The tech giant briefly mentioned the update during the keynote and made only a passing one-sentence mention in the press released announcing other Mac updates. “Apple today also updated the 13-inch MacBook Air with a 1.8 GHz processor,” reads the release.
Here's the updated MacBook Air lineup.
$999 MacBook Air
13-inch non-IPS LCD 1,440-by-900 display 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory 128GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 6000$1,199 MacBook Air
13-inch non-IPS LCD 1,440-by-900 display 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 6000Apple hasn't given the notebook faster SSD storage, nor has it updated built-in graphics, like with today's updates to other Mac notebooks. It still ships with the pixelated non-Retina display and does not include support for the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 standard.
The 11-inch MacBook Air models were discontinued last October.
I love all Mac notebooks, but that MacBook Air has a special place in my heart and I'm saddened that Apple has decided to phase it out, slowly but surely. Until that slim 12-inch MacBook Air gets a decent CPU, I'll be sticking with my Air.
How about you?
Monument Valley 2, the official sequel to UsTwo's surreal physics-based game of platforms and perspectives with a twist, is now officially available for download through App Store after being demoed during the WWDC keynote earlier this morning.
The game is priced at $4.99 and supports your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Thankfully, it features no In-App Purchases whatsoever. Monument Valley 2 is packed to the gills with the artistic backdrops, visuals and gameplay mechanics that have made the original so popular with fans. Like before, the design is inspired by a mixture of architectural styles, artistic movements and personal influences.
In Monument Valley 2, you guide a mother named Ro and her child as they embark on a journey through magical architecture, discovering illusionary pathways and delightful puzzles as you learn the secrets of the Sacred Geometry, according to the app's description.
Check out my colleague Andrew's video hands-on with Monument Valley 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A1ySdcHDY8
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The impossible world of Monument Valley 2 has you manipulating architecture to help guide Ro and her child on their way. This is a completely new and standalone adventure set in the Monument Valley universe, meaning you don’t need to have previously played Monument Valley to enjoy the sequel.
Augmenting the individually crafted levels with meditative puzzles, new interactions let you explore the changing dynamics between characters.
“Immerse yourself in uniquely melodic interactive soundscapes, tailored perfectly to every step of Ro and her child’s journey,” reads the description.
The original game was named Apple's Game of the Year 2014.
Buy Monument Valley 2 for $4.99 on App Store. It requires iOS 9 or later.
The original Monument Valley game currently sells for $3.99 on App Store.
A new feature in iOS 11 that has kind of flown under the radar thus far is Automatic Setup. As Apple notes on its website, the feature allows you to quickly and securely import data to your your new iPhone or iPad by holding it near an iOS device or Mac you already own.
Not much else is known about the feature yet, but from the above image it looks like the process is very similar to that of pairing an Apple Watch to your iPhone. You simply position the digital image in the frame of your new device and it gets authenticated for data transfer.
Obviously we'll have to go hands-on with Automatic Setup to see how much easier it really makes the new device setup process, but any change is welcome. Right now the process is extremely painstaking, forcing you to enter your Apple ID and other credentials multiple times.
Check out more of our iOS 11 coverage here.
Apple’s HomePod was by far one of the most exciting announcements at WWDC 2017. A totally new kind of technology for Apple’s realm of expertise, HomePod is a speaker system that also acts as a Siri virtual assistant and HomeKit controller, among other things.
In this piece, we’ll go over the HomePod’s tech specs so that you have an idea of what kind of technology is packed into the new accessory.
Apple has long offered a wireless keyboard. Most recently refreshing them last year to include Lightning ports alongside a new Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse. Apple's packed keynote kicking off WWDC 2017 understandably didn't have time to touch on a welcomed addition to their peripheral lineup.