Apple's WWDC announcements: iOS 13, iPadOS, Mac Pro and more
A few hours ago, Apple hosted its Worldwide Developers Conference and showcased major upgrades for its key software products with some fancy new hardware. The company's keynote started off with updates for the tvOS and WatchOS and eventually shifted towards the new, overhauled iOS and one hell of a computing machine - the Mac Pro. Let's take a look at everything.
Faster iOS 13 with system-wide dark mode
As we all expected, Apple showcased iOS 13, its latest OS for the iPhone, at WWDC 2019. The platform comes with a system-wide dark mode and major performance improvements, including 30% faster Face ID unlocks, much smaller app downloads/updates, and 2x faster app launches. Notably, Apple has also updated Safari, Mail, Notes, Maps, Reminders, Photos, and introduced a tracking-free "Sign in with Apple" option.
Improvements to Siri, swipe gestures, and other changes
Among other things, iOS 13 will bring swipe-to-text gestures and contact suggestions in Messages, more natural Siri, live lyrics in Music, and options to personalize Memojis. The public beta of the OS will be released in July while the consumer version will come this fall.
iPad gets its own operating system: iPadOS
Apple also separated iOS from iPad by giving the tablet its own operating system - the iPadOS. The platform has been customized to allow multiple apps in a split screen mode and deeper multi-tasking functions. You can also pin widgets on the home screen, directly connect USB drives and SD cards, and use three finger swipes for copy, paste, and undo actions.
New MacOS 10.5 Catalina
MacOS version 10.15, aka Catalina, also made an appearance, marking the end of iTunes, which will be spun off into three apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV. The OS also brings 4k HDR playback for Mac and an app to use iPad as a second display. Plus, there's also the ability to control apps with voice and an activation lock feature for locking MacBook access.
Mac Pro revived with modern capabilities
After six long years, Apple has launched a new Mac Pro. The computing beast builds over the trash can-like design of 2013 Mac Pro and offers a more angular profile with several cutouts for air flow. It features 28-core Intel Xeon processor with up to 1.5TB memory and can run up to two Radeon Pro Vega II graphic cards at the same time.
Plenty of ports, new processing cards
The new Mac Pro comes with six memory expansion slots, eight PCI slots and three Thunderbolt, two USB-C, and two USB-A ports for attaching monitors and other peripherals. Notably, Apple has launched a video-accelerator card, called Afterburner, to make it more capable in video processing.
6k Apple Pro Display XDR
Along with Mac Pro, Apple also showcased Pro display XDR, a 32-inch Retina LCD screen that comes with 6k resolution and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. The monitor, which is particularly targeted at video editors, ships with an anti-glare coating and a polarizer that offers immaculate viewing angles and color reproduction. It has been priced at a whopping $4,999; $999 extra for the stand.
Updates to WatchOS and tvOS
Finally, Apple announced design changes and multi-user support for tvOS and WatchOS 6 with new faces, direct audio streaming on the watch, and dedicated App Store with new and redesigned apps, including those for hearing, fitness and menstrual cycle tracking.
