SAN JOSE, California — Apple rolled out a list of new products on Monday as Tim Cook welcomed developers from 77 different countries to WWDC 2018. The app store which has 500 million weekly visitors will celebrate 10 years of being the driving force behind market innovation next month. Cook, before announcing Craig Federighi, highlighted its 20 million developers who have created the worlds best app market and its earnings milestone of $100 billion.
“At Apple changing the world and making it a better place is what we are all about,” said Tim Cook CEO of Apple. “We aim to put the customer at the center of everything that we do.”
On a day that was all about software, Craig Federighi, introduced iOS 12, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. The system is designed to make everyday tasks faster and more responsive. iOS 12 changes the way iOS users see the world using AR, makes communications fun and expressive with Memoji and Group FaceTime, and with Screen Time, helps customers understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their iOS devices. iOS 12 introduces Siri Shortcuts, enabling Siri to work with any app, delivering a much faster way to get things done.
“We’re very excited about the new communications features we’re bringing to iPhone and iPad with Memoji, a more personal form of Animoji, fun camera effects and Group FaceTime,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With iOS 12, we’re enabling new experiences that weren’t possible before. We’re using advanced algorithms to make AR even more engaging and on-device intelligence to deliver faster ways to get things done using Siri.”
LEGO’s director of innovation Martin Sanders demos LEGO AR City, which uses ARKit 2 features including shared experiences, persistent AR and 3D object detection. ARKit 2, is a platform that allows developers to integrate shared experiences, persistent AR experiences tied to a specific location, object detection and image tracking to make AR apps even more dynamic.
🙌🙌 @LEGO_Group used Apple ARKit 2 for multi-user experience of combining physical and digital #toys #kids #parents #play #lego #iOS12 #WWDC #WWDC2018 pic.twitter.com/DgayKTzOL5
— VR/AR Association (@thevrara) 5 juni 2018
Apple also unveiled new tools built into iOS 12 to help customers understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their iOS devices. These new features, available later this month as part of the iOS 12 public beta, include Activity Reports, App Limits and new Do Not Disturb and Notifications controls designed to help customers reduce interruptions and manage screen time for themselves and their families.
Apple previewed watchOS 5, a significant update to the world’s most popular watch, helping users stay healthy and connected. Apple Watch becomes an even stronger companion for fitness, communication and quick access to information with a host of new features including Activity Sharing competitions, auto-workout detection, advanced running features, Walkie-Talkie, Apple Podcasts and third-party apps on the Siri watch face.
“We’re thrilled with the positive impact Apple Watch is having on people’s lives,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Apple Watch is helping our customers stay connected, enhance their fitness and, in many cases, detect life-threatening conditions. With the launch of watchOS 5, we’re excited to introduce new activity and communications features that will take the Watch to a whole new level.”
Apple also previewed macOS Mojave, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, with new features inspired by pros but designed for everyone. In macOS Mojave, a new Dark Mode transforms the desktop with a dramatic new look that puts the focus on user content. The new Stacks feature organizes messy desktops by automatically stacking files into neat groups. Familiar iOS apps, including News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, are now available on the Mac for the first time. FaceTime now adds support for group calling, and the Mac App Store gets a full redesign featuring rich editorial content and the addition of apps from top developers, including Microsoft, Adobe and others.
“macOS Mojave is a major update that introduces powerful new features for a wide range of Mac users, from consumers to pros,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Dark Mode brings a dramatic new look to macOS that puts your content front and center, familiar iOS apps come to the Mac for the first time and the redesigned Mac App Store makes finding new apps easier and more enjoyable than ever.”
Alongside macOS Mojave, Apple previewed an all-new Mac App Store featuring a new look and rich editorial content that will make it easier than ever to find great Mac apps. Like the iOS App Store, which was redesigned last year, the new Mac App Store celebrates apps, games and developers with an all-new Discover tab featuring compelling stories, in-depth interviews, helpful tips, collections of must-have apps and more. Users can also explore new Create, Work, Play and Develop tabs to find the perfect app for a specific project or purpose — from music, video and photography apps to business utilities and games.
“Since its launch in 2011, the Mac App Store has become the single largest catalog of Mac apps and today remains the safest and best place to get Mac apps for users around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We are excited to usher in a new era for the Mac App Store with a beautiful new look, unique editorial content and emphasis on human curation that complements the ways people are using their Macs today.”
Apple previewed tvOS 12, the powerful operating system designed for enjoying entertainment on the big screen, which takes the cinematic experience of Apple TV 4K to the next level with support for Dolby Atmos audio, convenient new features to easily access the shows and movies you love and breathtaking aerials shot from space.
Apple TV 4K has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers the largest collection of 4K HDR movies, including free 4K HDR upgrades to previously purchased movies in customers’ iTunes libraries. This fall, iTunes will be home to the largest collection of Dolby Atmos-supported movies anywhere, and these titles will also include Dolby Atmos audio for free. With tvOS 12, Apple TV 4K will be the only streaming player both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos certified, delivering the highest quality cinematic experience of stunning 4K HDR visuals and immersive sound that flows all around in three-dimensional space.
An image of Italy demonstrating the new Apple TV ISS screensavers
New aerial screensavers on Apple TV were shot from space by NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Video providers around the world are choosing Apple TV 4K to deliver their subscription services to customers. Apple today announced that Charter Communications, the second-largest cable operator in the US, will begin offering Apple TV 4K to their customers. Later this year, customers in nearly 50 million households will have access to live channels and tens of thousands of on-demand programs via an all-new Spectrum TV app on their Apple TV 4K, iPhone and iPad, seamlessly integrated with Siri and the Apple TV App. In addition, as part of this collaboration, Charter will be offering iPhone and iPad to customers as they grow their mobile presence. Charter joins AT&T’s DirecTV Now in the US, CANAL+ in France and Salt in Switzerland, which have begun offering their customers Apple TV 4K with their services.
On Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple also celebrated the Apple Design Awards, recognizing the creative artistry and technical achievements of developers who reflect the best in design, innovation and technology on Apple platforms. This year’s award winners include developers from across the globe, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, India, Netherlands, Turkey and the US.
“This year’s winning apps and the developers behind them have created some really innovative and inspiring apps,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The Apple Design Awards have been a launchpad for developers who’ve made beloved apps on the App Store, like Procreate, Zova, djay Pro and Monument Valley, and we know these winners will continue that tradition.”
Reported by Andrew Mitchell for Woodlawn Post (Tech)
Photo Courtesy of Apple
