Apple boosts the MacBook line’s performance with Kaby Lake processors

Apple’s 2017 laptop lineup will be a bit speedier than last year’s offerings, the company announced at WWDC 2017 on Monday. The MacBook will receive the 7th generation “Kaby Lake” processors from Intel. Specifically, they’ll come equipped with the new i7 ranging in speed from 1.3 GHz up to 3.6 GHz. It’s new SSD will be both twice as fast as the current model and support double the memory.

If you happened to purchase a MacBook Pro, the one with the fancy new Touch Bar, right after Apple announced it last October, you are in for a furious. The company also announced a new 13-inch, touch bar-less MacBook Pro starting at $1,300. It too will sport the i7 at speed up to 4GHz as well as a 500-nit Retina display. The 15-inch MBP isn’t being left out of the upgrade spree either — its new processors will range from the 3.1 GHz Core i7 up to 4.1 GHz. It’s still going to set you back $2,500.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Apple boosts the MacBook line’s performance with Kaby Lake processors

Apple’s 2017 laptop lineup will be a bit speedier than last year’s offerings, the company announced at WWDC 2017 on Monday. The MacBook will receive the 7th generation “Kaby Lake” processors from Intel. Specifically, they’ll come equipped with the new i7 ranging in speed from 1.3 GHz up to 3.6 GHz. It’s new SSD will be both twice as fast as the current model and support double the memory.

If you happened to purchase a MacBook Pro, the one with the fancy new Touch Bar, right after Apple announced it last October, you are in for a furious. The company also announced a new 13-inch, touch bar-less MacBook Pro starting at $1,300. It too will sport the i7 at speed up to 4GHz as well as a 500-nit Retina display. The 15-inch MBP isn’t being left out of the upgrade spree either — its new processors will range from the 3.1 GHz Core i7 up to 4.1 GHz. It’s still going to set you back $2,500.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Apple’s iMac Pro is its most powerful computer ever

Apple has another iMac to reveal. The iMac Pro is a powerful, familiar-looking all-in-one, decked in space gray — and the company says it’s the most powerful Mac ever. Period. The pro-level computer will ship with up to 18-core Xeon processors as well as Radeon Pro Vega graphics (a new GPU and high-bandwidth memory). That’s apparently enough for up to 11 Teraflops of single precision (or 22 Teraflops at “half precision”) processing power. You can also cram in up to 4TB of SSD storage, with a row of USB ports lining up with four Thunderbolt ports. These (and all the rest of the connections, since there are a few) are all found behind a 27-inch Retina 5K display, with all-flash memory architecture and all-new thermal design, adding 80 percent more cooling capacity to all that processing power.

Yep, the iMac Pro is unapologetically for power users and anyone involved with graphics editing, virtual reality and graphics work. The all-in-one is scheduled to ship in December starting at $4,999.

This isn’t a replacement for the Mac Pro, however: Apple says it’s still working on a completely redesigned Mac Pro for (even) higher-end computing in a modular, upgradeable design. Stay tuned, we hope.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Source: Apple

Apple’s iMac Pro is its most powerful computer ever

Apple has another iMac to reveal. The iMac Pro is a powerful, familiar-looking all-in-one, decked in space gray — and the company says it’s the most powerful Mac ever. Period. The pro-level computer will ship with up to 18-core Xeon processors as well as Radeon Pro Vega graphics (a new GPU and high-bandwidth memory). That’s apparently enough for up to 11 Teraflops of single precision (or 22 Teraflops at “half precision”) processing power. You can also cram in up to 4TB of SSD storage, with a row of USB ports lining up with four Thunderbolt ports. These (and all the rest of the connections, since there are a few) are all found behind a 27-inch Retina 5K display, with all-flash memory architecture and all-new thermal design, adding 80 percent more cooling capacity to all that processing power.

Yep, the iMac Pro is unapologetically for power users and anyone involved with graphics editing, virtual reality and graphics work. The all-in-one is scheduled to ship in December starting at $4,999.

This isn’t a replacement for the Mac Pro, however: Apple says it’s still working on a completely redesigned Mac Pro for (even) higher-end computing in a modular, upgradeable design. Stay tuned, we hope.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Source: Apple

Apple unveils iOS 11 with translation and a better camera

Apple has announced iOS 11, the latest version of its mobile operating system, which boasts a variety of small yet important improvements. Messages, for instance, now syncs across all of your devices via iCloud and gains a redesigned app drawer for better discovery. Apple Pay is now capable of letting you send cash to other people via iMessage, with the payments authenticated with Touch ID. Siri, meanwhile, gets automatic translation native to its voice interface, a feature that’s been sorely lacking in previous versions.

Siri isn’t just a voice assistant anymore, and Apple is pushing the idea that it does a similar job to Google Assistant on Android. For instance, contextual learning and predictive suggestions will be synced across all of your devices, hoping to know what you need before you do. Siri will also monitor your web browsing and attempt to find other resources that may be relevant to your interests. Apple was, of course, quick to add that while all of this information is synced, it will all still be encrypted.

The company’s Craig Federighi also showed off a revamped Control Center that keeps all of your buttons constrained to a single pane. In addition, the notification pane has now been ditched in favor of the lock screen — so an upward swipe will take you back to your lock screen. The operating system also gains HomeKit and AirPlay 2, both of which have been upgraded to include speakers, letting you control your multiroom audio system.

On the photo side, your snaps are expected to get better picture quality and better low-light performance as well as newer effects. For instance, you can select which frame in a Live Photo is the one you want to keep or publish. Oh, and using machine learning, it’s possible for the photos app to automatically select perfect loops, similar to Instagram’s Boomerang feature. In addition, the company is adding HEVC and HEIF compression to shrink video and images down on your devices.

Maps is also catching up to Google’s alternative, gaining detailed internal navigation for shopping malls and airports across the globe. The driving navigation window now shows your speed and offers lane guidance that can help you drive around. On the safety front, the company is adding a feature called Do Not Disturb While Driving that’ll identify when you’re driving and shut off the display while you’re in motion. If you receive a message while in this mode, the phone will send an automatic response saying that you’re driving and will respond later.

The App Store is also getting an Apple Music-esque redesign in iOS 11, with greater emphasis on discovery and better visuals. Rather than one app store, the new platform essentially breaks out Apps, Games and In-App Purchases to three separate sections. Users will also be directed toward the Today pane, which will highlight new and popular apps to help them discover what’s available.

There’s been a lot of talk about AR recently, and Apple’s approach to the space is to build AR Kit, a platform that’s baked into iOS 11. Federighi went to great pains to point out that there is no need for new hardware to support such a technology. Instead, the built-in technology in existing devices is capable of rendering AR content already, with the company showing off a live demo of Pokémon Go that looks much more realistic.

On the iPad, iOS 11 gets some features that you’re probably more familiar with on desktops and laptops, including using the dock to switch between apps. Simply swipe up from the bottom of the display and the dock will appear. You can even drag an app from the dock into the main work area to use side by side. Then there is the Files app, which lets you manage your files on the iPad in a way that’s unprecedented on iOS. Given Apple’s recent marketing push for the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, it’s little surprise to see the platform addressing user concerns.

iOS 11 will be available as an update in the fall, presumably at the same time as the new iPhones launch.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Source: Apple

Apple unveils iOS 11 with translation and a better camera

Apple has announced iOS 11, the latest version of its mobile operating system, which boasts a variety of small yet important improvements. Messages, for instance, now syncs across all of your devices via iCloud and gains a redesigned app drawer for better discovery. Apple Pay is now capable of letting you send cash to other people via iMessage, with the payments authenticated with Touch ID. Siri, meanwhile, gets automatic translation native to its voice interface, a feature that’s been sorely lacking in previous versions.

Siri isn’t just a voice assistant anymore, and Apple is pushing the idea that it does a similar job to Google Assistant on Android. For instance, contextual learning and predictive suggestions will be synced across all of your devices, hoping to know what you need before you do. Siri will also monitor your web browsing and attempt to find other resources that may be relevant to your interests. Apple was, of course, quick to add that while all of this information is synced, it will all still be encrypted.

The company’s Craig Federighi also showed off a revamped Control Center that keeps all of your buttons constrained to a single pane. In addition, the notification pane has now been ditched in favor of the lock screen — so an upward swipe will take you back to your lock screen. The operating system also gains HomeKit and AirPlay 2, both of which have been upgraded to include speakers, letting you control your multiroom audio system.

On the photo side, your snaps are expected to get better picture quality and better low-light performance as well as newer effects. For instance, you can select which frame in a Live Photo is the one you want to keep or publish. Oh, and using machine learning, it’s possible for the photos app to automatically select perfect loops, similar to Instagram’s Boomerang feature. In addition, the company is adding HEVC and HEIF compression to shrink video and images down on your devices.

Maps is also catching up to Google’s alternative, gaining detailed internal navigation for shopping malls and airports across the globe. The driving navigation window now shows your speed and offers lane guidance that can help you drive around. On the safety front, the company is adding a feature called Do Not Disturb While Driving that’ll identify when you’re driving and shut off the display while you’re in motion. If you receive a message while in this mode, the phone will send an automatic response saying that you’re driving and will respond later.

The App Store is also getting an Apple Music-esque redesign in iOS 11, with greater emphasis on discovery and better visuals. Rather than one app store, the new platform essentially breaks out Apps, Games and In-App Purchases to three separate sections. Users will also be directed toward the Today pane, which will highlight new and popular apps to help them discover what’s available.

There’s been a lot of talk about AR recently, and Apple’s approach to the space is to build AR Kit, a platform that’s baked into iOS 11. Federighi went to great pains to point out that there is no need for new hardware to support such a technology. Instead, the built-in technology in existing devices is capable of rendering AR content already, with the company showing off a live demo of Pokémon Go that looks much more realistic.

On the iPad, iOS 11 gets some features that you’re probably more familiar with on desktops and laptops, including using the dock to switch between apps. Simply swipe up from the bottom of the display and the dock will appear. You can even drag an app from the dock into the main work area to use side by side. Then there is the Files app, which lets you manage your files on the iPad in a way that’s unprecedented on iOS. Given Apple’s recent marketing push for the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, it’s little surprise to see the platform addressing user concerns.

iOS 11 will be available as an update in the fall, presumably at the same time as the new iPhones launch.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Source: Apple

Apple’s Venmo competitor is built into iMessage

Apple was rumored to be building its own competitor to services like Venmo and Paypal, and today at WWDC the company confirmed it was expanding the Apple Pay empire. Senior VP of software Craig Federighi announced that Apple Pay would come to iMessage with iOS 11. You can send money to anyone in the default messages app who is also running iOS 11, and you of course use your thumbprint to authenticate the transaction.

If you receive money, it’ll go on something called an Apple Pay cash card. What’s not clear is whether or not you can sync that card back to a bank account. Apple will certainly have more details about Apple Pay for iMessage once its website has updated with the details on iOS 11. We do know that Apple Pay for messages will work on the Apple Watch as well the iPhone.

Federighi showed a quick demo of Apple Pay in iOS11 on stage, and it’s pretty basic. When you open the Apple Pay iMessage app, you can either request or send money and just tap a large box to enter the full amount. Hit send and then authenticate with your fingerprint and you’re good to go.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Apple’s Venmo competitor is built into iMessage

Apple was rumored to be building its own competitor to services like Venmo and Paypal, and today at WWDC the company confirmed it was expanding the Apple Pay empire. Senior VP of software Craig Federighi announced that Apple Pay would come to iMessage with iOS 11. You can send money to anyone in the default messages app who is also running iOS 11, and you of course use your thumbprint to authenticate the transaction.

If you receive money, it’ll go on something called an Apple Pay cash card. What’s not clear is whether or not you can sync that card back to a bank account. Apple will certainly have more details about Apple Pay for iMessage once its website has updated with the details on iOS 11. We do know that Apple Pay for messages will work on the Apple Watch as well the iPhone.

Federighi showed a quick demo of Apple Pay in iOS11 on stage, and it’s pretty basic. When you open the Apple Pay iMessage app, you can either request or send money and just tap a large box to enter the full amount. Hit send and then authenticate with your fingerprint and you’re good to go.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Apple’s macOS finally supports VR

Until now, the only way to run a high-end VR system on a Mac was by booting into Windows, but that doesn’t solve the fact that Apple had yet to offer a GPU option that’s actually good enough for VR. The next best thing would be to plug in your desired NVIDIA card via an external enclosure, but you’d still be stuck with Windows here. Thankfully, Cupertino has finally decided to take matters into its own hands by unveiling its very own Thunderbolt 3 GPU enclosure at WWDC.

This developer kit houses an AMD Radeon RX 580 which is plenty of power to run VR, and as a bonus, it also features a USB-C hub. There’s no price just yet, but given that it’s positioned as a dev kit, chances are it won’t come cheap; but what really matters here is that macOS is finally VR-friendly, which is great news for both developers and consumers.

Also announced at WWDC is macOS support for SteamVR, and HTC Vive is already confirmed to support it. Yes, you’ll no longer have to dual-boot into Windows just to use the Vive on your Mac. The Oculus Rift was oddly missing throughout the keynote, but since it’s SteamVR we’re talking about here, it’s probably just a matter of time before it gets macOS compatibility as well. At least one person is looking forward to that, anyway.

For the non-developers, the 27-inch iMac Retina 5K is getting refreshed with Intel’s Kaby Lake CPUs along with AMD’s Radeon Pro 570, 575 and 580, which are good enough for running VR. The cost? These start from $1,799.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Apple’s macOS finally supports VR

Until now, the only way to run a high-end VR system on a Mac was by booting into Windows, but that doesn’t solve the fact that Apple had yet to offer a GPU option that’s actually good enough for VR. The next best thing would be to plug in your desired NVIDIA card via an external enclosure, but you’d still be stuck with Windows here. Thankfully, Cupertino has finally decided to take matters into its own hands by unveiling its very own Thunderbolt 3 GPU enclosure at WWDC.

This developer kit houses an AMD Radeon RX 580 which is plenty of power to run VR, and as a bonus, it also features a USB-C hub. There’s no price just yet, but given that it’s positioned as a dev kit, chances are it won’t come cheap; but what really matters here is that macOS is finally VR-friendly, which is great news for both developers and consumers.

Also announced at WWDC is macOS support for SteamVR, and HTC Vive is already confirmed to support it. Yes, you’ll no longer have to dual-boot into Windows just to use the Vive on your Mac. The Oculus Rift was oddly missing throughout the keynote, but since it’s SteamVR we’re talking about here, it’s probably just a matter of time before it gets macOS compatibility as well. At least one person is looking forward to that, anyway.

For the non-developers, the 27-inch iMac Retina 5K is getting refreshed with Intel’s Kaby Lake CPUs along with AMD’s Radeon Pro 570, 575 and 580, which are good enough for running VR. The cost? These start from $1,799.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!