Apple Releasing ‘ARKit’ for iOS Developers to Fuel All-New Augmented Reality Apps

Apple today revealed “the largest AR platform in the world,” which it’s calling ARKit. In a demo, Craig Federighi showed off features of the enhanced AR integration into iPhone, including improvements that will be coming to games like Pokémon Go.

The company noted that thanks to ARKit’s integration within iOS, users won’t need any special equipment to take advantage of the augmented reality features.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
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Apple Announces New 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro Models With Advanced Displays

Apple announced a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro and a redesigned 12.9-inch iPad Pro at its WWDC keynote on Monday in San Jose, California.

The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro has a 20 percent larger display, made possible by reducing the tablet’s borders by 40 percent, yet it still weighs just 1 pound. It allows the display of a full size onscreen keyboard and enables users to attach a full size Smart Keyboard. Apple will offer the new Smart Keyboards in 30 more languages.

Both new iPad models come with new displays, featuring True tone, wide color gamut, ultralow reflectivity, 600 nits brightness, and HDR video support.

A new screen technology called ProMotion also brings dramatically improved display performance, doubling the display refresh rate to 120Hz, making for smother, more responsive content. It also works more accurately with the Apple Pencil, offering an industry-leading 20 milliseconds.

A dynamically adjusting refresh rate also features on the new displays, which adjust depending on the content being viewed, with intelligent energy saving. Apple says the new iPads have the same 10 hours of battery life.

An A10X six-core Fusion CPU, with a twelve core GPU powers the new models, offering over 40 percent faster graphics performance. Both the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro will start with 64GB of base storage.

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro will start at $649, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $799. 256GB and 512GB storage capacities are available for both models. Both tablets can be ordered today and are available next week.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
Buyer’s Guide: 9.7″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy)
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Apple Announces iPad-Specific Abilities for iOS 11 Including Support for Drag-And-Drop

At WWDC today Apple revealed a collection of iPad-specific abilities coming to iOS 11, including a new dock, multitasking features, new app switcher, and drag-and-drop abilities.

From the new dock, apps can be dragged and instantly added into Slide Over view, where users can drag images, text, URLs and more across a variety of different apps. A new QuickType keyboard will be more productive as well, with users able to get access to different punctuation within specific key bindings.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
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Apple Announces New ‘Files’ App Coming With iOS 11

As predicted, Apple today announced a new iOS 11 app called Files at its WWDC Keynote in San Jose, California.

The new Files app for iOS brings together files and documents stored in the cloud across various apps and services, including third-party cloud storage like Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

With an interface similar to Finder on the Mac, Files for iOS lets users organize and structure their files with proper folders and subfolders, with various file-based options available at a touch.

Earlier today, a new placeholder app listing for a “Files” app appeared on the iOS App Store. iOS 11 is expected to be released by Apple in the fall.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
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How to get Apple’s iOS 11 beta on your iPhone

If you’re unable to contain your excitement at the host of new features and improvements in the latest version of Apple’s mobile platform, whether it’s the redesigned App Store, indoor maps, or the ability to send payments via Apple Pay in iMessage that has caught your eye, then you’ll want to try out iOS 11 just as soon as you can. For that very reason, we’ve conjured up this handy guide on how to get the iOS 11 beta before it’s released to the general public in the fall.

There are two different paths available to you if you want to download and install the iOS 11 beta. We’re going to guide you through your options with some easy-to-follow instructions. One thing to keep in mind is that it will have issues — a lot of your favorite apps and games may not work properly and you are going to find bugs. After all, the whole point of beta is to find problems and resolve them before the public release. Just be aware that installing it on your main iPhone, which you rely on day-to-day, might not be a good idea.

The first thing to check is that your device is capable of running iOS 11. We expect the list of supported devices to include:

• iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
• iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4
• iPod touch (sixth generation)

How developers can get the iOS 11 beta

The first people to get their hands on the new platform version are developers and the developer preview is available now. If you want to register for the Apple Developer Program it will cost you $99 per year. Once you are a developer, you’ll want to follow these steps:

Choose the device or devices you want to install iOS 11 on — Apple doesn’t limit the number, as long as they’re associated with your developer account.

Back up your iPhone or iPad before you begin, to ensure you don’t lose anything.
Make sure that it’s fully charged and connected to Wi-Fi.
Log in to your account and visit the Apple Developer download page on your iOS device.
Download the Configuration Profile and follow the installation instructions.

You can also get the iOS 11 beta via a Mac or PC. Once again, pick your device and do a backup first, then:

Log into your developer account at the Apple Developer website and download the iOS beta software restore image for your device.
Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed, start it up, and plug your iOS device in.
Select your device in iTunes and open the Summary tab.
Hold the Option key on a Mac, or the Alt key on a PC, and click the Check for Update button.
Choose the iOS beta software restore image you downloaded and click Open.
It will install, and then your device will reboot.

If your device isn’t registered, it’s easy to add it to your developer account. Here’s how:

Log in to your developer account.
Click on Certificates, IDs & Profiles.
Click the + button in the top right corner.
Select Register Device.
Enter a name for the device and the UDID (You can find the UDID by plugging your device in and starting iTunes. Select your device, then on the Summary tab, click on Serial Number).
Click Continue, review the information, then click Register.

How to sign up for the public beta

If you’re not a developer and you balk at the idea of paying $100 to get a sneak peek at iOS 11, then you can wait a little longer for the public beta program — it will be available at the end of the month. Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program and you’ll get early access to iOS 11 without having to pay anything. Once you’ve signed up with your Apple ID, you’ll get the option to enroll your device. You’ll receive an email informing you just as soon as the public beta version of iOS 11 is available and you’ll be able to download a Configuration Profile and install iOS 11 via Settings > General > Software Update.

If you do decide to try it, make sure you back up your iOS device first, and remember that it’s probably going to be pretty buggy. The final public release of iOS 11 is expected this fall.

Apple Updates Entire MacBook Line-Up With Kaby Lake CPUs, Faster SSDs, and Graphics

Apple announced internal updates to its entire range of MacBooks today at its WWDC keynote, with all models shipping today.

The main upgrade announcement is that seventh generation Intel Kaby Lake processors are now included in all upgraded 12-inch MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The 12-inch MacBook now supports up to 1.4 GHz Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz, and can be purchased with up to 16GB of RAM.

Meanwhile, the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro features Kaby Lake processors up to 3.5 GHz Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.0 GHz, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro goes up to 3.1 GHz Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz.

Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 are included in the base configuration of 13-inch MacBook Pro, with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 included in the higher spec option. Elsewhere, the 15-inch MacBook Pro now comes standard with more powerful Radeon Pro 555 discrete graphics with 2GB video memory, while a Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory is also available as an option.

In addition, all updated notebooks feature new SSDs that are up to 50 percent faster than those found in the previous generation, according to Apple.

Finally, the MacBook Air, one of Apple’s most popular notebooks, received a new 1.8GHz processor to bring it up to speed with equivalent ultra-slim laptops.

The 12-inch MacBook starts now starts at the lower price of $1,299. Meanwhile, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys starts at $1,299 or $1,799 with Touch Bar. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $2,399.

The updated iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are available to order today on apple.com, and available to buy in Apple Stores starting on Wednesday, June 7.
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Apple Reveals New ‘iMac Pro’ Built for Users With Demanding Workflows, Starting at $5K

Apple today announced an all-new iMac model, called the “iMac Pro,” with an expected launch date this December and starting at $4,999. The company called the computer “the most powerful Mac ever” and it’s been designed specifically for pro-level users with demanding workflows.

The 27-inch iMac Pro includes a Retina 5K display, up to 18-core Xeon processors, and up to 22 Teraflops of graphics computation achievable on the high-end configurations. The iMac Pro also marks the first time than a desktop Mac will come in Space Gray, including the iMac Pro’s Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2, and Magic Mouse.

Apple said that with the powerful desktop, users will be able to take advantage of advanced graphics editing, virtual reality content creation, and real-time 3D model rendering.

“We’re thrilled to give developers and customers a sneak peek at iMac Pro. This will be our fastest and most powerful Mac ever, which brings workstation-class computing to iMac for the first time,” said John Ternus, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering. “We reengineered the whole system and designed an entirely new thermal architecture to pack extraordinary performance into the elegant, quiet iMac enclosure our customers love — iMac Pro is a huge step forward and there’s never been anything like it.”

The iMac Pro includes an all-flash architecture and new thermal design, allowing the desktop Mac to deliver up to 80 percent more cooling capacity than current iMacs, but in the same iMac design. The iMac Pro comes with the new Radeon Pro Vega GPU, the most advanced graphics ever in a Mac, and features up to 16GB of on-package high-bandwidth memory. With the new power, iMac Pro can deliver up to 11 Teraflops of single-precision compute power, powering the computer’s real-time 3D rendering and VR abilities.

In terms of storage, iMac Pro supports up to 4TB of SSD and up to 128GB of ECC memory. Thanks to four Thunderbolt 3 ports, users can also connect up to two high-performance RAID arrays and two 5K displays at the same time, further beefing up their pro-level workstations. For the first time on a Mac, the new iMac Pro features 10Gb Ethernet for up to 10 times faster networking speeds.

In addition to the iMac Pro announcement, Apple kept the pro-level reveals coming today by stating that the company is working on “a completely redesigned, next-generation” Mac Pro that is being built for users who required the highest-end, high-throughput system performance. A new high-end pro-level display will also be coming sometime soon.

The iMac Pro will be available in December, with a price starting at $4,999. Those interested can discover more details about the new computer on Apple’s website.

Related Roundups: iMac, WWDC 2017
Buyer’s Guide: iMac (Don’t Buy)
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Apple Unveils $349 HomePod Smart Speaker to be Available in December

Apple today announced its plans to “reinvent home music” with the unveiling of its newest product, HomePod, a wireless speaker powered by Apple’s A8 chip with Siri integration that’s just under 7 inches tall.

Apple reinvented portable music with iPod and now HomePod will reinvent how we enjoy music wirelessly throughout our homes,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “HomePod packs powerful speaker technology, Siri intelligence and wireless access to the entire Apple Music library into a beautiful speaker that is less than 7 inches tall, can rock most any room with distortion free music and be a helpful assistant around your home.

HomePod is a combination of high quality music playback speakers and smart speaker systems that are on the market today. The HomePod can intelligently detect the space it is in with “spatial awareness,” which the company said provides better quality audio playback than its competitors.

HomePod has an upward-facing woofer and an array of seven beam-forming tweeters. It has a six-microphone array that can detect commands even when music is playing loudly. When there are two HomePods in a room, they will automatically detect each other and optimize music playback complementarily. Setting up a new HomePod works similarly to AirPods set up–simply holding an iPhone near a HomePod will pair it.

HomePod automatically works with an Apple Music subscription and can play back playlists, radio stations, and more content found within Apple Music. Siri commands will let users direct the HomePod to play music, add songs to playlists, and even answer music trivia questions.

Siri will also act as a home assistant and include support for News, Messages, Podcasts, Stocks, Weather, Reminders, alarms, timers, sports and traffic. HomePod will also be a HomeKit hub and let users control lights, blinds, locks, and other accessories by voice, even when users are away from home.

The HomePod will launch in December for $349 and will be available in white and space gray in the US, UK, and Australia to start.

Related Roundups: Siri Smart Speaker, WWDC 2017
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Apple Refreshes 21.5-Inch and 27-Inch iMacs With Brighter Displays, Kaby Lake Processors, and Faster Storage

Apple has announced a few new iMac models at WWDC today, which the company said include the best Mac displays ever with 500 nits of brightness and support for 1 billion colors, resulting in displays that are 43% brighter than previous models.

The new iMacs have up to three times more powerful graphics abilities in comparison to previous generations, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3, and faster storage options. Apple said that the updates, along with refreshes of the MacBook, represent a lineup of Mac devices that are “stronger than ever.”

“With major updates to iMac, and a refresh of our MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, the Mac is stronger than ever,” said John Ternus, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering. “Today iMac gets a huge graphics performance increase, faster CPU performance, Thunderbolt 3 and a brighter Retina display with support for 1 billion colors. We’re also increasing CPU and SSD speed on MacBook, adding faster processors and making faster graphics standard on our 15-inch MacBook Pro and introducing a new $1,299 (US) 13-inch MacBook Pro.”

With the refresh, a Retina 4K display is also coming to the 21.5-inch iMac. Both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs feature faster Kaby Lake processors up to 4.2 GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.5 GHz. The computers support twice the memory as the previous generation, and Fusion Drive will now be standard on all 27-inch iMac configurations, as well as on the top-end 21.5-inch iMac.

SSD storage will become 50 percent faster on the refreshed iMacs, and graphics on the computers are more powerful thanks to new Radeon Pro 500-series cards with up to 8GB of vRAM. In terms of faster performance, the 21.5-inch model delivers up to three times faster speeds in comparison to the previous iMacs, while the 27-inch model is up to 50 percent faster.

The models start at $1,099 for the 21.5-inch iMac, $1,299 for the 4K 21.5-inch iMac, and $1,799 for the 5K 27-inch iMac. Users can find more information on tech specs and pricing for each tier of the 21.5-inch model and 27-inch model on Apple’s website, and both are available to purchase today.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
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Apple Store Back Online, New iMacs, Mac Notebooks, and iPads Available for Purchase

Following today’s keynote event that saw Apple introduce a whole host of new hardware including new iMacs, new Mac notebooks, and new iPads, the Apple online store has come back online and all of the new products are now available for purchase.

New 10.5 and 12.9 inch iPad Pro models are available, with prices that start at $649. The 10.5-inch model is a new design with slimmer bezels that allow for a larger display. Storage starts at 64GB and goes up to 512GB, and orders placed today will arrive next week.

Updated MacBook and MacBook Pro models include 7th-generation Kaby Lake chips, improved graphics, and faster storage. MacBook Pro pricing starts at $1,299 for the 13-inch model and $2,399 for the 15-inch model, while MacBook pricing starts at $1,299.

Apple has also refreshed the MacBook Air with a new faster processor, and pricing remains the same at $999 for the entry-level 13-inch model. All new notebooks will ship out starting next week, but are available for order today.

Finally, there are new 21.5 and 27-inch iMac models available for purchase, with upgraded Kaby Lake processors, much-improved displays, faster storage options, and advanced GPUs. For the first time, there are dedicated graphics options for the 21.5-inch iMac, which has been limited to integrated graphics in the past.

Pricing on the iMac starts at $1,099 for a 21.5-inch version without a 4K display, while the 4K model starts at $1,299, and the 27-inch 5K model starts at $1,799. New iMacs deliver as soon as this week.

Later this year, in December, Apple plans to introduce a new iMac Pro that will start at $4,999.

Related Roundups: iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro
Buyer’s Guide: 9.7″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy), iMac (Don’t Buy), MacBook Air (Don’t Buy), MacBook Pro (Caution), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy)
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