Apple’s doing a lot lately. As much as the AirPods are Apple’s best product since the iPhone, I feel like it’s losing focus. It also doesn’t help that iPhone sales went down recently. Then there are its problems with the App Store‘s effect on its customers and competitors at large. Apple’s future solely rests on how it handles itself from this event onwards. If there’s an event that could steer it on the right track, it’s WWDC. Here’s everything you need to know from the WWDC 2019 keynote!
WWDC 2019 Keynote Highlights
iOS | macOS | watchOS | tvOS | One More Thing!
iOS 13
I’ll start the WWDC 2019 highlights off with iOS 13! We FINALLY get Dark Mode on iOS! Some built-in apps already feel like they’re ready for Dark Mode like the Watch app. But in iOS 13, all of them go live in the dark! You can even set your iPhone to Dark Mode through Control Center. There’s even a lot more to love in this release like:
- QuickPath, where you can now swipe through the keyboard
- Memoji Stickers! With this, all iPhones can now use
Memojis ! - The Photos app got a redesign, along with better photo AND video editing!
- A better Maps app with Look Around, a Google Maps clone, and better mapping
- Improved performance on iPhone: faster Face ID unlock, up to 50% smaller app downloads, up to 60% smaller app updates, apps launch 2x faster
- Improved Location Services controls that give you more power on how you share your location
- Works better with AirPods: Siri can read incoming messages as soon as they arrive, and better audio sharing
I’d go on and on for this one but there’s A LOT! I’m really excited to use it myself when that Public Beta comes out in a few weeks! If you’re not confident to install it though (and you shouldn’t), this will be out around September when new iPhones come out.
Here are the following devices that support iOS 13:
- iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone Xr, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus
- iPod touch (7th generation)
You might be wondering: where’s the love for iPad? Well…
iPadOS!
Almost a decade after Apple launched the first iPad, it finally split off from the iPhone in a BIG WAY with iPadOS! Since the iPad can do so much more than the iPhone (especially the current iPad Pros), Apple made iPadOS to put a lot more functionality!
Here are some features they put in to make the iPad so much better:
- New Home Screen that lets you pin widgets (it’s not that big of a change, but I’ll take it)
- Apps can now run on multiple windows in Split View
- App Exposé can show you all windows of an app
- Better Markup on iPad with Apple Pencil
- Files App gets superpowers: support for USB drives, SMB file servers, iCloud Drive shared folders, Quick Actions
- New keyboard shortcuts in the Files app and Safari
- You can FINALLY view FULL DESKTOP sites and a download manager in Safari!!
- Simpler gestures for cut, copy, paste, and undo
There’s so much more than this that I didn’t get to share with you. I think this is the best way to bring the iPad to the next level! This is probably another reason to get a new iPad Pro though.
Here are the iPads that can run iPadOS:
12.9-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad (6th generation), iPad (5th generation), iPad mini (5th generation), iPad mini 4, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air 2
macOS Catalina
To people who think Apple tends to forget the Mac, this is for you! macOS Catalina (sounds like Catriona or cartolina, but whatever) brings new apps that you can love and features that expand what you can do on a Mac!
The big one is the death of the iTunes app. That same app lasted almost two decades being a bloated mess on the Mac. Apple FINALLY splits iTunes into separate apps: Music, TV, and Podcasts! I especially love how I can now listen to podcasts without the rest of the bloat!
Here are some of the things that Catalina can let you do:
- Use an iPad as a second display for the Mac (a feature oddly called SideCar), including Apple Pencil support
- Screen Time on the Mac which lets you set app and website limits for you and your family with Family Sharing
- Improvements in the apps you love like Photos, Safari, and Notes
- New APIs and tools for developers help bring iPad apps to the Mac!!
Here are the Macs that can run macOS Catalina:
If you want to explore as soon as possible, a Public Beta will be out by next month!
watchOS 6
I own an Apple Watch. It’s probably the best piece of technology that helps me be more aware of my general health. I love how it motivates me to work out and walk outside more. With watchOS 6, I get better versions of what I love and a bunch of new things too!
Here are some of them:
- New Apps like Calculator and Noise (detects loud noises and prompts you)
- Activity Trends show you which aspects keep improving and ones that you need to improve on
- Menstrual cycle tracking
- New watch faces
- Watch apps can now be independent
from the iPhone - Dedicated Watch App Store
Apple Watch models since the Series 1 can run watchOS 6. Unlike the rest of the software shown here, Apple currently does not offer betas of watchOS. I hope this changes soon but I understand why this is the case.
tvOS 13
To be honest, there wasn’t much new with tvOS. Here’s the gist of what’s new:
- New Home Screen with Control Center
- Multi-user support
- Apple Music support with lyrics in sync with the music
- Apple Arcade support
- Support for Xbox One S and Playstation Dual Shock 4 controllers
tvOS will also be up for Public Beta next month, so you can check out this new version on your Apple TV or Apple TV 4K!
That New Mac Pro!
FINALLY.
This one’s probably the best One More Thing in a while, and I’m glad it happened at WWDC 2019. Almost 6 years since the last update, Apple has now unveiled the new Mac Pro! If its design looks so familiar to you, that’s because it looks more like a cheese grater! It reminds me of the tower Mac Pro that preceded the trash can 2013 Mac Pro.
The specs on this MONSTER are, wait for it, MONSTROUS! Hahaha. Just look at this list:
- Starts with 8-core Intel Xeon W (up to 28-core Intel Xeon W available)
- With 12 DIMM slots that support up to 1.5TB RAM
- Has 64 PCI Express lanes for greater expandability and ultimate performance
- Starts with an MPX module with Radeon Pro 580X (up to 2 Radeon Pro Vega II Duo MPX Modules)
- Supports Apple’s Afterburner card that accelerates decoding up to 3 streams of 8K ProRes RAW and up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes RAW video in REAL TIME!
If that wasn’t enough for you, the design of this new Mac Pro will drive you NUTS!
- Three fans on the front of the Mac Pro keep it cool
- Stainless steel handles let you easily bring around the Mac Pro
- Those same handles are part of the stainless steel frame
- A third handle on the top lets you open up and get a 360-degree view of the internals
The Perfect Companion: Apple’s Pro Display XDR!
Alongside the new Mac Pro, is this awesome new Apple Pro Display XDR!
Highlights of this awesome display include:
- First 6K Retina Display
- Peak brightness at 1600 nits, sustained brightness at 1000 nits
- P3 color gamut and 10-bit color
- 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
- Display preset modes
- Pro Stand lets you adjust the Pro Display XDR in different ways
The new Mac Pro starts at $5,999 and the Pro Display XDR costs $4,999. The Pro Stand costs $999 (Yes, it’s sold separately. Ugh.) and the VESA Mount Adapter is $199. All these will be available in the fall.
Here’s The WWDC 2019 Keynote!
If you wanna watch the keynote in full, here you go:
But if you’re too lazy and want an abridged version, then check this one out:
What did you think of the stuff that was announced at WWDC 2019? Any standouts? Sound off in the comments below! Can’t wait to see what Apple hardware will come with the software announced here! (Besides the Mac Pro, of course.)
