Everything We Know About The Apple Updates at WWDC 2019

The much anticipated Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2019) finally took place on Monday. And the keynote speech by Apple CEO, Tim Cook did not disappoint. Cook took the stage at the San Jose Convention Center on Monday and announced a handful of changes coming to the iPhone. The changes will be coming as a part of the new software, iOS 13.

The Apple CEO also announced changes and updates for other flagship products such as the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and others. Here’s a look at what went down at WWDC in a nutshell.

Mac Pro and Apple Pro Display XDR

Starting off is the Mac Pro with an entry-level coming in at $5,999, around 310,734 in Philippine Pesos.  And we agree, that is a lot of money to spend on a computer. Apple revealed the wide range of the Mac Pro’s technical capabilities but did not disclose the pricing for the more advanced versions.

	Base ($5,999)	Max (price unknown)
Processor	3.5GHz Intel Xeon W	2.5GHz Intel Xeon W
Cores/Threads	8 cores, 16 threads	28 cores, 56 threads
Turbo Boost	Up to 4GHz	Up to 4.4GHz
Cache	24.5MB	66.5MB
CPU Memory	Up to 1TB 2,666MHz	Up to 2TB 2,933MHz
System Memory	32GB (4x8GB DIMMs)	1.5TB (12x128GB DIMMs), requires 24-core or 28-core processor
Graphics	AMD Radeon Pro 850X	AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo
Compute Units	36 with 2,304 stream processors	2×64 with 4,096 stream processors
Graphics Memory	8GB of DDR5	64GB of HBM2
Display Support	Up to 6 4K displays or 2 5K displays or 2 Pro Display XDRs	Up to 8 4K displays or 4 5K displays or 4 Pro Display XDRs
Graphics Accelerator	None	ProRes RAW accelerator card
Storage	256GB SSD	4TB SSD (2x2TB modules)

It is safe to say that this computer is a beast and going to be for the super wealthy who can choose to spend over $6000 (311,734 PHP) on it.

MacOS Catalina

The new version of MacOS is being called “Catalina.” Catalina has replaced iTunes for Apple Music (more on that later) and a less-intrusive iPhone integration. There’s also a Podcast app with indexing for easy finding and the Apple TV with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support.

That’s not all, Catalina has a new app called Sidecar which allows using the iPad as a second display. Assistive voice control has been added, an Activation Lock and Find My iPad comes to MacOS to lock out thieves from gaining access to your device. Project Catalyst (formerly Marzipan) is only for iPad apps, but it now permits developers to easily port their iPad apps to MacOS.

Developers were also given something, RealityKit and Reality Composer. These apps update to ARKit with built-in motion capture, thus making Minecraft in the real world possible. Swift programming language has a new framework to make programming easier.

iPadOS: App Expose, Apple Pencil, and More

Apple’s decision to split its operating systems is an advantage for iPad as it allows for better usage of the much larger screen compared to the iPhone. The new iPadOS lets users pin widgets to their home screen, has App Expose and a better interface for multitasking. A new feature most Android users will be familiar with is the multiple windows in apps with a split screen.

There is also a column view in the Files app, folder sharing is introduced to iCloud Drive, giving you the ability to attach to network servers. More metadata and quick actions are introduced and Apple added support for USB thumb drives making it possible to import your photos directly from a camera.

It doesn’t end there, Safari on the iPad will pull the desktop site resized for its display and optimize it for touch input. Additionally, Apple Pencil now has lower latency and can be used for markup without difficulties. Support for custom fonts from the big foundries? Check. Better text selection? Check. The finishing touch? Apple has allowed software developers to have access to its programming interface.

Apple Watch and Watch OS 6

What’s new? Voice memo and calculator. New watch faces for Apple Watch like gradient face, a Solar face with a 24-hour sun path digital face and California Dial. The Health app gets a new design and a hearing monitoring app called Noise is introduced.

There is a fitness-tracking update on its way, for the ladies, the menstrual cycle tracking is coming to both the Apple Watch and the iPhone. The app store for the Apple Watch is coming, allowing you to make purchases, browse apps and install right on the spot using the Watch. Users also get smart guidance in Maps, “chance of rain” and “Wind” complications and so much more.

The iPhone: iOS 13, Dark Mode and More

The moment you’ve been waiting for, the iOS 13. Apple’s new software focuses on speed, privacy and convenience. Coming this fall, this is what we should expect from Apple’s new software.

Dark Mode. Did someone say finally? Apple first featured the theme last year for macOS, and now it’s making its way to the mobile OS. Apps like Mail, Notes and Safari are getting updates but Reminders is the hottest one yet. In the Reminders app, you can type a reminder and your iPhone automatically knows when and where to remind you.

Better Maps

There are also smart lists to help you keep track of certain things and keep you notified. By the end of 2019, Maps is getting top notch improvements as Apple announced it is sending cars around to build better maps. You can now set favorite places to find with a single tap, and create collections of your favorites.

Sign-in With Apple, Privacy

In response to the data privacy issues by Facebook and Google last year, Apple has responded by cracking down on privacy tracking. With the new ‘Sign in with Apple’, you sign in with Apple rather than social networks, which can be insecure. The feature will provide users with options for whether or not you want to share your email with the app, and if you choose not to, it will make a fake email address for you. Pretty cool right? What’s even better is that each app gets its own fake email address, so you can easily shut them down if you want. This is available on both the apps and on the web.

In line with privacy, Apple also announced that you’ll now be able to set your privacy so that an app has to ask for your location every time that it wants it, and you’ll get background tracking alerts, something Waze users are familiar with. Restrictions will be placed on apps that try to work around it using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Messages, Memoji Stickers

Messages can now let you share a picture of yourself when you message someone. Naturally, you can choose who you want to share it with. Apple is also adding Memoji stickers, automatically made from your avatar.

The Photos app is getting a complete repackaging. It can now separate your photos from things like screenshots and memes, and a new interface for browsing and editing photos. Not content there, Apple has made sure to allow you to use all effects for editing photos on videos now as well as making your videos landscape or portrait without needing third-party apps.

The End of iTunes

Apple announced the end of iTunes after 13 years of existence. In its place is Apple Music. The Music app will show lyrics as songs are playing. Siri as well is getting an update. Siri’s voice will sound more natural and will be able to read and reply to your messages via AirPods.

HomeKit security is improved, and CarPlay is getting a new dashboard with expanded partner apps.

So far, WWDC has lived up to the hype and Apple users should be really excited for what’s to come.