iPad Pro
Let’s start with the hardware.
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro became the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. Why 10.5 inches? Because at this size, it will be able to have a full-size virtual keyboard and a full-size external keyboard.
The iPad Pro not only has a bigger screen, it also has a lot of new technology. In addition to inherits the broad color gamue display, True Tone display, anti-reflective coating, and full-laminated display of the previous iPad Pro, apple has increased the screen refresh rate of the new iPad Pro to 120Hz and added a technology called ProMotion (adaptive refresh rate).
The word “adaptive” in adaptive refresh rate means automatically adapting to your current screen activity and adjusting the refresh rate, which will extend battery life while maintaining the experience. In addition, the higher refresh rate also means that the Apple Pencil has lower latency (as low as 20ms) and behaves more naturally. Simply put, this technology will give you a smoother screen experience when using the iPad Pro.
A powerful screen requires a powerful CPU, and Apple’s A10X Fusion chip for the new iPad Pro delivers 30% faster processing and 40% more graphics than the A9X.
The iPad Pro’s two cameras have also been significantly improved. It’s worth mentioning that the rear camera has been increased from 8 million to 12 million, supporting wide color gamut photos, adding optical stabilization, and what Apple calls “cinema-level stabilization” for video… The front-facing camera also has 12 megapixels, up from 7.
Because the previous 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 9.7-inch iPad Pro weren’t released at the same time, there are some differences between the two devices. Screen technologies like True Tone and camera performance are better on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. But now, the two iPad Pros are on the same starting line, and all the improvements on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro also apply to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Among accessories, Apple has designed a new leather case for the iPad Pro to hold the Apple Pencel, making it easy to carry both at once.
Next, let’s look at software.
IOS 11 has a number of productivity-oriented updates specifically for the iPad, including system-level docking, App Switcher, Drag & Drop that make up the new Multitasking. For input, Apple has updated QuickType on the keyboard. As has been rumored, a new app called Files has been added to iOS 11. In addition, memo, a native app, also showed off in the iPad section.
Dock
The iPad Dock has several new properties in iOS 11 — the maximum number of apps it can hold has been increased from 6 to 15, much like the macOS Dock. On the far right side of the Dock is a special area where you can store up to three recently used apps. If you’re using Continuity, the far right side of the Dock will show the apps running on your other devices.
You can exhale the Dock from any screen, and its gesture is “swipe down the bottom of the page” from the old Exhale control center. After exhaling the Dock from the App interface, you can select the App you want to switch to. If you want to display two Windows at the same time, you can “pull” another multitasking app from the Dock with a drag gesture and place it on the screen. It forms an adjustable floating window. With the new drag-and-drop feature, you can more comfortably insert images for your email, Keynote, etc.
App Switcher
The iPad App Switcher now has three main parts: the Dock, an open window, and a control center. In addition to double-clicking the Home button or swiping up with four fingers as before, there is another way to exhale the Dock and continue swiping up.
In the window area, we can see that it is not only a single application interface, but also a split screen interface. It’s more like the “show desktop” feature in macOS, and it brings the iPad one step closer to true multitasking.
Drag & Drop
In addition to the simple example introduced earlier, Drag & Drop supports multi-touch, which means that while you Drag a selected object, you can continue to select other objects with the fingers of your other hand. They are added to the dragged objects one by one, waiting to be processed in batches.
QuickType
In iOS 11, Apple brought letters, numbers, symbols and punctuation together on the native keyboard. By holding down and swiping down, you can easily type the grey punctuation or character of each key on the keyboard, which allows us to cut down on switching and make typing more efficient.
Files
Having a file manager has long been on the minds of those who want to work on the iPad, and the most popular leaked app on the eve of WWDC was Files.
In iOS 11, Apple’s Files app supports basic functions such as search, listing and tagging, as well as a separate TAB for recently viewed Files. It supports not only iCloud but also a variety of cloud services. These services are displayed centrally in the left column.
The memo
The most notable feature of Memos in iOS 11 is the post-scan comment feature, which now allows you to scan text directly, adjust the edges, gradients, and sign directly with the Apple Pencil.
iOS 11
A redesigned control center
The most obvious change in the look of iOS 11 is the control center. Control options such as flight mode and music control and smart home control are no longer separated into three pages, but restored to a single page, presented in a modular design. You can customize the ordering and size of different components and even add other apps to the control center.
When you 3D Touch a module, the module will expand to present more information. For example, the music module only displays basic information and operations such as song, singer, play and song cutting by default. After 3D Touch, album cover, audio output device and other options can be displayed.
Notification center activation mode has changed
After you unlock the iPhone, you can scroll down from the top of the screen to display a notification that was left on the lock screen the last time you unlocked it. At this point, you can pull down the center of the screen to display the notification center. The operation of swiping left and right is consistent with the lock screen state, and the notification center component and camera application can still be entered.
Apple Pay added money transfer and wallet functions
You can now use Apple Pay to transfer money one to one in iMessage, and with the addition of a wallet feature, the money is temporarily stored in Apple Pay Cash, which you can retransfer or withdraw. However, the feature does not currently appear on Apple’s Official Website in China and is not expected to be rolled out in China anytime soon.
Live Photo is more lively and interesting
Live Photo can now be processed into looping and back-and-forth GIF effects, and can be directly transferred to long-exposure images, I believe we can use the Live Photo function to take more fun photos in the future.
Live Photo now has the ability to resize the cover frame when it’s still, so we don’t have to worry about the GIF being good and the static being bad.
The App Store was completely redesigned
Almost all of iOS 11’s native apps have been designed in line with Apple Music, and coincidentally, the minority of apps were designed with that in mind. The latest update to the App Store is no exception, with text headlines and a card-like design, and a redesigned bottom bar for apps, divided into “Today, Games, Apps, Updates, Search.”
“Today” is a personalized recommendation page based on your usage habits, updated once a day, each recommendation four modules, an application tips, a game app and a general app recommendation, and a collection of app recommendations.
The “Games” TAB is a separate category for this update, reflecting Apple’s growing emphasis on games.
During the demo, the developers of Monument Valley also announced the official release of Monument Valley 2.
Related: Monument Valley 2 Comes out of the woodwork with WWDC and The levels will Wow You Again
New feature for China area
The iOS 11 update also includes a number of updates for Chinese users. Siri added Shanghai dialect; SMS interception function can be used to filter spam through third-party applications such as Tencent Mobile Phone Manager; Qr codes can also be recognized when entering camera mode.
other
- IOS 11 will finally be able to record screen directly, add it in the control Center in Settings, and boot from the control Center.
- IMessage has added the App Drawer feature to make it easier for you to switch between iMessage apps.
- Siri has added a translation feature that translates what you say into another language. Currently supports translation from English to Chinese, Spanish and other languages. Third-party extensions to Siri also add frameworks for QR codes, memos and reminders, and car controls.
- IOS 11 uses new photo compression technology that lets you double the size of your file while taking the same quality photos.
- The iPhone has added a one-handed keyboard mode that can be switched by holding down the globe icon.
Map navigation features new do not Disturb mode, let you drive without notification messages. In addition, navigation has been added to the shopping mall navigation (currently not supported in China), airport navigation and multi-lane navigation.
The release of ARKit allows developers to start developing more realistic augmented reality apps on iOS. Pokemon Go, for example, often features pets floating in mid-air, and ARKit will make your game more realistic.
The release of Core ML allows developers to leverage machine learning to build smarter applications.
There are also some notable detail updates:
- App icon update: App Store, iTunes Store, Calculator, etc.
- The Dock no longer displays the app name.
- The signal light in the upper left corner is back to its traditional style.
HomePod
As another highlight of the event, As expected, Apple unveiled a new speaker: HomePod. It takes its name from apple’s classic iPod. Just as the iPod redefined the music Walkman, Apple hopes HomePod will change the way people enjoy music at home.
The HomePod looks like a Mac Pro wrapped in a net, topped by a circular LED light. It weighs 2.5kg, is 17cm tall and 14cm wide, has an A8 chip and comes in black and white.
To ensure sound quality, Apple comes equipped with seven speakers, a special woofer, and a separate amplifier. In addition, to make sure you can hear from all corners of the room, HomePod can intelligently recognize the space and your location, and adjust the music accordingly.
If you want to use HomePod or another brand of wireless speakers in multiple rooms, take advantage of iOS 11’s AirPlay 2, which gives you the freedom to control them on your iOS device, like having all the speakers play a song at the same time.
Like The AirPods, The HomePod uses Siri as its main control (it also supports touch leds on the top). When you use “Hey, Siri” to wake it up, the top LED flash lights up and you can use voice commands to cut, search and adjust the volume. Apple comes with six microphones in different directions to make sure HomePod can hear you from anywhere in the room.
For a more complete Music experience, Apple has deeply integrated Apple Music and HomePod. In iOS 11, Apple Music’s recommendations will become more relevant to your musical tastes. In addition, Apple Music now allows multiple people to co-edit playlists and see what friends are listening to. You can also ask Siri for obscure musical information like “Who made this song?”
In addition to listening to music, like Amazon Echo and Google Home, HomePod can become your smart Home assistant. Take advantage of Apple’s HomeKit, which connects to your other smart home devices and controls them remotely. You can also use SiriKit to voice Services from Apple or third parties, such as taking a taxi with HomePod.
HomePod will cost $349 and go on sale in December in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. It will hit more countries next year.
IMac Pro and macOS 10.13
iMac Pro
In addition to the new iPad Pro and HomePod, Apple also unveiled a new iMac product for professional users: the iMac Pro.
The iMac Pro comes in an all-black design with a black Magic Keyboard (without a Touch Bar) and Magic Mouse 2. In addition, the iMac Pro has redesigned the fan for its powerful configuration.
In configuration, the iMac Pro comes with Intel Xeon processors with up to 18 cores, up to 128 GB of ECC memory and up to 4TB of SSDS. For graphics, the iMac Pro uses AMD’s new Radeon Vega graphics card designed for professional users, with up to 16 GB of memory. By every measure, the iMac Pro is the “most powerful Mac ever made.”
The iMac Pro will start at $4,999 and go on sale in December.
Apple also announced product updates for the iMac.
The new iMac has a better Retina display, 43% brighter than its predecessor at 500 nits. In terms of specs, the new iMac comes with an updated Intel Kaby Lake processor that supports up to 32 GB of RAM in the 21.5-inch model and up to 64 GB in the 27-inch model.
The new iMac focuses on improving graphics performance. The 21.5-inch graphics card is updated to Inter Iris Plus 640, 21.5-inch 4K graphics card AMD Radeon Pro 555/560, and the 27-inch graphics card is updated to AMD Radeon Pro 570/575/580, which supports up to 8GB of video storage.
The 21.5-inch model starts at $1,099, the 21.5-inch 4K model starts at $1,299, and the 27-inch model starts at $1,799, starting today.
The MacBook and MacBook Pro also got updates. Both have upgraded their cpus to Intel Kaby Lake processors and have faster SSDS. The 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar is getting a cheaper version ($1,299). The new MacBook and MacBook Pro will be available starting today.
MacOS 10.13
Apple also announced a new version of macOS at WWDC: macOS High Sierra.
Safari:
- In macOS 10.13, Safari added the ability to disable autoplay. Safari now disables video or audio from playing automatically when you open a web page.
- Using machine learning, Safari can now intelligently identify and disable site tracking to better protect your privacy.
- Safari reading mode is now enabled automatically by default.
Memo:
- Now you can Pin your notes that you often use.
- Search suggestions appear when searching notes.
- Notes support insert tables.
Email:
In the new version, mail takes up 35 percent less space than in the previous version. In addition, the new version of mail has added a search prompt function, as well as support for split screen writing.
Photos:
- New photo classification display tool.
- Added the Live Photos editing feature.
- A new face recognition interface that supports cross-device synchronization.
- More powerful editing features, support for color tools, curve tools, and support for importing PhotoShop.
Apple File System (APFS) : The next generation of File System APFS installed in iOS 10.3 is available on macOS.
New video encoding: macOS 10.13 supports the new efficient video encoding H.265 (HEVC). Compared to the previous generation h.264, h.265 has a 40 percent higher compression rate without loss of image quality.
Metal 2: The new version of macOS brings a new generation of graphics engine. Metal 2 has a 10-fold improvement in graphics performance compared to its predecessor. Metal 2 has also been updated with VR support, including the SteamVR platform, and game engines such as Unity and Unreal 4. Apple also released a developer suite for Metal 2 that includes AMD graphics cards.
MacOS High Sierra developer Beta is now available for download, with the Public Beta starting at the end of June and the official release coming in the fall.
watchOS 4
WatchOS released its fourth generation system with three new dials: the Siri dial, the Kaleidoscope dial and the Toy Story dial. The Siri dial will automatically show you the information you need based on your schedule and usage habits, a feature Apple calls “24/7 Assistant.”
The overall design of watchOS is closer to the card design, and the Dock has been redesigned to scroll vertically.
The Activity app has a new reward mechanism, and the Workout app can work with gym equipment.
Even though every speaker trotted on and off the stage during the two and a half hours of the opening Keynote, and even though the details of the new hardware and systems were not revealed in detail, it was still the most informative WWDC Keynote opening in recent years.