Apple Media Event - June 03, 2019 (WWDC 2019)

Each year, Apple holds their Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), where the brightest Apple developers and most ambitious 3rd-party developers come together to teach and learn all they know about macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS and more! After attending this conference several years in the past, I can tell you that this conference is one of the best conferences I’ve attended in terms of quality of content, quality of presenters and quality of facilities. This show is top notch!

This year, WWDC is being held just a few minutes away from their Cupertino HQ at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. Apple kicked off WWDC with their big keynote event this morning and they did not disappoint!

Continue reading for event details.

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Tim Cook takes the stage

  • “Welcome to WWDC 2019!!”

  • “Your passion is why we are here”

  • AppleTV Plus will be available on all Apple devices

tvOS

  • tvOS update to feature a completely redesigned home screen

  • tvOS will include multi-user support

  • Switching between users is quick and easy

  • New music experience will feature song lyrics as the music plays

  • Extending support to two of the best game controllers (Xbox and Playstation)

  • New screensavers coming, including undersea footage

watchOS

  • watchOS 6 to feature new watch faces

  • New “on the hour” Taptic feedback and chime (optional)

  • Audio Books, Voice Memos and Calculator app (including tip calc and split bill)

  • App Store allowing apps to be installed and run independent of iPhone

  • New health and fitness capabilities via new “Activity Trends” app

  • New app to identify noisy environments and warn of audio noise levels

  • New “Cycle Tracking” app, designed just for women (works on iPhone without Apple Watch as well)

iOS

  • iOS 12 has been installed on 85% of iOS devices (compared to Android’s 10%)

  • iOS 13 features 30% faster Face ID unlocking

  • App downloads will be 50% smaller (and updates 60% smaller)

  • App launching is up to 2X faster than iOS 12

  • Dark Mode coming to iOS 13

  • New Swipe keyboard coming to iOS 13

  • Updates apps: Safari, Mail & Notes, Reminders

  • Maps has been rebuilt from the ground up using Lidar

  • Improved location privacy methods

  • New “Sign in with Apple” authentication method

  • HomeKit Secure Video offers a SECURE video surveillance platform

  • HomeKit-enabled routers, partnering with LinkSys, Eero and others

  • Expanded Memoji library and Memoji Stickers

  • Significant updates coming to Photos (straighten video, additional editing features, etc)

AirPods, HomePod, CarPlay and Siri

  • Siri will auto-read new messages over AirPods and allow for quick response

  • Audio Sharing via AirPods allows you to share audio with someone else using AirPods

  • Hand-Off coming to HomePod! Seamlessly transition audio from iPhone to HomePod

  • Siri can now play live radio from over 100,000 participating stations

  • HomePod can now recognize family voices and personalize the experience

  • CarPlay will feature an all-new home interface (note: sweet!!!!)

  • Siri will feature an improved Siri voice, sounding more naturally

  • iOS 13 on iPad now called… iPadOS (designed specifically for iPad)

  • All-new Files app

  • iCloud now supports folder sharing

  • Desktop-class browsing to Safari on iOS and iPadOS!

  • Download Manager coming to Safari on mobile

  • Custom fonts coming to mobile

  • New 3-finger gestures to cop, paste and undo

  • iOS 13 cuts latency in half from 20ms to 9ms

  • Much easier markup features

Mac

  • Mac is #1 in customer satisfaction… industry leader

  • All-new Mac Pro with external display

  • Offers “virtually unlimited possibilities for customization”

  • 360 degree access to the interior of the hardware

  • Intel Xeon processor with up to 28 cores of processing power, using up to 300 watts of power

  • Up to 1.5 TB of system memory (note: wow!!)

  • 8 internal PCI slots

  • 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, 2 10 Gbps Ethernet ports

  • Incredible graphics capabilities

  • Apple has worked with Adobe, BlackMagic and others closely to develop the system

  • New 32-inch Retina 6K display with HDR

  • Contrast is 25X better than the average LED display

  • 1000 nits of brightness indefinitely

  • 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio

  • Name will be “Pro Display XDR”

  • Base Mac Pro will start at $5,999, and available this Fall

  • New Mac Pro can be rack-mountable

  • Pro Display XDR will be $4,999, and the stand will cost $999 (note: wait, what??)

macOS

  • macOS Catalina (10.15)

  • All-new iTunes separates functions into 3 apps… Apple Music, Podcast and Apple TV

  • iOS sync options will now be found in Finder

  • New Side Car feature allows you to use your iPad as a secondary display (wired and wirelessly)

  • Voice Control lets you entirely control your Mac or iOS device with your voice

  • New feature using secure Bluetooth allows you to find lost devices even when they are offline (note: just like Tile)

  • Screen Time coming to macOS Catalina

  • Project Catalyst lets developers quickly and efficiently create macOS apps based on existing iOS apps (quick porting)

  • Big changes coming with ARKit (greatly improved features)

  • More than 450,000 apps on the App Store using Swift

  • New SwiftUI framework… built for Swift, in Swift

Availability

  • General availability for all updates: this Fall

  • Public betas are available today (note: always use caution with betas)

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Kevin Allgaier.