WWDC 2016: Full round-up of Apple's big announcements
All the key points as Tim Cook unveils iOS 10, Siri for Mac, new iMessage and more at tech giant's keynote event
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote event has offered fans plenty of software updates to mull over, including new versions of iOS, WatchOS, Apple TV and the tech giant's desktop operating system.
The two-hour presentation in San Francisco began a minute's silence for the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando, before chief executive Tim Cook got down to business.
Here are the four big areas covered.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
iOS 10
One of the biggest announcements of the night was the first glimpse at the operating system coming with the iPhone 7, introducing some minor revisions to the way the set-up looks and a few new features.
Apple has opened up Siri on iOS to developers, with the goal of integrating apps directly into the virtual assistant – for example, users will be able to ask Siri to book a taxi through services such as Lyft and Uber.
Photos has also been overhauled. Faces and Places are back and recognition software can now group images so you'll be able to easily browse photos of a certain friend, or even an object, just by keywords.
In addition come several iMessage features – predictive emojis and handwritten messages being two of the most fun additions – plus a redesign of Apple Music, a redesigned lock screen, voicemail transcription via Siri and finally, the ability to delete many of the previously unmovable stock apps on iOS devices.
MacOS
Apple's desktop operating system has been renamed to MacOS, bringing it into line with the company's other software platforms. There's not just continuity on the name, neither – the next desktop system, Sierra, introduces features from other devices, plus new ways to use a Mac in tandem with them.
However, the biggest addition has to be Siri for Mac, with the personal assistant sitting directly in the operating system's dock.
There are also new ways to link work across several Apple devices. For example, users will be able to start a document on a Mac and continue it on an iOS device, even copying and pasting between the two.
Other iCloud-based features include a drive sharing files across Mac and iOS gadgets, plus the new Optimised Storage, which removes unnecessary files after back-up to free more space.
Finally, Apple Watch can now be used to unlock a Mac device and authenticate Apple Pay transactions though a Mac's web browser. A public beta will take place in July, says The Guardian, with a full consumer release this September.
WatchOS 3
The latest version of Apple's smartwatch software landed at WWDC and according to The Verge, the "headline feature" is much faster apps – Apple claims they'll launch seven times quicker. They also get background refresh, too, so will be updated the second they are needed, while the dock of recent and running apps can be accessed through the watch's side button.
The iOS-like control centre will now be accessed by swiping up on the watch face and there's a new "Scribble" feature for replying to short messages and emails, letting users draw individual letters on the watch. The new faces introduced can be changed simply by swiping through the main watch interface.
TV OS
With a single sign-in feature, Apple TV is now easier to use. "Forget having to input a boatload of cryptic codes on other devices to link accounts to your set-top box", says Wired. One sign-in will let users authenticate all of the apps that come as part of their television subscription.
There are new Siri-based developments, too, with the personal assistant able to handle very specific requests, as demonstrated on stage by Apple's Eddy Cue, who asked Siri to find "high-school comedies from the 80s". In addition, the assistant can search YouTube.
Dark Mode has changed the way the Apple TV interface looks, making it friendlier on the eyes, and the TV remote app now comes with all of the features of a physical Apple TV remote.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 sleeper hit cartoons about Trump's struggles to stay awake in court
Cartoons Artists take on courtroom tranquility, war on wokeness, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The true story of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
In depth The writer's fall from grace with his high-flying socialite friends in 1960s Manhattan is captured in a new Disney+ series
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Scottie Scheffler: victory for the 'pre-eminent golfer of this era'
Why Everyone's Talking About Masters victory is Scheffler's second in three years
By The Week Staff Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Apple kills its secret electric car project
Speed Read Many of the people from Project Titan are being reassigned to work on generative AI
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of virtual reality
Pros and cons The digital world is expanding, for better and for worse
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The Apple Vision Pro's dystopian debut
Why everyone's talking about Is "spatial computing" the next big thing?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why Apple's carbon-neutral claims may be misleading
Speed Read The company isn't disclosing all the information, a new report alleges
By Devika Rao Published
-
The advent of the AI iPhone: does new tech show promise or peril?
Talking Point Apple design guru Jony Ive and OpenAI founder Sam Altman believed to be in talks to create new device
By The Week Staff Published
-
China steals the spotlight at Apple's iPhone 15 launch
How will a directive from the Chinese government affect the tech giant?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why is a tiny change to the iPhone's charger such a big deal?
Today's Big Question A change to comply with EU regulations could have global ramifications
By Justin Klawans Published