Apple WWDC 2017 Keynote

The recently held Apple WWDC 2017 Keynote was full of new and feature-packed hardware and preview of the latest software from one of the most valuable global companies. The event this year was held in San Jose, California on June 5-9, 2017.

This year's event is one for the books indeed! iOS 11, the world's most advanced mobile operating system has new features and technologies for better user-experience and will be available this fall. Only select iDevices can be upgraded to iOS 11, though.

Apple's CEO, Tim Cook

Here is the rundown of Apple’s 2017 WWDC Keynote:

1. MacOS 10.13 – ‘High Sierra’

The upcoming MacOS is introducing Apple File System to the Mac. This 64bit architecture will beef-up security and aimed for better user experience. HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) for video will come in standard in this new OS version. Other new features can be found in the Apple website.

2. Siri

There are major improvements and added features in Siri this year. One notable enhancement is Siri's ability to translate languages on the go. This beta feature currently supports English, Chinese, German, Italian and Spanish, and will expand in the coming months according to Apple. Apple's digital assistant now uses machine learning to better predict its suggestions which you could use across different default apps. Siri also has a new male voice aside from the female one, and according to Apple is more human-sounding.

3. Camera / Photos / Videos

The Camera app is updated to support HEIF (High Efficiency Video Image Format) for 4K videos which takes up less space. For photos, HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) which translate to better image compression without sacrificing quality. Live Photos app also gets an upgrade. Memories can now be viewed either in Landscape or Portrait mode.

4. Maps

Maps app will soon offer maps of airports and malls. However, the list is limited for now. Added features like better navigation, lane guidance and speed limits are welcome upgrades. Do Not Disturb While Driving is one of the best features of iOS 11. For safety purposes, this will help drivers stay focused on the road.

5. Control Center

iOS 11's Control Center is now redesigned to show controls into a single page, one downside though is that CELLULAR DATA Control is still not included here. 3D Touch will now give access to more settings and features.

6. Redesigned App Store

A completely redesigned App Store somewhat resembles the Music Store. The main screen is not ‘cluttered’ anymore because tabs like Today, Games, Apps, Updates and Search are located at the bottom part of the screen. A new Spotlight tab will show the Best Videos of the Day.

7. Messages

Messages app will now sync your messages across all your iDevices which is handy if you have a lot of Apple devices.

8. Apple Pay

Apple's own mobile payment and digital wallet can now be used directly into Messages. Mobile transactions will be made thru Apple Pay Cash account. Siri will also come in handy just by giving the command.

9. iPad Pro

iPad Pro gets a ton of new features in iOS 11. First is Files app. This smart new feature enables users to browse, edit or transfer files from different folders in the device much like a regular desktop. iCloud and 3^rd party apps like Box, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive and Adobe Creative Cloud are also supported.  Drag-and-Drop feature will also make your experience a lot smoother in an iPad. A bigger apps dock, Slide Over, a new App Switcher are also a welcome upgrade.

Aside from the iOS 11 announcement which is currently in Developer Version, new Mac products were also presented to the public.

1. MacBook and MacBook Pro

Apple's 2017 notebook line-up is now getting Intel’s 7^th Gen processor dubbed “Kaby Lake”. The new Macbook will be offered with either 1.3GHz or up to 3.5GHz, while for the MacBook Pro, you can choose to have up to 4.1 GHz Intel Core i7. All notebook models will now sport faster SSDs. Standard connection is still USB-C across all models.

2. iMac Pro

“Power to the Pro”. This is Apple’s latest model is target the Pro users in mind. Users can configure it from an 8-core up to 18-core Intel Xeon chip for processing power. Upgrade the memory to 128GB (standard is 32GB btw). It also comes with 5K Retina Display for better viewing, up to 4TB of storage and Radeon Vega GPU. Standard connections are USB 3, 3.5mm Jack, Ethernet and Thunderbolt.

3.  HomePod

HomePod is Apples answer to home music integration. This new product was designed by Apple in-house and is equipped with an A8 processor. Siri is also available in this new boombox as a music assistant like, find new music based on your music preference. HomePod will be available in White and Black by December. 

Watch the full video of the Apple — WWDC 2017 Keynote here: