Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled macOS Big Sur, which comes with a big update to Apple's native Safari browser.
Tabs have been redesigned to make navigating with Safari faster and more powerful by showing more tabs onscreen, displaying favicons by default to easily identify open tabs, and giving users a quick preview of a page by simply hovering over the tab.
A new Privacy Report button in the toolbar gives users insight into how sites are using their connection, and which trackers have been blocked. Users can choose when and which websites a Safari extension can work with, and tools like data breach password monitoring never reveal users' password information.
Extensions support for Safari is adopting new standard, so users can bring over extensions from other browsers. Users can also give extensions access just for a day, on a certain website, or for every website. In addition, the Mac App Store has a new extensions category that includes editorial spotlights and top charts.
Meanwhile, native-translation capabilities are now built into Safari, and the browser can detect and translate entire webpages from seven languages. There's also a customizable Start Page with background image support that extends to Reading List and iCloud Tabs.
Aside from features, Safari is getting faster. Apple says it now loads frequently visited sites an average of 50 percent faster than Chrome.
Apple today previewed the latest version of macOS, called "Big Sur," and Apple is referring to this update as the biggest update since macOS X. Big Sur introduces a new redesign, new features for Safari, updates to Messages, and more.
Apple describes the new design as "spacious," that encourages easier navigation while putting more controls at the user's fingertips. Apple has refined everything from the curvature of window corners to the palette of colors and materials.
Dock icons were redesigned to be more consistent with icons across Apple's ecosystem, "while retaining their Mac personality." Overall, Apple says the new design reduces visual complexity and brings users' content front and center.
New to macOS is Control Center, which delivers quick access to controls right from the desktop. Notification Center has been updated with more interactive notifications and redesigned widgets in different sizes, matching the design of iOS 14.
For Safari, Apple is launching "the biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003." Tabs have been redesigned to make navigating Safari faster, with favicons displayed by default so it's easier to see where to click at a glance.
When opening Safari, users will browse a new start page. They can customize this area with a background image and sections like a Reading List and iCloud Tabs. While browsing Safari, foreign languages can be translated with built-in translation tools covering seven languages.
In terms of privacy, Safari now supports a new Privacy Report that delivers added visiblity into how Safari protects browsing activity across the web. Users will be able to choose when and which websites a Safari extension can work with.
In Messages, Apple has introduced pinned conversations and a refined search function. Screen effects are finally supported on macOS, and users will be able to create and customize their Memoji on a Mac. In conversations, there will be a new photo picker and #images support, making it possible to share GIFs on the macOS Messages app without a third-party app.
Group messaging features streamline conversations with inline replies and @mentions, making it easy to directly address someone, or a specific text, amid a large group. They can also set a photo or an emoji for their group conversation that's shared with all members of the group.
macOS Big Sur will be available this fall as a free software update. Ahead of that date, it's available to Apple Developer Program members today and a public beta will launch in July.
Apple today announced a small but long-awaited change being made in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14: incoming phone and FaceTime calls will no longer take up the entire screen, providing for a much less disruptive experience.
iOS 14 is available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with a public beta to follow next month. The software update will be released to all users with an iPhone 6s or newer in the fall.
Read our iOS 14 roundup for a look at other new features coming to the iPhone and iPad.
Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled watchOS 7, which comes with a new sleep tracking feature for Apple Watch.
The new sleep tracking feature helps users to make recommendations about waking up and when to go to sleep. A "Wind Down" feature minimizes distractions to create a personalized evening routine.
iPhones can be set to display a Wind Down screen before users go to bed. It turns on do not disturb, and can suggest things like meditation or quiet music listen to.
Wind Down puts Apple Watch in sleep mode, and when it's time to wake up, it can wake up with quiet alarms, or a silent haptic-only alarm. It can also wake up with a friendly greeting to start the day.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a bedtime routine helps the body prepare for sleep. To support this, Wind Down allows Apple Watch and iPhone users to create a customized routine before bed, including setting up a specific scene in the Home app, listening to a soothing soundscape, or using a favorite meditation app. In Sleep Mode, Apple Watch turns on Do Not Disturb and automatically darkens the screen overnight.
In the morning, the wearer will see a visualization of their previous night's sleep, including periods of wake and sleep. They will also see a chart showing their weekly sleep trend.
Sleep tracking uses machine learning to sense motion, and detects micro motions from the rise and fall of the breath. There's also a new sleep section in the health app, including a view of trends over time.
Depending on personal charging behavior, if the battery is too low within an hour of bedtime, Apple Watch will remind users to charge it ahead of sleep. Sleep data is encrypted on device or in iCloud with iCloud sync, and data is always in the user’s control.
Sleep tracking, Schedule, Wind Down, and Sleep Mode will also be available on iPhone without a watch with iOS 14.
No more having to hum the "happy birthday" song to yourself twice, as the Apple Watch features a new hand washing feature in watchOS 7.
Using its motion sensors and microphone, the Apple Watch automatically detects hand washing and starts a 20‑second timer, which is how long the CDC and many other health organizations recommend washing your hands. If your Apple Watch detects that you've stopped washing your hands early, it will encourage you to continue for the full 20 seconds.
In addition, the Apple Watch can remind you to wash your hands when you get home.
watchOS 7 is available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with a public beta to follow next month. The software update will be released to all users with an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer in the fall.
Apple today previewed watchOS 7, announcing new features coming to the Apple Watch like enhanced customization tools, updated health and fitness features, handwashing detection, new workout types, and more.
The first feature Apple talked about today was an update to Faces on Apple Watch. watchOS 7 lets users customize and personalize faces, and then share them via Messages or Mail. New faces can also be discovered through the App Store and links from websites and social media.
New faces include the Chonograph Pro with a tachymeter to calculate the speed based on time traveled over a fixed distance, the Photos face with color filters, and the bold X-Large face with a new option to add a rich complication.
Amid all these updates, developers can now offer more than one complication per app on a single watch face. Apple gave the example that the "Dawn Patrol" app can create a face that shows tide, wind speed, and water temperature for surfers.
Another area focused on by Apple today was sleep tracking. Apple is focusing on this by allowing Apple Watch to detect micro-movements during sleep with the watch's accelerometer. This captures when the wearer is sleeping and how much sleep they get each night. In Sleep Mode, Apple Watch turns on Do Not Disturb and darkens the screen.
When it's time to wake up, Apple Watch offers a silent haptic alarm or gentle sounds. Apple will also warn users if the battery is too low within an hour of bedtime. This way, they can be sure to charge the Apple Watch before they go to sleep.
All of this data will be fed into the Health iOS app, showing your average time in bed, time asleep, schedule, sleep goals, and more stats over time. To support better sleep, Wind Down mode allows users to create customized routines before bed by connecting to the Home app to dim lights.
The next new feature is automatic handwashing detection, which encourages users to keep washing their hands for 20 seconds to prevent the spread of illness. Apple Watch uses motion sensors, microphone, and machine learning to automatically detect handwashing motions and sounds, starting a 20-second countdown with a custom animation.
For Workouts, users will now have access to four new workout types: Core Training, Dance, Functional Strength Training, and Cooldown. Apple has also redesigned the Activity app on iOS, which it's now calling Fitness, with a streamlined view of daily Activity, Workouts, Awards, Activity Trends, and more.
In terms of updates to the Noise app, watchOS 7 will now be able to warn users that loud music can have through their headphones. When they reach 100 percent of the safe weekly listening amount in a week, Apple will send a notification and turn down the volume.
Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled iPadOS 14, which features new interface functionality for stock apps, a new incoming call UI, Siri interactions, universal Search, new Apple Pencil features, and more.
"With iPadOS 14, we're excited to build on the distinct experience of iPad and deliver new capabilities that help customers boost productivity, be more creative, and have more fun," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "With new compact designs for system interactions and new app designs specifically tailored to iPad, even better note-taking capabilities with Apple Pencil, and more powerful AR experiences, iPadOS 14 delivers an amazing experience that keeps it in a class of its own."
New toolbars and drag and drop functionality has been implemented across a number of Apple's standard iPad apps, including Photos, Files, Notes, Calendar, and Apple Music. For example, Photos has gained a new sidebar, much like the one found in Photos for Mac, and the Music app is getting a new full-screen music player.
Like in iOS 14, incoming FaceTime and phone calls now appear as a lightweight banner so they don’t take up the entire screen, making it easy to quickly tap to answer the call or flick to dismiss. Siri now also appears at the bottom of the screen when activated, allowing users to reference information onscreen while making a request.
Search in iPadOS has also been redesigned to be universal, similar to Spotlight on macOS. It works as an app launcher, or can be used to make calls, or search within apps like Mail and Files.
Search on iPad has been rebuilt from the ground up with iPadOS 14 and is now the one place to quickly find practically anything, from locating and launching apps to accessing contacts, files, and quick information, to getting answers to common questions about people or places. With a new compact design, users can start a search from anywhere, without having to leave the app they’re in. Web searches are even more powerful and refined, delivering more relevant suggestions as users type and the ability to get to search results with just a tap.
Handwriting on the iPad is becoming just as powerful as typed text – "Scribble" will allow users to hand-write in any text field and for it to be automatically be converted to text. Scribble will initially offer support for English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and mixed Chinese and English, so users can write English and Chinese words together without needing to switch languages.
When taking notes, Smart Selection uses on-device machine learning to distinguish handwriting from drawings, so handwritten text can easily be selected, cut, and pasted into another document as typed text. Meanwhile, shape recognition allows users to draw shapes that are made geometrically perfect and snap right into place when adding diagrams and illustrations in Notes.
Data detectors now also work with handwritten text to recognize phone numbers, dates, and addresses, and offer users the ability to take actions like tapping a written number to make a call, adding an event directly to Calendar, or showing a location in Maps.
iPadOS 14 comes with ARKit 4, which delivers a brand new Depth API that allows developers to access more precise depth information captured by the new LiDAR Scanner on iPad Pro. Developers can use the Depth API to drive new features in their apps, like taking body measurements for more accurate virtual try-on, or testing how paint colors will look before painting a room.
ARKit 4 also introduces Location Anchors for iOS and iPadOS apps, which leverage the higher resolution data of the new map in Apple Maps, where available, to pin AR experiences to a specific point in the world.
Elsewhere, iPadOS 14 includes the same new widgets experience as found in iOS 14, new Messages features and Memoji options, an enhanced version of Maps with new cycling directions and curated Guides, a more advanced Home app with new automation suggestions and expanded controls in Control Center, and new accessibility features.
The developer preview of iPadOS 14 is now available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com , and a public beta will be available to iPadOS users next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a software update for iPad Air 2 and later, all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.
Apple today announced that the second-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro are gaining automatic switching between Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. For example, if you finish a phone call on your iPhone and pick up your iPad to watch a movie, the AirPods or Beats will automatically switch over.
AirPods Pro are also getting a new "spatial audio" feature that promises to deliver a theater-like surround sound experience wherever you are. Apple says spatial audio with dynamic head tracking puts surround sound channels in exactly the right place, even as you turn your head or move your device. This feature will require an iPhone 7 or newer.
For developers, Apple is releasing a new Motion API that provides access to orientation, user acceleration, and rotational rates for the AirPods Pro, which will be beneficial for fitness apps, games, and more.
These new features are tied to the release of iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and watchOS 7.
Apple today announced several new features being added to iMessage in iOS 14, including mentions, pinned conversations, inline replies in conversations, group photos, and new Memoji styles and stickers.
An overview of the new features:
Mentions: Type a name to direct a message to someone. When you are mentioned, your name is highlighted. You can customize an active group so you only receive notifications when you are mentioned.
Pinned conversations: Pin up to nine conversations to the top of your conversation list for easy access to them.
Inline replies: Reply directly to a specific message in a group conversation. You can view replies in the full conversation or as their own thread for a more focused view.
Group photos: Give your group conversation a visual identity by adding a photo or Memoji, or choose an emoji.
New Memoji styles and stickers: New age and face covering options, plus over 20 new hair and headwear styles.
Apple today announced a new feature for iOS 14 called "App Clips," which surfaces information from relevant apps throughout the iOS 14 interface, without needing to download an entire app. Apple described App Clips as a "small part" of an app designed to be discovered the moment it is needed.
App Clips load within seconds and let users complete specific tasks, like pay for parking using Sign In With Apple and Apple Pay. App Clips can be discovered and accessed by scanning Apple's new "App Clip codes," or by using NFC and QR codes. They can also be shared in Messages and Safari.
Following several leaks and rumors, Apple today confirmed that iOS 14 and watchOS 7 feature support for NFC-based digital car keys, allowing users to unlock and start their vehicle with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch.
Similar to credit cards and boarding passes, digital car keys are stored in the Wallet app. To unlock your vehicle, you will simply need to bring your iPhone near the driver's side door. Once inside the vehicle, you will be able to place your iPhone on a reader or wireless charger to start your vehicle and drive, according to Apple.
For peace of mind, a power reserve feature allows the digital car keys to work for up to five hours after your iPhone battery runs out.
Apple says the feature will start rolling out to BMW customers next month, with support for the new 2021 5 Series at launch, and Apple hopes to expand the feature to other automakers over time. Apple will also make the feature available on iOS 13, and presumably watchOS 6, so that users can take advantage of it as soon as possible.
Apple also announced that it is already working on the next generation of digital car keys based on Ultra Wideband technology, which will allow users to unlock future car models without removing their iPhone from their pocket or bag. Apple expects this feature, which will utilize the U1 chip in iPhone 11 models, to become available next year.
iOS 14 and watchOS 7 are available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with public betas to follow next month. The free software updates will be released in the fall for the iPhone 6s or Apple Watch Series 3 and newer.
Apple today announced iOS 14 at WWDC, and during the keynote it focused on new updates coming to its smart assistant Siri. The major new feature of Siri is a subtle design so that it doesn't take over the entire iOS screen when asking Siri a question.
Overall, Apple said that Siri has expanded its knowledge and it can help find answers from across the Internet. You can now also ask Siri to send an audio message, and Siri is expanding translation to support a number of new languages.
Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled iOS 14, which includes a Picture in Picture mode for viewing video within a moveable frame while doing other things on your iPhone.
With Picture in Picture support, iPhone users can now watch TV shows and movies while navigating elsewhere on their device.
The implementation is similar to Picture in Picture on iPad. Users can be swiped to the side and the audio will keep playing while the video remains hidden.
Apple today announced that iOS 14 features an all-new Translate app for translating conversations, with support for 11 different languages at launch and an offline mode for private voice and text translation.
Supported languages include Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
When you place your iPhone in landscape orientation, a microphone button appears as a quick way to begin translating. The side-by-side user interface makes it easy for two people to have a conversation in different languages.
Here's how Apple explains the feature:
Automatic language detection transcribes the original and translated text on the appropriate sides of the screen, followed by translated audio. Translate uses advanced on-device machine learning and the powerful Apple Neural Engine to enable natural-sounding conversations.
Users can save translations in the Favorites tab, which also displays a recent history.
iOS 14 is available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with a public beta to follow next month. The free software update will be released in the fall for the iPhone 6s and newer.
Apple today previewed iOS 14, which features an all-new home screen design with widgets and a new App Library view, plus much more.
Widgets
Widgets can be pinned in different sizes on any home screen page, providing useful information at a glance. Users can also create a Smart Stack of widgets, which uses machine learning to surface the right widget based on time, location, and activity. Widgets can be customized for work, travel, sports, entertainment, and other areas of interest.
App Library
After the final home page screen is the App Library, an all-new section that automatically organizes all of a user's apps into one, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that may be helpful at a given time. Users can choose to limit how many home screen pages are displayed in order to gain quicker access to the App Library.
Incoming Calls Are Less Obtrusive
When you receive an incoming phone or FaceTime call on your iPhone or iPad, it is now presented with a compact banner rather than taking up the entire screen, which is a far less disruptive experience.
Translate is designed to be the best and easiest app for translating conversations, offering quick and natural translation of voice and text among 11 different languages. On-device mode allows users to experience the features of the app offline for private voice and text translation.
Siri expands its knowledge, helps find answers from across the internet, and can now send audio messages. Keyboard dictation runs on device when dictating messages, notes, email, and more.
The Home app makes smart home control even easier with new automation suggestions and expanded controls in Control Center for quicker access to accessories and scenes. Adaptive Lighting for compatible HomeKit-enabled lights automatically adjusts the color temperature throughout the day, and with on-device Face Recognition, compatible video doorbells and cameras can identify friends and family. The Home app and HomeKit are built to be private and secure, so all information about a user’s home accessories is end-to-end encrypted.
AirPods gain the ability to seamlessly switch between Apple devices with automatic device switching. Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking brings a theater-like experience to AirPods Pro. By applying directional audio filters, and subtly adjusting the frequencies each ear receives, sounds can be placed virtually anywhere in a space to provide an immersive listening experience.
Digital car keys give users a secure way to use iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock and start their car. Digital car keys can be easily shared using Messages, or disabled through iCloud if a device is lost, and are available starting this year through NFC. Apple also unveiled the next generation of digital car keys based on Ultra Wideband technology for spatial awareness delivered through the U1 chip, which will allow users to unlock future car models without removing their iPhone from their pocket or bag, and will become available next year.
Find My will add support for finding third-party products and accessories with the new Find My network accessory program. This will allow customers to use the Find My app to locate other important items in their lives, in addition to their Apple devices. User privacy remains central to the Find My network with end-to-end encryption built in. A draft specification is available for accessory makers and product manufacturers starting today.
Safari offers a Privacy Report so users can easily see which cross-site trackers have been blocked, secure password monitoring to help users detect saved passwords that may have been involved in a data breach, and built-in translation for entire webpages.
Health has all-new experiences to manage sleep, better understand audio levels that may affect hearing health, and a new Health Checklist — a centralized place to manage health and safety features — includes Emergency SOS, Medical ID, ECG, Fall Detection, and more. Health also adds support for new data types for mobility, Health Records, symptoms, and ECG.
The Weather app and widget keep users up to date on severe weather events and a new next-hour precipitation chart shows minute-by-minute precipitation when rain is in the forecast.
Accessibility features include Headphone Accommodations, which amplifies soft sounds and tunes audio to help music, movies, phone calls, and podcasts sound crisper and clearer, and sign language detection in Group FaceTime, which makes the person signing more prominent in a video call. VoiceOver, the industry’s leading screen reader for the blind community, now automatically recognizes what is displayed visually onscreen so more apps and web experiences are accessible to more people.
iOS 14 is available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with a public beta to follow next month. The free software update will be released in the fall for the iPhone 6s and newer.
It's been five years since Nintendo first announced its foray into mobile gaming on iOS and other platforms. Although the company has seen some success in the business, it's also seen some misfires, and this week Bloomberg is reporting that Nintendo is now "retreating" from its mobile gaming plans.
For the near future, Nintendo will now focus on apps that have already been released. In terms of potential new Nintendo apps, developer partner DeNA has mentioned recently that players shouldn't expect a new game until near the end of the current fiscal year.
Although Nintendo saw high profits with titles like Fire Emblem Heroes, the company's recent earnings have been declining. In total, Nintendo released iOS apps like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Dragalia Lost, Mario Kart Tour, Super Mario Run, and Dr. Mario World from 2016 through 2019.
According to Sensor Tower, three of Nintendo's biggest apps saw decreasing revenue from February through May, 2020 (including Dragalia Lost, Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes). This was during a period when mobile apps were otherwise noticing an uptick in user engagement due to stay-at-home orders.
In the beginning, Nintendo kicked off the smartphone gaming initiative following struggling Wii U console sales, hoping that the booming mobile gaming market could help prop up poor console numbers. In the wake of the success of the Nintendo Switch, a mobile/home console hybrid released in 2017, it seems that Nintendo has less of a reason to keep up with releasing games for smartphones and tablets.
Most recently, "Animal Crossing New Horizons" on the Switch has seen massive success. In May, the game became the best-selling entry in the franchise with 13.4 million units sold, and is the fastest selling Switch game overall.
Mobile games are expected to make $77.2 billion this year, which would account for half of the overall video game industry’s sales, according to research from Newzoo. But “since the release of Mario Kart Tour in fall 2019, Nintendo’s mobile pipeline is empty,” said Serkan Toto, a mobile games consultant in Tokyo. “In a sense, Nintendo’s enormous success on console reduced the need and the pressure to put resources into mobile.”
Nintendo originally intended to launch around three apps per year, but they were continuously delayed and players saw longer and longer wait times between releases for new games. When they did finally launch, many arrived with criticisms about an abundance of in-app purchases and poor controls.
Now, according to mobile gaming analyst Serkan Toto, new Nintendo smartphone games will come down the line, "but it's very likely these will be just alibi releases to appease shareholders."
Apple's first-ever all-online Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
We're expecting to see a number of announcements, including iOS 14, macOS 10.16, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14, as well as an announcement about Apple's long-rumored transition of its Mac lineup from Intel processors to Apple-designed Arm-based chips. Last-minute rumors have indicated that hardware announcements are unlikely this year.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV and Developer apps across its platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
Live blog transcript ahead...
9:00 am: Apple's keynote kicks off in one hour, so stay tuned!
9:20 am: 40 minutes to go! In a normal year, attendees would be making their way into the main hall at McEnery Convention Center, but this is no normal year for WWDC.
9:52 am: Just a few minutes away now. Apple's live stream is up with some preliminaries...showing views from space with tiny Memojis floating around.
9:55 am: It's not clear where the keynote will be broadcast from, or even if it'll be live — we suspect the whole thing will be prerecorded, the better to avoid any "hiccups" since there won't be a live audience.
10:00 am: The memoji are spinning even faster, and it turns out that they're all using MacBooks. We're building up to the start, with an aerial view of Apple Park.
10:00 am: We're taking an AR-esque flight into the Steve Jobs Theater.
10:01 am: Tim Cook has walked on stage, with a Genius Bar black still sitting alone. "Good morning."
10:01 am: "We're all looking forward to a more hopeful tomorrow, which is why we wanted to make sure we had a WWDC this year."
10:02 am: "We want to welcome you to our home here at Apple Park. I want to address the topic of racism, injustice and inequality."
10:02 am: "This country was founded on the principles of freedom and equality for all. For too many people and for too long, we haven't lived up to those ideas."
10:03 am: Tim is discussing the investments Apple is making to help encourage systemic change and encourage black developers.
10:04 am: Now talking about COVID-19, thanking healthcare workers and mentioning the "profound impact our products have had" to help people keep in touch with family and friends, to do work, and to keep entertained.
10:04 am: "This year, the conference will be available to our entire community of 23 million developers, as well as anyone who is interested, for free. This will allow us to be more inclusive than ever."
10:05 am: "Let's get started by sending it over to Craig."
10:05 am: Updates coming to every platform. iOS up first. "We're making it even more powerful and easier to use." iOS 14.
10:05 am: "Spent time rethinking some of the most iconic elements of the iPhone."
10:07 am: Home screen widgets and picture in picture on iPhone were the biggest features from the launch video.
10:08 am: "Wouldn't it be great if there were a way to organize all your apps without doing a thing?" The app library, automatically organizes apps into one simple to navigate view. Suggestions, Recently Added, Entertainment, Social, Apple arcade, Health & Fitness, etc, all auto-filled with apps. Can hide entire pages of apps, which will be shown in the App Library.
10:09 am: Some apps are shown larger than others, with most-used apps shown on the top level. Suggestions uses "on-device intelligence" to show commonly used apps. Intelligently curated categories help keep things organized. "We think this will make it easier than ever to get to your apps.
10:10 am: Next, widgets. A lot has changed since we first introduced widgets. We're reimagining the widgets experience. They're more beautiful and data rich. Available in different sizes, so you can choose one that best fits your needs. Swipe to Today view, and you can see colorful options in a variety of sizes. "We like these widgets so much, we wanted to make them even more accessible. You can drag widgets out of Today View and put them right on the Home Screen.
10:11 am: Tapping on a widget allows the user to change between the different sizes available from a particular app. A "Smart Stack" lets you swipe through widgets to pick the right one for the moment — but the Smart Stack can do this for you automatically. In the morning, it might show your News Briefing, and then during the day it could show you your Calendar. Then, in the evening, get a summary of Activity.
10:11 am: Picture-In-Picture is coming to iPhone as well, the implementation looking similar to that currently available on the iPad.
10:12 am: Can swipe PiP to the side, and audio will keep playing, though the video is hidden. Can be swiped back to the main screen. "It's a great way to continue enjoying your video, while tapping into everything else your iPhone can do for you.
10:12 am: Those are the big updates to iOS itself, but Siri is getting some help as well.
10:13 am: Currently, Siri takes over the entire screen. But now there's a new compact design, with a Siri image at the bottom of the screen. Interacting with Siri might pop up a notification box with Weather information rather than taking over the whole screen.
10:14 am: Siri has 20x more facts than 3 years ago. You can now ask Siri to send an audio message, and Siri will start recording automatically. You can also use speech recognition, and you can run dictation on-device, allowing for accuracy and privacy.
10:15 am: Siri is expanding translation to support a number of new language pairs, and Siri will now support full translation support across languages as well. There's a new app called Translate to do conversations in multiple languages on-device, completely offline. Can translate in real-time between any of 11 languages.
10:16 am: "Translate will make communicating between languages easier than ever before."
10:16 am: Messages has seen 40% increase in messages delivered over the past year, 2x in Groups.
10:17 am: You can now pin conversations, so they're easy to get to.
10:17 am: More Memoji updates, with 20 new hair and headwear styles. Face coverings have been added as well, plus more age options.
10:19 am: Inline replies are coming to Groups. View replies in full conversation, or view as a thread. Mentions are here too, and you can set it so you're only notified when you're mentioned. Can set group photos for a chat, too.
10:20 am: Maps. Apple Maps is the best way to navigate and explore the world, while protecting your privacy. Our new map finished rolling out through the US earlier this year. Maps has come a long way and people have noticed.
10:20 am: New map is coming to more countries, including the UK, Ireland, and Canada.
10:21 am: In iOS 14, we're making it easier to find great places and find new ways to get there.
10:22 am: Adding Guides, from third-party partners like Zagat, AllTrails, etc. "Best Pizza in New York" — also adds features to help users reduce their carbon footprint. Adding "Cycling" navigation options.
10:23 am: Lets users ride on bike lanes, paths, and roads. Takes altitude change into account, as well as busy or quiet roads, and can note whether to carry up stairs or avoid stairs altogether. Coming to NYC, LA, SF, Shanghai and Beijing, with more cities coming.
10:23 am: Adding EV Routing options for Maps. Maps will track your current charge, including elevation and weather, and will keep track of what chargers work with your car to make sure you have the correct chargers. BMW and Ford are partnering, with more OEMs to come.
10:24 am: Congestion and Green Zone support coming, to give alternate routing options for cities that restrict travel for some drivers in certain areas.
10:24 am: CarPlay is available in 97% of cars in the US. 80% worldwide.
10:25 am: New wallpaper options coming for CarPlay, plus new categories of CarPlay apps. Parking, EV Charging, and food ordering. Now, rethinking car keys. They're big, bulky, and ripe for reimagining.
10:26 am: Digital version of car keys. The first car to support it will be the 2021 BMW 5 Series. Uses NFC to open the car, then put the phone on the charging pad and you can start the car. The key is stored in the Secure Element of the phone, and can be disabled via iCloud if your phone is lost. Keys can be shared via iMessage.
10:27 am: The new BMW will be available to customers next month. In addition to adding this feature to iOS 14, it'll be in iOS 13 too. We want this to work in any car, so we've been working on standards with industry groups. We want to allow the U1 chip to securely unlock and start your car, so the phone can be anywhere in the car. We hope to start this next year in cars.
10:30 am: There's a new feature called App Clip, which is a small part of an app. Instead of downloading an entire app, you can just download a small part of it to do things like pay for parking or make payments. With Sign In With Apple and Apple Pay, you can rent a scooter or make a payment extremely quickly. "It's all about getting to the part of an app the moment you need it." They can be launched from the web, from a restaurant listing in Maps, etc.
10:31 am: Made it possible for apps like Yelp to create App Clip experiences for each restaurant. They're all less than 10MB, so they download fast. Immediately discoverable, small in size so they launch fast, Apple Pay and Sign In With Apple, plus the option to download the full app from the App Store.
10:31 am: Now moving on to iPadOS.
10:33 am: iPadOS 14! Unique made-for-iPad designs that take advantage of the large, multitouch display. Extending the design language of iPad to make things more streamlined and more powerful.
10:34 am: Same redesigned widgets from iOS 14 are coming to iPad. Photos gains a new sidebar, looks much like the sidebar in Photos for Mac.
10:35 am: New toolbars and drag and drop functionality across a number of Apple's standard iPad apps.
10:35 am: New full-screen music player, with rich album art and lyrics in one view.
10:36 am: Minimalist Siri experience coming over from iOS 14, and other notifications like incoming calls are getting small, notification-esque windows instead of a full-screen takeover.
10:36 am: Call notifications coming to iOS 14 as well.
10:37 am: Search has been redesigned to be universal. Works as an app launcher, or to make calls, or search within apps like Mail and Files. It's... Spotlight from the Mac, basically.
10:39 am: Handwriting on the iPad will be just as powerful as typed text. "Scribble" is coming to iPad. Hand-write in any text field and it'll automatically be converted to text.
10:39 am: Hand-drawing shapes will automatically change to standard shapes.
10:40 am: Can double-tap on written text to select and copy it. Change it, move it around, etc.
10:41 am: Scribble can recognize both English and Chinese, and can use data detectors to detect phone numbers and addresses.
10:42 am: AirPods updates. Automatic switching allows AirPods to seamlessly move between devices without manually switching them.
10:43 am: AirPods Pro are gaining spatial audio — AKA surround sound.
10:44 am: For an authentic surround sound experience, the sound field needs to stay fixed even when you move your head. Use accelerometer to track the motion of your head, remapping the sound field so it stays anchored to your device even as your head moves.
10:44 am: If your bus turns the corner or your plane banks, you surround sound stays in sync.
10:44 am: Supports 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos.
10:45 am: Apple Watch updates next.
10:46 am: In watchOS 7, apps can enable multiple complications at one time.
10:47 am: Configuring watch faces has been redesigned, to make choosing complications much easier. WYSIWYG watch face setup.
10:47 am: Face Sharing is here, with curated faces from the App Store, a website, or to receive watch faces from friends and family.
10:48 am: Maps on Apple Watch is also gaining cycling directions, like iOS 14. Will include features like notes about dismounting and walking a bike, or using stairs.
10:50 am: Workout is gaining Dance as a workout type. Tracks some of the most popular styles of dance for fitness. Uses accelerometer and gyroscope to know whether you're dancing with just the lower half, upper half, or whole body. Also, functional strength training, cooldown, and others.
10:50 am: Activity app is being renamed Fitness.
10:50 am: Sleep Tracking!
10:51 am: Helps to make recommendations about waking up and when to go to sleep.
10:53 am: Uses machine learning to sense motion, and micro motions from rise and fall of the breath. New sleep section in the health app, including view of trends over time. Schedule, Wind Down, and Sleep Mode are available on iPhone without a watch as well.
10:54 am: In WatchOS 7, Apple Watch will give automatic detection for hand washing and sensing how long you actually wash. Can use audio to confirm the sound of running water or squishing soap. Will give coaching on the watch, including haptic and sound to confirm you wash as long as you should. At the end, you'll see, hear, and feel that you've washed for long enough.
10:55 am: On to Privacy. "We believe Privacy is a fundamental human right."
10:55 am: Privacy principles:
Data minimization
On-device intelligence
Security protections
Transparency and control
10:56 am: These principles come together across our products. Hardware, software, and services.
10:56 am: 200 million Sign In With Apple accounts created.
10:58 am: For location sharing, users will now be able to share approximate location, instead of always sharing exact location. Adds a light for microphone and camera sharing as well. Adds tracking control for websites. Must ask before tracking you across websites. For apps, privacy policy summaries will be available on the App Store before an app is downloaded.
11:00 am: New features for Home. There's a new alliance with Amazon, Google, and other industry leaders for a new standard.
11:01 am: In iOS 14, adding a new accessory will prompt new automations. In the Home app, it'll show accessories that might need your attention right at the top of the app.
11:02 am: Smart bulbs will now have Adaptive Lighting, letting colors automatically change throughout the day.
11:03 am: With Homekit secured video, your cameras are private. Activity zones let you focus on certain areas, and facial recognition let you know who is at your door. HomePod can announce who is at the door. Apple TV can put a picture-in-picture video of the camera on your Apple TV.
11:04 am: Apple TV gaining multi-user support for Apple Arcade. Adding support for Xbox Elite 2 and Xbox Adaptive controllers. Picture-in-picture support.
11:05 am: Apple TV+ Coming to Sony and Vizio smart TVs later this summer.
11:05 am: Isaac Asimov's Foundation coming to Apple TV+.
11:07 am: Next, macOS.
11:09 am: Apparently Apple's marketing gurus go on drug-fueled minibus vision quests to name their releases. Hence, macOS Big Sur.
11:09 am: The biggest change since the introduction of macOS X.
11:11 am: This OS reflects an important history. It's familiar, but also entirely new in every detail.
11:11 am: There's a new design, familiar but clearly inspired by iOS as well.
11:16 am: Messages on Mac is getting an update in Big Sur. "Taking Messages to the next level." — New Search, Photo picker, Memoji stickers, Messages effects, pinned conversations (saved across devices).
11:17 am: Maps update, gaining favorites, Guides, indoor maps, Look around, ETA of friends and their current locations, plus all the other features introduced in Maps for iOS 14.
11:18 am: Mac Catalyst updates, allowing for optimization for full resolution of the Mac screen. New capabilities like menu and keyboard APIs, date pickers, and more. Made new Maps and Messages apps with Catalyst.
11:20 am: Biggest update to Safari since it was first introduced. Page load performance is on average more than 50% faster than Chrome, plus industry-leading battery life. Safari was the first browser to implement private browsing. We want to give users more visibility into how websites try to track them. There's a privacy report button in the toolbar, to see how sites are using their pages. Safari securely monitors saved passwords to make sure they haven't been compromised in a data breach. Extensions adopting new standard, so you can bring over extensions from another browser.
11:21 am: In other browsers, Extensions can see everything you do, every page, everything you type, etc. Can give extensions access just for a day, on a certain website, or for every website.
11:21 am: Native-translation capabilities built in to Safari.
11:24 am: Tabs use favicons to help organize, while hovering over a tab shows you a preview of a page. Additional cleanup modes for closing tabs.
11:25 am: For years, deep below the surface, we've been working on something truly profound...
11:26 am: We've been working on some really big changes to take the Mac to a whole new level.
11:26 am: The Mac has always been about embracing big changes to stay at the forefront of personal computing. We moved to PowerPC, to MacOS X, and the move to Intel. Now it's time for a huge leap forward for the Mac.
11:26 am: We're announcing that the Mac is transitioning to our own Apple silicon.
11:27 am: At Apple, integrating hardware and software is fundamental to everything we do. Silicon is at the heart of our hardware. Having a world-class silicon design team is a game changer.
11:28 am: We've been working and refining our Apple Silicon for more than a decade.
11:28 am: The iPhone demanded capabilities that were seen as impossible in a device that small. We focused on performance per watt, and improved performance and energy efficiency. Ten generations of new designs, always improving performance. CPU performance has improved by 100x.
11:29 am: While iPhone chips could drive the iPad, we wanted to push the iPad even further. The iPad's retina display demanded a custom chip. So designed A5X, then other X chips specifically designed for the iPad. Wider memory subsystem and new GPUs. 1000x graphics performance in ten years.
11:30 am: Adding all of the processors across iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, we've shipped 2 billion SoC chips.
11:31 am: We're bringing all that expertise and disciplined approach to the Mac. A whole new level of performance, including power. All systems are constrained by power consumption, thermal, or both. Desktops consume most power but high performance. Notebooks are more efficient, but lower performance.
11:31 am: Building on our years of experience designing the world's most efficient mobile chips, we want highest performance with lower power usage. Our scalable architecture includes many custom technologies that will bring even more innovation to the Mac. With advanced power management, we will maximize battery life better than ever before. Secure Enclave will maximize security.
11:32 am: Family of Mac SoCs designed specifically for Macs. Unique features and performance, plus a common architecture across all product lines.
11:33 am: Tight integration of silicon with the software, including demanding pro apps including Final Cut and Logic are up and running on the custom chips.
11:34 am: Microsoft is working on Office for Mac, and Adobe is working on Creative Cloud.
11:35 am: Test machine running on "Apple Development Platform", using Apple A12Z Bionic processor that's used in the iPad Pro. All Apple's apps running on it. Office is up and running natively on the new Macs. "Word runs great."
11:36 am: Photoshop and Lightroom running on Apple Silicon.
11:37 am: The About This Mac screen shows macOS Big Sur is Version 11.0.
11:37 am: Final Cut Pro running on Apple Silicon, including 4K video, with filters running in real time.
11:38 am: The transition to Apple Silicon is also excellent for developers who have optimized apps for other Apple products.
11:39 am: We're doing some really important things to make this transition seamless for users. We want to make sure users can run all of their apps on day one, even if apps haven't been updated. We've been down this road before. A cornerstone of the Intel transition was Rosetta, allowing PowerPC programs to run on Intel Macs. Rosetta 2 will translate existing Intel apps to run on Apple Silicon. Even faster, more compatible. Translates apps on install. Can translate code on the fly when needed for just-in-time compilers. Transparent to users.
11:39 am: New virtualization technologies, to help developers run other environments like Linux.
11:40 am: Showing Maya running on Apple Silicon, via Rosetta 2.
11:41 am: Showing Shadow of the Tomb Raider running on Rosetta 2, downloaded straight from the Mac App Store.
11:42 am: Now showing Linux running in a Parallels VM.
11:42 am: Can also run iPhone and iPad apps natively and unmodified.
11:43 am: Starting day one, users can download iPhone and iPad apps right from the Mac App Store.
11:44 am: Launching a Quick Start program, to help developers make their apps universal and take advantage of Apple Silicon.
11:44 am: Developer Transition Kit hardware. Is a Mac mini with an A12Z SoC, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD, and the macOS Big Sur developer beta.
11:44 am: Developers can apply to the program today. Shipping units starting this week.
11:45 am: Every time we've done this, the Mac has come out stronger and more capable.
11:46 am: The developers get the DTK this week. For customers, we expect to ship our first Mac with Apple Silicon by the end of this year. We expect the transition to be complete within two years.
11:46 am: OS releases come out as developer betas today, with public betas (including WatchOS) starting in July. All the software will be released this fall.
11:47 am: "Thanks to you all for joining us. This has been such a big day, and it's just the beginning of a huge week to come. So, let's have a great WWDC!"
Apple has begun selling certified refurbished 2020 MacBook Air models through its online store in the United States for the first time, with prices discounted by approximately 15 percent compared to brand new models.
Apple says refurbished MacBook Air models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged with a USB-C power adapter and USB-C cable in the box. In our view, a refurbished MacBook Air is virtually indistinguishable from a brand new model, so this represents a good opportunity for savings directly from Apple.
Keep in mind that third-party resellers frequently offer better deals than Apple's refurbished prices, so be sure to monitor our deals roundup.
A refurbished MacBook Air comes with Apple's standard one-year warranty effective on the date the notebook is delivered. The warranty can be extended to three years from the refurbished purchase date with AppleCare+ at a cost of $249 for the MacBook Air.
