Tech giant Apple made several big announcements today at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), taking place from June 5-9 in San Jose, California. Most of the news focused on the coming updates for its various operating systems, but CEO Tim Cook also introduced some new hardware.
One announcement generating a lot of buzz is Apple’s new HomePod. It’s a smart wireless speaker powered by the Siri AI that seems designed to compete with the likes of Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home speaker. Apple’s speaker will be launching in the U.S., U.K., and Australia in December, with additional markets to come next year.
iOS Is the Big Winner
On the software side, upgrades made to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system seem to be the real showstoppers, with the release of iOS 11 (pictured above). Apple also announced a new macOS dubbed “High Sierra” that should please Mac users on both the professional and consumer side. In addition, Apple’s tvOS and watchOS received minor updates.
Among the new features of iOS 11 is the ability to make person-to-person payments through Apple’s messaging app, thanks to new integration with the Apple Pay system. Meanwhile, Siri has a new voice, a new visual interface, the ability to perform task management, and a new translation feature that is still in beta. Apple is leaning into artificial intelligence (AI) with improved machine learning and on-device learning aimed at making Siri more predictive and proactive.
The iPhone control center, lock screen, and notification center are all getting major visual redesigns, with an eye toward offering more information to the user. Apple’s navigation app is also getting an upgrade and will now be able to display floorplan-level maps within malls and airports for detailed navigation assistance.
iPad Gets Big Update
The mobile operating system will also get a new…