WWDC 2017 live blog

Apple's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicks off with its traditional keynote on June 5, 2017 at 10 a.m. PDT, 1 p.m. EDT. Apple is streaming the event live and we'll be sharing our thoughts before, during, and after the show, and collecting them all right here. So, watch along with us for all the color, commentary, and analysis for the show!
Since the show hasn't started yet, here's a preview of what to expect!
All the new operating systems
Major new OS updates are as close to sure things as we're going to get at WWDC. There'll be a new version of iOS. A new version of macOS. And new versions of tvOS and watchOS as well.
If past is predicate, Craig Federighi will do the honors for iOS 11 and macOS 10.13. Kevin Lynch will walk us through watchOS 4, and Eddie Cue will handle tvOS 11.
Big things to look for:
- Dark theme on iOS 11. If rumors of OLED iPhone 8 are true, developers will need time to get black, power-efficient apps ready to accommodate it.
- Smarter Siri. The AI wars are upon us. No, not Skynet. At least not yet. But everyone is fielding virtual assistants and Apple's going to have to work hard to match and exceed expectations.
- Putting the Pro into Pro. It's been two years since the last big iPad enhancement and, while Apple won't make iOS into macOS, the company can and will continue to push iOS forward on the big screen.
- More Messages. Communications is becoming a primary interface layer and while iMessage in iOS 10 was a big step forward, Apple needs to keep pushing the pace.
- Photos. But better. Google Photos is seriously great but comes with huge privacy compromises. Apple nails the privacy but needs to ramp up the features, and fast, to stay competitive.
- Apple Television. No, not the set. The service. Apple couldn't get the deal before. Now others have the service Apple always wanted. It's time for Apple to get it too.
- Even better together. Apple's real strength is how well all the operating systems and devices work together. Rounding that out, including filling gaps like handoff for media, will make everything even more compelling.
There's lots more, of course. Full ten-fold tent-poles for everything. For the rest of the rumors, see:
- Read our iOS 11 rumor roundup
- Read our macOS 12.13 rumor roundup
- Read our watchOS 4 rumor roundup
- Read our tvOS 11 rumor roundup
The hardware potentials
Apple doesn't showcase new hardware at WWDC. Except when it does. Absent a March event and with rumors hot and heavy, this could be one of the years it does.
Phil Schiller is the best in the business when it comes to introducing new atoms for all the new bits to run on, at least when it comes to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Jeff Williams has been handling Apple Watch when it makes an appearance, and Eddy Cue — Apple TV.
So, what could we get?
- New MacBook updates. MacBook didn't get updated in March and MacBook Air… in a lot longer. MacBook Pro was just updated, but new chips might be available for it too. In other words, Kaby Lake everything.
- Siri Speaker / Apple Home Hub. We're still super early in the home hub space and Apple loves to zag when others zig. So, Siri in something closer to a SONOS-style connected speaker could make more sense — and higher margins — than tiny, tinny Echo-style product.
- Apple TV 4K. It would need iTunes 4K to go with it, and HDR to be truly updated, but Apple's new TV box needs an update to stay new.
- Edge-to-edge iPad. Would Apple spoil an edge-to-edge iPhone unveiling by showing off the next-generation iPad first? If it's ready to ship, it'll ship.
Apple Watch Series 3 is probably a while away still and, while an updated iPhone SE could ship at any time, there's only so much one show can hold. For all the rumors, see:
- Read our MacBook and MacBook Pro rumor roundup
- Read our Apple Home Hub rumor roundup
- Read our Apple TV 4K rumor roundup
- Read our iPad Pro 2 rumor roundup
Any more things?
Always more things! Despite the hardware, software will still be key at WWDC. Apple's shown the company can make bold new designs and cutting edge new features, but also work to revolutionize medical research and patient care, accessibility and privacy.
The devices will get the lion's share of media attention next month, but it's all the new Kits that'll be defining how we use those devices for the next year.
○ Everything about WWDC 2020
○ WWDC 2020 remote lineup
○ Download the Apple Developer app (opens in new tab)
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○ watchOS 7
○ tvOS 14
○ Discussion forums
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.
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Rene, I hope they really turn this around, they need to overhaul the OS, make it easy for the user to get to things, like getting to Bluetooth, etc. settings from control center as well as letting us put any toggle there! The ability to change the camera resolution from the camera app! The volume hud has to go, put it somewhere else. Let us put the icons wherever we wanna put it, for example many people have kids and they have their pictures as a background. The ability to lock individual apps with Touch ID (3rd party apps have this so why not). Make Touch ID as a trap pad like swipe to the left and right to get to background apps, etc. Etc
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That doesn't sound like an "overhaul", but all the minor tweaks everyone's been asking for for a while. It's definitely time to let us put icons wherever and really about time they add swipe typing to the stock iOS keyboard. Those are the only two features I'd really like to see added myself.
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That just sounds like Android.
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…and? People want to use iOS but have the features Android has, however there are various valid reasons why people won't go to Android to have these features
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You have a typo in the roundup link for macOS: Read our macOS 12.13 rumor roundup (it is 10.13, not 12.13).
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I've been impressed with how lightweight and responsive Windows 10 is on the same hardware compared to macOS. macOS is seriously turning into a bloated, slower, and more "glitchly". I had to do more reboots in macOS lately to address performance issues than in Windows. Apple needs to stop neglecting macOS as well as iOS for iPad. They spent too much time focusing on the iPhone that it's starting to make me want doubt Apple completely in its ability to compete with Google and Microsoft on the platforms that we need. iPhone is not the one for all platform, it's just not going to happen. I know Microsoft and Samsung is working on this with Continuum and DeX but it didn't exactly work out the way they want. I'll give Samsung more time with DeX because W10 mobile is a flop giving Continumm no chance to advance. Google's ChromeOS with Android apps is a very interesting concept. I'd love to use some of my iOS apps on my Macs because there aren't many available macOS apps compared to iPad apps like Readdit/Narwhal/News and so on.
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Apple needs to take it to the next level and figure out if it is serious about being in the computer business or not. They are behind on hardware, and buggy and slow on OS. Fix it, or set it free, Apple!
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Apple are serious about being in the computer business, hence why plenty of people use and continue to use Macs as their primary computers. I personally haven't found the OS to be buggy or slow, but I can certainly tell you I've found Windows 10 to be buggy
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Lightweight ha! Updates every 5 sec
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I have to say that my MacBook Pro running the latest version of MacOS and honestly any version of MacOS has been far more stable than the machine I have a work running Windows 10 or any other previous version. So much so that I have actually completely abandoned the PC running Windows at work as I have all the tools I need to do my job on my Mac. Reboots for me are far and few between.
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Your experience I don't believe is indicative. I don’t like it at all but I will admit that Windows is SOLID.
Apple could be even more solid but they are obsessed with newness and wow factor.
Jeez. Just tweak the **** thing and leave a whole new OS till it’s actually needed. This is why I don’t believe OSX will work in enterprise despite the push from the Apple/IBM alliance.
IT admin does not have the time to thoroughly beta test new software all the time. Your item worked in 10.12.6, but guess what it may not work in 10.12.6 let alone 10.13…. -
Neither is your experience indicative. I am with erikbock, I've used Windows for around 15 years, and macOS in the past 3-4 years, and I can tell you now that macOS has definitely been more stable for me. At my job we all use Macs because they're simple and reliable, so don't give me that bullsh¡t that Macs don't work in enterprise despite the fact that they're already used in plenty of places. There is no beta testing
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Macs work well in certain areas but there is a reason Windows still reigns supreme in the business world. Let's not be naive about this. There are still some things that Mac just doesn't do all that well. Specifically in the software development arena. Windows also provides more tools for computer administration and management. Apple doesn't, which is why many companies use device management platforms such as Casper(JAMF). Because Apple really hasn't devoted a ton of energy to it.
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I understand that, I was more going against him saying they weren't used in business because they were "unstable", which is bizarre considering in my experience Windows has been more unstable.
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Got ya. Yea, I definitely don't agree with the instability argument. I've worked in IT for a windows environment and for macs. Macs definitely are more stable. Specifically when comparing to the Lenovo models I supported in a previous position. Both have their advantages though.
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Wow. One personal experience to generalise the quality of software used by hundreds of millions of people.
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+1
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It will be interesting to see there are any hints about the iPhone 8 from iOS11 or the new development tools and APIs. As Rene says dark mode would suggest an OLED screen, but there could be other stuff hinting at a full face screen, or a higher pixel density.
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Re: Photos, Apple has not nailed privacy in Photos. In iCloud Photo Sharing, anyone with access to the shared album can save a photo in full resolution and print it if they choose to do so. This is a huge issue with regard to copyright infringement as well as privacy. There should be more options for the host of the shared album, ones similar to the permissions in MacOS where you can choose "View only", "View and edit" and so on. The lack of these privacy controls is just irresponsible on Apple's part.
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You can be guaranteed thats not going to happen in the near future. iCloud photo staring was meant to share personal photos among family and friends. You give access to people to whom you want to give such access. If you want to share copyrighted material, use a platform that was built for such purposes. This is like complaining there is no white table cloth and table service in a coffee shop.
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Thank you
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They aren't full resolution: iCloud Photo Sharing - Apple Support
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202786
> When shared, photos taken with standard point-and-shoot cameras, SLR cameras, or iOS devices have up to 2048 pixels on the long edge. Panoramic photos can be up to 5400 pixels wide. What you mentioned are copyright controls, which I an in favor of, but I have never seen a picture on the internet that I haven't been able to download. There is no protection for photos like you are looking for. -
I really hope they catch up with all other companies and start leading from the front.
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That's very vague, specifically catch up to what? Apple leads on many things, but lags on some others. You make it sound like they lag on everything, which is false. Apple sells products that make people happy because they work so well across many features and functionality. So while they may lag in certain things, they excel in others. The consumer decides what's important. For instance, once quick easy example: iMessage. Apple's messaging platform has been way ahead of everyone for a long time, and it's one of the reasons so many people stick with Apple, since messaging is one of the most use apps. Another one is the fact that Apple literally invented the "ultrabook" when it released the Macbook Air in 2008. It took years for the other companies to catch up and now they have finally. When you say "with all other companies", that's super hilarious and trolling. Yeah, every other company makes everything better than Apple. Sure...
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No edge to edge iPad, not before iPhone 8 and maybe ever because it doesn't make sense. You can't hold an iPad the way you hold a phone, with your hand wrapping around the back and holding by edges (unless you've got huge NBA hands maybe). So we need edges on the iPad big enough to allow thumbs to overlap a bit just to hold the **** thing! Those mockups of the 10.5" iPad looks very realistic, but I wouldn't call that an "edge to edge" screen, as it shouldn't be.
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I would love to see and updated MACOS design language. It just feels so dated IMO. Also i am waiting to what what the 2017 macbook pros will look like If there is a significant increase in battery life then i would switch over but if not, I then ill stick with the current version
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Apple needs software changes to turn the focus back to typing on glass. iPhones and iPads were transformative in large part because they allowed typing on glass rather than physical electro-mechanical keyboards. The glass keyboards are frangible, reshaping to suit various input methods and languages. They also permit using multitouch on the keyboard to edit documents without having to shift hands from the keyboard area to the document area. But the huge downside is how much of the iOS device screen the on-screen keyboard takes. Apple should consider making one, or several, separate typing-on-glass keyboards that connect through Bluetooth — or the special connections on Pro iPads — to any Apple computing device. Apple TV, Macs, but especially iPhones and iPads would all benefit from this alternative to electro-mechanical keyboards. In the interval before such a separate keyboard is released, Apple should update iOS to allow the keyboard on any iPad or iPhone to type directly into any other authorized iDevice. You could thumb-type your phone and watch the text appear on the full screen of an iPad. You could touch-type on your favourite non-cellular iPad, view the results full-screen on your phone, and send it on its cellular way when completed. The trick is not difficult. When I go to a search bar on my Apple TV, I already get notifications on iPhone and iPad that I can swipe here and use my keyboard as input to the query. Time for Apple to go Back to the Glass.
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Renee touched on it briefly, even if he couldn't do it without his usual fear-mongering about privacy, but it's truly remarkable how much better Google Photos is than Apple Photos. They are well behind in usability, simplicity, STORAGE, etc.
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I predict that Apple will bring Wolfram Research on stage during the WWDC to announce Mathematica for iPad. Wolfram announced beta of Wolfram Player last November ( http://blog.wolfram.com/2016/11/16/launching-wolfram-player-for-ios/ ), and full-blown Mathematica is a small step from the read-only player. Apple will do this to help shift thinking about the iPad to a professional device; Wolfram will do because they desperately need their platform on mobile devices.
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Watching this live stream is cringe-inducing. It's like there is a sign there blinking "APPLAUSE" whenever the crowd doesn't react they way they were hoping. And that poor woman demoing the new app store. Her jokes bombed worse than "Baywatch."
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Honestly, outside of the iPad stuff, this is turning out to be one severely lackluster Keynote. The Audience is quite tepid, as well, needing to be egged on several times just to react to what they were talking about. Many people in the audience looked uninterested when they panned to them. The MacOS and iPhone iOS updates were lackluster... WatchOS updates seemed nice, in the grand scheme of things (support for Gym equipment, Core BT Support, etc.). Still no important value proposition updates for customers, like the ability to view iBooks @ iCloud.com, for example... I'm not going to buy an iPad, but since the iBooks are so platform locked, I'm also not going to buy AudioBooks and eBooks from Apple, so they will overall probably lose more than the cost of an iPad from me... No update for iWorks? It's not over yet... maybe they're surprise us, but I think they have pretty much ceded this to Microsoft. Reminders, Notes on iPhone - everything seems very iPad-specific? iTunes revamp? FaceTime Group Calling, FFS? Calendar? No "Hey, Siri" on Mac... Still can't type to Siri... No UI update for Mail - the split screen is nice and all, but Split Screen is so badly implemented in MacOS (IMO) that I'd never use that... That App Drawer in iMessage is truly awful. There better be a way to turn that crap off. Control Center on the iPhone looks truly awful. The new notification center I'm pretty meh about. I do hate how it "hides" earlier notifications, though. Horrible usability, IMO, for no reason other than to show more of a background image that you're probably tired of looking at, anyways... App Store revamp looks awful, but I do like the Today screen in concept. Discoverability in all App Stores is pretty horrid right now. The Music App's UI still needs work. They still need a way to allow users to download Apple Music Content without turning on the Music Library, which still scares the living s**t out of me since it completely ruined my Library last year, and forced me to completely rebuild it from a backup on my Windows System... Apple Pay in Messages was amazing when they mentioned it, until I realized you had to use an "Apple Pay" card. I will probably never use this, and will instead just prefer it if someone wrote me a check that I could deposit directly to my account with my Banking App. This will only be useful in lieu of iTunes Gift cards that I sometimes send via my Phone so people can buy Apps I recommend, or something (since they won't limit you to $15 minimum, as they currently do). Photos on Mac got some decent Editing Features. I still think they should have integrated Aperture with iCloud Photo Library and just given that away, then put it in "Maintenance Mode." Even 3 years from now, Aperture is probably still going to be a better editing and organizational tool than Photos. They are moving at the speed of a tortoise here... ****, iPhoto is still a superior organizational tool for Photos and Videos... Google Photos is looking really good. I'm on the fence about their change in file format for Photos. How sharable will these photos really be. Does Windows support this file format? What about major Android OEMs and alternative browsers like Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera? Does it mean they will do less aggressive post-processing on the images, as well? Right now, I can't say my iPhone 7 Plus takes "great" pictures. "Decent, passable images," yes... Great? No. Not when so much detail looks like melting ice cream. I can't believe that they mentioned a 1080p FaceTime Camera as an iMac Pro selling point. Someone at Apple has truly lost their marbles. In any case, I'm getting the feeling that iPhone is simply a cash cow that they're maintaining the status quo for at the moment, at least on the software end... iPad seems like what they're actually "trying" these days, largely because they're so desperate for it to replace Laptops (which could really benefit them, as it's much easier to get people to upgrade a Tablet more often than a Laptop). The iPad iOS update seems like more work was put into it than the entire MacOS and iPhone iOS updates combined. Files on iPad, but not on iPhone? Logically not computing to me... Maybe they are just bad at messaging here. A lot of the additions seemed oddly omitted from the iPhone, but doesn't make sense that it would not be there... Will iTunes Content be re-encoded for H.EVC so that we can save tons of space on our iPhones and iMacs when we download movies to our devices? Guess time to wait to see what kind of phone Google will release this year... Between Google releasing pretty good phones these days and the fact that Microsoft will bring Continuity features to Windows 10 + Android... I'm not really feeling much of a pull to upgrade to a new iPhone this year. I'm ripe for the picking. $349 for an ugly speaker with a s****y name. When you can get an Echo Dot that does so much more for almost 1/10th the price (and a full Echo for quite a lot less, itself). It's is time to move my Content Ecosystem over fully to Amazon (Fire TV, Echo [Dot], Prime, etc.).
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You can type to Siri. Your verbal request gets converted to text, you can edit this text then resubmit with the new request.
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What does updates have to do with how lightweight an OS is? Anyone who uses Windows and MacOS on an iMac can see that Windows is more lightweight. In fact, you don't even have to do that. You an just go and pick up any Windows Tablet with an Atom Processor and 2GB of RAM and marvel at the fact that it actually... runs... almost as well as a MacBook Air with 4GB RAM on macOS - except it's also running a TouchScreen, GPS, and other hardware (i.e. drivers loaded use resources, too). It's clearly a lighter operating system, and frankly has always been. It had to be, because it has to run on almost bare minimum specs. It's basically a development requirement. The only time Windows seemed heavy was in the Vista Days, and that had more to do with system requirements (releasing ahead of the hardware designed for it, causing issues for upgraders and people buying older, under-specced XP machines with free Vista Upgrades). I ran Windows on my Mac (via Boot Camp) for months. It definitely outperformed Sierra in almost every way. Even the boot times in Windows were 1/4th as long as Sierra. Shutdown times were equally much faster. App load times were faster. File System Performance (Copy/Move/Search) were faster. App Performance were faster, including in Games with Native Mac Clients using Metal - like World of Warcraft (giving 5-6 extra FPS in Windows than on Mac). The reasons to use MacOS are totally preferential or requirements-oriented. Maybe apps you need must be run on Macs (or only run on them). Maybe you just prefer the Mac user interface to Windows 10 (totally understandable, and your prerogative). Performance is absolutely not a reason to do so. Maybe High Sierra will change that, but I have severe doubts about that. I don't even think Apple develops or tests macOS in an environment that would lead them to prioritize shipping a system that is more lightweight and performant. They seem to just prefer putting a faster SSD or bumping the RAM up (when they have no choice, as they did with the MacBook Air) to placebo the issue out of sight and mind.
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I also agree that this was hard to watch. The crowd was quite non-plussed for everything except some of the iPad stuff. They had to literally pull reactions out of many people. People seemed like they were expecting a lot more than was delivered. I actually did, especially since this it he iOS update that will be launching alongside the 10th Anniversary iPhone. I am really dissatisfied with what I seen. What have they been doing over the past year? Negotiating chip prices with Intel?