Apple made a series of announcements on the first day of its annual developers conference, WWDC. The tech giant focused on privacy as it announced new features like ‘Apple Sign in’. The iPad got its own OS, while iOS 13 was previewed with everything new coming to the mobile OS.
“The future of iTunes is not one app, it’s three, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV,” Apple’s Craig Federighi said during the Cupertino major’s annual WWDC keynote event in San Jose, California on Monday.
Here’s a breakdown of everything Apple announced at WWDC 2019;
iOS 13
iOS was one of the key highlights of the event. Called the iOS 13, this new version of the software comes packed with a ton of fun little features. Apart from the new ‘Dark Mode’ and a couple of redesigned apps like Reminders. Reminders app gets a makeover with a gallery view of inputs, while Apple Maps gets detailed streets and new tools.
The developer beta of iOS 13 is available starting today. iOS 13 public beta will be available later in July with the stable version releasing later this fall.
Sign In With Apple
This has got to be one of the best announcements yesterday at WWDC. Apple decided to make it easier for all of us to sign in to third-party apps with Apple’s own authentication called ‘Sign In With Apple’.
macOS Catalina
Apple has officially unveiled Catalina, the next major software update for its MacBook, iMac, and Mac Pro computers. Catalina will introduce some big changes to native Mac apps, including the elimination of iTunes and the new ability to control your computer with voice commands.
Catalina will also feature some important updates for iPad owners and developers. A new app called Sidecar will let iPad owners use their tablets as a second screen, complete with Apple Pencil support. Back end improvements made to Catalina will also make it easier for iPad developers to bring their apps directly to MacOS.
New Mac Pro
The 2019 Mac Pro is powered by Intel’s new Xeon processor paired with AMD Radeon Pro for graphics. The base model of Mac Pro priced at $5,999 offers 256GB of storage, while the high-end model supports 4TB of storage. Apple will start selling the new Mac Pro later this fall.
iPadOS
The iPad gets a dedicated OS simply called ‘iPadOS’. Built on the core functions of iOS, the new iPadOS comes with features like multi-window capabilities and gesture-based navigation. Apple is also adding the functionality for iPads to support USB drives and microSD cards. iPadOS will be available for users later this fall.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch’s watchOS also got a bunch of new features. You’ll soon be able to use Calculator, voice memos, and other audio streaming apps like Audiobooks, etc.
on your Apple Watch. Of course, you’ll also be getting new Health tracking features like the ability to track your menstrual cycle, a new way to track your activity over time, etc.
iTunes
Last, but not the least – iTunes. Yes, it’s dead now, officially! Apple has effectively killed iTunes to split it into three different apps – Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and, of course, Apple TV.
The basic idea behind this move is to make sure the users the respective content more easily. You no longer have to look for these things inside a single app.