Apple comes on strong with a slew of announcements including a brand new MacBook Pro, and tons of features on iOS 6 and OS X.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
Apple's news at WWDC today skewed heavily toward its Mac line, with long-awaited updates to its MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and MacBook Air lines, while also providing a first glimpse of the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system.
The event served as a reminder that while Apple's largest growth drivers are the iPhoneand the iPad, its Mac line continues to be an important part of business. To better illustrate the point, Apple unveiled a next-generation MacBook Pro.That said, the mobile end got its update with iOS 6, which includes 200 new updates, as well as upgrades to Siri.Apple made the most of WWDC this year, offering up a wave of news. Here's what got announced (and here's what didn't get announced):App Store update: Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that it has 400 million App Store accounts. In addition, the company has 650,000 apps in its App Store and 30 billion apps have been downloaded so far. As a result, Apple has doled out $5 billion to developers since the marketplace's inception.Macbook Air: The new MacBook Airs will be equipped with the latest Intel Ivy Bridge chips, offering up to Core i7 with Turbo Boost, bringing the processor speed up to 3.2GHz.Hard drive options include a 512GB SSD, while graphics will be up to 60 percent faster. And USB 3.0 will also be part of the package.
Apple's Mac user base has grown to 66 million users, and the company has sold 26 million copies of Max OS X Lion since its launch last summer, with 40 percent of its users running that operating system.iOS 6: The revamped operating system comes with more personalization options, allowing users to turn on a do-not-disturb mode, as well as respond to phone calls with a set message, and set VIP status to individuals whose emails come through as an alert.
Apple will also finally allow Facetime to work over the cellular network; it previously only worked over a Wi-Fi network. Customers may want to watch out though, as video chat burns through data fairly quickly.
Apple will also consolidate a user's Apple ID and phone number, so calls and messages can be picked up via the iPhone or iPad.
Other new features include the ability to compile an offline reading list, a new photo upload feature, the ability to share photo streams, and an app called Passbook, which stores boarding passes, store cards, and movie tickets.
The beta version of iOS 6 is going out to developers today, and will be available to consumers in the fall. The platform will support iPhone 3GS and later, as well as the second and third-generation iPad. Facebook integration: Apple said today that it would more closely tie Facebook into iOS6. The new setup allows Facebook users to post pictures and video directly to their accounts from iOS 6 without using the Facebook app, and post updates via Siri.Siri gets smarter: Apple also announced several upgrades for Siri, including a jump to the latest iPad.Upgrades include better responses, and several integrations: OpenTable, Rotten Tomatoes, Yelp, and sports data. Siri can also launch apps now, post to Facebook and be international.Apple is also working with automakers to integrate Siri into cars through a "Eyes Free" feature, which will allow drivers to use a button in the steering wheel to activate Siri. The feature is coming in the next 12 months for several car companies, including BMW, General Motors,Toyota, Mercedes, Honda, and Audi.But 3D isn't the only cool feature. The app is tapping into the GPS arena by helping drivers who need to navigate their way through traffic. Besides offering turn-by-turn directions, the app includes a new traffic service that shows you the location of accidents, courtesy of crowd-sourcing, so you can try to avoid them.
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