Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) started with a bang on Monday with a bunch of announcements including a brand new MacBook Pro with Retina Display and tons of features on the new iOS 6 and OS X. Starting off the event, Siri -- Apple's virtual assistant welcomed the crowd with her utter charm, wit and an attempted sense of humor - including pokes at Android and its dessert related naming conventions.
Then, Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage and began the eagerly awaited company's WWDC 2012 keynote. Here are all the launches addressed in detail:
Mac Book Air
The foremost hardware announcement at the event was the upgrade of the MacBook Air 11" & 13" models. There was no announcement of an addition of Retina display, which was highly rumored, but the device did get a power bump with Intel's third generation Ivy Bridge processors. Further features updates included 2.0GHz dual-core i7 (up to 3.2GHz with Turbo Boost) and up to 60 percent faster graphics.
MacBook Air latest models were also informed to be incorporated with a 720p FaceTime camera and 8GB RAM. Additional specs to be noted were availability of USB 3.0 ports; up to 512GB SSD (Solid-State flash Drive) and a new MagSafe 2 power connector.
Further, the price tags were declared to be starting at $1029 and $1229, respectively.
MacBook Pro
With the upgrade of the Air, the MacBook Pro line also got refreshed. The 13-inch MacBook Pro retained its same form factor, however, with upgraded processor chips -- Ivy Bridge up to 2.9GHz dual-core Core i7 (up to 3.6GHz with Turbo Boost). At the sametime, the graphics card also got updated from an Intel HD graphics 3000HD to graphics a 4000HD card.
The line includes both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 support and the Apple's new MacBook Pro line prices will start from $1,199 for the 13-inch option.
Further, the 15-inch MacBook Pro prices start off at $1,799 and they have also received an update of third-generation Ivy Bridge processors, as well as the Nvidia GeForce GT650M graphics.
Currently, both devices are available for purchase.
Retina Display MacBook Pro
At first, it seemed that everyone was surprised with the lack of a Retina display integeration on any of the Mac models, given the huge expectation and rumors. But as it turned out, no one was left disappointed when Apple unveiled its next generation of MacBook Pro computers, complete with Retina displays.
The new laptop is definately stunning and will feature a 15.4-inches wide screen display with 2800 x 1800-pixel resolution, or 220 pixels per inch. To make things even more enticing, Apple said that it has reduced the glare on its new screen by 75 percent.
The next-generation MacBook Pro is 0.7 inches thin and weighs less than 4.5 pounds. It is powered by an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor that clocks at 2.7GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz, will feature 16GB of memory, 1600MHz of RAM and up to 768GB of Flash storage.
With a battery life of 7 hours, supporting 30 days of battery power on standby, the new Pro has an SD slot, HDMI, USB 2 and 3 ports on both sides; and two Thunderbolt ports, one for FireWire 800 and one for Gigabit Ethernet.
Meanwhile, the pricing for the device starts at $2,199 and it has also started shipping from June 11.
Mountain Lion
With additions in the hardware category, Apple's event also flaunted the latest version of OS X, Mountain Lion. Apple informed that all the new models introduced in the event will ship with MAC OS X Lion and it will offer as many as 200 new features, including many more cloud services.
Apple's iCloud service already boasts 125 million registered users, according to the company. Applications like mail, contacts, calendar, Messages, Reminders, and Notes will all sync up, along with a new feature dubbed "Documents in the Cloud," which can sync documents from Pages, Keynote, Preview, and TextEdit.
Mountain Lion will be available in the Mac App Store in July for $19.99.
iOS 6
Further ahead, Apple also unveiled iOS 6 -- 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.
The new iOS 6 has added Apple's own Maps over Google Maps and has integrated with Siri. The new Maps will have run by turning voice navigation, 3D maps, real time traffic update and a feature called Flyover, which will have photo-realistic interactive 3D views.
Additionally, Apple has also integrated Facebook to the iOS 6 , similar to the Twitter integration in the iOS 5. This particular feature is creating a lot of buzz.
Also, iOS6 will allow users to share photo streams with family and friends and it has also got a new app, Passbook, which enables users to get all the passes in one place, including boarding passes. This app can scan the iPhone or iPod Touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into a hotel.
Further, the voice assistance on the iPhone 4S, Siri, will now be available for the new iPad also. Siri has been optimized to be used in 15 countries and can now be used to launch third party applications as well.
What more! It's the Safari, which also received an update with iCloud tabs for offline reading lists, support for FaceTime calls over cellular network, ability to set up a VIP mailbox for quickly viewing messages from important people.
Meanwhile, the beta version of iOS 6 is out to developers from June 11, and will be available to consumers in the fall. The platform will support iPhone 3GS and as well as the second and third-generation iPad later.
App Store update
Tim Cook at the beginning of the WWDC said that the App Store is now home to 400 million App Store accounts and more than 650,000 apps includes 25,000 iPad-only apps. 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 paid out more than $5 billion to iOS app developers so far.
All New AirPort Express
Along with all the big launches and updates, Apple also announced a new AirPort Express router with a complete hardware redesign.
The new version is like a white Apple TV and loses the power adapter design, like its predecessor. Further, it would support simultaneously, dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi.
The previous version worked with both frequencies but could not support the two at the same time. Additionally, the unit now has two Ethernet ports, so the user no longer would have to be forced to connect every machine over Wi-Fi, and it has the same USB 2.0 and 3.5mm headphone jack as before.
The new AirPort Express costs that same as its predecessor, at $99, and is now available.
