If you've been living under a rock in the past few days or on a self-imposed no-gadget challenge since yesterday, chances are you are not aware of Apple's big announcements at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple started the WWDC 2017 with a bang by unveiling a number of new hardware aside from the expected software. During the event's keynote, Apple bigwigs Craig Federighi, Phil Schiller, and Tim Cook introduced an Amazon Echo-like smart speaker, new desktops, laptops, tablets, and the latest operating systems.
Apple HomePod
The curtain has finally been lifted off the rumored Siri smart speaker, which will now be officially known as the Apple HomePod. The Verge pointed out that the HomePod utilizes spacial awareness to fill out a room with sound relative to the space within the said room. It can stream music from Apple Music courtesy of its Musicologist feature. Like other smart speakers, it can answer any queries.
The Apple HomePod can be purchased for $349. It will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia in December. The rest of the world gets to buy theirs in 2018.
MacBooks
When Apple unveiled a new line-up of laptops, not a few fans may have given out a sigh of disbelief. Those who got the 2016 MacBook and MacBook Pro are probably feeling buyer's remorse right now knowing that updated versions of their Apple laptops with the latest Kaby Lake CPUs are now available.
Interestingly, there is no new MacBook Air in sight. This may mean the rumored death of the Air line is true after all. The MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 while the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is available starting at $1,799. The 15-inch MacBook Pro has a base price of $2,399.
iMac and iMac Pro
Apple updated its desktop line-up by utilizing the latest Kaby Lake processors. The new iMacs also sport enhanced Retina displays and better graphic chips along with a USB-C port. The desktops also have support for VR content creation. The new iMac Pro has an even better 5K display and is powered by an eight-core Xeon CPU with up to 4TB of SSD and up to 128GB of ECC memory. The iMac sells for a base price of $1,099 while the iMac Pro starts at $4,999. They'll be available in December.
iPad Pro
Apple's new tablets have long been expected but no one knew it would be this good. The new iPad Pro, in fact, is considered better than the Microsoft Surface Pro which is a feat considering how impressive the 2-in-1 is. The new iPad Pro has slimmer bezels and a bigger and better display, among other new and improved features. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro will sell for $649 (64GB) while the 12.9-inch model will be available starting at $799 (64GB).
iOS 11
The latest iOS has so much going in its favor. It comes with an update to Siri which is now capable of translating sentences into other languages and comes with an improved speech. The new Apple operating system allows users to edit live photos, complete transactions with contacts through iMessage which also happens to be in the iCloud now.
macOS High Sierra
Gizmodo pointed out that the new macOS contains a new and better version of Safari which is notably capable of blocking auto-playing videos and lessening ad-tracking info between sites. The Photos app also gets an impressive update which includes facial recognition powered by machine learning.
