WWDC 2017: Apple lifts curtain from new iPad, iMac, Macbook line up

 

At Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2017, Apple unveiled an array of new products, features and software.

The noteworthy highlights of the event were:

• New iOS 11

• Updated Macbook

• iMac computers

• HomePod

• iPad Pro

• MacBook Pro

Apple CEO Tim Cook in the keynote showed off new iPad and Mac computer models, as well as provided glimpses at coming versions of the software, powering the technology titan´s devices.

The iMac desktop and MacBook laptop computers have also been amped up, having enhanced processors and memory.

Along with upgraded versions of iPad and Mac laptops, Apple unveiled an iMac Pro work station that had the computing built in behind the screen and was touted as the most powerful computer the company has ever made.

The iMac Pro is designed to be Apple’s flagship desktop machine.

Aimed at high-end design professionals rather than the home market, the iMac Pro is to begin shipping in December with a starting price of $4,999.

It includes up to an 18-core Intel Corp processor and an Advanced Micro Devices Inc graphics chip.

Mac models were also boosted to work with virtual reality gear, a move by Apple into technology that Facebook has embraced with its Oculus unit.

Apple told the developers they were overhauling the App Store, giving it a fresh look, and beginning to add the floor plans of shops and airports to its map program.

The operating system for mobile devices will be getting a major update with iOS 11. A set of iOS 11 features including enabling smartphone cameras to read QR codes are aimed at the China market, where Apple would like to bolster iPhone sales.

The iOS will be available from Autumn this year and features a "Do Not Disturb while Driving" mode. The mode in the updated OS turns an iPhone’s screen black and stops a user from replying to messages.

The news regarding the latest iPad Pro comes with glad tidings, as the latest model will be replacing the 9.7-inch model with a 10.5-inch version. The Cupertino tech giant has introduced new iOS ll features for the new iPad.

Apple said it had updated the processors in its iMac and MacBook Pro lineup to Intel´s most recent "Kaby Lake" processors.

Apple will later this year release a "HomePod" music-centric smart home speaker, challenging a market currently dominated by Amazon and Google in its latest move to weave deeper into people´s lives.

HomePod, aided by Apple´s Siri digital assistant, will be priced at $349 when it begins shipping in December in the United States, Australia and Britain.

HomePod will take on lower priced Amazon Echo and Google Home, which have had momentum in the arena of voice-controlled speakers capable of controlling smart appliances, fetching content from the internet and more.

It is designed to work with the Apple Music subscription service and can produce rich sound while tapping into the artificial intelligence power of Siri.