At the start of May, Google held its developer conference, Google I/O 2018. Today, it was Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) turn with WWDC 2018.
WWDC is a developer conference, and Apple primed the pump for its audience. The company says its App Store receives 500 million visitors per month, with lifetime developer payouts about to hit $100 billion.
In other words, it pays to develop applications for Apple devices.
Now that Apple has wrapped up its annual developer conference keynote, here’s everything you need to know about what Apple announced at WWDC 2018:
Apple iOS 12
Apple says it is “doubling down” on performance on iOS 12, focusing on improved performance even on older devices. Claimed stats based on this optimization include 40% faster app launching and a 70% faster camera launch. Another key focus of iOS 12 is limiting distraction, with improved Do Not Disturb and notifications, plus a new Reports app that helps with device use and screen time limits.
New features include a new augmented reality file format, called USDZ. This new file format — which makes creating and sharing AR content much easier — includes support from big content creation companies like Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE).
Further supporting AR will be a new iOS app called Measure that measures dimensions in 3D. ARKit 2 will offer multi-user, shared augmented reality experiences between multiple iPhones or iPads.
It can’t compare to Google’s AI-powered efforts in photography, but Apple is working on smart sharing in Photos by using on-device machine learning and iMessage. Speaking of AI, Siri gets a new Shortcuts app, for customized actions using iOS apps. This can be a custom phrase for a specific app, or a drag-and-drop collection of actions — something like Skills for Amazon.com, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Alexa. FaceTime gets group video chat support for up to 32 participants.
InvestorPlace readers who own iPhones or iPads, will appreciate a redesigned Stocks app, with integrated Apple News. CarPlay gets support for third-party navigation apps. Animoji for iPhone X gets new animals and the option for customized, “Memoji.”
MacOS 10.14
What will be the code-name for macOS 10.14? The big question is answered at WWDC 2018: it’s Mojave. New additions to Apple’s desktop operating system include Dark Mode, an improved UI for presentations, software development and editing photos. Macs gain the ability to record video as part of screen captures.
Apple News, Voice Memo, Home and Stock apps are making the transition from iOS to macOS, but the company vehemently denied rumors it is merging iOS and macOS. However, it is making it easier to port iOS apps to MacOS — starting with Apple News and those other apps as a test case.
Apple is also emphasizing security and privacy with macOS Mojave, including locking down the Mac’s microphone and camera. Safari is extending that security in Mojave (and iOS 12) with defenses against tracking on “Likes,” comments and system configuration. The Mac App Store also gets a redesign — AAPL says it’s all new “from the ground up.”
WatchOS and tvOS
The Apple Watch will be getting watchOS 5, which includes new features like the ability to challenge friends to activity competitions, track yoga and hiking, and automated workout detection. It also gets a new “Walkie Talkie” app for easy voice communication between Apple Watch owners over Wi-Fi or cellular.
With the new tvOS version, AAPL is adding Dolby Atmos support to Apple TV 4K, making it the only video streamer to offer both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Apple TV 4K will also support “zero sign-on” that auto-detects a broadband provider’s network connection and automatically signs in to any enabled video apps.
That’s it for the major announcements made by Apple. No new iPhone X-like iPhone SE2. No MacBook Air replacement. No hardware announcements at all … the new operating systems arrive this fall, as usual. If you want to see the demos and details, Apple is hosting the video of WWDC 2018 on its website.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
