Rough cut: My Notes from the WWDC 2017 Keynote

Intro

Here are my full notes from the WWDC 17 keynote for the busy developer. I try to get straight to the point and leave links where appropriate. I compiled these notes by watching the video that was posted online. Keep in mind that I did a light pass on the notes, and am happy to take corrections.

I’m @mbcrump on Twitter if you would like daily updates on all things for developers.

Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

Commitment to the developer community mentioned within the first minute.

• 16 million registered developers, 3 million added last year
• 5300 total attendees
• 75 countries represented
• Most student developers

Young student that is just 10 years old. Started coded at 6 and has 5 apps on the App Store.

82 year old from Japan that just published her first app this year.

If you haven’t published yet, there is still time.

tvOS, watchOS, macOS, iOS - they keep pushing these platforms forward and they will discuss 6 important announcements.

1. tvOS

• 50 Partners integrated with tvOS
• Amazon Prime Video is coming to tvOS

2. Apple Watch

• #1 Selling Smartwatch
• #1 in customer satisfaction
• Kevin Lynch presents watchOS 4
• New watch face : Siri Watch Face - using machine learning based off apps that you use.
• Kaleidoscope face - Multiple styles
• Woody, Jesse and Buzz join the new watch faces (raise your watch supported)
• Activity - Get an achievement progress, Monthly challenges, smaller celebration for closing the rings, larger ones for bigger items.
• Pool Swim workout, HIIT supported.
• Multiple workouts supported
• Enabling 2 way data exchange with gym-equipment. Apple watch enabled equipment starts rolling out this fall.
• Music app syncs based on what you like to listen to.
• Multiple playlist supported. Shows it paired with AirPods.
• Demo : Siri watch face, news app, select a playlist that starts with a workout, shows controlling the music from her wrist.
• Flashlight also mentioned
• Core Bluetooth - real time swing analysis with tennis (example)

3. macOS

• Craig F. (CVP) presenting and disclosed the new name : macOS High Sierra
• Safari - World’s fastest desktop browser
• Calls that it is 80% faster than Chrome
• Autoplay blocking in Safari - detects sites that autoplay video
• Privacy for purchases - intelligent tracking prevention - uses machine learning
• Search in mail is now using spotlight
• Split View for your compose menu in Mail
• Uses up to 35% less space
• Photos - recognizes faces and if you name people then it synchronizes across devices
• Editing tools for photos built in
• Apple pioneered photo books - wall-mounted photos
• Technology - Data
• Data - A more modern file system is now APFS as the default
• 64-bit architecture, safe and secure, ultra responsive
• Demo : Copied large files and it happened very fast with High Sierra
• Up to 40% faster video
• Metal 2 announced today - up to 10x better draw call throughput
• Metal is also for machine learning
• Metal for external graphics
• Developer Kit available today (Thunderbolt 3 enclosure)
• Pro content creation and VR = Metal for VR for High Sierra
• Final Cut Pro X, Steam VR SDK, Unity and Unreal all coming to the Mac
• Developer Beta available today

New Mac Hardware

• Best Mac displays ever
• 7th-gen Intel Core Processor “Kaby Lake”
• Higher memory capacity - up to 64GB of memory
• Faster storage - Fusion drives are standard
• 50% faster, up to 2TB
• 2x Thunderbolt 3
• Next generation graphics such as Metal 2
• Up to 80% faster graphics
• 27” is most popular - 5.5 teraflops
• Demo: Industrial Light and Magic - John Knoll that used the Epic Game Engine
• 4K iMac that starts at just 1299
• Notebooks also being refreshed with “Kaby Lake”, Faster SSD and graphics
• 13” Macbook Pro that just starts at 1299
• All shipping today
• Environment friendly
• Sneak peek - iMac Pro (black finish) - The most powerful Mac they have ever made.
• Workstation performance added inside
• 8 or 10 or 18 core Xeon processor
• Radeon Vega graphics
• Up to 11 Teraflops single precision
• up to 22 Teraflops Half precision
• Up to 128 GB ECC memory
• Up to 4 TB SSD
• 4x thunderbolt ports
• 10GB Ethernet
• Could drive up to 44 million pixels
• Comparison 7000 bucks, they are pricing theirs at 5000 and available in December

4. iOS

• iOS 10 has a 96% customer satisfaction
• 86% are running iOS 10 and only 7% for Android 7
• iOS 11 Announced and presented by Craig F.
• Messages - has a redesigned app drawer
• Messages in iCloud - sign into a new device all conversations as synchronized
• Recent messages are end-to-end encrypted
• Apple Pay #1 Contactless
• 50% of retailers in the US
• Apple pay in apps, web and now person-to-person
• Siri is used on 375 million devices
• 21 languages in 36 countries
• Multiple voices for Siri (Male and Female) - they said a word in three ways
• Siri has the ability to translate languages.
• English to: Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish
• Siri Kit can make task management with Evernote, WeeChat, etc.
• Siri under context, interest and how you use your device … and what you want next
• On-device learning with what we may be interested in news.
• Siri across all your devices, end-to-end encryption.
• Customers take 1 Trillion photos per year
• H.264 is what they were using. HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)
• JPEG to replace by HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format)
• Low light photos, True tone flash, HRD
• New Depth API
• Memories feature in Photos uses Machine Learning to find sporting events, etc.
• Portrait movies
• Live Photos - Trim, Select key photo, more.
• Redesign in Control Center
• Control Center is now a single page - animation on orientation
• 3D touch on Slider to pack capabilities in.
• Capture the frame you want on Live Photo to make it the thumbnail
• Memories automatically adjust to screen orientation
• Siri remembers what you search on the web, can recommend on news or texting
• Apple Pay through Text. It detects through message if you owe money and then lets you pay them.
• Maps - detailed floor plan for Mall, browse by floor
• Support added for Airports. - Seattle to start!
• Speed limit, lane guidance when navigating.
• Do Not Disturb while driving feature detects if you’re driving.
• Break through for urgent people; can automatically send text telling folks you are driving
• Added Speakers to HomeKit - configure and access them via AirPlay 2. This builds multiroom audio.
• Shared up for Apple Next
• AppleTV can be played to and control playback
• Third party apps can use the API
• Apple Music - 27 million paid subscribers
• Apple Music will let your friends find out what you’re listening to
• MusicKit for Apple Music
• App Store turning 9 years old
• 500 Million Weekly Visitors
• 180 Billion Downloads to date
• 70 Billion paid to Developers
• Trusted and safe place for users
• Great opportunity for all developers
• Faster app reviews time was highlighted
• Under 24 hour reviews; most under 2 hours
• Phased Releases - when you submit an app, you can phase it over time and see how customers are responding
• Redesigned app store - has a tab called today
• Games has its dedicated space, features in-app purchase for level, etc.
• Apps have their own separate tab
• Vision API - face tracking, detection
• Natural Language API
• Built on CoreML (Machine Learning)
• ARKit - Augmented Reality
• Show a demo of AR, with coffee, vase and a light.
• Overnight the AR platform will be the largest in the world
• Batman LEGO, Pokemon GO, Wingnut AR (Peter Jackson AR)
• Demo battleship scenario with Wingnut AR

5. iPad

• iPad Pro was released 18 months ago.
• 2 models 9.7”
• 10.5” model that weighs 1 lb. Perfect size for Full size-on-screen keyboard.
• Full-size smart keyboard with 30 language support.
• ProMotion - Display refresh rate 120 Hz
• Higher refresh rate works higher with Apple Pencil. 20ms latency
• A10x is in the iPad Pro
• Affinity Photo - high-end photo tool
• iPad Pro has the latest camera from the iPhone 7
• iPad Pro supports USB3
• Double memory that starts at 64GB of memory
• $649 to $799 and shipping now
• The dock for iPad can have additional apps
• Summon dock from bottom of the screen
• Drag and Drop now supported in iPad
• Flick on keys for punctuation, etc.
• New app called “Files” all files on iPad
• Drag files from an email over to Files app
• Apple Pencil - Markup, Create PDF, Screenshot, Notes App, recognize what you write, inline drawing, Notes has a document scanner
• Demoed this with Apple Pencil and iPad Pro

6. Apple Music

• Reinvent home music with a breakthrough home speaker
• Sneak peek : HomePod
• 7 beam forming tweeters
• Apple A8 chips (biggest brain in a speaker)
• Real-time acoustic modeling
• HomePods can do things such as: Music, News, Unit conversion, Messages, Reminders, Podcasts, Alarms and Timers, Translation, Stocks, General knowledge, Weather, Traffic and Nearby, Sports, Home
• Hey Siri is local
• HomePod to be priced at $349 (white and space grey)

Wrap-up

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