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Apple’s yearly conference for software developers and companies always kicks in with something great and leaves us all awestruck. Likewise, this year was no different. In this blog, we’ll cover everything Apple announced at WWDC 2020.
Apple’s 31st Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2020 kicked off on Monday, June 22, with a jam-packed, all-online experience, streamed directly from Apple Park. Normally, Apple charges $1,599 as a ticket amount to attend the WWDC conference, but this year it was free. For the very first time, Apple’s WWDC was digitally-only with no physical gathering due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple’s online-only event allowed millions of iOS developers to access the 2020 version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Numerous announcements were made, and the vast majority were revealing the latest updates coming to the 2020 versions of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and more that can influence the app industry to a great extent.
What Is Apple’s WWDC?
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is a yearly meet up organized by Apple for software developers and companies that create apps. Apple’s WWDC event is held annually during a week in June. The conference consists of the keynote address, presentation sessions, one-on-one consultations, get-togethers, and events.
Top 7 Announcements at Apple’s WWDC 2020 That Will Impact the App Industry in Future
Last year, WWDC 2019 announcements witnessed the launch of the new Mac Pro and Apple Pro Display XDR. This year Apple’s WWDC 2020 was different. It kicked off with a two-hour-long keynote with no introduction to new hardware. However, it includes the latest updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Apple Silicon. The updates that Apple announced have the aptness to influence the mobile app industry significantly. Read on to know more!
iOS 14
iOS 14 will be available in the iPhones most probably from July (official release date is not announced yet); however, developers can access it from June 22. Apple introduced some amazing new features in iOS 14. Let’s have a look:
- App translation with support of 11 languages and offline mode.
- Widgets and app library for iOS 14 home screen.
- Added picture-in-picture video viewing and enhanced Siri experience.
- iPhone and Apple Watch becoming digital car keys (for BMWs as of now).
- Auto-organize app collection, enhanced group chats, and maps with the greener navigation options.
- Emoji search is coming with iOS 14.
- iOS 14 is compatible with iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and later iPhones.
iPadOS 14
Many of the new features introduced in iOS 14 carry across to iPadOS 14. Let’s see the major features introduced in iPadOS 14:
- Enhanced UI for native apps and universal search is added to use search bars for multiple purposes.
- Scribble will let users input natural handwriting with Apple Pencil and improve handwriting recognition.
- Advantages of tablet screens, like ‘sidebars’ filled with useful shortcuts and improved menu choices to make feature selection easier.
watchOS 7
watchOS 7 is the new update you’ll see coming in your Apple Watches. WWDC announcements highlighted some major features that will be seen in watchOS 7. Let’s have a look at them:
- Improved face customizations.
- Automatic handwash detection leveraging visual audio and haptic feedback.
- Ability to add multiple rich complications from the same app on a single watch face and share and download watch faces from your contacts and third-parties.
- Sleep tracking feature across both Apple Watch and iPhone
- The activity app on iPhone (now called Fitness) will track activities like dancing, core training, and functional strength training.
- Compatible with Apple Watch Series 3 and later.
macOS 11 – Big Sur
macOS is headed back to the mainland this year with the reveal of Big Sur. This was the biggest surprise to mac owners as the new version of macOS is a complete redesign and reimagining of the software. Let’s get right into the updates:
- Interface refinements and tweaks to Finder and the Toolbar.
- Widgets carry over from iOS and iPadOS 14.
- The control center is added for quick shortcuts to brightness and other features.
- New privacy tools, built-in translation, improved tabs, enhanced security, and more are introduced.
- Improvements with indoor maps and Lookaround (Apple’s street view) are introduced.
- Updated Safari (now embraces third-party extensions) with 50% faster than chrome.
tvOS 14
The new software for Apple TV wasn’t really detailed that much, but there are some small, yet handy updates that you’ll see coming to tvOS 14. Let’s have a look:
- Multi-user support, which will allow cross-device save-state pick-up-and-play across Apple Arcade titles.
- Picture-in picture will use AirPlay content atop other media.
- Support for Xbox controllers like Xbox Elite 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controller to expand the platform’s accessibility profile.
- Brings Apple TV support for AirPods audio sharing and watching YouTube in 4K.
- Apple TV+ is coming to Sony and Vizio TVs soon.
Apple Silicon
Apple made its historic announcement. Now it will be developing its own processors for Mac systems in the future. Let’s dive in to know other updates:
- Switching away from Intel to ARM-based processors for future Mac hardware.
- iPadOS and iOS apps will work natively on Macs featuring Apple Silicon inside.
- Apple’s $500 developer program includes tools and resources for transitioning to Apple Silicon.
Other Announcements
- AirPods Studio – Apple is launching a set of over-ear headphones, and these will appear under the company’s popular AirPods branding.
- HomePod/HomePod mini – Apple might launch a cost-effective HomePod to help the company gain market share in the smart speaker space.
- Apple TV Update – It is reported that Apple is set to launch its updated Apple Tv hardware, but there’s no confirmation regarding the dates so far.
- MacBook – Though Apple discontinued the MacBook Series in 2019 only, now we might see the next series in the future as Apple has plans for a new MacBook.
Wrapping Up!
Apple’s yearly WWDC event is dedicated to developers, but this time it was about consumers as well. These were some significant announcements about software updates to its various operating systems (OS) that Apple came across in WWDC announcements. Seeing the major updates in iOS, iPad, macOS, watchOS, and more, we believe that the app industry will continue to flourish for the foreseeable future. What do you think?
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