New products are on the way from Apple. The tech firm made it clear that they have a lot of papers in the works at their WWDC Conference this month.
First, there’s the company’s answer to Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home called the HomePod. It is a seven-inch device that will integrate Siri in an Echo / Home type case. You can use it to check the news, weather, and control your smart home devices.
HomePod will offer an enhanced music experience. A feature called “musicologist” will work with Apple Music and stream the songs you request to Siri. The sound is designed to fill the room and take it to a level beyond what Amazon and Google offer.
The device will be available in black or white. The price is around $ 349. The release date is set for December, just in time for the holiday season.
Do you need a new desk? Apple is updating its iMac with improved retina displays, an increase in graphics, Kaby Lake processors, and a USB-C plug-in.
An iMac Pro is on the way too. This high-end machine has a 5K screen with improved cooling capacity and an 8-core Xeon processor that can be upgraded up to 18 cores. It also includes up to 4TB of SSD, up to 128GB of ECC memory, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and onboard 10GB Ethernet.
The price is what you would expect from Apple. The new iMac starts at $ 1,099 for the 21.5-inch model and $ 1,299 for the 4K model. MacBook Pro starts at $ 1,299, which includes the updated Kaby Lake processor. For those with deep pockets, the iMac Pro with the Xeon processor starts at a whopping $ 4,999. Again, a December shipping date is expected.
Speaking of “Pros”, how about a new iPad Pro? The device will be available in three sizes, including a new 10.5-inch model. Similar to the iPhone 7, it comes with a 12-megapixel camera and a 7MP selfie camera.
IPad Pro supports USB 3.0 with 10 hours of battery life. A new feature called ProMotion reduces the latency of the Apple Pencil to 20 milliseconds. It adjusts the refresh rate based on what you’re watching and can double it down to 120Hz. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro starts with a 64GB configuration. Pricing starts at $ 649. You can pick one up now.
Also noteworthy is Apple’s new operating system, iOS11. It is in beta and has been released to developers. One area that will improve is multitasking on the iPad. Users will be able to open an app from the dock and drag it onto the screen in the split screen version. Like a MacBook, you can use touch to hold and drag folders, files, or photos. You can even put them in a different app, like Mail or iMessage. The Apple Pencil will also allow you to search for handwritten text from within the Notes application.
The Apple Watch is also getting a “facelift.” The new faces will display new bits of information, like reminders from Siri. An update to Fitness Focus provides NFC-enabled data exchange with gym equipment. Pair the two and you get the latest calorie burn and activity level.
Apple is informing developers that its tree is full of exciting new products and updates. It will be interesting to see how the public responds in this latest round of Apple selection.