WWDC 2017

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on WWDC 2017:

How to scan QR codes with iOS 11’s Camera app

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QR codes
Beware sketchy QR codes if you’re using iOS 11.
Photo: Thomas Leuthard/Flickr

QR codes are set to take off in a big way, thanks to a new feature included in iOS 11 that makes scanning the quirky-looking blocks easier than ever before.

Apple didn’t announce the feature during its WWDC 2017 keynote, but the new QR-scanning capability is among the many minor iOS 11 features that may prove to be a big deal. Even though QR codes have been around for nearly two decades, they haven’t been super-useful to regular consumers.

That’s about to change.

How to record your iPhone screen in iOS 11

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control center iOS 11
You can now record iPhone screen easily using the Control Center toggle.
Photo: Apple

Recording your iPhone screen used to be a hassle. If you wanted to capture iOS gameplay, or make a funny or informative GIF of on-screen action, you needed to download a third-party app or connect your device to a computer.

Those days are over: With iOS 11, Apple baked in sweet functionality that lets you record your iPhone screen effortlessly. Here’s how to do it.

Siri gets a new boss

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siri ios 11
Siri has received a lot of love in the latest iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra update.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s digital assistant is under new management.

Along with updating its corporate leadership page to include its two newest VPs, Apple also revealed that it has replaced Eddy Cue as Siri’s boss and given the task over to software VP Craig Federighi.

New Apple Watch might cut the iPhone cord

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Apple Watch
The next-gen Apple Watch might free users from toting iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The next Apple Watch won’t be dependent on the iPhone for cellular data connectivity, according to a new report that sheds light on the unannounced wearable.

Some of the new Apple Watch Series 3 models will allegedly come with LTE chips, allowing the Apple Watch to be more of a standalone device.

macOS High Sierra, tvOS 11 and watchOS 4 get fourth beta builds

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wwdc 2017
macOS High Sierra was one laid back macOS update.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded its fourth beta build of macOS High Sierra to developers today, along with new betas of watchOS 4 and tvOS 11.

The new builds come two weeks after Apple dropped the last builds on developers that brought a bunch of new bug fixes and under the hood changes. Apple didn’t add quite as many major changes as it did on iOS 11 beta 4, but there are some notable improvements.

You can try iOS 11 public beta 2 (and you totally should)

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The best gesture in iOS 11 isn't just for iPad.
The best gesture in iOS 11 isn't just for iPad.
Photo: Apple

Members of Apple’s public beta software program can get their hands on the second public build of iOS 11 today.

The new beta build was made available this morning, bringing a host of performance improvements, UI changes and new features that take the iPhone and iPad to an all-new level. macOS High Sierra public beta 2, watchOS 4 beta 2 and tvOS 11 beta 2 are also available to download.

Apple seeds third betas for iOS 11, macOS High Sierra and more

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iOS 11 Control Center
In iOS 11, the Control Center becomes a remote control for your life.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The latest batch of beta builds from Apple is now available to developers this morning. Developers can download the third betas of iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, watchOS 4 and tvOS 11.

Apple’s new software comes with a slew of new bug fixes and performance enhancements for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV to go with the new features that were unveiled at WWDC 2017. iOS 11 beta 3 also packs a couple of big changes to Siri and Control Center.

Apple’s Q3 2017 earnings call to be held on August 1

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Investors will get their next glimpse into how well iPhone sells are doing on August 1 when Apple reveals its Q3 earnings for 2017.

Apple updated its investor relations page today confirming the time and date of its next earnings call, which will include early sales of the new iPad Pro and MacBook Pros unveiled at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference at the beginning of June.

Watch Apple’s WWDC sessions for a free crash course in coding

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Apple's free videos and transcripts of WWDC 2017 sessions will teach you a thing or two.
It's basically a free app development course!
Photo: Apple

Each year, the Worldwide Developers Conference offers a golden opportunity for developers looking for an inside scoop on making the most of Apple’s technology. Luckily, you don’t need to attend to gain all that knowledge: Apple just made the 100-plus WWDC 2017 developer sessions available online.

Anyone can watch the videos for free — and even search a massive database of full WWDC session transcripts.

Everything you need to know about Safari 11

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Safari 11 WebRTC support
Apple has partnered with TokBox to enable video streams via WebRTC.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Safari 11 brings some big upgrades to enhance your browsing experience on macOS High Sierra and iOS 11. With the latest iteration of its web browser, Apple aims to shoot down aggressive web practices that hamper user experience, while also adding tons of under-the-hood features. The new Safari also promises to bring increased stability, speed and power efficiency.

Here’s everything you need to know about Safari 11.

Apple acquires German company that may hold key to AR future

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SensoMotoric Instruments
SensoMotoric Instruments eye-tracking glasses.
Photo: SensoMotoric Instruments

Apple may have just made a key acquisition that could help the company create a truly revolutionary augmented reality headset. According to a new report, German eye-tracking company SensoMotoric Instruments has been purchased by an Apple shell company, giving the iPhone-maker access the company’s trove of patents related to eye-tracking glasses and other systems.

10.5-inch iPad Pro feels like the future [Review]

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The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro puts monstrous power at your fingertips.
Don't pay full price for a 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

I could be the poster boy for Apple’s “iPad problem.”

That problem, in a nutshell, is this: Even long-in-the-tooth iPads several generations old continue to work just fine for many everyday tasks. That, in turn, slows the upgrade cycle. iPad sales drop, and pundits pile on to declare that Apple is doomed. Again.

I’m one of those cheapskates who couldn’t be bothered to shell out for a new iPad over the past few years but a freak accident — and the surprisingly convincing unveiling of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference — finally coaxed me out of iPad complacency.

I’m thrilled I finally wised up. The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro is a beast of a machine that’s so fast, smooth and responsive that it makes me feel like I’m in a sci-fi movie interacting with a killer device that hasn’t been invented yet. It feels like the future!

iOS 11 code hints Drag and Drop may come to iPhone

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Would Drag and Drop work well on iPhone's smaller screen?
Would Drag and Drop work well on iPhone's smaller screen?
Photo: Apple

One of the best new iOS 11 features for iPad could soon make its way to the iPhone.

iOS 11 was unveiled one week ago at Apple’s WWDC 2017 keynote where the iPad got some much-needed productivity features like Drag and Drop. It appears that Apple may be testing bringing the feature to the iPhone as well. One clever developers dug into the first iOS 11 beta and discovered that Drag and Drop can be turned on for the iPhone too.

A visual overview of Apple’s essential design principles

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Apple design places a premium on simplicity in an effort to provide
Apple design places a premium on simplicity in an effort to provide "a delightful experience."
Photo: Andy McNally/Cult of Mac

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines have been the core of the company’s design philosophy ever since the Macintosh in 1978. Apple design evangelist Mike Stern gave an overview of the ever-evolving guidelines during a Wednesday session at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

The session, entitled “Essential Design Principles,” is one of my favorites, in large part because I’m a designer myself. I’ve distilled the essential Apple design principles he talked about in the sketchnotes above.

Enable the hidden dark mode in iOS 11 and save your eyes

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iOS 11's Smart Invert feature brings a stunning dark mode
iOS 11's Smart Invert feature brings a stunning dark mode
Photo: Cult of Mac

Some users have been longing for an iOS “dark mode” for quite a while. With iOS 11, Apple is introducing a new Smart Invert feature that replicates the dark mode functionality, though it’s not quite there yet. It builds upon iOS’ classic Invert Colors mode but excludes some images, media and apps that use dark color styles.

Here’s how you can try out the hidden dark mode in iOS 11 right now.

Cult of Mac Magazine: WWDC 2017 wrap-up, Hands-on with iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, and more!

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x
What did you think of this year's announcements at WWDC?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we cover all of Apple’s biggest updates and announcements unveiled at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. Apple is back in a big way!

Check out hands-on videos featuring all the brilliant new features of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra. Plus, everything you need to know about iOS 11’s new Files app and so much more.

Click iTunes for a free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine. Here are this week’s top stories.

Apple earns an A+ for WWDC 2017’s farewell beer bash

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Fall Out Boy WWDC 2017
The Chicago band Fall Out Boy played to an enthusiastic crowd at WWDC 2017.
Photo: Kenny Batista/Cult of Mac

This week, student Kenny Batista is writing a diary from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. Kenny won a coveted WWDC Scholarship, which includes food, lodging and VIP access.

SAN JOSE, California — Apple threw us a bash party at WWDC where Fall Out Boy came to perform, and it was a blast!

The crowd even got pretty rowdy during Fall Out Boy’s performance, as you can see in the video below.

See Swift 4’s hot new features in sketchnotes

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What's new in Swift 4 sketchnote
Here's the latest on Swift 4, the latest version of Apple's programming language, done up in sketchnotes.
Photo: Andy McNally/Cult of Mac

On Tuesday, Apple gave one of it’s most important presentations of the week: the new version of Swift, it’s popular multi-platform programming language.

It was a big session because it gave all of the developers at WWDC a quick overview of the new features and pointed them to sessions that dove deeper on certain topics.

Above is my sketchnote from the session. I always feel over my head in the Swift talks, but I feel like the improvements will make Swift more accessible to developers like me, who are just getting started.

Is Apple back to its best following WWDC 2017? [Friday Night Fights]

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Are you pleased with what you saw at WWDC 2017?
Are you pleased with what you saw at WWDC 2017?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This year’s WWDC keynote was an early Christmas for Apple fans. It delivered the big updates to iOS, macOS, and watchOS we were eagerly anticipating; a 10.5-inch iPad Pro; updated Macs with Intel Kaby Lake processors, plus nice surprises like the iMac Pro and HomePod.

Friday Night Fights bugBut is this Apple back at its best, or do we need more out of Cupertino? Are fancy software updates enough to breathe new life into boring hardware? Is Apple’s new push into virtual reality and machine learning too little, too late?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over a bumper WWDC!

WWDC diary: how a day of furious networking might pay off

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WWDC scholar Kenny Batista at Apple
WWDC student scholar Kenny Batista has been networking like crazy to get an internship at Apple.
Photo: Kenny Batista/Cult of Mac

This week, student Kenny Batista is writing a diary from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. Kenny won a coveted WWDC Scholarship, which includes food, lodging and VIP access.

SAN JOSE, California — Today at WWDC was all about networking. I’m working my way into an internship at Apple, and it’s going pretty well. I managed to impress an Apple engineer with an idea that I think they might already be working on!

Tim Cook to attend technology council meeting at White House this month

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Tim Cook
Tim's not a fan of special councils.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The first meeting of President Donald Trump’s American Technology Council is set to convene at the White House later this month with Apple CEO Tim Cook expected to be among the attendees.

With an aim of modernizing government services, the group is being led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Some of the biggest names in tech are among the roster of advisers, many of whom publicly denounced Trump’s recent decision to leave the Paris climate agreement, which could make the meeting pretty interesting.

Hands on: macOS High Sierra packs tons of surprising features

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macOS update
macOS High Sierra brings powerful updates to the Mac.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

macOS High Sierra doesn’t pack as many updates as iOS 11, but Apple’s latest desktop software delivers plenty of new features worth drooling over.

After using the first High Sierra beta for the last few days, I’ve been blown away. Check out what’s new in the macOS High Sierra hands-on video below: