{"id":26734,"date":"2017-06-06T16:22:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-06T20:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/?p=26734"},"modified":"2017-06-08T10:31:44","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T14:31:44","slug":"apple-wows-at-wwdc-with-the-new-homepod-imacs-ipad-pros-and-oses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/apple-wows-at-wwdc-with-the-new-homepod-imacs-ipad-pros-and-oses\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Wows at WWDC with the New HomePod, iMacs, iPad Pros, and OSes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple used the keynote address at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in early June to unveil new versions of macOS, iOS, and watchOS, new iMacs and faster notebooks, and new iPad Pros. In a \u201cone last thing\u201d announcement that hearkened back to the days of Steve Jobs, the company also gave a sneak peek at its first major new product since the Apple Watch: the HomePod smart speaker. Some of the new hardware is available now, the new operating systems are due this fall, and the HomePod and the workstation-class iMac Pro are scheduled for December 2017. Here\u2019s what you should know.<\/span><\/p>\n

HomePod\"\"<\/b><\/h3>\n

The much-rumored <\/span>HomePod<\/span><\/a> is Apple\u2019s answer to the popular Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers. In classic Apple fashion, however, the wireless HomePod speaker is focused first on delivering amazing audio quality that competes with the top Wi-Fi speakers available on the market. Setup will be as simple as setting up AirPods; just hold your iPhone next to a HomePod to configure it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Physically, the HomePod is a 7-inch high cylinder covered in a 3-D acoustic mesh and available in black or white. Inside, it features a 4-inch Apple-designed woofer for deep, clean bass, and an array of seven beamforming tweeters that provides pure high-frequency acoustics.<\/span><\/p>\n

The smarts in Apple\u2019s smart speaker come from Apple\u2019s A8 chip, which powered the iPhone 6. Thanks to the A8 chip and a six-microphone array, the HomePod can optimize its audio quality for its position in a room. If you put a pair of HomePods in the same room, they detect each other automatically and balance the audio to deliver an immersive listening experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Those microphones also let you control the HomePod via Siri. It\u2019s designed to work with an Apple Music subscription, and Siri will be able to respond to many more music-related queries and commands. You can also ask Siri for weather forecasts, sports scores, traffic reports, stock prices, and even unit conversions. Thanks to the HomePod\u2019s integration with the Apple ecosystem, you\u2019ll also be able to send messages, make reminders, set alarms and timers, and control HomeKit devices. <\/span><\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s Apple, protecting your privacy is paramount, so the HomePod sends nothing to Apple until you say \u201cHey Siri,\u201d and even then, what you say is both anonymized and encrypted.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it ships in December for $349, the HomePod will be more expensive than the Amazon Echo or Google Home, neither of which have particularly good sound, but cheaper than many high-quality wireless speakers. We\u2019re looking forward to listening to our music and podcasts on the HomePod, and to seeing how successfully Siri responds to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

New iMacs and Faster Notebooks<\/b><\/h3>\n

For those who have been waiting patiently to buy a new iMac or Mac notebook, now\u2019s the time. Apple refreshed the entire <\/span>iMac<\/span><\/a> line with Intel\u2019s latest processors, faster storage, higher performance graphics, and brighter, more colorful screens. They all provide a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports for driving external displays and connecting to speedy external storage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most-improved award goes to the 21.5-inch iMac with 4K Retina display, which should see the most performance gains from faster CPUs and high-performance Radeon Pro graphics processors. Plus, that model can now take up to 32 GB of RAM, up from 16 GB \u2014 it\u2019s far more compelling than before, if you don\u2019t need the larger screen and better performance of the 27-inch model.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You can buy a 21.5-inch non-Retina iMac starting at $1099, a 21.5-inch iMac with 4K Retina display starting at $1299, and a 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display starting at $1799.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for more performance than even a tricked-out 27-inch Retina iMac can provide?. Wait for December, when Apple promises to release the new <\/span>iMac Pro<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s a workstation-class machine that retains the form factor of the 27-inch Retina iMac but swaps the brushed aluminum look for a space gray finish. It will be the fastest Mac ever, thanks to 8-core, 10-core, or 18-core Intel Xeon CPUs. Other performance enhancements include a next-generation Radeon Pro Vega graphics chip, up to 128 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD upgradeable to 4 TB, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 10 Gbps Ethernet. It won\u2019t come cheap, with prices starting at $4999 and rising quickly with build-to-order options.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On the portable front, Apple\u2019s top-of-the-line <\/span>MacBook Pro<\/span><\/a> notebooks should run a bit more quickly thanks to the addition of Intel\u2019s latest processors running at slightly higher clock speeds. These models also get new graphics processors that improve rendering performance. The 13-inch MacBook Pro still starts at $1299 or $1799 for a model with a Touch Bar and beefier specs. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $2399.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For those who value portability over all else, the <\/span>MacBook<\/span><\/a> has become more attractive due to improvements that address its previously underwhelming performance. Along with sprightlier CPUs, it has a new SSD that Apple claims is up to 50% faster, and you can now buy it with 16 GB of RAM, up from the previous limit of 8 GB. It\u2019s still a bit pricey for its performance, with two models priced starting at $1299 and $1599.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have much to spend, consider the $999 13-inch <\/span>MacBook Air<\/span><\/a>. Apple gave it a minor speed bump, replacing the stock 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor with a 1.8 GHz version. It remains upgradeable to an Intel Core i7 running at 2.2 GHz.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, if you\u2019ve been jonesing for a full-size wireless keyboard, you\u2019ll be pleased to learn that Apple also just released the new wireless <\/span>Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s $129.<\/span><\/p>\n

New iPad Pros<\/b><\/h3>\n

Although these days Apple is putting more emphasis on the Mac, particularly for professional use, the company certainly isn\u2019t ignoring pro iPad users. If you\u2019ve been holding off on an iPad Pro purchase, there\u2019s no reason to wait any longer. Apple introduced a new 10.5-inch <\/span>iPad Pro<\/span><\/a> that\u2019s just a hair taller and wider than the 9.7-inch iPad Pro it replaces, despite having a larger screen that\u2019s 20% larger. The company also enhanced the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a variety of new hardware capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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All motion on the screens of both iPad Pros will be smoother and more responsive, thanks to a previously unheard of 120 Hz refresh rate. It will make drawing with the Apple Pencil even more fluid. The screens are also brighter, can display more colors, and have low reflectivity. Both models get new cameras that match those in the iPhone 7: a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization and True Tone flash, plus a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera on the front.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since professionals care about performance, the new iPad Pros rely on Apple\u2019s new processor, the A10X Fusion chip. Apple claims that the A10X is 30% faster than the A9X used by the previous generation of iPad Pros, and it also delivers 40% faster graphics rendering.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can buy an iPad Pro with 64 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB of storage, significantly more than last year\u2019s models. The 64 GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro with Wi-Fi costs $649; jumping to 256 GB increases the price to $749, and going to 512 GB raises it to $949. For the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 64 GB configuration starts at $799, with 256 GB at $899 and 512 GB at $1099. Add $130 to any configuration to get cellular connectivity as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the iPad Pros are available starting this month, you can look forward to them becoming significantly more useful when Apple releases iOS 11 in the fall. That\u2019s because iOS 11 promises to bring a number of iPad-specific features, including:<\/span><\/p>\n