Apple tonight officially announced the winners of the Apple Design Awards 2019. Recipients are selected based on what the company thinks are some of the best apps for various Apple platforms.
This year, Apple chose a total of 9 apps that work across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with the winners listed below:
Apple plans to make a video of the Apple Design Awards ceremony available online in the near future, and it will be available on the Apple Design Awards website.
Aside from a cube-shaped trophy and exposure in the App Store, all Apple Design Award Winners receive a maxed out MacBook Pro and iMac Pro, an iPhone XS (512GB), a 12-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, an Apple Watch Series 4, an Apple TV 4K, and a pair of AirPods.
Apple today unveiled iPadOS, a new version of iOS that's designed to take advantage of the larger screens in the iPad family. iPadOS will incorporate several features that recognize the tablet's function as a computer replacement, including a new Home screen, an updated Split View to enhance multitasking, improved Apple Pencil support, and additional keyboard shortcuts for use with physical keyboards.
During its WWDC keynote, Apple revealed that Safari for iPadOS will include about 30 additional shortcuts, including the following:
Use default font size in Reader (Command + 0)
Open link in background (Command + tap)
Toggle downloads (Command + Alt/Option)
Open link in new window (Command + Alt + tap)
Use selection for Find (Command + E)
Email this page (Command + I)
Open link in new tab (Command + Shift + tap)
Decrease Reader text size (Command + -)
Zoom in (Command + +)
Zoom out (Command + -)
Save webpage (Command + S)
Change focused element (Alt/Option + tab)
Focus Smart Search field (Command + Alt/Option + F)
Dismiss web view in app (Command + W)
Increase Reader text size (Command + +)
Download linked file (Alt + tap)
Add link to Reading List (Shift + tap)
Close other tabs (Command + Alt/Option + W)
Scroll around screen (arrow keys)
Paste without formatting (Command + Shift + Alt/Option + V)
New Private tab (Command + Shift + N)
Actual size (Command + 0)
Open search result (Command + Return)
Toggle bookmarks (Command + Alt/Option + 1)
The keyboard shortcuts will work with Apple's Smart Keyboard or any third-party Bluetooth connected keyboard, which should make web browsing and managing files even easier on an iPad.
In addition, iPadOS automatically presents the desktop version of a website, scaled appropriately for the iPad display, and optimizes it for touch. Safari for iPadOS also comes with a download manager and enhancements to tab management.
Due to be released in the fall, iPadOS will be compatible with the iPad Air 2 and later, all iPad Pro devices, the fifth-generation iPad and later, and the iPad mini 4 and later.
One of iOS 13's major new features is a systemwide Dark Mode option, which matches the Dark Mode feature we got in macOS Mojave last year.
Enabling Dark Mode can be done through the Settings app on the iPhone (or iPad) under the Display & Brightness section. You can select Light or Dark mode, or choose to enable them based on the time of day (Sunrise to Sunset) or a custom-picked schedule. If you long press on the Brightness indicator in Control Center, you can toggle on Dark Mode from there if you don't want to use the Settings app.
Turning on Dark Mode changes the look of the entire operating system, darkening everything from the wallpaper and the Home screen to individual apps.
Speaking of wallpaper, iOS 13 has several new wallpapers available, which turn colors from light to dark based on which mode you have activated.
You'll see darker themes in all of your apps, from Settings and Photos to Apple Music.
Messages and Phone have new darker interfaces that are easier on the eyes when Dark Mode is activated.
Apple has put a lot of work into Dark Mode, and most Apple apps at this time are supporting the feature. Maps already had a nighttime Dark Mode, but now it's activated all the time when Dark Mode is turned on. Dark themes are available in Mail and Apple News.
The App Store, the Reminders app, and even the Health app have Dark Mode interfaces, as do other apps like Home (though it was already dark) and Wallet.
Other apps shown in Dark Mode include Shortcuts, Notes, and Contacts.
Safari has a dark theme too, but it looks best when websites are in Dark Mode themselves, such as Apple's website. MacRumors has a dark theme coming in a future update, so stay tuned.
For those who prefer darker themes on their devices, iOS 13 isn't going to disappoint. Once third-party apps have all implemented dark options, Dark Mode will be seamlessly available across the iOS and iPadOS operating systems.
Right now, iOS 13 with Dark Mode is limited to developers, who will need to download the update using Xcode 11 or a Mac running macOS Catalina. Apple plans to make iOS 13 and iPadOS available to public beta testers in July ahead of a fall launch.
At WWDC today, Apple unveiled its much-anticipated Mac Pro redesign, and following its keynote the company offered journalists some brief time with the machine – although admittedly nobody was allowed to use or even touch it.
With that in mind, we've highlighted some of the more interesting quotes from those who were lucky enough to get up close with Apple's most powerful Mac to date.
Unsurprisingly given the "hands-off" nature of the preview, TechRadar opined on the aesthetics of the redesigned Mac Pro:
For those that were unconvinced about the previous Mac Pro's design, this is far more industrial. Designed to be modular, the Mac Pro's leanings are far more traditional with the combination of brushed aluminum and heat sink holes festooning the outer shell.
It's brutal and says 'this is for working on, not to look good'. It can be rack mounted, and you can screw wheels on the bottom to move it around an office or studio.
Image credit: TechRadar
TechCrunch was less impressed with the look of the new Mac Pro, and questioned the "cheese grater" industrial design choice.
It’s uncanny how much this thing looks like a cheese grater. Of course, this isn’t the first time the Pro has looked like that; A well-liked previous iteration had a grater-esque style, but this new one takes things much further. There are of course some thermal benefits to having a perforated case, but surely there are other ways to accomplish that.
Gripping the handle on top of the Mac Pro and lifting the lid exposes the internal components, and Engadget noted how this makes the internals "relatively accessible" compared to the previous design.
One of the machine's biggest selling points -- aside from its sheer graphical and compute performance, of course -- is how relatively accessible the internal components will be. (Fun fact: Lifting the handle automatically shuts down the machine so that you don't electrocute yourself or anything.)
Image credit: Engadget
As for the display, Engadget said:
Five minutes in a crowded pit is not long enough to judge on the quality of the display. That said, it's certainly striking. 6K is all well and good, but it's HDR where Apple's efforts push new ground. The company says its panel can hold 1000 nits of brightness across the panel indefinitely -- VESA only requires a 1,000-nit "full-screen flash" to put a panel its highest DisplayHDR 1000 tier.
The Verge chose to focus on the sheer power of the new Mac Pro, which is heavily geared towards video, music, and photo editing.
"Demo" is a bit of a misleading word in this case, as we weren’t actually allowed to touch the machines or run any kind of real-world tests. But we were able to see the new Mac Pro running software like Logic, Lightroom, and Final Cut Pro X. By all accounts, it seems like even the base version of the Mac Pro is among the most powerful creative production and editing machines Apple has ever concocted.
Here at WWDC 2019, the company set up a live professional photo shoot equipped with an iPad Pro to get live preview shots straight from the camera and editing on a MacBook Pro wired up to the new Pro Display XDR in portrait mode (using the $1,000 stand that you’ll have to buy separately). The workflow looked pretty flawless, showing off the Pro Display XDR’s HDR capabilities and high-nit brightness when it’s used as the foundation for RAW photo work like this.
Image credit: The Verge
The new Mac Pro starts at $5,999 with an eight-core Intel Xeon W processor, 32GB of DDR4 ECC RAM, AMD Radeon Pro 580X graphics, and 256GB of SSD storage, and will be available to order in the fall. Apple's new 32-inch 6K display named the Pro Display XDR will also be available in the fall starting at $4,999.
Sign In with Apple, which will be available on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and the web, is one of the new features that Apple announced today. It's designed to let you sign into apps using your Apple ID for authentication purposes, offering up a convenient, privacy-focused alternative to signing in with Facebook, Google, or Twitter.
According to updated App Store guidelines that Apple provided to developers today, Sign In with Apple is going to be a mandatory feature for all apps that offer up third-party sign-in options.
Sign In with Apple will be available for beta testing this summer. It will be required as an option for users in apps that support third-party sign-in when it is commercially available later this year.
That means if an app lets you log in using your Facebook or Google logins, the app will also need to provide an alternative Sign in with Apple option too. Developers won't be required to add Sign In with Apple if logins are done just using a username and password.
Sign In with Apple authenticates a user with Face ID or Touch ID, and keeps personal information safe from app and website developers. It's designed to let Apple users create a new account in an app using a one-click button without leaking user data.
Apple's solution will provide users with an alternative to using Google or Facebook, providing convenience without sacrificing privacy.
Sign In with Apple also has one other privacy feature - it lets you create a randomly-generated email address that hides your own email address when you're signing up for an app or service.
"It's good news because we each get a unique random address, and that means you can disable any one of them at anytime when you're tired of hearing from that app," said Craig Federighi on stage this morning when introducing the feature. "It's really great."
As rumored, the new iOS 13 update (and the new iPadOS update) feature an updated volume HUD, which is less obtrusive than the previous volume control option that's been in iOS forever.
The new volume interface takes up much less room on the display, expanding from a small bar at the side of the display when you first press the volume up or down buttons into an even thinner bar as you keep adjusting the volume.
In portrait mode, this new volume HUD is located at the left side of the iOS device, both on the Home screen and within apps.
When you're adjusting the volume with the iPhone held in landscape mode with a landscape mode app, the volume interface appears at the top of the display.
An updated volume interface is a feature that iOS users have been wanting for years, and iOS 13 definitely delivers a more streamlined volume experience that should be a relief for those tired of seeing a giant volume indicator in the middle of the display.
Apple today unveiled the Pro Display XDR, a 32-inch 6K monitor with a P3 wide color gamut and true 10-bit color support, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a super-wide, off-axis viewing angle.
The all-new Mac Pro starts at $5,999 and will be available to order in the fall. Pro Display XDR starts at $4,999, the Pro Stand is $999 and the VESA Mount Adapter is $199. All will be available to order in the fall.
The display will be available in the fall, starting at $4,999, but that price doesn't include the stand. If you want the display to come on Apple's stand, as it is shown in official product images, that'll cost an extra $999. Unsurprisingly, the reaction to this news has been quite strong across social media.
everyone was freaking out about a $999 iPhone was but now apple is really out here selling a monitor stand seperately for an extra $999 pic.twitter.com/yOwiedDgLe
— Andrew Lowe (@andrewlowe) June 3, 2019
You spend $5,999 on a monitor and it includes no way to mount it out of the box. Wanna put it on a VESA stand? $199. Want to put it on Apple’s stand? $999.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyQ) June 3, 2019
The *stand* for Apple’s new monitor will cost $999. That’s the cost for the stand. THE STAND
— Dave Lee (@DaveLeeBBC) June 3, 2019
As rumored, iPadOS introduces mouse support for the first time, allowing a USB mouse to be connected to an iPad for the first time.
Mouse support is not a standard feature, but is instead available as an AssistiveTouch option within the Accessibility settings on your iOS device. According to developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who discovered the feature, it also works with the Apple Magic Trackpad.
As with other AssistiveTouch features, the mouse cursor on the display looks similar to the touch target normally in iOS, simulating a finger touch with a mouse instead.
Hello mouse support on iOS 13! It’s an AssistiveTouch feature, and works with USB mice. @viticci nailed this pic.twitter.com/nj6xGAKSg0
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) June 3, 2019
Though this is an Accessibility option at the current time and may not have the best user experience compared to touch, Apple could further implement mouse support in future updates, making it a more mainstream option.
iPadOS, the operating system that runs on the iPad, also has many other new features like updates to multitasking, improved gestures, and more, and going forward, it will be independent of iOS, though it still includes all of the iOS 13 features.
Along with the announcement of the latest Apple Watch software, watchOS 6, Apple today confirmed which previous-generation Apple Watch models will be compatible with the 2019 software update.
Essentially, the only Apple Watch not compatible with watchOS 6 is the original "Series 0" device from 2015. Every Apple Watch that will support watchOS 6 can be seen below:
Notably, watchOS 6 will also require an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 or later. In terms of Apple Watch compatibility, these are the same models that watchOS 5 supports.
Like other updates announced today, watchOS 6 is available to Apple Developer Program members starting today, and all of the new features will launch to the public this fall. Apple does not offer watchOS as a public beta.
Apple on stage highlighted several new iOS 13 features that went unmentioned during the keynote event, including a quick mention of a new option that will let you download "large apps" over cellular.
Apple says that in iOS 13, you can choose to download apps and games over your cellular connection, which means you'll be able to download larger (or any) app you wish using LTE.
Apple last week upped the over-the-air download limit for apps from 150MB to 200MB. In the Settings app of iOS 13, there's a new "App Downloads" option that lets you choose whether to Always Allow downloads of any size, ask if downloads are over 200MB, or always ask first before downloading over cellular.
The file size limit has always been in place to prevent iOS users from accidentally downloading large apps over cellular and eating up their data allowance, but such restrictions are no longer be necessary for some users thanks to the proliferation of unlimited data plans.
Apple's upcoming macOS Catalina update will be able to run on a wide range of Macs, dating back to 2012. Apple on its Catalina website today shared a list of all the Macs that will be able to run the new software.
These are all of the same Macs that were able to run macOS Mojave, with the exception of the mid-2010 and mid-2012 Mac Pro models, which will not be getting the update.
macOS Catalina is currently available to registered developers, who can download the software using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences with the proper profile installed. Apple plans to make Catalina available to public beta testers in July, and the software will launch officially in the fall.
Alongside new versions of iOS, watchOS, macOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, Apple today announced the launch of new Apple Watch bands that have been refreshed with summer colors. Apple debuts new band colors with almost all of its events, and today's event was no exception.
There are new Sport Bands available in Cornflower (blue), Dragon Fruit (dark pink), and Canary Yellow. All of the Sport Bands are available in 40/44mm size options and are priced at $49.
New Sport Loops, also priced at $49, are available in Cornflower, Dragon Fruit, and Canary Yellow too.
Apple has also made a new Pride version of the Sport Loop available in a rainbow of colors, marking the launch of the first Pride Sport Loop band to date.
For the iPad, Apple has added new Smart Covers in Cornflower (a shade of blue) for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the iPad mini 5, and new silicone iPhone XS and XS Max cases in Canary Yellow, Dragon Fruit, and Cornflower.
All of these new bands and cases are available for order starting today and will be in Apple retail stores later this week.
Contrary to multiple rumors that circulated ahead of when iOS 13 was announced, the new operating system is indeed compatible with many older iPhones, including the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are not supported.
Apple's list of compatible devices confirms that iOS 13 is compatible with all of these iPhones:
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
iPhone SE
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
iPod touch (7th-generation)
The new iPadOS, which is basically iOS 13 but for the iPad, is also compatible with a wide range of older devices.
Apple says that iOS 13, like iOS 12, brings some major performance improvements to our devices, so we can perhaps expect to see better speeds even on older devices. Apps have faster launch times, app download sizes have been reduced, and on TrueDepth devices, Face ID is up to 30 percent faster.
Right now, iOS 13 is available for registered developers, but Apple plans to make a public beta available this July. The update will launch to the public in the fall.
Apple this morning introduced the newest version of macOS, the operating system that runs on the Mac. macOS Catalina is now available in a beta capacity for registered developers who are able to download it for testing purposes.
The new macOS Catalina beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, subsequent betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
As with all new betas, you're not going to want to install macOS Catalina on a primary machine as it is early release software and could have major bugs.
Apple delved into cross-platform apps in macOS Catalina, porting additional iOS apps to macOS and overhauling some existing apps. There are new Music, Books, and Podcasts app, with the iTunes app being retired.
Apple is also making it possible for developers to bring their iPad apps to the Mac with just simple changes, which will make it simple for developers to create cross-platform content while also increasing the number of available Mac apps.
You're able to use the iPad as an external display thanks to new continuity functionality built into macOS Catalina and iOS 13, and there's a new "Find My" feature for locating lost devices and friends even when your devices have no cellular or WiFi connection.
macOS Catalina is only available to registered developers at this time, but later in the summer, Apple plans to make a public macOS Catalina beta available, giving public beta testers a chance to try the software before it sees a public launch in the fall.
Apple today unveiled its long-awaited Mac Pro redesign at WWDC 2019. Following the keynote, Apple has published a press release highlighting positive feedback from pro app developers like Adobe, Pixar, and Autodesk.
Adobe is "incredibly excited" about the new Mac Pro, according to its vice president of 3D and immersive technologies Sebastien Deguy:
We're incredibly excited about the new Mac Pro, which represents a strong commitment from Apple towards creatives working in 3D. We've already started porting the Substance line of tools, as well as Dimension, to Apple's new graphic API Metal to fully take advantage of the immense power the new Mac Pro hardware offers and empower 3D creatives in unprecedented ways.
Pixar:
We are thrilled to announce full Metal support in Hydra in an upcoming release of USD toward the end of the year. Together with this new release, the new Mac Pro will dramatically accelerate the most demanding 3D graphics workflows thanks to an excellent combination of memory, bandwidth and computational performance. This new machine clearly shows Apple is delivering on the needs of professionals at high-end production facilities like Pixar.
Autodesk:
Autodesk is fully embracing the all-new Mac Pro and we are already working on optimized updates to AutoCAD, Maya, Fusion and Flame. This level of innovation, combined with next-generation graphics APIs, such as Metal, bring extremely high graphics performance and visual fidelity to our Design, Manufacturing and Creation products and enable us to bring greater value to our customers.
Following today's WWDC keynote event that saw the introduction of iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13, Apple has seeded the first beta of the new tvOS 13 operating system to developers.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV, the new tvOS 13 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS 13 introduces multi-user support for the first time, along with an immersive new Home screen experience. With multi-user support, each family member can access their own TV shows, movies, music, and recommendations.
Apple has added support for Apple Arcade, and the Apple TV now supports PlayStation and Xbox controllers. There are also new under-the-sea themed 4K HDR screensavers.
The tvOS 13 update is limited to developers right now, but Apple will provide a public beta of the software to public beta testers later this summer. tvOS 13 will see a fall launch alongside iOS 13, macOS 10.15, and watchOS 56
Apple this morning introduced watchOS 6, a new version of the watchOS software that runs on the Apple Watch. Following the keynote event, Apple has now released the first beta of watchOS 6 to developers for testing purposes.
To install the beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 6 beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update.
To install the beta, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. It would be wise to install the beta on a secondary device instead of a primary device given that this is an early version of the watchOS 5 software that still has bugs to be worked out.
watchOS 6 is a major update that brings additional focus to third-party apps for Apple Watch with the inclusion of access to an App Store right on your wrist.
Other new features include a "Dose" app for tracking medication and a "Cycles" app for tracking menstrual cycles. There's a new health feature for monitoring the ambient noise around you and the noise level of your earbuds with the purpose of protecting ear health.
There's a new Calculator app, and a new a Voice Memos app, plus several new watch faces that you can use.
watchOS 6 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers (because there's no way to downgrade Apple Watch software), so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.
Following the conclusion of today's keynote event where Apple introduced new versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, Apple has made the first beta of iOS 13 available to developers for testing purposes.
The iOS 13 beta testing period will allow Apple to work out bugs ahead of the software's release and it will let developers build iOS 13 and iPadOS features into their apps ahead of the software's public release. One of the major announcements today was the split between iOS 13 and iPadOS, with iPadOS being a new dedicated operating system that runs on the iPad.
Registered developers can download the initial iOS 13 and iPadOS betas from Apple's Developer Center using iTunes. After that, subsequent betas should be available over the air.
Like all major updates introduced at WWDC, iOS 13 is a major overhaul to the iOS operating system. There's a long-awaited Dark Mode feature available for the first time, fulfilling the wishes of many iPhone and iPad users.
iOS 13, like iOS 12, has a number of optimizations that make app download sizes smaller, reduce launch times, and make Face ID way faster on Face ID-enabled devices.
The Photos app features an updated layout with better curation of various photo moments throughout the years, with more intelligent organization and revamped, enhanced editing tools. There's a new swipe-based keyboard option, and Portrait Lighting adjustments can now be made right in the Camera app. You can also move light closer or further away to adjust the way your photos look. There's a new Find My app for finding your iPhone or Mac even when there's no WiFi or Cellular collection.
Apple has added a new privacy-focused Sign In With Apple feature that's designed to allow you to sign in with websites and apps via Apple rather than through services like Google and Facebook.
You can use your Apple ID to authenticate your login, and developers will be provided with a unique, random ID. You can even keep your email address private by using a randomized email address generated by Apple, and logins can all be authenticated using Face ID or Touch ID.
An updated Maps experience brings broader road coverage, new pedestrian data, more precise addresses, and more detailed landcover. Updated maps are available in select cities and states and will roll out across the U.S. by the end of 2019.
Apple is added a new street view feature called "Look Around" that lets you see street-level imagery of a city. The Maps app is also gaining Collections for sharing favorite restaurants or travel destinations with friends, and a Favorites section for navigating to frequent destinations.
Updates have been made to Reminders, with the app getting a total overhaul to make it more useful, and Messages now offers Profile photos and Animoji/Memoji stickers. There are also tons of new Memoji accessory packs. Siri features a new, more natural voice, and Siri Shortcuts now offers up Suggested Automations to make it easier and more personalized than ever.
CarPlay has an updated dashboard view, and on the HomePod, there's a new feature that lets it distinguish between voices so each person in the home can access their own music. Live Radio is now supported through Siri, and a Handoff feature lets you swap music from iPhone to HomePod with ease.
Notes has a new Gallery View, Text Editing is better than ever with new gestures for scrolling, text selection, and more, and the Files app also now supports external storage devices like SD cards and USB drives.
Only registered developers are able to download the iOS 13 beta at this time. As Apple has done in the past, a public beta for public beta testers will be provided in July after the software has gone through a couple rounds of developer testing.
Beta testing for iOS 13 will last for several months as Apple fixes bugs and refines new features. The update will see a public launch in September 2019 alongside new iPhones.
