MacRumors

During this week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple revealed a collection of iPad-specific abilities coming to iOS 11, including a new customizable dock that can be accessed from within any app, a Files app, a new app switcher, and support for drag and drop.

With the first beta of iOS 11 currently in the hands of developers, a few specific examples of what's possible with the much-anticipated drag and drop feature have been causing excitement online.

The short video above demonstrates a possible use case in Safari in particular. The clip shows how the user can now long-press on a URL address in the Safari search bar and drag it to the right-hand side of the screen to duplicate the Safari window in Split View mode. Another action demonstrations the ability to drag a hyperlink on a web page and drop it on the + icon at the top right of the Safari toolbar to instantly open a new tab showing the linked page.

A similar hyperlink drag is then drawn over to the Bookmarks icon at the top left of the screen, but this time the user holds onto the link and is able to navigate to their Reading List and store the link there for later referral.

Lastly, the same action is performed on a web-hosted file link, dragging it to the right of the screen to open the download link in another Safari window in Split View. With the hosted file selected with one finger, the user then uses the finger of another hand to invoke the new iPad dock with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Continuing with multitouch, he then drags the File app icon up to the right to open the last-viewed Documents sub-folder, and simply drops the selected file into it with his other finger.

Developers are still experimenting with the potential of drag and drop on iPad, but it's safe to assume that with support for multi-select and spring-loading, the possibilities for various workflows are far-reaching. For instance, another developer has discovered that it is possible to drag up to four different stacks of objects from various apps using four fingers on one hand in order to drop them all into a single Notes sheet.

Drag and drop on iPhone appears to be limited at this stage in iOS 11 in developer beta testing, with the majority of related features restricted to iPad, but it's possible that some aspects could come across to the smaller screen if Apple feels they're practicable.

The public beta of iOS 11 is expected to be released later this month, with the final version coming in the fall.

One of iOS 11's boldest changes is the revamped, redesigned App Store that dramatically changes the look and feel of Apple's app marketplace. Aimed at boosting app discovery, the new App Store doubles down on games and splits apps and games into their own sections for the first time.

We went hands-on with the new App Store to give MacRumors readers an idea of what to expect when iOS 11 rolls out to the public this fall.

As seen in the video above, the iOS 11 App Store looks and feels quite a bit different than the iOS 10 App Store. In addition to separate tabs for Games and Apps, there's a new "Today" view that's updated on a daily basis with new content.

The Today view features an App of the Day and a Game of the Day, plus a selection of other content chosen by Apple's App Store editors. That content can range from featured games and apps to interviews with developers to tips on how to use various apps.

Individual app pages have also been updated. Apple is putting more of a focus on reviews, distinctions like Editor's Choice are better highlighted, and content can be shown off with multiple videos. There are also new options that allow things like new in-app purchases and levels to be highlighted, letting developers alert users when apps are updated with new features.

Along with Today, Games, and Apps, there are also the standard sections for Updates and Search, both of which have the same functionality as the current App Store.

The new App Store will roll out in the fall when iOS 11 sees a public release. Registered developers can check out the new App Store right away, while public beta testers will get access in late June via an iOS 11 public beta.

In iOS 11, the Control Center has seen its third major overhaul in three years, and this time, it's received a drastic redesign with a single page spread and bubble-style icons.

Control Center functionality has also changed significantly, with new 3D Touch options and customizability that allows users to choose to add settings for the features they use most in iOS. Both the redesign and the new 3D Touch options are outlined below in our hands-on video.

Control Center has a love it or hate it look and the customization options may not go as far as some users would have liked, but there are several neat features hidden within that are an improvement over previous Control Center layouts.

For the first time, there's access to a one-tap Low Power Mode setting, and an Apple TV setting brings up a full Apple TV remote that doesn't require an app. There's also a new one-tap screen recording feature that takes a video of whatever you're doing on the iPhone or iPad, and there are an expanded range of settings that cover everything from Accessibility options to HomeKit, Notes, and Text Size. Users can choose just a few settings, or add every single one.

Networking settings, music controls, and options for brightness, volume, AirPlay, rotation lock, and Do Not Disturb are static and can't be hidden or rearranged, but the bottom rows of icons are customizable and can be edited in the Settings app.

Every Control Center setting that's not a simple on/off toggle has 3D Touch functionality. Some, like music, offer expanded options, while others, like brightness and volume, provide access to a larger icon for changing the setting. Still others, like the Apple TV option, offer up a full interface only accessible through 3D Touch (or a long press on devices without it).

On the iPad, Control Center has been baked into the App Switcher. Swiping up on the screen on the iPad now opens App Switcher instead of a full Control Center, with Control Center settings located at the right of the display.

Control Center is likely to see some design refinements over the course of the beta testing period. Right now, the iOS 11 beta is limited to developers, but Apple plans to release a public beta in late June.

We're going to have a full selection of videos covering all of the new features in iOS 11, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors.com.

tvOS 11, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV, didn't receive any air time during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, but it includes a handful of new features, including auto-pairing with Apple's AirPods.

AirPods currently pair automatically with iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches thanks to iCloud support and an Apple-designed W1 chip, but that automatic pairing doesn't extend to the Apple TV. That's set to change in tvOS 11.

In the first tvOS 11 beta, as 9to5Mac points out, AirPods appear as a new speaker option on the Apple TV when a user with AirPods is signed into their Apple ID on the Apple TV. As with any iOS devices or Mac, when connected to an Apple TV, sound will play through the AirPods.

Prior to tvOS 11, AirPods worked with the Apple TV, but had to be paired manually, a process that's not as seamless or as quick as the automatic switching baked into Apple's wireless earbuds.

According to Apple's release notes for the first tvOS 11 beta, other features new to the operating system include automatic switching between light and dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing between multiple Apple TVs, new background modes and notification support, and a few other under-the-hood changes.

In a few months, tvOS 11 and the fourth-generation Apple TV will be gaining a much-desired Amazon Prime Video app for the first time, which was announced on stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

tvOS 11 is only available for registered developers at the current point in time, but Apple plans to make a version available for public beta testers in the future.

Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup this week with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and faster standard graphics options from Intel and AMD. There's also a cheaper 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys starting at $1,299 with 128GB storage, compared to $1,499 for the previous base model.

Beyond that, the 2017 MacBook Pro is nearly identical to the 2016 MacBook Pro in both design and other tech specs.

The update arrives just eight months after Apple redesigned the MacBook Pro with features such as the Touch Bar, Touch ID, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a shallower keyboard with a second-generation butterfly mechanism. Prior to then, the MacBook Pro had gone over 500 days without an update.

For prospective buyers of the 2017 MacBook Pro, here's how the new models stack up against the 2016 MacBook Pro.

Geekbench results suggest the 2017 MacBook Pro is up to 20 percent faster than the 2016 MacBook Pro in CPU performance, but the difference is likely lower in real-world usage and given the apparent optimizations that Apple has made to last year's MacBook Pro between its launch and now.

Apple began accepting online orders for the new MacBook Pro on Monday, and delivery estimates currently range between June 12 and June 22 in the United States. The notebooks are also available today at most Apple Stores, and customers have the option to reserve a model for in-store pickup on Apple's website.

Apple has made it easier than ever for users to create custom watch faces on their Apple Watch in iOS 11, thanks to a new share sheet option within Photos on iPhone.

On the current operating systems for iPhone and Apple Watch, users can choose a "Photo" watch face to add to their Apple Watch, but the only way to change the picture is to customize the face on the Apple Watch and swipe left and right through photos in a synced album. "Photo Album" is also available, which automatically shuffles up which picture will appear on Apple Watch -- again, within a selected album -- each time the wrist is raised.

Now, Apple has added in a simple new share sheet to Photos on iOS 11, as spotted by French site Watch Generation [Google Translate]. After a photo is selected the sheet gives the option to "Create Watch Face," then users have to choose which face they prefer: a typical photo face where the image is presented as normal, or they can turn the image into one of Apple Watch's new kaleidoscope faces.

For the Photos face, users can now also select 10 custom images directly within the Watch app to add into the photo rotation of the watch face. This should make creating a custom Photos watch face much easier than the current method in iOS 10, where users either have to choose from one of the pre-set albums in iOS, or go into the Photos app to build a custom one with the images they want to see on their Apple Watch face.

For the kaleidoscope watch face, Apple appears to have multiple pre-set images to choose from that result in the distorted images seen at WWDC this week, including a flower and a few of the colorful exploding sand imagery already available as iOS wallpaper options. When users add in a custom image, it'll appear at the end of this list. There are also custom styles of kaleidoscope to choose from, including one that distorts images with triangular geometry ("Facet") and one with softer circles ("Radial").

Check out previous MacRumors coverage from WWDC week for more iOS 11 tidbits, including easier Wi-Fi password sharing, new AirPods controls, Control Center customization, QR code support in Camera, and more. There's also our hands-on video with the new iOS that walks through a few of the biggest additions to the iPhone software, which will launch for everyone sometime this fall.

Messages users sending texts in iOS 11 this fall will be able to share iMessages with two all-new Screen Effects in Apple's texting app.

Specifically, a new "Echo" option sends any selected piece of text to friends by multiplying the message all over the screen. The second, "Spotlight," puts an emphasis on your message by placing a large spotlight on the text as it's sent over to your friend's iOS device.

No new Bubble Effects have been added to iOS 11, at least not in the first developer beta of the software.

Screen Effects and Bubble Effects made their debut in iOS 10 last year, where Messages as a whole received a major overhaul thanks to the addition of the Messages App Store. On the new platform, apps have become available to download as miniature versions within Messages, including apps for payments, games, dinner reservations, and stickers.

Messages will be getting another overhaul in iOS 11, although one that's not as big as last year's update. This fall, the app's main new addition will be a redesigned App Drawer for your Messages apps, which are placed as a scrollable toolbar below the texting field. Apps should be easier to access in comparison to iOS 10's user interface, which requires one tap to get into the App Drawer, and another to go to Recents to find the app you want.

Check out the full MacRumors iOS 11 roundup for more features coming to Messages, including peer-to-peer payments using Apple Pay and full chat archive synchronization in iCloud, so transferring over to a new iPhone retains all of your old conversations.

(Thanks, Koohyun Y!)

Apple's latest MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models are now widely available at all but a few of its retail stores across the United States, and customers now have the option to reserve a model for in-store pickup on its website.

Apple began accepting online orders for the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models on Monday, but delivery estimates currently range between June 12 and June 22 in the United States, so customers looking to purchase a new Mac earlier than next week may have better luck visiting an Apple Store.

Apple's in-store pickup tool shows the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models are also in stock today at select Apple Stores in Canada, but we recommend calling ahead to ensure supplies remain available.

The refreshed MacBook and MacBook Pro feature Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors, improved Intel and AMD graphics options, and faster SSD storage in 12-inch models, while the new iMac models received the same treatment plus Thunderbolt 3 ports and brighter Retina displays compared to the previous generation.

iFixit has published a teardown of the new 4K 21.5-inch iMac, which reveals that – surprisingly – Apple's smallest all-in-one desktop machine has both removable RAM and a Kaby Lake processor that's not soldered onto the logic board.

iFixit made the discovery by disassembling Apple's $1,299 mid-range 3.0GHz stock option, which includes 8GB of 2400MHz DDR4 memory, a Radeon Pro 555 graphics card with 2GB of VRAM, and a 1TB 5400-RPM hard drive.

After slicing through the adhesive that secures the 4K display to the iMac's housing and removing the power supply, hard drive, and fan, iFixit discovered that the memory modules aren't soldered onto the logic board like previous models, but instead sit in two removable SO-DIMM slots.

Similarly, after detaching the heatsink and removing the warranty voiding stickers on the backside of the logic board, iFixit found that the Intel SR32W Core i5-7400 Kaby Lake processor sits in a standard LGA 1151 CPU socket, making it possible to replace or upgrade the CPU without a reflow station.

As iFixit notes, an upgradeable iMac is a big shift in direction from Apple. The last 21.5-inch iMac with expandable memory was the 2013 model, while the last to include a modular CPU came in 2012. iFixit speculates that the change to a socketed processor may be because Intel's desktop class Kaby Lake line-up currently lacks any permanently mountable chips, but it's conceivable Apple could have requested one if it so chose.

It's important to note that Apple officially considers these parts non-user-replaceable, which is easy to see given the relative difficulty accessing them – compare the work involved in accessing the 21.5-inch iMac's RAM slots, with the external memory hatch found in the 27-inch iMacs, for example. That said, the fact that replacing these components is practically possible will come as music to the ears of tinkerers armed with the right tools and instructions.

Despite the upgradeable RAM and CPU, iFixit awarded the 2017 21.5-inch iMac a 3 out of 10 for repairability (10 being easiest to repair) because of the challenge involved in accessing the components. Still, that's an improvement on the 2015 model, which was given a 1 out of 10 for repairability.

Other minor changes of note discovered in the teardown include a single microphone below the iMac's LG-manufactured display (where previously there were dual mics), a replaceable CMOS battery, and an upgradeable 3.5-inch SATA hard drive, but no SSD connector.

Check out the full teardown on the iFixit website.

Apple tonight shared a new ad in its line of "Shot on iPhone" commercials, this one focused on iPhone users who have taken impressive photos and videos of vistas around the planet.

Well-known astronomer Carl Sagan narrates the spot, reading out a few quotes from his book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space." The theme of the commercial focuses on reminding viewers about the importance and responsibility of taking care of "our only home."

"The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is no where else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the only home we've ever known."

Apple's ads have lately been focused on providing tutorials for features of the iPhone 7, as well as a few commercials specifically highlighting Portrait Mode. On Earth Day the company shared a few videos with similar pro-environmental messages as the Carl Sagan-narrated ad posted today, centering on topics like solar farms and zero waste.

Following Monday's keynote event, Apple released its newest iPhone operating system, iOS 11, to developers.

iOS 11 won't be available for public beta testers until June and the general public will need to wait until the fall, but if you want to get a quick taste of what's coming in the update, check out our hands-on video below.

There are subtle design changes throughout iOS 11, with a focus on bolder fonts and borderless buttons. One of the most significant design changes can be seen in the Control Center, which has been entirely overhauled with a new look, deeper functionality, and better customization.

An entirely new App Store has been developed for iOS 11, and for the first time, apps and games are split out into their own sections. There's a "Today" view that's updated on a daily basis with recommendations, developer stories, and more.

Files, a new app, mimics the Finder in macOS and makes it easier to manage files on iOS devices, and Siri has a new, more natural voice. Messages has a new app drawer to make it easier to use stickers and apps, and there's a new built-in person-to-person Apple Pay feature for sending money to friends.

Maps includes indoor maps for malls and airports in select cities, and a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature is designed to keep users safe in the car. Apple Music features friend sharing, Photos includes new Live Photo editing options, and Notes supports handwriting recognition.

Along with these new features, there are several changes that are specific to the iPad. A new bottom Dock has been added, for example, and that dock is accessible from anywhere with a simple swipe up from the bottom of the display. A new App Switcher on the iPad (accessed with a double swipe) shows a tiled view of all the open apps to make switching faster and more Mac-like.

We'll have more videos covering iOS 11 features over the course of the week, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors.com.