MacRumors

With Apple's new "Next Generation MacBook Pro" being the headliner in terms of new hardware introduction at WWDC, there is obviously considerable interest in how the new model compares with the previous design, which continues to be offered in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.

Engadget posts a brief hands-on with the new MacBook Pro fresh out of the box, showing how much slimmer the new form factor is than the standard MacBook Pro.

It's 0.71-inches thick, or roughly 25 percent thinner than the current generation Pros (which, by the way, live on -- except for the 17-incher). That's just .03-inches thicker than the 13-inch MacBook Air, but it feels like quite a bit more. Where the Air is tapered, this has a constant thickness throughout. So, again, it doesn't feel like an Air, but it's a big improvement over the Pro.

On the right side you have an SD card reader, full-size HDMI port and the first USB 3.0 port. (Which, by the way, is not blue -- Apple just made all the ports 3.0 and they're all naturally white.) On the other side is the other USB 3.0 port along with dual Thunderbolt ports, a headphone jack and the new MagSafe 2 connector.

The Next Generation MacBook Pro is currently available only as 15-inch model and is available starting at $2199.

Update: The Verge has also posted a gallery of hands-on photos of the new MacBook Pro.

Roughly an hour after the end of the keynote at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has posted a video of the event on its website. The Keynote should be made available soon on Apple's YouTube channel, as well as its Apple Keynotes Podcast on the iTunes Store. [Podcast links: Keynotes, Keynotes in HD, Keynotes in 1080p HD]

Apple did not broadcast the keynote live, so the video is an opportunity for viewers to see the introduction of OS X Mountain Lion, iOS 6, the new Retina display-equipped MacBook Pro, and Apple's new Maps app.

Other WWDC 2012 Keynote highlights:

- Apple Introduces MacBook Pro with 15.4" Retina Display
- New 'Maps' App With Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Real-Time Traffic, 3D Maps
- iOS 6 Comes with Siri Improvements, Facebook Integration, New Maps App, Passbook
- Mountain Lion Features Dictation, iCloud Tabs, and 'Power Nap'
- Apple Updates MacBook Pro and MacBook Air Models

- Apple Offers Minor Bump to Mac Pro Line, No Thunderbolt
- Apple Quietly Discontinues MacBook Pro 17"
- Apple Introduces Redesigned AirPort Express
- Apple Offers New $49 Smart Case for iPad

Following the WWDC keynote, Apple has made the first developer beta of iOS 6 available through its iOS Developer Center. The beta arrives as the 10A5316k build leaked as inactive links yesterday.

The beta is available for the iPhone 3GS and later, iPad 2 and later, and the fourth-generation iPod touch. Builds of the new Apple TV software for second- and third-generation devices are also available.

In addition to iOS 6 releases themselves, Apple has also released iTunes 10.6.3 for developers, as well as Xcode 4.5 developer preview.

At WWDC today, Apple introduced a third line of notebook computers that Phil Schiller called the "Next Generation MacBook Pro." He noted that the company was "willing to discard old, legacy things" to make a new notebook that was radically thin and light. An Apple video called it "the very best computer that we've ever built."

The new MacBook Pro -- which is in addition to the existing line of Pro's, which was also updated today -- is built around a 15.4" Retina display at a 2880x1880 resolution, 220 ppi with 5,184,000 pixels, with a display that is built directly into the unibody construction to make the notebook lighter.

It includes quad-core Ivy Bridge processors up to 2.8GHz and turbo boost up to 3.7GHz, up to 16GB of MacBook Air-like non-upgradable 1600MHz RAM, and a maximum of 768GB of next generation flash storage. The new Pro weighs in at 4.46 pounds and is 0.71" thick, but does not include a MacBook Air-like tapered body. There is no optical drive.

Apple has developed a new type of fan to keep the machine cool. It uses an asymmetrical blade system to cool the machine while being as quiet as possible. Apple claims the thermal management system operates in a way that is nearly imperceptible to the user.

Apple claims 7 hours of battery life with 30 days of standby time. It includes an SD slot, HDMI, and a USB 3.0/2.0 combo port on the right side, and a MagSafe power port, two Thunderbolt ports, another USB 3.0/2.0 port and a headphone jack on the left. Apple will soon begin offering a Firewire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet to Thunderbolt adapters. The machine also includes "the best stereo speakers ever put into a desktop or notebook" and dual microphones.

Pricing begins at $2,199 for the base model with the Retina display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Ivy Bridge i7, 8GB of RAM, a NVidia GeForce GT 650M 1GB graphics card, and 256GB of flash storage. The Next Generation MacBook Pro begins shipping today.

Regarding the Retina display, Apple will ship a special build of Lion with HiDPI support built-in, and will include updated versions of iPhoto, Mail and Safari to support the increased resolution. Final Cut Pro and Aperture are also receiving updates as well. Apple has been working with major developers to get their apps updated, including Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk's AutoCAD, and Blizzard's Diablo III.

Apple today introduced a new Maps application in iOS 6 that will replace Google Maps as the default mapping application on the iPhone and iPad. It was designed by Apple from the ground up with all cartography done in-house.

Included in Maps are turn-by-turn directions that work with Siri, local search with 100 million business listings from around the world, Yelp integration, a free crowd-sourced traffic service, and 3D mapping with a Google Earth-like feature called 'Flyover'.

Maps will ship with iOS 6 later this fall.

At today's WWDC keynote event, Apple announced the next version of its operating system for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. iOS 6 will feature new functionality for Siri, Facebook integration, a revamped Maps app, Shared Photo Streams via iCloud, and more.

iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device,” said Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iOS Software. “We can’t wait for hundreds of millions of iOS users to experience the incredible new features in iOS 6 including the new Maps app, expanded Siri support, deep Facebook integration, Shared Photo Streams and the innovative new Passbook app.

In iOS 6, Siri will gain new capabilities to provide sports scores and schedules, make restaurant reservations via OpenTable, find local movie listings and even launch apps. Siri will also debut in new languages including Spanish, Italian, and French.

Facebook integration will be much like the current Twitter integration in iOS 5 with a system-wide log-in and the ability to quickly post from within apps. Contacts can be updated automatically using information obtained through Facebook. Third-party developers will be able to add this functionality easily with a public API.

A new Do Not Disturb mode allows users to schedule when notifications should not cause any sounds or visual alerts. The iPhone's Phone app will get new options to reply with a text message or prompt a reminder to return a call later when an incoming call arrives.

Shared Photo Streams lets you choose photos to share with selected family and friends. Shared photos can be viewed by others on iOS devices, iPhoto and Aperture on a Mac, or on the web or through an Apple TV.

Passbook is a new wallet app that will consolidate payment cards and electronic tickets. For example, customers at Starbucks can make payments using their Gold Card through Passbook. Also, movie tickets purchased through Fandango can be redeemed through Passbook. Airline boarding passes and even sporting event tickets will be accessible through Passbook as well. A new API will offer developers access to Passbook.

As expected, Apple has revamped the Maps app with its own map data. It will offer integration with Yelp for business listings and traffic information sourced anonymously and in real-time from iOS users. Turn-by-turn navigation will also debut in the new Maps app and guidance can be triggered by Siri.

iOS 6 will be compatible with the iPhone 3GS and later, 2nd-generation iPad and later, and the 4th-generation iPod touch and will be available in the fall. A beta will be available to developers today.

At today's WWDC keynote event, Apple announced a release timeframe and pricing for Mountain Lion, the next version of the Mac operating system which was previewed earlier this year. Executives also gave a preview of some new features including dictation, iCloud Tabs, and Power Nap. Mountain Lion will be released in July through the Mac App Store for $19.99 and all Macs purchased starting today can receive an upgrade for free.

The new dictation feature will be integrated throughout the operating system to allow dictation anywhere to enter text. Dictation was previously rumored in May when resource files in Safari listed keyboard shortcuts that pointed to dictation functions.

iCloud Tabs, a new feature in Safari on the Mac, was also demonstrated. iCloud Tabs will show all tabs open in Safari on all other iOS devices and Macs logged in to the same iCloud account. Safari also gains a unified search and address bar to streamline its interface.

Power Nap is a new feature that will carry out functions while a Mac is charging and sleeping. New emails will be downloaded, Time Machine will automatically run, app updates will be applied and other actions will be carried out with Power Nap, which will be available on the new ultra-thin MacBook Pro that was announced today and second-generation and later MacBook Airs.

Apple first previewed Mountain Lion in February, highlighting many features already present in iOS, including Messages, Reminders, Notes, Notification Center, Game Center and more at that time.

Apple today announced minor updates to its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines, including upgrades to flash storage, memory and processors.

The 11" and 13" MacBook Air models now include up to 512GB of flash storage, 60% faster graphics, up to 8GB of memory and a 2.0GHz i7 Ivy Bridge CPU. The machines have been upgraded with combined USB 3.0/2.0 ports as well as 720p FaceTime cameras. All MacBook Air models now include 4GB of RAM standard. Pricing remains similar to before, with only the premium 11" MacBook Air seeing a $100 price drop.

The 15" MacBook Pro model include Ivy Bridge quad-core i7 CPU's up to 2.7GHz, a 1GB GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics card, a standard 8GB of 1600 MHz memory, and USB 3.0/2.0 ports. Pricing remains the same at $1,799 and $2,199.

The 13" MacBook Pro includes Ivy Bridge dual-core i7 CPU's up to 2.9GHz. Pricing remains the same at $1,199 and $1,499.

With Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) set to kick off in San Francisco with a highly-anticipated keynote at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, it's time for us to set the stage with final details on the latest rumors and coverage information.

Coverage

MacRumors will be offering live text and photo updates from the keynote through MacRumorsLive.com (Transcription is being handled by @hodapp). The main MacRumors.com page will automatically redirect to MacRumorsLive as we get closer to the event, so stay tuned here. We will also be providing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account. Separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

As is routine for major Apple product announcements, the Apple online store has already been down for several hours and will almost certainly remain down until the conclusion of the keynote.

MacRumors forum members interested in a "spoiler-free" environment to wait for the full keynote video to become available can follow the thread associated with our dedicated article. A direct link to the official keynote video will be posted there when it becomes available.

Rumors

We posted our comprehensive rumor roundup over the weekend, but details have continued to surface since that time, most notably including details on new Retina MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and standard MacBook Pro and Mac Pro models. Apple has also been said to be releasing developer builds of iOS 6 and Safari 6 today. Finally, Apple will be launching its annual Back to School promotion tomorrow, although it is unclear whether that will be included in today's announcements.

9to5Mac now reports that Apple will be introducing an "iPad Smart Case" available in six colors: dark gray, light gray, pink, green, blue, and red. These appear to the accessories that were initially thought to be new iPod shuffle models in a leaked part number list. iLounge had claimed that an enhanced Smart Cover was in the works earlier this year, but it did not appear alongside the third-generation iPad.

MacRumors has learned that Apple will be launching its annual Back to School promotion tomorrow in the United States and likely a number of other countries. As in previous years, Apple will be offering iTunes Store gift cards to educational customers purchasing qualifying products.

The major new addition to the program this year is the iPad, with purchasers receiving a $50 iTunes Store gift card with the purchase of a new iPad. The Mac aspect of the program appears to be the same as in previous years, with qualified purchases earning a $100 gift card. We have not yet confirmed exactly which Mac systems will qualify for the program, but in past years the Mac mini has not been eligible for the promotion.

As with previous years, the cards should be valid across Apple's digital stores, including the iTunes Store, iOS App Store, Mac App Store, and iBookstore.

9to5Mac has now published specs on the Retina-display 15-inch MacBook Pro models that are apparently arriving alongside updated versions of the existing form factor. Notably, the new machines include options ranging up to 16 GB of RAM and 768 GB of solid-state storage.

MC975LL/A – MBP 15.4/2.3/8GB/256GB FLASH-USA
MC976LL/A – MBP 15.4/2.6/8GB/512GB FLASH-USA
MD831LL/A – MBP 15.4/2.7/16GB/768GB FLASH-USA

Exact pricing has not yet been confirmed, but the high-end model is said to be exceeding the equivalent of $4000 in some countries.

9to5Mac reports that it has received information on the MacBook Air upgrades to be announced today, with each of the 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch sizes arriving in two standard configurations with a third customizable high-end configuration also heading into stock at some retailers.

According to the report, the initial model descriptions include not only a boost in processor performance to Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processors but also boosts to RAM (maxing out at 8 GB on both sizes) and solid-state drive capacity (maxing out at 512 GB on the 13-inch model). The descriptions include model number, short product name, screen size, processor speed in GHz, RAM in GB, and storage size in GB.

11-inch
Base Model: MD223LL/A - MBA 11.6/1.7/4/64FLASH-USA
Better: MD224LL/A - MBA 11.6/1.7/4/128FLASH-USA
High End: MD845LL/A – MBA 11.6/2.0/8/256FLASH-USA

13-inch
MD231LL/A – MBAIR 13.3/1.8/4/128FLASH-USA
MD232LL/A – MBAIR 13.3/1.8/4/256FLASH-USA
MD846LL/A – MBAIR 13.3/2.0/8/512FLASH-USA

The current MacBook Air includes 2 GB of RAM on the base 11-inch model, with all other models at both screen sizes offering 4 GB of RAM. On the storage side, it appears that the 11-inch model will not be seeing any changes given that the existing line starts at 64 GB and goes up to 256 GB at the high end, but the new 13-inch model is shown as introducing a new 512 GB option at the high end.

We also asked 9to5Mac about the implausible Mac Pro specs they published earlier today, and they assured us that those are indeed the specs that are showing up in inventory systems. Consequently, it remains unclear exactly what is going on with the Mac Pro and whether there might be errors or purposely incorrect information being provided by Apple.

While Apple is not expected to reveal its long-rumored television set product that has been the subject of increasing rumors at today's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has published a new research note addressing some of his expectations for the device based on a recent visit to Taiwan for the Computex trade show and to visit with supply chain companies in several markets.

White believes that the Apple television set will adopt several methods of interaction, most significantly including motion detection technology, perhaps similar to that found in Microsoft's Kinect offerings. He also suggests that the television will still include a remote control, which will arrive as an iPad-like touchscreen device.

Regarding Apple TV, the data points during our trip indicate the Company will use a special type of motion detection technology on future full blown Apple TV that we expect to be unveiled within the next couple of quarters, rather than touch technology. Also, our contacts indicate a unique remote control with a touch panel form factor that looks similar to the iPad would be used to control the device. The bezel is expected to be a plastic composition, rather than the aluminum unibody exterior that surrounds the MacBook Air.

White makes no mention of Siri voice control, but many observers expect that Apple will also make use of its voice recognition and natural language processing algorithms to make it easy for users to control their television viewing experiences.

Finally, the new report from White also outlines his continued belief that Apple is preparing to launch a smaller "iPad mini", with both that product and the next-generation iPhone reportedly lining up for a simultaneous launch in September of this year.