Apple finally held its long-awaited 2016 special event — having broadcasted live from its Cupertino headquarters in California. To kick things off, Tim Cook first unveiled a video regarding accessibility and how the company will create a new website dedicated to disabled users. “Our teams work so hard to make our products accessible to everyone and today we’re launching a new accessibility website about those features. We believe technology should be accessible to everyone, and we hope this site becomes a great resource,” he said.
Cook went on to discuss updates on the iPhone 7 devices such as the Memories feature in iOS 10.1 that will be “easier and better” — touting 400 million memories have already been created by iPhone users. The CEO then relayed the commencement of Apple Pay in Japan, revamped transit support in Maps and reminded the audience of the October 28 launch of the latest Apple Watch. Read on to learn more about the major takeaways of Apple’s special event that involves the Apple TV, its TV app and the new Macbook Pro with the now-confirmed TouchBar.
Apple TV
In just one year, Apple has amassed over 8,000 apps for all of its TV categories alongside 2,000 games such as Real Racing 3. There are approximately 1,600 from video content providers alone and not to mention, users can integrate apps “to make watching TV more interesting, interactive and social,” said Cook. Speaking of social, enter Twitter’s product manager Ryan Troy who announced a slew of remarkable Apple TV features available for Twitter users. With Apple TV, users can view their Twitter feed as well as check out live reactions to occurring sports and news broadcasts on one single screen. Troy also professed that the NFL, NBA, NHL, BuzzFeed and Bloomberg are collaborating to bring original content to the innovative platform. Not only can users peruse tweets, but also send their own via their iPhones.
TV App
Apple’s new app for Apple TV, simply called “TV,” will presumably aggregate a plethora of TV and movies from the device’s varying apps into one dashboard. Designer Jen Folse illustrated the app’s features, such as “Watch Now” which is the main menu to show users which built-in apps are currently running as well as showcasing other shows that are available. Another feature of TV is “Up Next” which basically queues the movies and shows that you’ve rented or purchased on iTunes based on your interests. More specifically, after you’ve finished watching a show, the feature will automatically provide another show or movie that will go up next. The “Recommended” attribute will allow users to peruse an immense selection of trending movies and shows — curated by Apple itself. With “Library,” users can access their whole collection of movies and TV shows. Last but not least, “Store” will let you discover new content and the latest releases across the video services purveyed by the tech giant. Of course, Siri gets a nod. The ubiquitous digital assistant is now capable of tuning into live video streaming apps. Expect the TV app to roll out via a software update sometime this December.
MacBook Pro
It’s been over a year since Apple updated the MacBook Pro and finally, details for its latest version have been revealed. The brand new device will be the thinnest and lightest MacBook Pro ever created. Aficionados will be available to purchase the notebook in 13-inch and 15-inch renditions. The 13-inch model is 17 percent thinner than its predecessor—weighing three pounds and just 14.9mm thick. On the other hand, the 15-inch version will be 20 percent slimmer than its previous iteration. Both models will possess an OLED multitouch-responsive display that is located just above the keyboard, dubbed the Touch Bar. This latest technology offers buttons and controls that will help you adjust settings and manage apps that are currently running. In addition, there is a tool that assists with straightening photos in an editing program alongside a scrub bar for hashing out video clips. Not to mention, the Touch Bar will render suggested words as you’re typing and recommend folders to help you organize mail and documents. Touch Bar support has been implemented on Keynote, Pages as well as Terminal.
Moreover, the new MacBook Pro will include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor coupled with an Apple T1 Chip to let users unlock their notebooks as well as safeguarding transactions with Apple Pay whenever you’re shopping online. It’s also important to mention that all of your beloved function keys will reside in the Touch Bar and you can access them to your convenience. The device will also tout a new key devoted to Siri, redesigned scissor switches which the company calls “butterflies,” as well as a trackpad fitted with Force Touch (this trackpad is apparently twice as big on the 15-inch version). Brighter and louder are also touchstones for the Cupertino kings since both devices boast a display that illuminates 67 percent more than its predecessors alongside built-in speakers that have twice the audio dynamic ambit than the previous models.
Undoubtedly, the refurbished MacBook Pro has a need for speed. You’ll find an Intel Core i7 processor with 2133MHz memory inside the 15-inch model with AMD’s groundbreaking Polaris GPU that provides 4GB VRAM to ensure your graphics are uploaded at an incredibly fast rate. In addition, an SSD with up to 2TB will ensure 50 percent faster transfer speeds than the last Macs. Both versions will be equipped with a total of four Thunderbolt USB-C ports—allowing you to connect devices that utilize USB, VGA, DisplayPort and HDMI. To top it all off, Apple mentioned that the new MacBook Pro is capable of running up to 10 hours with just one charge.
So what did you think of the event? Was it groundbreaking and revolutionary, or was tech rival Microsoft’s event that unveiled the Surface Studio more impressive? Sound off in the comments below.