WWDC 2019: the latest news from Apple’s big developer conference – The Verge

Inside Apple’s walled garden, developers take cover from Silicon Valley’s storms

2019-06-21T13:14:26-04:00

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) creates a convincing version of reality that can, at times, seem too good to be true. Hosted again earlier this month at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, the conference is a place to geek out over Swift code, meet fellow programmers and iOS app makers, and celebrate all things Apple. But you do so inside a carefully crafted environment that's designed to maximize the iPhone maker's image as a benevolent overlord of its sprawling software kingdom.

There are clean, Apple Store-like wooden tables equipped with USB-C Ethernet adapters where you can sit and work and enthusiastic greeters who …

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Apple’s new sign-in button is built for a post-Cambridge Analytica world

2019-06-08T10:00:00-04:00

In 2019, Facebook isn't just a homepage; it's a passport. As mobile apps look for an alternative to passwords, big networks like Facebook and Google have become login services, letting a single login sign you into dozens of different apps. As long as Facebook or Google will vouch for you, most apps are happy to take them at their word, using open protocols like OAuth to verify the login. In return, the big companies find out what you're logging into and when. It's a good deal for apps trying to avoid the friction of a sign-up process, and one of the many ways major tech companies have made themselves indispensable - or inescapable, depending …

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Apple will permanently remove Dashboard in macOS Catalina

2019-06-04T18:38:21-04:00

Apple's Dashboard is getting quietly removed from the company's upcoming macOS Catalina update, as first noted by Appleosophy and later reported by MacRumors. The Dashboard first launched 14 years ago with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger in 2005 and saw its final update in 2011 with the launch of OS X 10.7 Lion.

The app first introduced the concept of widgets to Apple's desktop operating system and became a hallmark of OS X design for more than a decade. In particular, Dashboard became well known for its desktop Sticky Note feature and its overall skeuomorphic approach best emphasized by the clock, stocks, and calculator widgets, a design philosophy th …

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9 apps and products Apple copied for iOS 13 and macOS Catalina

2019-06-04T10:47:04-04:00

Another WWDC, another set of apps, products, and services that may have just been "Sherlocked" by Apple. The term, used as a colloquial way to refer to when Apple builds a native feature that effectively renders a third-party app or product useless, comes up every year as the company grows its OS offerings and introduces new capabilities worthy of your 30 or so minutes to update.

So what did Apple try to get rid of, or at least borrow from, this year? While not every single item here will be considered dead by the time Apple rolls out iOS 13 and macOS Catalina in the fall, at the very least these developers must now figure out ways to diffe …

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iPadOS should make the iPad a better tablet, but not a laptop

2019-06-04T09:30:00-04:00

Apple had big news for iPad users at its WWDC keynote yesterday with the announcement of a software update major enough for the company to rebrand the entire operating system. What would otherwise have been iOS 13 will be known as iPadOS on Apple's line of tablets, and the changes look to be legitimately significant.

With these upgrades, however, will come the inevitable questions over whether the iPad is ready to be used as your main computer. No one doubts the capability of the current iPad Pro hardware, nor the areas where it excels over other computing solutions. But given Apple's prior insistence that the iPad is a computer, is iPadOS …

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Apple’s new Mac Pro is a supercar

2019-06-04T09:11:49-04:00

I've been to the Geneva Motor Show half a dozen times, and I can confidently say that the new Mac Pro looks tailor-made for that exhibition of exotics. It's got a huge and imposing metal grille up front and tons of speed and power on the inside. It's built with bespoke components, performance-optimized aerodynamics, and a starting price that means most of us will only ever get to look at, never own, one. And even though we've never seen it before, it's instantly recognizable as an expensive, glamorous powerhouse machine. Yes, Apple's 2019 Mac Pro is the supercar of the computer world.

Like the latest debut from Lamborghini or McLaren, this …

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Apple’s Real User Indicator will tell developers when a new account may actually be a bot

2019-06-03T19:45:46-04:00

Apple says it's building a new tool it calls Real User Indicator that could cut down on the number of bots secretly signing up for new accounts with mobile, desktop, and web services.

The feature, announced during the company's Platforms State of the Union event at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), is designed to check for traits more consistent with bots than people. It then informs an app developer of the situation, so the developer can then take further action to verify the authenticity of the new account.

"It uses on-device intelligence to determine if the originating device is behaving in a normal way. The device generates a …

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Watch Apple’s Mac Pro video featuring Jony Ive that wasn’t shown at WWDC

2019-06-03T17:24:22-04:00

I was a little surprised when Apple unveiled its redesigned Mac Pro earlier today without a flashy introduction video featuring the familiar voice of chief design officer Jony Ive. However, the company did produce one. It just wasn't part of the keynote for some reason - presumably, it was either cut for time or because Apple thought hardware engineering VP John Ternus could handle the product reveal just fine on his own.

But if you want to hear Ive go on at length about the new $5,999 Mac "designed and engineered to enable a wide range of uses and virtually unlimited possibilities for customization," well, here you go. "Our preoccupation w …

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Apple’s new iPadOS includes mouse support for iPads

2019-06-03T17:23:34-04:00

Apple is making a huge change to its new iPadOS, introducing mouse support for both USB and Bluetooth devices. iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith discovered the new mouse support in iPadOS today, and it reportedly works with USB mice, devices like Apple's Magic Trackpad, and wireless Bluetooth mice.

Apple adding mouse support to iPadOS is significant, even though it's an accessibility feature for now. Apple has implemented this support as an AssistiveTouch feature, and the cursor looks like a typical touch target you'd find in iOS. It's designed to simulate a finger touch, so you can use a mouse to do this instead. Many iPad owners have be …

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Apple’s new Mac Pro vs. the iMac Pro: Is it worth upgrading?

2019-06-03T17:22:39-04:00

Modularity is the word of the day as far as Apple's newly announced and redesigned Mac Pro is concerned. The computer features a return to the older "cheese-grater" look, but redesigned and with a strong eye toward flexibility and expansion.

The question for owners of the most recent desktop Mac powerhouse, the iMac Pro, will be: Should I abandon my current system for the new Mac Pro, which will start at $5,999? (The iMac Pro starts at $4,999, but includes a 27-inch 5K display.) We took a look at the specs of the current iMac Pro, which launched back in December of 2017, and what was announced today for the new Mac Pro, which will ship this …

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