Apple at WWDC 2012: iOS 6, new MacBook Air and Pro models, Mountain Lion, and more – The Verge

Chrome vs. Safari browsers on the MacBook Pro’s Retina display

2012-06-12T03:39:02-04:00

chrome safari retina display

Apple's new MacBook Pro with its Retina display is undoubtedly a breakthrough for laptops, and certain notable third-party apps have already been updated to take full advantage of the expanded resolution. However, unlike the comparatively seamless leap to Retina displays made by the new iPad and the iPhone 4, it looks like OS X apps will need specific upgrades to see any advantage from the MacBook Pro's screen.

You might find yourself switching to Safari for a while

While iOS automatically renders text and many other standard UI elements at Retina resolution, many apps currently look distinctly blurry on the new MacBook Pro's display - we've …

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Facebook integration won’t come to Mountain Lion until ‘this fall’

2012-06-12T01:25:06-04:00

mountain lion facebook

When Apple's OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is released next month, it won't ship with the Facebook integration announced at this year's WWDC. That's according to a banner on Apple's Mountain Lion page, which clearly states that desktop Facebook integration won't launch until "this fall." The company also mentioned this release schedule in a footnote to a press release issued Monday.

Apple spent relatively little time discussing the feature during Monday's keynote presentation, though it was included as a separate download within the "near-final" Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4, released shortly afterward. The exact motives behind the decision re …

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Mac Pro will be redesigned in 2013, confirms Apple (update 2)

2012-06-11T22:30:59-04:00

Mac Pro defunct stock

After today's incredibly tiny update to the Mac Pro, you might be wondering if Apple plans to kill off the venerable desktop. Apparently, that's not the case. New York Times technology columnist David Pogue spoke to an anonymous Apple executive who said that the company's desktops are getting a makeover, perhaps by 2013. While the internet is already abuzz with reports that the iMac and Mac Pro in particular will be refreshed, Pogue's story doesn't actually specify either of those - merely "new models and new designs" - so we've reached out to him for clarification. Either way, it sounds like we haven't heard the last of Apple's desktop anno …

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Apple releases Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4

2012-06-11T21:21:05-04:00

mountain lion developer 1020

As was promised in today's WWDC keynote, Apple has released OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4 today, a build which the company described as "near-final." 9to5Mac has posted the release notes, which indicate that the number of bugs is decreasing and Game Center is getting close to being in full working order. It's not yet known whether or not all of the new Mountain Lion features showcased today are included in this build, but Facebook integration at least can be enabled with a separate download. If they're not, they certainly ought to be in the next one: Apple has committed itself to a July launch of the new OS. Once released, Apple will …

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New MacBook Pro with Retina display vs. MacBook Air in pictures

2012-06-11T18:45:17-04:00

Gallery Photo: New MacBook Pro with Retina display vs. MacBook Air

Though the new MacBook Pro with Retina display is thinner obviously than its non-retinal Pro counterpart, what's more interesting to us is that Apple also claims it's "as thin as MacBook Air." We sized it up with our 13-inch MacBook Air (not this year's model), and in fact, the new MacBook Pro with Retina display is both thinner and thicker at parts - it all depends on that patented wedge. And that goes for both lid open and closed.

As for the new MagSafe, while we haven't exactly pulled out a ruler, it looks from the naked eye to have the exact same five-dot configuration - what's different now is the surrounding cover, which is both thinn …

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Apple using TomTom and OpenStreetMap data in iOS 6 Maps app

2012-06-11T17:22:19-04:00

iOS 6 Beta maps

We've been digging through the iOS 6 screenshots that were leaked to us earlier today for more details and found an interesting tidbit among them - TomTom is one of the main providers of mapping data in Apple's brand-new Maps application. When you flip back the iOS map to reach the setting menu, it clearly says that data comes from TomTom and "others" who aren't specified on that screen. Looking at the full attributions list for Apple's Maps app shows a whole number of other mapping companies providing data (including OpenStreetMap, who started providing data for iPhoto on iOS earlier this year) - but TomTom is the only company that gets ful …

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Apple’s 2012 MacBook family portrait: a guide for new buyers and upgraders

2012-06-11T17:21:03-04:00

apple macbook family portrait 2012

As expected, Apple unveiled some massive refreshes to it's full lineup of MacBook laptops earlier today at the Moscone Center as part of its WWDC 2012 keynote - but you may still be wondering whether an upgrade or a first time MacBook purchase is worth the hit to your bank account. While you may want to wait until we've had some time to test-drive Apple's new equipment, we've got a pretty good idea of what the lineup looks like from specs alone - so let's dig in.

Click on the images below to compare all of Apple's new products side by side in our database:

For New Buyers

If Apple's latest batch of MacBooks finally convinced you to buy into …

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New MacBook Pro with Retina display hands-on pictures and video

2012-06-11T16:37:32-04:00

Gallery Photo: New MacBook Pro with Retina Display hands-on pictures!

So we meet. It's one thing to see the new MacBook Pro with Retina display behind thick, protective glass. It's another to see it up close and personal, where you can actually get a feel for the weight and thinness of the device. The laptop we're using is a 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with a 3.6GHz Turbo Boost, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics, 8GB DDR3L SDRAM, a massive 512GB of flash storage, and of course, the 15.4-inch 2880 x 1800 Retina display - no more turning down settings to play Diablo 3 (remains to be seen, but rest assured we'll test this when we get a moment's breath).

Like the MacBook Air, the power button has been moved in l …

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Watch this: Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote video now live

2012-06-11T16:18:21-04:00

via d35lb3dl296zwu.cloudfront.net

If following our liveblog today wasn't enough for you, Apple has posted its video of its entire WWDC 2012 keynote presentation. The whole two-hour event is available to stream, though only if you're using Safari - we tried in Chrome and Firefox and had no luck. There's only an image that says the video will be "coming soon," so if you use another browser, you should be able to view it sooner than later. Apple also typically posts its major events as free video podcasts as well, but if you don't want to wait, check the video out here.

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Apple quietly discontinues the 17-inch MacBook Pro

2012-06-11T15:43:09-04:00

via images.amazon.com

Amidst the excitement surrounding Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, the company quietly did away with one of the long-standing veterans of its notebook lineup: the 17-inch MacBook Pro is no longer available. You can still buy a refurbished model on Apple's store (there's quite a few different configurations), but the computer has been removed from the regular store as well as all of Apple's MacBook product pages. The 17-inch form factor was, of course, introduced way back in 2003 as the 17-inch Powerbook, and had stuck around ever since as an option for those looking for more pixels than the 15-inch models had. We imagine …

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