On Monday, Apple kickstarted its Worldwide Developers Conference special event keynote, revealing the next generation of Apple products and services.
Presented by CEO Tim Cook, the event focused mostly on the software side of things. Near the start of the keynote, Apple unveiled all the improvements coming to iOS 14.
Among the additions to the latest version of the iPhone operating system are the app library feature, updated widget support, and picture-in-picture support to allow users to watch content or FaceTime someone while using other apps. The graphical elements of Siri have received an update, and there will be a new translation app that allows for voice and text translation between 11 languages. There are also extensive updates coming to the Messages app, including the ability to pin conversations and inline replies for group conversations.
From there the focus shifted to the updates to the iPad version of iOS 14, with a wide variety of options to make full use of the large tablet screen. Additionally AirPods Pro will be getting spatial audio, and they can be used with multiple Apple devices easier than before. Apple Watch iOS updates got some brief screentime too, showcasing the improved workout tracking and connectivity support with iPhones.
Perhaps the biggest subject of the day is the new macOS, Big Sur. In a demo of the new operating system, the substantial redesign was unveiled to showcase the new use of widgets, new icons for apps, and plenty of improvements to Safari. Privacy was an important topic throughout the keynote, but the security of Safari was particularly touted as impressive. Apple also revealed that the Mac will transition to Apple's own ARM-powered silicon.
Watch the keynote in full above.
