WWDC 2020 June 22nd (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Ok, watched the keynote this evening after dinner. Quick thoughts:

• Handwashing detection and countdown!!! Love it!!!
• Lots of love for iPhone as always. New controls for widgets and springboard, plus PiP, all could be nice
• But in reflection...huge bummer no user-defined default apps! We're now past that being strongly needed! Getting to be a big gap in the iPhone and iPad.
• Not much love for iPad. Kinda got punted again. Caveat: if the keyboard had been held for WWDC then maybe it would have felt like a big deal. That said, the pencil handwriting recog, that's something I wanted so badly 15 years ago. Today, I recognize it as possibly huge for people than can benefit from it. Not sure it really fits my life at this point. But, great feature and glad it's coming.
• Watch...I didn't understand the watch face stuff they added, but maybe it gives me more / better control over getting the complications I want? I am happy to see "Cooldown" activity. I've noticed the lack of that type of thing.
• macOS: I think I'm cautiously optimistic of the graphical refresh to bring it into more harmony with iOS and iPadOS. Very glad to see it getting parity with iOS core apps features (Messages, Mail, etc).
• ARM transition announcement. As expected. Huge deal. Going to be fascinating to watch the next couple years!

 

[DaveF]

iOS 14 will let you change your default email and web browser apps - 9to5Mac

As part of iOS 14’s new features, users will be able to switch their default app preferences for the first...

9to5mac.com

Hoping calendar gets included too!

 

[Nelson Au]

I like the new Apple Watch app that helps you wash your hands at the proper length of time.

About Apple Silicon, I’ll be interested to read up more about it. If the GPU is integrated in the chip, then that sounds like no traditional GPU cards will be used. Does that mean the fancy Radeon cards and their cooling ducts in the new Mac Pros are no longer needed? I kind of doubt that for the desktop. But I’m curious what this means.

 

[DavidJ]

I didn’t really understand App Clips or why I’d want this feature. Anyone want to explain it to me?

I really liked a lot of the other features introduced across the product lines but agree they are more evolutionary than revolutionary.

 

[Thomas Newton]

About Apple Silicon, I’ll be interested to read up more about it. If the GPU is integrated in the chip, then that sounds like no traditional GPU cards will be used. Does that mean the fancy Radeon cards and their cooling ducts in the new Mac Pros are no longer needed? I kind of doubt that for the desktop. But I’m curious what this means.

Many Intel CPUs now have integrated GPUs. Some Macs that use these CPUs also have dedicated GPUs. So the two kinds of GPUs can co-exist, at least "one at a time".

One of the main motivations for the new Mac Pros was to allow the use of very high-end discrete GPUs that could draw a lot of power and generate a lot of heat. The 2013 Pros had dual discrete GPUs, but applications didn't always use both GPUs well. Meanwhile, the 2013 Mac Pro didn't have the thermal or space budget for high-end cards.

Even if ARM-based Macs have integrated graphics, I would expect them to continue to support (and normally be sold with) discrete GPU cards.

 

[Cranston37+]

Handwashing detection and countdown!!! Love it!!!

I like the new Apple Watch app that helps you wash your hands at the proper length of time.

I refuse to let things get to a point where I'm using an app to help me count to 20

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I refuse to let things get to a point where I'm using an app to help me count to 20

I think it's kind of a neat feature for the fact that you don't even have to think about it. It automatically detects the sound of water and the rubbing of your hands and just comes on. I think that it will actually improve the way you wash your hands as I know I don't think about the exact amount of time I am devoting to washing mine.

Just ordered an engraved Airpods Pro. Ship time is about two weeks. Probably would have been sooner if not engraved.

I also bought a $16 charger which looks perfect for its purpose...

See on Amazon

 

[Sam Posten]

Just as an aside, these smart toothbrushes that remind you how long to brush top, bottom, left and right are selling like hotcakes. You might think it's dumb but a lot of people think it's useful.

I continue to Picard Facepalm every year when people are mad there are no hardware launches for consumers at WWDC.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The one thing I was most excited about has now been confirmed by a beta tester that it does not do what I thought it would...

...and it's my mistake as I was multi-tasking while the video presentation was going on so I missed it.

Widgets on Big Sur

They will not pin to your desktop as I had hoped

They are only for notification center. I just went back to the keynote video and that's exactly how they were demonstrated.

Kind of sucks as a big opportunity was lost here but I suppose that feature will finally be added a few years from now.

 

[Sam Posten]

I thought PSOTU was going to be streamed to normies too but I guess not. My dev accounts are all defunct now so I had to scrounge for details:

Apple Platforms State of the Union 2020: Important highlights from the event

Apple's PSOTU dives even deeper into the big features coming this fall to iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV. Here's the big news.

www.imore.com

 

[Cranston37+]

I didn’t really understand App Clips or why I’d want this feature. Anyone want to explain it to me?

Say you go to pay for a rental car and you realize the only way to do it is through their app...

The way it works now is you would need to figure out what the app is, download it, then probably set up an account.

With App Clips you would scan a QR code and the portion of the app you need would pop up on your phone, in this case just the part that lets you pay. Boom. Done.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Say you go to pay for a rental car and you realize the only way to do it is through their app...

The way it works now is you would need to figure out what the app is, download it, then probably set up an account.

With App Clips you would scan a QR code and the portion of the app you need would pop up on your phone, in this case just the part that lets you pay. Boom. Done.

https://developer.apple.com/app-clips/

 

[Ted Todorov]

So the fill. Mac Intel to ARM transfer should happen within 2 years — meaning by 2022 there should be an Apple silicon MacPro, hopefully vastly less expensive than the current $6,000 base price

 

[Ronald Epstein]

So the fill. Mac Intel to ARM transfer should happen within 2 years — meaning by 2022 there should be an Apple silicon MacPro, hopefully vastly less expensive than the current $6,000 base price

Yes, possibly, and hopefully. But the monitor stand will still be $1k and the wheels for $700.

Now that I quoted those prices I don't have much hope in Apple lowering the price of anything.

 

[JohnRice]

I have one more Mini to upgrade, but it's a 2012 Quad and it's only the shipping computer at work, so I guess I'll just wait for the ARM Minis to appear. I'll get a souped up one for home and demote my current home model (2018 i7) to my office at work. They like to release minis late in the year, so I'm guessing that'll be late 2021.

 

[JohnRice]

Just as an aside, I finally decided to get a CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 dock for my home Mini. I know they're intended for notebooks, but they're a nice peripheral for minis too.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just as an aside, I finally decided to get a CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 dock for my home Mini. I know they're intended for notebooks, but they're a nice peripheral for minis too.

CalDigit makes excellent products. I have the original TS3 and TS3 Plus docks.

The only problem I am having is the thunderbolt cable (not their brand) that flakes out here and there as it has been bending across the floor for quite some time.

Apple just introduced a new 2 meter Thunderbolt Cable I am interested in. Thing is, it's $130. However, if I want to replace this cable with one that will last me a few years, there aren't too many inexpensive choices out there.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Interesting

The start-up chime is back. I did the terminal fix for Catalina but the sound is very low --- much lower volume than when it came included with the operating system.

macOS Big Sur Brings Back Startup Chime

macOS Big Sur, the newest version of Apple's operating system designed for Macs, brings back the classic startup chime that was eliminated from...

www.macrumors.com

 

[JohnRice]

CalDigit makes excellent products. I have the original TS3 and TS3 Plus docks.

The only problem I am having is the thunderbolt cable (not their brand) that flakes out here and there as it has been bending across the floor for quite some time.

Apple just introduced a new 2 meter Thunderbolt Cable I am interested in. Thing is, it's $130. However, if I want to replace this cable with one that will last me a few years, there aren't too many inexpensive choices out there.

I bet the cable wears out if you're using it with a notebook, constantly connecting and disconnecting it. Maybe it makes more sense to just get a cheaper cable and replace it when it wears out. TB3 cables aren't quite as expensive as they used to be. Still far from cheap.

 

[Sam Posten]

More videos up, not PSOTU yet that I can see.

Meet WidgetKit - WWDC20 - Videos - Apple Developer

Meet WidgetKit: the best way to bring your app's most useful information directly to the home screen. We'll show you what makes a great...

developer.apple.com