WWDC 2019

Here’s everything Apple announced during its WWDC 2019 keynote

Michael Potuck | Jun 3 2019 - 8:51 pm PT

After an exciting build up to WWDC this year, Apple has unveiled all of its latest software and hardware. Read along for a roundup of everything that Apple announced today at the WWDC keynote including iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina, watchOS 6, the all-new modular Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, and much more.

The almost two-and-a-half hour 2019 WWDC keynote was jam-packed with lots of software announcements as well as the unveiling of the new Mac Pro hardware. Let’s start with a look at all of the software that was announced.

Apple releases first developer betas of iOS 13, iPadOS13, watchOS 6, macOS 10.15, and tvOS 13

Developer betas of the new software were released today, with public betas arriving in July, except for watchOS 6 which is only available for developers.

Software

iOS 13

While we had a good idea of what to expect with the newest version of iOS, Apple still offered some surprises. There’s a new swipe-style keyboard in iOS 13 called QuickPath, the Photos app has received notable new features and changes with smart clutter reduction software, a new editing experience, and a new “Photos” tab, while Siri Shortcuts has become more capable with new multi-step and suggested automations. iOS 13 also brings a new Siri feature that allows users to instantly reply to messages.

As for one of the most anticipated features, the system-wide Dark Mode has officially arrived on iOS. Apple showed off the new dark theme with the tagline “iOS now lives in the dark.”

Hands-on: This is what Dark Mode looks like in iOS 13 [Gallery]

Many other improvements and changes coming with iOS 13 include a redesigned share sheet, app downloads are 50% smaller, 2x faster app launch speed, Memoji Stickers and Memoji Makeup, HomeKit-enabled routers and HomeKit Secure Video, a new “Sign in with Apple” option for logging into third-party services, all-new Apple Maps, and much more.

iPadOS

Arguably the biggest software surprise today was iPad receiving its own platform. Apple announced iPad would be splitting off from iOS and will run on iPadOS going forward.

However, most of the features we were expecting iPad to receive with the new software did come to fruition. iPadOS brings the ability to run multiple windows for an open application, and Slide Over panels can be detached and manipulated freely.

The Files app has been updated with support for external drives and SD cards and images can be uploaded from cameras to directly to third-party apps.

Another update with iPadOS is “desktop class” browsing while Safari is gaining new keyboard shortcuts and a download manager.

Apple is also adding new three-finger gesture shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste, as well as undo.

macOS Catalina

macOS 10.15 has been officially unveiled as macOS Catalina. The new software brings with it standalone apps for Music, TV, and Podcasts as Apple retires iTunes.

As we expected, Apple unveiled a feature called Sidecar that allows an iPad to be used as a second Mac display in a few different ways. “Find My” is a revamped app that combines Find My Phone and Find My Friends and will now be available on the Mac.

A new Accessibility focused feature is called Voice Control that brings an even more powerful experience with rich navigation to users with verbal controls via on-device processing.

Screen Time is also making its way from iOS to macOS to help users be more aware of the time they spend on their notebook or desktop. Meanwhile, Apple’s UIKit framework is coming to the Mac now officially named Project Catalyst, formerly called Marzipan. This lets developers seamlessly port iPad apps to macOS.

watchOS 6

The next version of software for Apple Watch arrived today with new watch faces and complications, new first-party apps like Audiobooks, Voice Memos, and Calculator, as well as a dedicated watchOS App Store.

watchOS 6 also brings new health and fitness features such as new “Trends,” “Highlights,” and “Favorites” views to compare your activity over time. One more new app called “Cycles” allows users to track their menstrual cycles on both Apple Watch as well as iPhone and log important information.

Overall, there weren’t really any surprises when it came to watchOS 6.

tvOS 13

The next version of software for Apple TV, tvOS 13 will bring some nice improvements. Headlining the release is support for multiple users with each getting an “up next” queue. A new Control Center UI will let users switch between profiles and even music will be personalized per profile.

Another new feature will be support for Xbox One and Playstation DualShock 4 controllers for gaming. Apple TV will also gain new underwater HDR screensavers along with tvOS 13.

Apple officially announces tvOS 13 for Apple TV

Hardware

All-new Mac Pro

Apple’s showstopper at its WWDC keynote was the unveiling of its upcoming modular Mac Pro. The powerhouse features an all-new stainless steel and aluminum design with a cheese grater aesthetic.

It will be a truly modular desktop with access to components from all sides of the tower that sports eight internal PCIe slots. It starts at $6,000 for the base model but can be spec’d out with up to a 28-core Intel Xeon processor, 1.5TB of RAM, 4TB worth of SSD storage, two Radeon Pro Vega II GPUs (that’s 4 total GPUs) and a brand-new custom Apple card called Afterburner.

The new Mac Pro will be available later this fall.

Pro Display XDR

To pair with the new Mac Pro, Apple announced a 6K reference-grade professional display called the Pro Display XDR. The 32-inch display comes with a 6016 x 3384 native resolution that includes more than 20 million pixels.

It also features the cheese grater lattice aesthetic on the rear of the display, and not just for show, it uses the design as a heat sink. Other features include P3 wide color and 10-bit support, up to 1600 nits of peak brightness, 1,000,000: 1 contrast ratio, and an optional stand that works in landscape as well as portrait mode.

XDR stands for Extreme Dynamic Range as the display offers performance well beyond HDR (high dynamic range). The Pro Display XDR will also be available in the fall and starts at $5,000.

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Michael Potuck michaelpotuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.

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Here’s everything Apple announced during its WWDC 2019 keynote