WWDC 2017: Apple updates entire iMac and MacBook Pro lines with latest processors, SSDs

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, Ca - iMac and MacBook fans got some great news at WWDC earlier today as Apple announced that it has updated the entire line of Mac desktops and notebooks with the latest Intel Kaby Lake processors, 50 per cent faster SSDs and improved performance.

iMacs, in particular, got a lot of love today with improved graphics and displays, even more options for adding storage and RAM. 

iMac also comes with the best Mac display ever, now 43 percent brighter at 500 nits and with support for 1 billion colours, delivering an even more vivid and true-to-life viewing experience.

The updated iMac features faster Kaby Lake processors up to 4.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz and supports up to twice the memory as the previous generation. Fusion Drive is now standard on all 27-inch configurations and the top-end 21.5-inch iMac. SSD storage options are now up to 50 percent faster, and iMac comes with Thunderbolt 3, the most powerful and versatile port ever.

“With major updates to iMac, and a refresh of our MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, the Mac is stronger than ever,” said John Ternus, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering. “Today iMac gets a huge graphics performance increase, faster CPU performance, Thunderbolt 3 and a brighter Retina display with support for 1 billion colours. We're also increasing CPU and SSD speed on MacBook, adding faster processors and making faster graphics standard on our 15-inch MacBook Pro and introducing a new $1,729 (CAD) 13-inch MacBook Pro.”

WWDC 2017: Apple enters smart speaker space with HomePod

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, CA - Apple gave delegates to its yearly WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) a sneak peek at their new HomePod smart home speaker. At just under 7 inches tall, HomePod represents years of hardware and software innovation at Apple, including spatial awareness that allows HomePod to sense its location in a room and automatically adjust the audio to deliver a great music experience, a large, Apple-designed woofer and a custom array of seven beam-forming tweeters.

“Apple reinvented portable music with iPod and now HomePod will reinvent how we enjoy music wirelessly throughout our homes,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “HomePod packs powerful speaker technology, Siri intelligence and wireless access to the entire Apple Music library into a beautiful speaker"

Coming to the US and UK in December, HomePod is powered by an Apple A8 processor, it integrates Siri, has access to Apple Music's 40 million song library and can also control IoT and connected home devices by serving ans a HomeKit hub.

PayPal and Canada Post announce integrated payment and shipping solution

Great news for small businesses in Canada, PayPal Canada and Canada Post announced a new integrated payment and shipping solution for solopreneurs, small businesses and casual sellers. This integration aims to make e-commerce more easily accessible for entrepreneurs and small businesses including 83 per cent of Canadian small and mid-sizes businesses that currently do not sell online.

Before the launch of this solution, sellers would receive orders, often write the labels manually and then visit a Canada Post retail outlet to ship the parcels. With this new integrated payment and shipping solution, online sellers can track their orders, print shipping labels and pay for shipping seamlessly using their PayPal account. This new functionality automatically sends tracking information and delivery confirmation alerts to both the seller and the customer once a shipping label is created.

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Apple Store is down pointing to certain hardware announcements at WWDC 2017

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, CA - Good news for anyone hoping for new Apple hardware announcements coming today from Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) here in San Jose. The online Apple Store is down, this is usually a sign that we can expect some product refreshes (at the very least) or, more likely, some new product announcements and possibly a new category or two. 

WWDC is primarily an ecosystem and developer conference, Apple announes various new technologies and tools and shows examples of what is coming next to iOS, macOS and various peripheral ecosystems. We've seen minor hardware announcements in the past like the new MacBook Pros or the Mac Pro, however this year will likely be different. Apple hasn't had a hardware event since Septemeber's iPhone 7 and Apple Watch event which also brought new MacBook Pros with Touchbars. While the iPad received a rather quiet update (and drop in price) early this year, the iPad Pro hasn't seen a notable refresh in a while. That might change today as Apple showcases iOS 11 and more pro-focused functionality from its tablet line. Stay tuned!