Thoughts on Apple's HomePod

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, California - Apple's newest product category since the Apple Watch in 2015 (or, it can be argued, since the EarPods last year) is their HomePod speaker revealed here a few days ago and which is coming to the US in December (with mid-2018 availability in Canada likely).

In typical Apple fashion, the company comes rather late into a market that's already quite mature. Amazon's Echo can be credited for creating the connected speaker/voice assistant space, and it's a huge seller in the US, Amazon's even expanded their product line to smaller Dot speakers as well as licensing Echo across various OEMs, including high-end speaker brands.

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WWDC 2017: watchOS 4 further refines Apple Watch for fitness

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, CA - Apple introduced watchOS 4 today at the WWDC 2017 Keynote and said the updated wearable OS will deliver more intelligence and fitness functionality to users. A new Siri watchface brings proactive information when it is needed the most and is based on machine learning and Siri intelligence.

There will now be personalized activity coaching, a new music experience that syncs over playists and an enhanced workout app that ingegrates high intensity interval training. Another big feature is that Apple Watch will be able to synchronize with popular indoor gym equiptment, making tracking of stats and performance more accurate. This platform GymKit technology offers connected workouts with Apple Watch and cardio equipment. watchOS 4 will also introduce watchfaces based off Toy Story characters.

WWDC 2017: Apple redesigns App Store

San Jose, CA- Apple has redesigned the user interface of their App Store, which serves as the starting point for many app searches. Designed around making apps more discoverable the new App Store also highlights Games, which is the leading category.

The redesigned App Store is packed with original stories and editorial, updated daily in a new Today tab, as well as new Games and Apps tabs. Apple wants to offer compelling stories, in-depth interviews, helpful tips and collections of must-have apps and games will showcase Apple’s unique perspective and aim to inform, help and inspire users.

App Store customers have now downloaded more than 180 billion apps and Apple has paid out over $70 billion to developers since the store launched in 2008, making it the most vibrant software marketplace in the world. More than 500 million unique customers visit it every week.

WWDC 2017: Apple reveals macOS High Sierra

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, CA - Along with a slew of hardware updates and releases as well as the first look at iOS 11, Apple revelaed macOS High Sierra as the next update to the Mac operating system. 

macOS High Sierra brings a lot of new feaures including new core storage, video and graphics technologies that pave the way for future innovation on the Mac, coming this fall as a free software update in the Mac App Store.

macOS High Sierra offers an all-new file system, support for High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) and an update to Metal, Apple’s advanced graphics technology. The update also includes refinements to Photos, Safari and Mail.

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