watchOS 4 i HomePod
There is a system update, operating a smartphone and the changed App Store. At WWDC in California, we saw an application developer tool that specializes in expanded reality. And an interesting device with a Siri assistant that has 7 speakers and a personal processor.
Among the many news out there at the WWDC conference were Apple Watch and watchOS 4. The watch has a dial with direct Siri support. WatchOS 4 can automatically play a user-defined playlist of music that is specific to the exercise. It is interesting to add direct support for devices using the low-voltage version of Bluetooth. This will allow for the transmission of data to the watch, eg from sensors that read glucose levels.
New to the App Store is the appearance of DLC modules for games (extensions). Also the look of the mobile app store has been redesigned. Immediately after launching the App Store we will see the Today screen with recommended applications and games.
Developers have been given an API - the Application Programming Interface (API) - from Apple to use machine learning and cognitive functions. The image recognition engine now allows you to process up to six times more photos on your iPhone 7 than you can with your Google Pixel smartphone or Samsung GS8. And that's not all, Apple has built a completely new framework for extended reality. ARKit is supposed to work with Unity, Unreal and SceneKit. The company demonstrated the capabilities of this tool on the example of the upgraded version of Pokemon Go. The creatures caught in the air do not hang in the air, but wait for the player on the actual surface - grass, sidewalk or street, depending on what the camera sees.
Initially, Apple's speakers did not even talk about the new speaker, but finally the boss of the company, Tim Cook, commented, slightly modified, cult icon Steve Jobs: "There's one LAST thing" - and introduced a new product. A smartphone that is not only smart, but primarily plays just like the speaker should play. And it's called HomePod.
The device is 7 inches high, consists of seven speakers - midrange and tweeter, and a 4 inch subwoofer in the top. HomePod controls the Apple A8 processor. Why CPU in the speaker? For smart features, but also for modeling digital audio in real time or multi-channel echo reduction. The speaker automatically analyzes the shape of the room and, depending on the results of the analysis, adjusts the sound parameters.
The smart speaker manufacturers priced at $ 349 ($ 1,300). The US, UK and Australia will be available for sale in December. The remaining countries will hit next year. It is a pity that the usefulness of HomePod in Poland will be severely limited due to Siri who has not yet learned our language.