MOSCONE CENTER, San Francisco — Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is upon us — the same conference that brought us the iPhone, new Mac hardware, iOS updates, and new entertainment technology, and more over the years.
We’ve speculated for awhile just what Tim Cook, Apple chief executive, would announce. And now we know: After a two-hour keynote presentation, we’ve seen glimpses of OS X Mavericks, new MacBook Airs, a spooky-cool new Mac Pro, a brand-new look for iOS7, and the debut of iTunes Radio.
The event is over now, so scroll down for the full blow-by-blow from our intrepid livebloggers.
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Here are the highlights of the day’s Apple news:
- Apple says it has paid out $10 billion to iOS developers to date. Money!
- More than 50 billion app downloads have happened, and there are 900,000 apps in the store now — 375,000 of which are designed for the iPad. (Check out our post: WWDC by the numbers.)
- The new OS X will be called “OS X Mavericks.”
- In OS X Mavericks, the Finder now includes tabs and the ability to tag files. It’s very Web 2.0.
- OS X now supports multiple displays. Wait, didn’t it already?
- Mavericks includes features designed to stretch battery life, including “timer coalescing” and “compressed memory.”
- Safari, Calendar, and Mail have new looks, and Safari has been optimized to smooth scrolling, use less power, and more.
- There’s a new Mac Maps app. Driving with your MacBook in the passenger seat? You’re all set.
- Apple will be releasing new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models, with longer battery life.
- There’s a new Mac Pro desktop computer. It’s a big cylinder. Inside, it will have dual GPUs and will support up to 3 separate 4K displays via its Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI ports. It will be assembled in the USA.
- There’s a new online version of Apple’s productivity software, called iWork for iCloud.
- Apple’s mobile operating system is getting an upgrade. iOS 7 will have a new, translucent, “flat” look, redesigned icons, and some new features.
- Apple has a new, Pandora-like streaming music service called iTunes Radio.
