Apple unveils iOS 16 with revamped lock screen and big changes to ...

(CNN) Apple kicked off its annual developer conference by unveiling its next-generation mobile software, iOS 16, with new features that will let users personalize their iPhone lock screens, change how they text friends through iMessage and deepen how its smartphones integrate with cars.

These and other updates, which were unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, show how Apple continues to push to ensure its devices -- the iPhone in particular -- remain central to our daily lives and the many products we interact with. But while these updates will likely appeal to many Apple device users, the event was also notable for what was not announced: a new product.

In recent days, some industry watchers had held out hope that Apple could offer an early look at a platform thought to be called RealityOS. The system, according to rumors, could power a mixed reality headset -- a wearable device that's said to be capable of both VR and AR -- which Apple has been rumored to be working on for years.

Instead, the focus was on a number of functional, if not sexy, product updates: more multi-tasking features on Mac software, the introduction of Apple's Weather app on iPad and the unveiling of the company's next-generation M2 chip.

"While some may be disappointed at the lack of radical new hardware in areas such as AR, Apple's investment in silicon will play a defining role in future product categories, such as a head-worn device, where power and performance must be finely balanced," said Ben Wood, chief analyst at market research firm CCS Insight.

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WWDC 2022: What to expect at this week's Apple conference - CNN

(CNN) Apple is about to hold its annual developer conference this week where it's expected to show off new software coming to its most popular devices and possibly offer the biggest hint yet about a new product long rumored to be in development.

At its Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off virtuallyon Monday and runs through Friday, Apple is expected to show off its latest operating system, iOS 16, which could reportedly include a revamped notification center and lock screen for iPhones as well as new health features and social featuresfor iMessage. Other rumors point to new TV OS features, which could tie into the smart home; an upgrade to Apple Watch OS that would boost the battery life; and a new MacBook Air.

Some analysts arealso holding out hope thatcould offer an early look at a platform thought to be called RealityOS.The system could power the mixed reality headset — a wearable device that's said to be capable of both virtual and augmented reality — which Apple has been rumored to be working on for years.

Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, has taken to calling the rumored hardware product "Apple Glasses," in an apparent nod to Google's early and failed foray into smart glasses. In an investor note this week, Ives said he expects Apple to "hit on a number of AR/VR technologies to developers that the company plans to introduce."

"Ultimately this strategy is laying the breadcrumbs to the highly anticipated AR headset Apple Glasses set to make its debut likely before holiday season or latest early 2023," he said.

Cook has long been vocal about Apple's vision to dive deeper into AR, calling it "the next big thing" and "a critically important part of Apple's future." Whether this is the year Apple finally shows its cards for that future, however, is anyone's guess.

Apple's event will be livestreamed on its website, YouTube and other social media platforms. It is set to start at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET. Here's a closer look at what to expect:

The iPhone lock screen gets a refresh

iOS 16 features aren't expected to be game changers, but a few additions could breathe new life into the user experience. Similar to last year iOS 16 features aren't expected to be game changers, but a few additions could breathe new life into the userexperience.

Apple is expected to make messages more social and interactive and to rework the notification system and lock screen with a greater focus on widgets, according to Bloomberg

Ramon Llamas, research director at IDC Research, said Apple could create a valuable opportunity for developers by rethinking the real estate on the lockscreen to move away from static notifications of texts and emails and toward interactive experiences like schedules, weather and news.

"Think of all the things and widgets you could see just at a glance without having to open your iPhone," Llamas said. "Now tie them to your homescreen. It's a part of the iPhone experience that has been mostly the same and would benefit from a refresh."

Updates to iPad and Mac software

more like a laptop and less like a phone. With iPadOS, meanwhile, Apple is expected to double down on multitasking features to play up its powerful in-house M1 processor. According to Bloomberg , the update could make the iPad feelmore like a laptopand less like a phone.

Apple is also expected to unveil its latest Mac OS, with the rumored name Mac Mammoth. It could offer refreshes to apps such as Mail, Notes and Safari, and similar social functionality in Messages to what's rumored to be coming to iPhones.

Apple may add home automation improvements to both its HomePod speaker and Apple TV, as well as its broader HomeKit ecosystem. It's also possible Apple could announce a refresh to Apple Watch OS, with the promise of new health features, workouts and watch faces.

Hardware improvements

If Apple's prior developer conferences are any indication, it's unlikely the company will unveil any major new hardware products at the event this year. But it's possible Apple could shine a spotlight on its next-generation M2 chip and discuss some developer opportunities around it. For example, Apple could unveil a new MacBook Air by showing what the system would be capable of with its latest in-house processor.

"Usually, new hardware comes out later in the year, so don't be disappointed if you don't see something," Llamas said. "But even if Apple does, I think the bigger news is not the hardware itself, but Apple's own silicon that powers them."

A look at the future of AR/VR

The big wild card at WWDC is whether Apple makes a splashy announcement around augmented reality or focuses on more incremental updates.

Rather than unveiling a mixed reality headset now, Apple may outline how developers could use its existing ARKit platform and its programming language, Swift, to create content for AR and VR broadly. (Apple's tagline for the event is "Swiftly approaching." The company often hides clues in images and taglines of its events' invites.)

"It's quite possible the company will tease new AR/VR features without outright revealing a new device," said Eric Abbruzzese, research director at ABI Research. But, as he notes, it would be unusual for Apple to reveal a new software system for a hardware line it has yet to unveil.

"It'd be like revealing iOS before the iPhone was revealed," Abbruzzese added.

While it's unclear if Apple will be laying the framework for a bigger push around AR/VR hardware in the pipeline, it's quite likely Apple executives will dedicate a good portion of its keynote presentation to software around those technologies.

"Apple's been building ARKit on the mobile device side for years," Abbruzzese said. "Much of that will absolutely translate to their headsets."

iOS 16: What will Apple announce at WWDC? What you need to know

Next week's Worldwide Developers Conference will provide a first glimpse of how the iPhone will change this fall.

On Monday, Apple will host a virtual keynote for WWDC from its headquarters in California, where it will likely share details on the latest software updates for iPhones, iPads and MacBook computers.

Tentatively called iOS 16, the next software update will introduce a new look and feel to all iPhones. Apple will also likely unveil new version of its iPadOS and WatchOS for iPads and Apple Watches.

Last year, the launch of iOS 15 added major upgrades to video calling tool FaceTime, including a grid view to see multiple people on a call at once, a Focus mode to help minimize distracting notifications, and the option to add your state identification or driver's license to your iPhone.

What can iPhone owners expect this year? Let's round up what Apple may reveal.

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An always-on iPhone screen

The lock screen could undergo a radical transformation, according to a report from Bloomberg. iOS 16 would include support for an always-on display which would provide basic information to users, said the report. For context, some models of Samsung smartphones feature an always-on display with info such as date, time, and notifications.

The lock screen would also support wallpapers capable of offering information like widgets to iPhone owners, the report said.

Messages to get an upgrade

The iPhone's Messages app could see some changes, too. Bloomberg reports Messages could support more social network-style functionality but didn't specify exactly how it could change.

An updated Health app

The Health app is also expected to add new features available for both the iPhone and Apple Watch, Bloomberg reports.

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported Apple was working on several new additions for Apple Watch that could launch this year, including a tool to alert users when their blood pressure is rising and a thermometer to help with fertility planning.

When will iOS 16 launch?

Typically, the arrival of the latest version of iOS lands just before the launch of a new iPhone in the fall. Last year, Apple launched iOS 15 on Sept. 20, four days before the debut of the iPhone 13.

Will my iPhone support iOS 16?

The most recent releases of the iPhone will almost certainly support iOS 16. The question is whether much older models going back to the iPhone 6S, which launched nearly seven years ago, will still run the latest version of iOS. If you're clinging to one of those models, it might be time to consider an upgrade.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

MacBooks: What we know about Apple's new M2 MacBook Air ...

Bob O'Donnell

Special to USA TODAY

CUPTERTINO, Calf. — How do you make something both a surprise and not a surprise at the same time? Well, if you’re Apple, you announce something most everyone expects you to do at a much different time than most people thought you would.

No, I’m not talking about the highly anticipated (but still only rumored) AR headset (that’s likely something for next year). This week’s announcement belonged to the new M2 chip-based MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, which the company unveiled at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). The WWDC event is usually focused almost exclusively on software advancements with things like feature updates to iOS, MacOS, watchOS, and iPadOS taking center stage.

WWDC 22 recap: Apple unveils the MacBook Air 2022, iOS 16 during keynote

In fact, the company did address software updates this year, with iOS 16 promising features like lock screen customization and text message recall or post-send editing, iPadOS 16 offering significantly more Mac-like productivity features for collaboration and multi-app windowing, and MacOS Ventura (the next version’s name) scheduled to enable things like Continuity Camera for using a paired iPhone as a high-quality webcam and passwordless log-ins via new Passkeys.

So long, passwords? Portable digital identities may replace them

In addition to the expected software refinements, however, Apple also took the wraps off its highly anticipated second-generation M2 chip for Mac and the first two machines to support it – updated versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Even casual Apple observers all figured the company would eventually do this, but most everyone tracking the news from WWDC was surprised it happened now.

What it illustrates is that Apple is moving forward even more aggressively on its roadmap for making custom Arm-based chip designs (at the heart of the M series processors) than many realized. At the same time, it’s becoming clear that Apple’s M line of silicon is quickly becoming a more complex and nuanced set of offerings than many had originally thought.

As you would expect based on the name alone, the M2 is a more advanced version of the original M1 chip first introduced about 20 months ago in previous versions of the MacBook Air, 13” MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini. It is not, however, expected to be faster or more capable than the M1 Ultra, M1 Pro, or M1 Max processors the company has debuted over the past year.

What does it all mean?

Confused? Well, what Apple is clearly signaling is that it will have a tier of performance levels within each generation of its M series line and, from generation to generation, those tiers are going to overlap. So, M2-based computers are expected to be 18% faster for computation and 35% faster for graphics than M1 machines, but not necessarily faster than something based on the M1 Pro or M1 Ultra. At the same time, it’s now fairly safe to bet that we’ll see an M2 Pro and M2 Ultra and that they will be faster than their predecessors.

iOS 16 release details: These are the six biggest updates coming to iPhones this fall

What this also suggests is that, in some ways, Apple is using a page from an old Intel chip manufacturing strategy called “tic toc.” With this approach, one generation of chips provides refinements from an existing design as the M2 – seems to be doing versus the M1– and then the generation after that uses what’s called a different process node to manufacture the chip with small transistors.

Tech talk

Practically speaking, what this means is that the M1 and M2 were made with 5 nm (nanometer) transistors, but the M3 is expected to be shrunk down to using 3 nm components. The only reason you should care is that these process node changes typically offer even greater performance boosts than design changes, meaning we could see even bigger performance jumps when Apple eventually moves to the M3.

The M2 looks to bring solid improvements versus the first generation M1 MacBooks. Even bigger news for the new M2-powered MacBook Air is a refined, slimmed down design that brings back the Magsafe power connector, improves the webcam to 1080P resolution and ups the screen size to 13.6 inches.

As I was able to witness first hand at the event, it’s a beautiful machine to see and hold, and it also now comes in four different metallic colors. The new design does come at a price, however, with the M2-based MacBook Airs starting at $1,199 when they’re available sometime next month, according to Apple. That’s $200 more than the M1 MacBook Air, which the company will continue to sell for $999.

New Apple Pay Later feature:Now you can buy that MacBook on the installment plan

The M2-based MacBook Pro starts at the same $1,299 price as the M1-based MacBook Pro (which it is replacing), though it maintains the same design and 13” screen size of the original.

The bottom line

As Apple likes to point out, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are the world’s two best- selling laptops (in part, because Apple offers significantly fewer different models than any other PC vendor), so changes and upgrades to them are going to impact and be noticed by a lot of people.

The M2 versions, particularly the newly designed MacBook Air, offer a lot of what most potential buyers will want in a notebook, including up-to-date performance, solid battery life and good designs. More importantly, they are clear representations of where Apple wants its computing business to go – full steam ahead.

All things Apple: The latest from the tech giant after WWDC

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast:

Apple's World Wide Developers Conference wrapped up on Friday with the announcement of new software (I.O.S. 16) and new features to Imessage. But are these changes enough to keep people devoted to the tech giant and it's ecosystem? Or is the thrill gone?

The team at 5 Things sat down with USA TODAY tech guru Brett Molina to get his take on what's new with Apple. He talks about what he liked, what was meh and what he didn't like from the WWDC.

To read more from Brett Molina about the WWDC, click here.

To follow James Brown on Twitter, click here.

To follow Brett Molina on Twitter, click here.

Podcasts:True-crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

James Brown: Hello, and welcome to Five Things. I'm James Brown. It's Sunday, June 12th, 2022. On Sundays. We do things a bit differently focusing on one topic instead of five. And this week we're talking about Apple with USA Today's tech guru, Brett Molina. Hi Brett.

Brett Molina: Hey there. Thanks for having me.

James Brown: So I wanted to start by sharing something with you. I've been an Apple fan for a long time. I bought an iBook when I was in college. I named it Banana.

Brett Molina: Nice.

James Brown: I have an iPad Mini. I had at least three or four iPod Nanos. I think the last one was stolen out of an old car of mine. I have four iPhones in my life. I've bought two MacBook Pros. I'm recording this on a MacBook Pro, but honestly for me, the thrill is gone. And I know that Apple sales have stagnated over the last few years. And I think part of it for me is, and I think this fits in with the announcements, is this ever-changing battery of, "We must change the port. We must change the cord. We must force you to buy all this extra stuff."

I guess my point is with so many changes constantly with the product, I feel a bit gouged. I feel like Apple is taking advantage of their seamless one operating system, one manufacturer advantage to leverage me into spending more and more money on products that they choose me to spend it on. I can't help but think it's a bit greedy at this point. What are your thoughts on that?

Brett Molina: They certainly have the walled garden concept down to a tee, which is all their products obviously work seamlessly together. I remember back in the day before I had bought a Mac, I was on a PC and I was trying to use iTunes and trying to do stuff with that and it was a huge pain and it was not pleasant. And it's funny how once you get all the Apple products, they work obviously so perfectly together. But yeah, if you even try to introduce something that's non Apple it can be a headache. It's not necessarily the most seamless process.

It's also interesting too, because they're really big on accessories. They're really big on adapters. I feel like they do really well with adapters and stuff, like with the MacBook, for example, where they had few reports on newer models and how you had to buy the adapter just to be able to use things like a monitor or anything else. And that was, again, extra money you had to pay.

You have the lightning cable stuff and we recently saw the EU talk about how they're trying to require a uniform charging cord for all portable devices, which is significant because if that's the case that changes up a lot of what Apple does, because they're pretty much the only ones that have, or they're one of the few that have their own proprietary charging system with lightning. And that means a lot of people in the EU with iPhones, iPads, everything else, what do you do?

But again, that gets back to now Apple can sell you another adapter, the adapter that allows you to charge with USBC and stuff like that. Obviously people with lightning connectors, they'll still be able to charge their phones and stuff like that so it's not going to be an issue there. But it is going to be interesting to see how this all changes. And whether, again, we get to a point where in the US, do we see the same thing?

Because honestly, I would love the idea of having one cord that charges everything because it's perfect. And again, how many people in their house have a drawer or somewhere in their house with dozens and dozens of cords that are wrapped up in a ball or something else? I know I have. I'm sure a lot of people do. And so the thought of that's great, but again, back to Apple. I feel like that's always been their thing where it's like you're not just buying the product, you're buying that plus a handful of accessories, because it's got to work with this and work with something else. And yeah, it just feels like a never ending cycle sometimes.

James Brown: What is the Worldwide Developers Conference and why should we care? How long has it been around?

Brett Molina: Oh, this has been around for several years now. This is an annual event that Apple has hosted where they bring together developers from all across their different platforms. Obviously it started with the Mac and it's since expanded. Obviously iPhone came out in '07s, so we've seen the huge ecosystem of developers and apps that has created. And then you have iPad. You have Apple Watch.

It's really just a place for developers to get together, to talk, just talk about Apple, app development, learn the new tools that Apple's going to introduce that will allow them to either make their apps better or maybe create new experiences.

It's taken on importance of the last few years among consumers because Apple's had this keynote where every year they've introduced the latest iOS and they talk a lot about, 'here's what your phone's going to look like in the fall. Here's what your tablet's going to look like in the fall." Back early on when the iPhone first came out, we saw this just fascinating consumer response. People were waiting in line for days. And so Apple's had this really unique position where, when they announce a software update, people really pay attention to it. And so that's why we've seen WWDC become bigger and not just, yeah, this is a place for developers to get together, but consumers can actually learn a lot about how's my phone going to look in September? What new things can I do with it?

James Brown: What are your takeaways about the conference? The big change apparently is with text messages. Well, it's not really text messages. It's iMessages, right?

Brett Molina: Absolutely. I think that's an important distinction that it's about iMessage. And there are a couple caveats to this. If you are messaging with someone that's using the Messages app on iPhone and they are both on iOS 16, then those features like edit a message or unsend something, those are available. If, say, I have an iPhone with iOS 16 and you have an iPhone with iOS 15 and I want to edit a message You won't see it because you're not up to date. And it's also important too, if you are messaging someone on an Android phone, they don't get the message. And it's the reason why you see that green bubble all the time. It's being sent as an SMS text message, which means, again, as it is now, once you send it's sent and that's it.

James Brown: So in order to enact such a change across platforms, it would take everybody using the same system I would imagine. And I don't think that will happen.

Brett Molina: Well, see, that's the thing. It's how widely will people adopt this new version of iOS? I think it feels like most iPhone owners are pretty quick to update to the latest version, so it is likely. It could take a couple years too, before this becomes more widespread. Obviously as people upgrade their phones, they're going to be on whatever the latest version of iOS is. So it could be a thing where over time, maybe in a year or two, we see a lot more people on those later versions of iOS and then that edit message, undo send becomes a lot more widespread.

James Brown: Do you think it's necessary?

Brett Molina: I do, just because especially if you accidentally send a text to someone. Maybe you send a text to someone you regret in a you send it spur in the moment. You're like, "Oh, I shouldn't have sent that." You pull it back. Or again, one of the first things I thought of when they talked about editing your messages was the auto correct phenomenon where your phones love to auto correct you.

And sometimes you're sending out a text or a message in a blur and it auto corrects and it sends you the wrong word. And so maybe it's an awkward message or it's just an annoying typo. It's nice to be able to pop in and say, "Oh, let me just edit it real quick," and it's all set instead of sending five messages like, "Oh, I meant to say this," and this whole thing. So yeah, I definitely do see a benefit to it.

James Brown: When you look at the other announcements, what did you like? What was meh and what did you hate?

Brett Molina: I think the one that jumped out to me was the lock screen stuff. I like the fact that they have finally caught on in a starting point with personalizing the way your phone looks. We've seen hints of this because there are apps like Widgetsmith, I believe that's the name, where you can customize the actual icons on your phone and have a style that you prefer. I'm hoping it's a step toward that. I like the fact that you can really personalize this.

They've borrowed a lot from Apple Watch in how you have these smaller widgets. You know on your Apple Watch, if you have an Apple Watch, you might see the little icons in the corner that take you to the weather or to activity or things like that. Same thing on your iPhone. You can do that too, where you have custom fonts for the time, for the date, you can lay it out however you want. And then also you have these little mini widgets that give you information. I think that's really great. It's a really nice change to that experience.

The meh stuff. I mean, I always go back to Apple Maps only because frankly, I just feel like Waze and Google are so far ahead in that space that it's going to take a lot of convincing for me to feel like, "Oh wow, Apple Maps has finally made it." Waze just feels so way ahead of everybody else, and Google Maps as well, that it's hard for me to get honestly excited about anything related to Apple Maps.

I won't say I hate it, but it's kind of a downside to the lock screen stuff. So if you've ever put a photo on your phone, the thing that drives me nuts is if you have faces on your lock screen wallpaper. The time blocks it, like you're trying to hide their identity in some form. And they had a really cool feature where, if you take a photo in portrait mode, it actually brings the photo to the front. So the time can be in the background and the photo's in front. It works with photos in portrait mode, or if there is a singular person that's the center or the focus of a photo. If you have a group photo, you still have the same problem. It's one of those things that's always annoyed me. Again, it's a downside kind of thing, but at some point I just want them to figure that out.

The one thing I wish they had done too, is related to the lock screen, is have some kind of always on function. We've seen this with Android phones where it just shows you the time and you can see the time, the date, whatever, and it's just on and it doesn't seem to require as much battery life, but instead of having to pick up your phone or do anything like that, you just look over and now you know what time it is. So that's what I took away, I think, from the keynote this year.

James Brown: Big picture. What's the biggest challenge that you see down the pike for Apple?

Brett Molina: Oh boy. I think what's going to be interesting is all the services they have and bringing that all together, because we've talked about this with the whole ecosystem and wanting to keep everyone within their realm. I'm going to be interested to see with the way the iPhone goes. One thing they've done, to their credit, is they have offered a wider range of iPhones at different models and ages. So your iPhone presumably lasts much longer. It almost feels like a laptop in a way. Even still to this day, in some respect with smartphones, people are so used to that two year cycle where every two years it's get a new phone. It feels like though you can hold onto your phone, almost like you do with a computer, where you can hold onto it for several years, for the most part, and it's still a really good phone and it's really functional. Even older versions. You can get four, five years out of it and it's still a really solid smartphone. So I'm be interested to see how that all plays out and also just to see what else they do with services.

The other thing I'm fascinated by too, is all the stuff with Apple Wallet, where you can have your driver's license on your phone, you can have your keys in your, phone. You can do that. I'm going to be real interested to see how quickly that's adopted. I know Apple and a lot of these companies are very big on data and protecting your privacy and things like that. At the same time, I also feel like that's a lot to put on one device. I already put quite a bit of info and data about myself on one device and obviously with other apps like health and things like that. Everything about you can be on your phone. I feel like we're also getting to a point where it just feels like a lot.

James Brown: We may be approaching the creepy line.

Brett Molina: Kind of. And again, I think they see it as obviously convenience and making your life easier, but there's also, for me, the skeptical side of do I really want all this info about me on one device? I don't know.

James Brown: To that point, I went to a grocery store, I don't know, six weeks ago maybe and I didn't realize I forgot my wallet, but I have an iPhone and I have Apple Pay, so I was able to go to that. And I wonder if how close are we to like, man, are people just not going to carry a wallet at all?

Brett Molina: And again, that's the way I felt once Apple started talking about being able to put your driver's license on your phone. For now, it's a very specific use case where, if you're at the airport and you want to just verify who you are, you can use your phone and it has your basic information. But we are getting to that point where, how long before you need to bring a purse or a wallet or anything else, because it's pretty much all there on your phone? And then what are the ramifications for that? If I get a speeding ticket and I get pulled over, do I just hand my phone over? How does that work? I think there's so many layers of the way we use different things and there is convenience, but I also think there are other real world applications where it's like, so what does it mean for me when I use it in this particular situation?

And that's obviously stuff that a lot of these companies are going to think about down the road, but again, it's a lot of data on one device. Not to mention if you're backing it up on different cloud services and things like that if you lose your phone. Because that's the other thing. If you lose your phone, again, you can remotely wipe, erase, reset your phone if that ever happens. But again, it's just that feeling of, "I've lost this device that has pretty much everything in my life."

James Brown: Well, Brett Molina, thank you for joining me.

Brett Molina: Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure.

James Brown: If you liked the show, write us a review on Apple Podcast or wherever you're listening and do me a favor. Share it with a friend. What do you think of the show and of Apple? Let me know at James Brown's TV on Twitter, or email me at jabrown@usatoday.com. Thanks to Brett Molina for joining me and Alexis Gustin for her production assistance. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with five things you need to know from Monday and for all of us at USA today, thanks for listening. I'm James Brown and as always, be well.

With iOS 8, Apple entices 'Android switchers'

Jefferson Graham, and Jessica Guynn

USATODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Welcome to the iUniverse.

Apple is ramping up competition for the hearts and wallets of consumers with slick new software and services including a new mobile operating system that will be available this fall.

The announcements were made at Apple's developer conference in San Francisco, an annual event that is playing an increasingly important role in the company's bid to stanch global market share losses to Google's Android operating system.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said 130 million customers bought an iOS device for the first time in the past 12 months, many of them switching from Android.

In a jab at Android, he said they were seeking a better experience and a better life and had bought Android "by mistake."

Longtime Apple analyst Tim Bajarin predicted new features such as family sharing will not only appeal to Apple diehards but could persuade some consumers to ditch their Android and Windows phones and make Apple the digital hub of their lives.

Research firm Canalys says of the 279.4 million smartphones shipped worldwide in the first quarter of 2014, Android accounted for 81% and Apple for 16%.

"Apple delivered a lot of new features for consumers that they will embrace," said Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. "These will be a big hit with those who are iOS and Mac users and will also entice more people who have not been in the Apple camp to come over."

The new features include mobile health tracking software which lets people monitor their vital signs and fitness, and easier ways to store and exchange files.

Apple also introduced an updated version of its Mac operating system called Yosemite, after the national park.

Many changes that Apple introduced Monday were designed to help Mac computers work more seamlessly with iPhones and iPads.

A new system called Continuity makes it easier to jump from device to device. For example, you can start an email on an iPad and then finish it on a Mac.

Apple also introduced iCloud Drive, which will let users store files online and access them from different devices, a service that is very similar to Dropbox.

Some Apple fans held out hope for a major announcement, a smart watch, new iPhone with a bigger screen, an iPad refresh or even a newfangled Apple TV. But Apple typically introduces new hardware in the fall and winter to take advantage of back to school and holiday shopping seasons.

Eddy Cue, the company's senior vice president of Internet software and services, built anticipation for new gadget releases last week at the Code Conference when he said Apple had "the best product pipeline" he had ever seen in his 25 years at Apple.

Apple stock closed at $628.65 in regular trading Monday, down just under one percent.

A lot was riding on the splashy event attended by about 5,000 Apple developers. The annual conference helps build excitement for Apple's future products. Apple mobile software launches — maps, photos and text messaging — have had a mixed track record.

The event came on the heels of last week's announcement that Apple is buying music streaming and headphones company Beats Electronics for $3 billion, bringing aboard music industry veteran Jimmy Iovine and music artist Dr. Dre.

Iovine attended Monday's event, and Apple exec Craig Federighi used new software that lets you make a phone call from a Mac to call Dr. Dre. "What time should I get in to work?" Dr. Dre asked during the call.

Here's a look at what's new in both iOS 8 and OS X Mavericks:

iOS 8:

• Health. Building on the popularity of standalone health and fitness products such as the Fitbit and Jawbone Up, Apple unveiled a new app, HealthKit, to bring all the various health activities into one place. Apple is working with hospitals and doctors to sync health information directly to health providers.

• Family Sharing: A new tool to share privately among family members — photos, calendars and other information — will be a key feature in iOS 8. Additionally, parents will get notifications when their kids want to buy new apps, and will need their approval before the sale can go through.

• Messages: When creating text messages, users can also create audio messages on the fly.

• Keyboard: In a move to catch up to Google, Apple is adding predictive text to suggest words you might want to use as you're typing.

• Siri: The digital personal assistant gets upgraded — it can now be used to access songs with the Shazam song search and to purchase songs on iTunes.

Apple also announced HomeKit, a hub for controlling various apps for automating lights, garage doors, thermostats and the like.

OS X Yosemite:

Apple is looking to one of the world's premiere national parks for its latest operating system upgrade, Yosemite.

The OS, which will be available for free in the fall, will see several key improvements.

• Spotlight search. The internal search now expands beyond what's on your computer to also include the Web, with tabs for Wikipedia, Yelp and Microsoft's Bing search.

• Phone calls. Folks who own iPhones will see caller ID show up on Mac computers when the phone rings. You can now answer iPhone calls on the Mac, or place calls on the computer by clicking the phone number on the Safari browser.

• Bigger attachments for mail. The new attachment limit is 5 GB.

• iCloud drive. A new folder on Apple computers will include iCloud drive, for saving files into the cloud, accessible via multiple computers and Apple mobile devices.

Apple WWDC iOS 12 takeaways: How your iPhone will change

Bravo, Apple is finally tackling smartphone addiction. And adding group video chats to FaceTime.

These are the two key standout features that will be coming to the iPhone as part of an iOS 12 software upgrade that Apple unveiled Monday at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose. iOS 12 will be at the core of the next new iPhone(s) that likely will be announced in September. The software will also freshen up the iPhone (and iPad) you already own.

Such models could be as ancient as the iPhone 5s, or the same handsets supported by iOS 11.

It wasn’t much of a surprise that this latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system arrives without a ton of fancy new consumer features — unless your idea of “fancy” is “tongue detection” for Animojis and new cartoonish characters called “Memojis.”

That’s OK. A lot of the important stuff comes under the hood, where Apple promises to make your devices perform faster and be more responsive. The company got into a pickle for slowing down iPhones with aging batteries, so everyone is expecting, or at least hoping, that even those older phones will zip right along.

And at least during the company's WWDC keynote, Apple didn't say much about any iOS impact on batteries.

More:Apple's next iPhone and iOS 12: Here's what Apple should change

The new operating system likely will arrive around the same time new iPhones show up in the fall. Here are my key takeaways:

Screen time

Just about everyone can relate to screen addiction, especially if you have kids for whom you need a crowbar to remove them from their devices.

That’s where the new Screen Time feature comes in. For starters, Apple is promising a weekly summary that details how you or your kids use an iPhone or iPad.

What apps are you/they spending your time on? What’s the breakout, say by games, social networking, etc.? Which apps are drawing you guys in? Where are notifications most coming from? The summary is meant to answer such questions.

Armed with such information you can make informed decisions in setting app time limits for you or your youngsters. You can set such limits by category or by individual app.

You might reward kids a time allowance for good behavior, or for that matter give him or her access to an app all the time, maybe age-appropriate educational apps or the Phone app so they can always call you. Such limits are account-based through Family Sharing, so they apply across all the iOS devices in your household.

Do Not Disturb During Bedtime

This is another potentially useful variation on the screen addiction theme. The idea behind Do Not Disturb during Bedtime mode is to get a better night’s sleep. How so? When this mode kicks in, the iPhone display is dimmed and notifications go into hiding, at least until a designated wake-up time or when you tap the screen. You can set Do Not Disturb During Bedtime in Control Center and select an automatic end time based on the time or even location, such as a movie or at a playground.

Group FaceTime

Apple delivers another feature that had been on my wish list, the ability to go beyond one-on-one video calls and use FaceTime with multiple people at once. And multiple people it is — you’ll be able to FaceTime with up to 32 people simultaneously.

Third-party CarPlay apps

Up to now you have had to use Apple Maps for directions while using CarPlay in your vehicle. iOS 12 will give you the ability to employ CarPlay with third-party mapping apps. And that means Waze and Google Maps, or your other navigational app of choice.

Siri Shortcuts

So many of us have wanted wanted to see Siri get smarter, certainly compared to its brainier rivals, Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant. How much smarter Siri has or will get via iOS 12 remains to be seen, but Apple is adding a feature called Siri Shortcuts that I think will help. Essentially such shortcuts give you the ability to customize actions for Siri based on an app, time of day or routines. And yes, Apple appears to be playing catch-up next to Alexa and the Google Assistant since both let you set a series of multistep actions based on your own routines.

You might set up a Siri Shortcut around a trip you are taking. You record a custom voice command — “Hey Siri, travel plans”— and Siri might chime in with address of your hotel and the time you can check in.

Apple is opening up Siri Shortcuts to third-party developers.

I look forward to testing Siri Shortcuts once iOS 12 is available to see how easy they are to set up and use and how well they compare to Alexa and the Google Assistant.

Privacy and security

Privacy and security have always been a hot topic and of the upmost concern, but maybe never more than now. So I’m pleased that as part of the Safari browser, Apple will prevent you by default from getting tracked without your permission when you tap a “Like,”or “Share” social media button or a comment widget at a site.

Animojis and Memojis

Apple introduced animated emojis or “Animojis” for its Messages app last year, initially just for users of the iPhone X. Depending on your point of view they were either addictive or a complete waste of time.

For the record, I thought they were silly but fun, even the pile of pooh Animoji that, um, made the biggest stink last year.

Apple is now expanding the Animoji roster with ghost, koala, tiger and T. rex characters, and if you stick out your tongue, such characters will do so in kind.

But as part of iOS 12, you’ll also be able create your own personal avatars, which Apple calls Memojis. These are supposed to resemble your own mug. You can customize your Memoji by adding freckles or eyeglasses, altering your hairstyle and so on. Rival Samsung offered a roughly similar feature on the Galaxy S9 months ago, which in turn followed Apple’s own introduction of animojis. I did not think the Samsung avatars looked much like me; I’ll have to wait to see if Apple does better here.

Either way, I don’t know what it suggests about all of us, but it seems that a large part of the smartphone wars have come down to our cartoonish alter-egos.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter

Apple will be required to support USB-C charger under new EU ...

Washington (CNN Business) Apple and other smartphone makers will be required to support USB-C as part of a single charging standard for mobile devices across the European Union by as early as the fall of 2024 under a new law announced Tuesday by EU officials.

The legislation is aimed at reducing e-waste and eliminating "cable clutter," said Margrethe Vestager, European Commission Vice President. Under the legislation, according to a release, "mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers that are rechargeable via a wired cable will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port, regardless of their manufacture."

The coming rules will apply to new small and medium-sized electronics sold in the EU.

Chargers that support fast charging will also be required to adopt the same charging speeds. The measure does not affect wireless charging technologies, and consumers would have to be able to buy a device without a bundled charger if they choose.

Apple AAPL The new rule stands to bring major changes forusers. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But during the legislative process, Apple told EU officials that the proposed rule would render obsolete as many as a billion devices and accessories that use the company's proprietary Lightning connector, according to an EU Parliament report

Read More

Apple WWDC 2019: iTunes is yesterday; today's all about swifter ...

SAN JOSE, Calif. – When word leaked over the weekend that Apple was planning to shut down iTunes in the next version of its desktop software, there was an outcry and talk of an end of an era.

That era actually ended quite some time ago. Remember when iPhones were tied to the desktop for updates? Now, most of us just back everything up wirelessly.

So when Apple confirmed Monday that its next desktop operating system upgrade would split up iTunes into three separate apps, for music, TV shows and movies and podcasts, it seemed like an afterthought.

"It's a rounding error," something that should have been done a long time ago, says Gene Munster, an analyst and investor with Loup Ventures, who added that iTunes "had gotten way too big."

We live in a mobile world. We listen to music on our phones and have no need to manage our collections since most of us stream songs from the cloud now, whether on a subscription service like Spotify or Apple's Music or via free radio from the likes of Pandora or TuneIn.

The focus at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday was on the future. A new, rebuilt operating system for the iPhone that makes the device quicker and more useful. Apple put a final nail in the coffin of the iPad being less useful than a computer by finally, after nine years, allowing consumers to insert USB flash drives and move files back and forth. Now the tablet can truly be a PC replacement.

Apple WWDC 2019:Goodbye, iTunes. Hello, iOS 13 and iPadOS

Business questions:DOJ may launch antitrust investigation of Apple, report says

Along the way, Apple introduced what it says is the “world’s most powerful” Mac computer and monitor (cost: only $11,000), and new (free) watch faces for the Apple Watch.

But since the iPhone is the world's most popular consumer device, used by over 1.5 billion people, it's the iOS update that will get the most attention when it's released in the fall.

What we like

Speed

Apple says launching and signing into apps will be a quicker experience, which is great, but even better is a new tool that will reduce download sizes for apps. There are still millions of iPhones in the world that max out at 16 gigabyte and many people run out of room with a 32 GB phone as well. So anything Apple can do to help consumers manage their ever-growing media collection without being forced to download 500 megabyte and higher apps is a good thing. "The speed issue feels like a first-world 'who cares' problem, but consumers notice speed and latency even if they don’t articulate it well." says Julie Ask, an analyst with Forrester Research.

Instant sign-on

Many apps and websites offer us the ability to bypass registering with them, and instead sign in with Facebook and Google, which has a big drawback. Those sites track your every move. Apple is launching an alternative, one it says won't track us and, in fact, will let us sign in anonymously via FaceID. This sounds great. But as someone who has moved back to Touch ID because of the many, many times FaceID didn't recognize me, let's hope this sign-in approach actually works. Also, readers should know that Apple faces a long, hard row to hoe in getting websites and apps to sign on to this. Facebook and Google have been at this game for over a decade, so it will take some time for Apple to get traction here.

Messages

One of my biggest gripes with iMessages is getting texts from phone numbers that aren't associated with a name because I never put them into my Contacts. Who is 408-555-1212, and why are they texting me anyway? Now, Apple promises to change that, and "automatically share a user’s name and photo, or customized Memoji or Animoji," for identification. Thank you, Apple!

What we're skeptical about

Maps

Google Maps is the gold standard of mapping, and Apple Maps has long been, well, not everyone's first choice. As Lynette Luna, an analyst with GlobalData Technology noted on Twitter, Apple Maps "has brought me on some wild goose chases lately.” Now, Apple says it has spent the last year driving 4 million miles to "rebuild the base map from the ground up," and that the redesigned app will have way more information with "better pedestrian data, more precise addresses and more detailed landcover."

Still, this isn't the first time Apple has told us about a more competitive Maps app. One interesting tidbit from Apple's announcement. It says its mapping is as useful, while also "protecting user privacy," which, of course, is a dig at Google, which tracks our every move.

Siri

The personal assistant promises a new, easier-to-understand voice, Apple says, but in the demo Monday, it wasn't exactly night and day. And besides, the bigger complaint about Siri is that it doesn't understand us. From the lack of attention given to Siri at WWDC (about five minutes out of a two-hour-plus presentation), it sounds like Siri is still on the backburner for Apple, as Amazon and Google continue to invest massive resources (new things we can do) for Alexa and the Google Assistant.

(To be fair, Apple did announce one other welcome Siri feature, but you'll need the $159 AirPod Bluetooth accessory to make it work. Siri will read aloud your incoming text messages and send your replies.)

The iOS 13 software is traditionally released a few days before the release of the new iPhone. Apple will also offer iOS 13 as a beta release in July.

The new iOS will be available on phones going back to the iPhone 6S, which was first released in 2015.

Finally, for those who still use iTunes to sync and backup their iPhones and iPads, here's how it will work in macOS Catalina, the new Mac operating system.

Backup, restore, sync and transfer documents will be done by connecting the device to the computer and performing these functions via new tools in the Finder. And Windows users, iTunes will remain on your computers, and nothing will change – at least for now.

Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Live: Apple unveils $349 smart speaker HomePod

Hey Siri, ready to meet the HomePod?

On Monday, Apple introduced the smart speaker HomePod during its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose. The speaker will ship this December in the U.S. for $349.

Also, Apple revealed the first details of iOS 11, the latest version of its operating system for the iPhone, iPad, and other mobile devices.

For a recap of Apple's WWDC keynote, scroll down below:

3:25 p.m.: Former first lady Michelle Obama will appear at WWDC this week. Cook finishes the keynote. Thanks for joining us!

3:23 p.m.: Cook steps on stage to wrap up. Not surprising, the HomePod costs more than rivals Echo or Google Home. Is the quality worth that price? Siri might help decide that in December.

3:21 p.m.: Schiller says privacy is an important part of HomePod. All communications are encrypted and queries are sent anonymously. HomePod is priced at $349. It will ship this December.

3:19 p.m.: Siri on HomePod will cover other areas like news, reminders, timers, traffic information, or send text messages. The big question: how will this compare to Alexa or Google Assistant?

3:16 p.m.: Schiller says the HomePod works great when paired together. The speaker also includes a musicologist to suggest new tunes. The prompt "hey Siri" works on HomePod, to call up new music.

3:13 p.m.: HomePod features a 4-inch Apple designed woofer, and features an A8 chip, which also powers the iPhone. "It sounds incredible," says Schiller. Music arrives wirelessly, and the speaker appears smaller compared to Echo, but closer to the size of Google Home.

3:11 p.m.: Schiller returns to discuss a "breakthrough home speaker," combining smarts with really good sound. Apple's answer? HomePod, available in black or white.

3:08 p.m.: Time for Apple's "one last thing." Cook starts with iTunes, then the iPod and iPhone. "We have such a great portable experience, but what about our homes?" Speaker time. "We want to reinvent home music," says Cook.

3:06 p.m.: iOS 11 will be available to all developers Monday. It's available as a free upgrade this fall.

3:02 p.m.: Other features on iOS 11: the ability to take screenshots and mark them up, plus the ability to search handwritten text within Notes.

2:58 p.m.: Drag and drop seems to work nicely on iPad. Federighi shows how you can drag one image, then tap on others to add to that drop. Very cool.

2:56 p.m.: Apple is also introducing the app Files, which brings all files on iPads together. It's clear Apple really wants you to use the iPad as a potential replacement for a desktop or laptop computer.

2:54 p.m.: Federighi says iOS 11 will be a big release for iPad, starting with a dock of recommended apps. There's also a new app switcher to remember how you have paired apps organized. The iPad will also include drag-and-drop with iOS 11.

2:52 p.m.: The new iPad Pros will now start with 64 GB of memory. The 10.5-inch model starts at $649, while the 12.9-inch starts at $799.

2:45 p.m.: The new iPads will add ProMotion, which will lead to a much smoother scrolling experience, as well as a better experience with Apple Pencil.

2:42 p.m.: Tim Cook is back, now to talk iPad. There's the iPad Pro, and the recently unveiled, lower cost iPad. Apple will introduce an iPad Pro with 10.5-inch screen. It's 20% larger than the standard iPad, but only weighs 1 pound. It also supports a full-size, on-screen keyboard, as well as a full-size physical keyboard.

2:37 p.m.: Alasdair Coull of Wingnut AR appears to show off a demo of his app. Using the table as a surface, users see a dilapidated building with airships landing. The airships fly back and forth around the table, firing at enemies on the ground. It's really remarkable.

2:33 p.m.: Augmented reality time. Federighi introduces ARKit to let developers add AR elements to their apps. In a demo, Federighi views a table through the iPhone camera, and adds a digital cup and lamp he turns on and off.

2:31 p.m.: Federighi returns to talk about the inclusion of machine learning for iOS. Apple will add new APIs for developers to leverage machine learning in their apps.

2:29 p.m.: On to the Games tab, you can watch game videos, check out the hottest game out that week, or top rankings. The redesign is aiming to make discovery a lot easier, a big win if you're a developer.

2:27 p.m.: The app pages bring up certain elements more prominently, such as review ratings, and App Store rankings. Another interesting feature: how-to guides, such as tips for using the photo app VSCO. There are also App of the Day, Game of the Day, or Daily Lists.

2:25 p.m.: Schiller says phased releases will roll out later this year, letting developers release their apps over a prolonged period. The App Store will also undergo a major redesign, starting with a tab called Today, to discover the latest apps. There's also a new tab called Games, which will include featuring in-app purchases.

2:22 p.m.: Phil Schiller is up next to talk App Store, which turns 9 years old this year. Schiller says users have downloaded 180 billion apps to date. Apple has paid $70 billion to developers to date.

2:20 p.m.: Federighi says Apple Music now has 27 million paid subscribers. Users will be able to see what your friends are listening to, if they opt to share that information. With Nike's app, you can create playlists, while Shazam lets you automatically add songs you select.

2:19 p.m.: HomeKit adds a Speaker feature to allow users to control their smart speakers. Directly from Music, users can send tunes right to the speakers.

2:18 p.m.: An interesting safety feature tied to iPhone: the ability to detect when you're driving and shut down. However, users will be able to still contact you if it's urgent.

2:14 p.m.: Federighi demonstrates Apple Pay via iMessage, and it works seamlessly. Just add a payment as a message and it's set. Apple Maps will also get big upgrades, including lane guidance.

2:10 p.m.: Federighi says Live Photos will also support looping, essentially letting users create their own GIFs. Users can also create their own clips similar to Instagram's Boomerang.

2:08 p.m.: The Photos app will use machine learning to manage images based on events. Users will also have more features to edit videos. Control Center, the menu you access by swiping up on iPhone, now falls onto one page, with the ability to access a lot more controls than before.

2:06 p.m.: Federighi says iOS device owners take 1 trillion photos a year. Videos will switch to HEVC, which means you can capture better videos while taking up less space. No more stressing about storage, hopefully.

2:05 p.m.: Federighi says Siri will understand how you use your device as well as context. He says it will suggest topics of interest in News, or make a calendar appointment based on an event you book on Safari. But Federighi notes it is all completely private.

2:03 p.m.: As for Siri, Federighi says they're using deep learning to give her voice a little more personality. There's also a new visual interface, and Siri will be able to translate languages.

2:02 p.m.: On to Apple Pay, Federighi is opening up the service for person-to-person payments. It'll be integrated into Messages as an iMessage app.

2:00 p.m.: Federighi breaks down iOS 11, starting with Messages. It'll be easier to find apps within Messages to use stickers. Also, all conversations will sync to cloud, which is great if you switch devices.

1:59 p.m.: Cook returns on stage to talk iOS. He says it has a 96% customer satisfaction, noting 86% of iOS device owners are running iOS 10. Cook also takes a swipe at the "horrible fragmentation" on Android.

1:55 p.m.: Apple plans to launch an iMac Pro with up to an 18 core Xeon processor. Basically, it'll be super fast, and super expensive.

1:47 p.m.: John Knoll of Industrial Light and Magic appears to talk about how the new iMacs will better support the creation of virtual reality content. Lauren Ridge of Epic Games steers the VR demo, taking place on the planet Mustafar from the Star Wars universe. Ridge adds new items to the world such as a squadron of TIE Fighters.

1:42 p.m.: Apple is rolling out new iMacs, with displays capable of displaying up to 1 billion colors. They'll also feature seventh-generation Intel Core processors and support for up to twice as much memory. Solid state drives will be 50% faster and up to 2 terabytes or storage.

1:40 p.m.: No surprise here, but High Sierra will also deliver a big uptick in graphics power. The next version will support stuff such as Steam VR and Unreal Engine's VR games. Federighi also hints at hearing more from Apple on this topic. AR news, perhaps? High Sierra will be a free upgrade this fall.

1:36 p.m.: The Mac will also add a more modern file system to keep your data more secure and easier to organize. It's a lot faster to perform basic tasks like duplicating items.

1:34 p.m.: Federighi says it will open up photo projects to third-party printing services such as Shutterfly.

1:33 p.m.: It also features intelligent tracking prevention, which Federighi says will protect your privacy. In Mail, users will be able to use full-screen split view to see your inbox on one side, and the compose screen on the other side.

1:32 p.m.: Federighi says with High Sierra, Safari is the world's fastest desktop browser. He describes the browsing experience as "serene." Among the features: autoplay blocking, which stops videos from automatically playing.

1:30 p.m.: Federighi confirms the name of the next macOS: High Sierra. "They assured us this name is fully baked," Federighi said, because no one can resist a good marijuana joke.

1:28 p.m.: Cook moves on to the Mac, "the heart and soul of Apple" as he describes it. Craig Federighi is up next to discuss macOS.

1:27 p.m.: The Watch will also add a new flashlight serving as a blinking light for safety purposes. The Bluetooth will also improve, allowing the Watch to interact better with other devices such as glucose monitors. The upgrade to WatchOS launches this fall.

1:26 p.m.: The Siri face can add lots of different content, such as news, movie tickets, and HomeKit functions to control smart home technology. On the Workout app, users can pick playlists that start as soon as you begin your workout. Swiping right on the Watch lets users control the music.

1:24 p.m.: The Watch has an upgraded Music app to sync better with AirPods, Apple's wireless ear buds.

1:23 p.m.: Apple pushing the fitness capabilities of the watch pretty hard. Users will be able to do a variety of workouts through their watch, including high-intensity interval training. The next version of WatchOS will allow the two-way exchange of information between the watch and gym equipment.

1:20 p.m.: The watch will add more faces, including a kaleidoscope and characters from the Disney franchise Toy Story.

1:18 p.m.: The Apple Watch will leverage machine learning to push forward important notifications based on the time of day. When you raise your wrist, you'll see updated notifications.

1:17 p.m.: Apple Watch time. Cook says the device has had "incredible growth" this year.

1:16 p.m.: Cook says Amazon is finally coming to Apple TV. It will launch on all Apple TVs later this year. It's about time.

1:14 p.m.: The keynote will focus on four platforms: TV, Apple Watch, Mac and iOS, says Cook. "Apple is doing great," he says, opting to skip all the sales highlights, noting six big announcements during this keynote.

1:13 p.m.: Cook says Apple hosts 16 million registered developers around the world, adding 3 million in the last year alone. Developers hail from 75 countries. One of their youngest developers is 10 years old, and he already has five apps on the App Store. Their oldest developer published her first app at 82 years old.

1:12 p.m.: Cook discusses Apple's commitment to the development community. "This is going to be the best and biggest WWDC ever," Cook says.

1:11 p.m.: Now for the CEO of the hour, Apple's Tim Cook. "I'm so glad that really can't happen," Cook jokes.

1:09 p.m.: The servers in the data center shut down, followed by global panic as apps on Apple devices slowly lose their apps. Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. It's an "appocalypse." Sadly, I could see this actually happening.

1:07 p.m. ET: After a late start (looks like someone needed a Siri calendar reminder), Apple finally kicks things off with a video montage, showing Apple's data center in Cupertino. Clearly teasing the new Apple Park campus.

ORIGINAL STORY

A Siri-powered smart speaker would be similar to Amazon's Echo and Google Home, capitalizing on intense consumer interest for talking devices.

Related:

Siri gets another shot at getting it right

Apple's iPhone could make AR tech more of a reality

Apple's Siri speaker to challenge Google, Amazon

Apple will also stream the keynote on its website, but you can only watch on an Apple device running Safari, or a PC running Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.

The speaker will reportedly include virtual surround sound, and deeper integration with Apple services including HomeKit, allowing users to control smart home technology.

As with previous years, Apple will also use the keynote to reveal the first details of iOS 11, the latest version of its mobile operating system launching this fall for the next iPhone, as well as current models of the iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices.

One potential app launching along with iOS 11, as reported by multiple outlets, is Files, although no details have surfaced yet on the app's key features.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.