What's new at Apple?

Apple kicked off its World Wide Developer Conference, in San Francisco yesterday, with a slew of announcements from across its product offerings. These were the key takeaways:

The much-awaited update to Apple's mobile operating system (OS) comes with over 200 new features. The new OS has been released in beta for developers and will be available to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users in September.

Key features include the new Maps app, with Apple-designed cartography (doing away with Google Maps) and vector-based elements for smooth panning and tilting. The Flyover feature also has photo-realistic interactive 3D views. The Maps app has real-time traffic information and turn-by-turn navigation with spoken directions.

Another new app included in iOS 6 is Passbook. Apple says it provides an easy way for users to access all of their “passes” (such as boarding passes, concert tickets and loyalty cards) in one place. Passbook lets users scan their iPhone or iPod touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into a hotel. The app is also said to automatically display the relevant pass on the lock screen based on the user's location and the time. “Passbook can even alert you to last minute gate changes or flight delays at the airport,” says Apple.

Along with the new OS update comes a significant update to Siri, which will now be available on the new iPad as well as the iPhone 4S. The updated version of the intelligent voice assistant is optimised for 15 countries (unfortunately not SA yet) and has new functionality such as being able to update the user's Facebook status, post to Twitter and launch apps. The new Eyes Free mode is also said to let users interact with their iPhones using their voice alone.

A long-expected update to iOS 6 is the new built-in deep Facebook integration. Users will now be able to sign in once, and post to Facebook from the Notification Centre, Siri and all Facebook-enabled apps including Photos, Safari and Maps. The details for Facebook friends are also kept updated across iOS devices automatically in Contacts and on the Calendar. As expected, users can now “Like” apps from directly in the App Store and iTunes.

As for iCloud, the iOS 6 version will feature new “Shared Photo Streams”, which allows users to select contacts they want to share images with, and making the album instantly available on their iOS devices or via the Web. This also comes with deep Facebook integration, where users can like or comment on images from within iCloud.

The new OS also has a new “Guided Access” feature, which allows parents, teachers or an administrator to disable hardware buttons to lock an iOS device into a single app. According to Apple, this will be particularly useful for test taking or keeping learners focused.

Other iOS 6 updates include Safari enhancements such as iCloud tabs, offline reading lists and full screen view. There is also VIP Mailbox for quick access to messages from contacts deemed to be 'important'. Included is the option to decline incoming calls with a quick message, set callback reminders and a new “Do Not Disturb” option. Finally, Facetime is now supported on cellular networks.

Apple's MacBook line has been given a boost with faster processors, graphics, memory, flash storage and USB 3 connectivity.

The MacBook Air 13- and 15-inch models now have Intel Ivy Bridge processors, and a graphics performance improvement of up to 60% with the integration of Intel HD Graphics 4000. The updated models also now have solid state drives of up to 512GB. The 13-inch MacBook Pro now features the Intel Core i5 or Core i7 dual-core processors up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6GHz.

Apple also unveiled a redesigned 15-inch MacBook Pro featuring a Retina display and measuring 0.71-inches - almost as thin as the MacBook Air. Apple CEO Tim Cook said: “The MacBook Pro with Retina display pushes the limits of performance and portability like no other notebook. With a gorgeous Retina display, all flash architecture and a radically thin and light design, the new MacBook Pro is the most advanced Mac we have ever built.”

According to Apple, the new MacBook Pro Retina display has the highest resolution of any notebook, with five million pixels. The new MacBook Pro also has Intel Core i7 quad-core processors up to 2.7GHz with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.7GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics, up to 16GB of faster 1 600MHz RAM and flash storage up to 768GB. The notebook also has two Thunderbolt and two USB 3 ports and a new HDMI port.

Apple says OS X Lion has been updated for the new Retina display and other applications will have to be updated by their developers. Adobe is said to be working on a Retina-enabled version of Photoshop, and Diablo 3 was noted as one of the games that will support the new display.

Apple also took the wraps off the next iteration of OS X, Mountain Lion - the ninth release of its desktop OS. It will become available in July as a download from the App Store. Key features include deep iCloud integration, a new Notifications Centre, Messages, Dictation and Facebook integration.

Using an iCloud account, users can sync their Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Reminders and Notes. The Messages app replaces iChat, bringing iMessage to the Mac - providing a cross-device messaging platform for Apple users. The app also supports traditional instant messaging services, including AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk and Jabber.

Dictation lets users dictate text “anywhere you can type”, while the built-in Facebook support brings Facebook notifications to the Notification Centre and allows for direct posting to the social network from the desktop or from within apps.

Throughout the keynote address, Apple revealed some new user statistics. Apple has 66 million Mac users - a three-fold increase from five years ago. Twenty-six million copies of OS X Lion have been shipped, and 40% of all OS X users are using Lion. There are also 125 million iCloud users in total.

On the mobile front, there are over 365 million iOS devices in use, 80% of which are running iOS 5. Apple also claims to have 140 million iMessage users, with a billion messages sent a day.

The App Store has 400 million user accounts, with a total of 650 000 applications - 225 000 of which are designed for the iPad.