The Apple WWDC 2018 Keynote Live Blog (Starts at 1pm ET)

12:33PM EDT - We're live from sunny San Jose for this year's Apple World Wide Developers Conference keynote

12:34PM EDT - This event is arguably Apple's marquee event of the year, as Apple has packed the San Jose Convention Center with press and developers alike to hear what the company has in store this year

12:35PM EDT - Joining me is the ever-awesome Andrei Frumusanu, who has forgotten more about phones than I'll ever know

12:36PM EDT - Apple really packs the house for this event. There are people in some fashion on basically every square foot of the venue

12:37PM EDT - And even then, it's pretty much a lottery to get in. Apple could still use more space

12:37PM EDT - Which goes to show just how popular the event is

12:38PM EDT - So what are we expecting this year? Software is a given, of course. This is traditionally the venue where Apple outlines their OS plans for the next 12 months

12:38PM EDT - So iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS news are all but guaranteed

12:38PM EDT - And we'll almost certainly see news about other pieces of software and aspects of the Apple ecosystem

12:38PM EDT - Now as for hardware, that's a different matter

12:39PM EDT - Bloomberg has published a report stating that there won't be any hardware at the show this year

12:39PM EDT - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-31/apple-to-tout-digital-health-ar-features-at-software-conference

12:40PM EDT - This is of course a rumor, but Bloomberg is traditionally a high quality source. And it's consistent with some things I've heard as well

12:40PM EDT - So right now I'm not expecting any hardware

12:41PM EDT - At best, Apple may announce some far-future products. But the company's logistical operation is so large that they can't hide anything that's close to shipping

12:41PM EDT - In which case this would be the first show in a while without some kind of hardware

12:42PM EDT - The flip side of that is that the last couple of WWDCs have already needed to move at warp speed

12:42PM EDT - So if this lets Apple's presenters slow down a bit, I'm not sure that would be a bad thing

12:47PM EDT - Meanwhile on the software side of matters, there's a lot of clammoring for Apple to focus on quality over features

12:47PM EDT - It is not unearned

12:48PM EDT - iOS 11 was a very rocky launch for Apple, with far too many bugs and features that weren't ready for shipping

12:49PM EDT - (I'm told the official Apple stream is finally up)

12:50PM EDT - https://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2018/

12:50PM EDT - So if iOS 12 shores things up and changes fewer things, that would be okay

12:51PM EDT - And on a personal note, if it woud bring back the iOS 10 landscape keyboard, that would be even better

12:53PM EDT - As for Apple's services, that's going to be a grab bag, most likely

12:53PM EDT - So we'll have to see what Apple has in store

12:54PM EDT - Adding an extra spanner in all of this is that this year both WWDC and Computex are taking place at the same time

12:55PM EDT - Normally WWDC has taken place a week later than Computex

12:55PM EDT - So AnandTech staffers are flung across the far corners of the globe to cover everything this week

12:55PM EDT - (Thank you, Purch, for the travel budget!)

12:56PM EDT - So we're interspersing Apple news with things like new PSUs, mobile device developer kits, and of course, Android Smartphones

12:57PM EDT - Speaking of smartphones - and to fill some dead space here - I asked Andrei what he wants to see in iOS 12

12:58PM EDT - "More inter-app communications" and "more customization" were among the top things on Andrei's list

12:58PM EDT - The silence-your-phones notification has gone out, so we should be getting started soon here

01:01PM EDT - And here we go?

01:01PM EDT - As usual, Apple starts by rolling a video

01:02PM EDT - A faux nature video about developers migrating to San Jose for WWDC

01:05PM EDT - "Only the strongest apps will survive"

01:05PM EDT - The video has ended, and Tim Cook is taking the stage

01:06PM EDT - Developers here from 77 countries

01:06PM EDT - And 20 million registered developers

01:06PM EDT - 6000 people in the conference hall itself

01:07PM EDT - Apple is getting ready to celebrate the 10th birthday of the app store

01:07PM EDT - (And to think the iPhone didn't have an app store in its first year)

01:08PM EDT - Apple is expecting total developer payouts via the App Store to top 100 billion USD this week

01:09PM EDT - Now diving into Swift, Apple's favored programming language

01:10PM EDT - Cook is recapping Apple's efforts to teach coding

01:10PM EDT - "Today is all about software"

01:10PM EDT - So that's that when it comes to hardware

01:11PM EDT - Now diving into Apple's 4 platforms: iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS

01:11PM EDT - Starting with iOS

01:11PM EDT - Now on stage: Craig Federighi

01:11PM EDT - Federighi confirms that the next iOS is 12

01:12PM EDT - (iOS 6. Now there was a good OS)

01:12PM EDT - Touting the fact that all Apple customers are able to quickly update to the latest release of iOS

01:13PM EDT - Still, only 81% of devices are on iOS 11

01:13PM EDT - Apple says that customer satisfaction for iOS 11 is 95%

01:13PM EDT - iOS 12: "We are doubling-down on performance"

01:13PM EDT - (Yay, I'll take it)

01:14PM EDT - iOS 12 will be supported on all devices that can run iOS 11

01:14PM EDT - Making it the biggest window yet for iOS support

01:15PM EDT - Apple will also be focusing on older devices; those that need the most performance gains since iOS 10/11 added features at the cost of performance

01:15PM EDT - 40% faster app launch on a 6s, etc

01:15PM EDT - It sounds like iOS 12 is going to get a new CPU governor

01:16PM EDT - Much faster CPU clockspeed ramping up and down

01:16PM EDT - And that's the word on performance

01:16PM EDT - Now on to Augmented Reality

01:17PM EDT - Apple has created a new file format for AR: USDZ

01:17PM EDT - Designed in collaboration with Pixar

01:17PM EDT - Designed to be easily sharable. Apple is working with multiple companies to get support for the format in their apps

01:18PM EDT - Now on stage: Abhay Parasnis of Adobe

01:18PM EDT - Adobe will support USDZ in their Creative Cloud applications

01:19PM EDT - Also will be releasing a new iOS application for designing AR content

01:19PM EDT - A WYSIWYG editor for AR

01:19PM EDT - Back to Federighi

01:20PM EDT - New Apple app: measure

01:20PM EDT - Apple is finally integrating measurement support for their cameras

01:21PM EDT - Similar to how 3D cameras already have this feature, but instead you need to mark two points and the phone needs to calculate the distance

01:21PM EDT - So a best-effort implementation without true 3D vision

01:22PM EDT - Can also estimate the size of basic rectangles (example: a printed photo)

01:22PM EDT - Showing off more AR/USDZ uses

01:23PM EDT - Now announcing ARKit 2

01:23PM EDT - (No point-oh)

01:24PM EDT - Improved face tracking, 3D object detection, shared experiences, etc

01:24PM EDT - Multiple people can see the same environment from difference perspectives

01:24PM EDT - Quickly demoing it while Federighi talks

01:25PM EDT - Now on stage: Martin Sanders of LEGO

01:25PM EDT - LEGO wants to combine physical and digital

01:26PM EDT - Demoing LEGO's latest AR-enabled software

01:27PM EDT - Up to 4 people in the same space

01:29PM EDT - Can also save a world for future use

01:29PM EDT - Up next: photos

01:30PM EDT - First up: search

01:30PM EDT - iOS 12 is adding search suggestions for photos

01:30PM EDT - Can search by locations, events, etc

01:31PM EDT - New tab: For You

01:31PM EDT - For You can also suggest photos to share

01:32PM EDT - And whom to share them with

01:32PM EDT - Photos are shared at full resolution

01:32PM EDT - Multiple phones can recognize photos taken at the same event, and suggest photos to send back

01:33PM EDT - All based around Messages, of course

01:33PM EDT - Now on to Siri

01:33PM EDT - New Siri feature: Shortcuts

01:33PM EDT - Lets apps expose features to Siri

01:34PM EDT - Showing an example of having Siri launch an app based on a specific phrase

01:35PM EDT - Users will also be able to create their own shortcuts

01:35PM EDT - Using the aptly named Shortcuts app

01:36PM EDT - Drag & drop interface

01:36PM EDT - Now on stage: Kim Beverit

01:36PM EDT - Now demoing Siri shortcuts

01:37PM EDT - Shortcuts recognizes that Kim is running late for a meeting, and suggests notifying the organizer

01:39PM EDT - Now showing a complex shortcut that does several things: maps a route, texts a contact, changes the radio, and sets the home thermostat

01:40PM EDT - Back to Craig

01:40PM EDT - And then to Susan to talk about apps

01:40PM EDT - Quickly covering updates to various Apple apps

01:40PM EDT - Starting with News

01:41PM EDT - (Be sure to subscribe to AnandTech!)

01:41PM EDT - New Browse tab for News

01:41PM EDT - And a new view on the iPad

01:41PM EDT - The Stocks app has been completely rebuilt

01:41PM EDT - (AAPL is at $192)

01:42PM EDT - Apple News is coming to Stocks

01:42PM EDT - Top stories in Stocks is business news that's curated by the Apple News editor team

01:42PM EDT - Stock is also coming to the iPad

01:43PM EDT - Voice Memos has been completely rebuilt as well

01:43PM EDT - And Voice Memos comes to the iPad as well

01:43PM EDT - iBooks is now Apple Books

01:44PM EDT - "Very dramatic. We dropped the 'i' "

01:44PM EDT - Now on to CarPlay

01:44PM EDT - iOS 12 will support 3rd party navigation apps with CarPlay

01:45PM EDT - Back to Craig

01:46PM EDT - Next subject: a comprehensive set of features to limit how distracting an iOS device is

01:46PM EDT - Do Not Disturb is being updated

01:46PM EDT - Introducing DnD During Bedtime, where notifications will not be shown

01:47PM EDT - DnD control updates in the Control Center as well

01:47PM EDT - "Instant Tuning" for notifications from the lock screen

01:48PM EDT - Apple's essentially looking to clamp down on how many notificaitons that users actually need to deal with

01:48PM EDT - Grouped Notifications: notifications can now be grouped by app

01:48PM EDT - New feature: Screen Time

01:49PM EDT - Weekly activity summary, somewhat similar to what Google announced for Android P earlier this year

01:49PM EDT - Shows app usage, how often the phone is picked up, what apps send the most notifications etc

01:50PM EDT - App Limits

01:50PM EDT - Have the phone harass you about how much you're using it, based on how long of a limit you send

01:50PM EDT - Parental controls without the actual hard limits, basically

01:51PM EDT - Speaking of parental controls, those are updated as well

01:51PM EDT - New feature: allowances

01:51PM EDT - So limit when apps can be used and how much total time

01:52PM EDT - Built on top of Family Sharing

01:52PM EDT - Now on to Animoji

01:53PM EDT - Tongue Detection (not a joke)

01:53PM EDT - And Memoji

01:53PM EDT - Your own personal animoji

01:54PM EDT - (So Mii Moji?)

01:54PM EDT - Now on stage: Kelsey Peterson

01:54PM EDT - Demoing more of the new animoji features

01:58PM EDT - New image filters for Messages

01:58PM EDT - (In case your Messages wasn't Snapchat-y enough)

01:58PM EDT - Back to Craig

01:59PM EDT - Now on to Facetime

01:59PM EDT - Introducing Group Facetime

01:59PM EDT - Facetime with up to 32 people at once

02:00PM EDT - (Okay, that's a lot of people at once)

02:00PM EDT - Facetime is now integrated into Messages. Go from a group chat to a group Facetime

02:00PM EDT - I'm curious if 32-way group Facetime works on the iPhone 6 and the like

02:00PM EDT - That's potentially a lot of pixels to decode

02:01PM EDT - Now demoing the feature

02:01PM EDT - Up to 4 big tiles, and then everyone else is in a bar at the bottom

02:02PM EDT - The bottom bar is called the "roster"

02:02PM EDT - And more filters and animoji

02:03PM EDT - Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (and audio-only on Apple Watch)

02:04PM EDT - And that's iOS 12

02:04PM EDT - Next up: Apple Watch

02:05PM EDT - Apple Watch grew 60% last year

02:05PM EDT - Now sharing a user story

02:06PM EDT - Introducing watchOS 5

02:06PM EDT - Now on stage: Kevin Lynch

02:09PM EDT - Progress rings update, adding features such as competitions with other Watch users

02:09PM EDT - New workout type: Yoga

02:10PM EDT - And Cadance support, so runners can see their steps per minute

02:11PM EDT - Also adding automatic workout detection

02:13PM EDT - New watchOS 5 communication feature: Walkie-Talkie

02:13PM EDT - This is implemented as a Watch app

02:13PM EDT - (Kids all over the globe are wondering what a Walkie-Talkie is)

02:14PM EDT - Siri Shortcuts are coming to watchOS as well

02:15PM EDT - 3rd party apps can now be used on the Siri watch face

02:15PM EDT - No longer need to say "Hey Siri", just raising your wrist will be enough

02:16PM EDT - WebKit support: can now view web content in messages and mail

02:17PM EDT - Apple Podcast app is coming to the Watch

02:18PM EDT - Now moving on to Watch demos

02:18PM EDT - Doing the demos while biking

02:19PM EDT - Demoing activity competitions

02:22PM EDT - Demo's over. Back to Kevin

02:23PM EDT - 3rd party apps can now play background audio

02:24PM EDT - Student ID card support coming to Wallet

02:24PM EDT - Aha, a little bit of hardware. A "pride edition" Apple Watch band

02:25PM EDT - Next up: Apple TV

02:25PM EDT - 50% year-over-year growth to the business

02:26PM EDT - Now on stage: Jen Folse

02:26PM EDT - Now talking about what's new with tvOS

02:27PM EDT - AppleTV 4K is getting Dolby Atmos support

02:28PM EDT - Atmos, for those unfamiliar, is Dolby's object-based sound format. (So objects positioned in 3D instead of fixed audio tracks)

02:28PM EDT - iTunes will be adding Atmos content

02:29PM EDT - Owners of any content updated with Atmos content will get the updated content for free

02:29PM EDT - Added live sports and live news

02:30PM EDT - Now discussing service provider partnerships

02:30PM EDT - Charter Spectrum will be coming to AppleTV in the US later this year

02:31PM EDT - Apple is updating Single Sign-On

02:32PM EDT - If you're on your TV provider's broadband network, then it can skip the authentication entirely

02:32PM EDT - Apple calls this Zero Sign-On

02:35PM EDT - And that's tvOS

02:36PM EDT - Back to Tim

02:36PM EDT - Mac time

02:37PM EDT - Back on stage: Craig to talk about the next version of macOS

02:37PM EDT - Recapping recent macOS release history

02:37PM EDT - (I miss the big cats)

02:38PM EDT - macOS 10.14: Mojave

02:39PM EDT - First new feature: Dark Mode

02:40PM EDT - It's exactly what the name says on the tin: a dark mode

02:40PM EDT - (This would go really well with an OLED screen)

02:40PM EDT - Xcode works in dark mode as well

02:41PM EDT - New feature: Dynamic Desktop

02:41PM EDT - Desktop changes throughout the day

02:41PM EDT - Now shifting to demos to show off more of the new features

02:42PM EDT - Desktop Stacks

02:42PM EDT - Desktop content can be arranged into stacks based on various features (kind, date, etc)

02:43PM EDT - New gallery view for Finder

02:43PM EDT - For easy image preview

02:44PM EDT - Sidebar supports full metadata

02:44PM EDT - There are also new "quick actions" in this mode

02:45PM EDT - Easy image watermarking as well

02:45PM EDT - (This is still in the Finder)

02:46PM EDT - Quick Look is getting document, photo, and video editing abilities

02:46PM EDT - Now for screenshots

02:47PM EDT - Added video capture to screenshot tools

02:48PM EDT - On to Continuity

02:48PM EDT - Continuity Camera

02:49PM EDT - Use continuity to ask the paired phone to take a photo

02:50PM EDT - Photos, document scans, and videos

02:50PM EDT - Now jumping to apps

02:50PM EDT - Apple News is coming to macOS

02:51PM EDT - Overall seems to look and behave very similar to iOS News

02:51PM EDT - Stocks is also coming to macOS. Again similar to the iPad version

02:51PM EDT - And Voice Memos

02:51PM EDT - (There's a trend here...)

02:51PM EDT - Home is also coming to macOS

02:52PM EDT - Next subject: security and privacy

02:52PM EDT - "We think you should be in control" of who sees your private data

02:53PM EDT - macOS will be locking down a lot more data stores and sources, including camera, mic, and mail DB

02:54PM EDT - Apps will need explicit permission to access these

02:54PM EDT - So something approaching finer-grained sandboxing

02:55PM EDT - Safari is going to be blocking more tracking methods

02:56PM EDT - This includes blocking browser fingerprinting. No legacy plug-ins, no fonts reported except the default system fonts

02:56PM EDT - Now to the app store

02:58PM EDT - The Mac App Store has been "redisgned from the ground up"

02:58PM EDT - New side bar and tabs, incuding Discover

02:58PM EDT - In terms of features this looks to bring it up to par with the iOS 11 app store

03:00PM EDT - Apple will be adding a rating and reviews API for the Mac App Store

03:00PM EDT - Office 365 will be coming to the Mac App Store

03:00PM EDT - And Adobe Lightroom CC

03:00PM EDT - And BBEdit

03:00PM EDT - Now shifting to macOS core technologies

03:01PM EDT - Metal update

03:01PM EDT - Recapping external GPU support

03:03PM EDT - Demoing a MacBook Pro with an eGPU

03:03PM EDT - Now talking about machine learning training on Macs

03:04PM EDT - New tool: CreateML

03:04PM EDT - Simplified model training for developers

03:04PM EDT - GPU-accelerated, of course

03:04PM EDT - Apple wants to get rid of the need for servers to training

03:05PM EDT - Core ML 2

03:05PM EDT - Apple is touting a 30% performance improvement via batch predictions

03:05PM EDT - And smaller models using quantization (essentially lower precision models)

03:06PM EDT - "Are you merging iOS and macOS?"

03:06PM EDT - A: "No. Of course not"

03:06PM EDT - Now talking about the hardware differences that make the Mac different from iOS devices

03:07PM EDT - Metal != "Cross Platform"

03:08PM EDT - Apple is bringing some of the iOS frameworks to macOS, such as UIKit

03:08PM EDT - Make it easier to bring iOS apps to the Mac

03:08PM EDT - So News, Stocks, etc are the first iOS apps ported to macOS

03:09PM EDT - Coming to developers in 2019

03:09PM EDT - So this isn't a native ability to run iOS apps, but it is meant to make for very easy porting to macOS

03:09PM EDT - APFS will finally support fusion drives

03:09PM EDT - And that's macOS

03:09PM EDT - Back to Tim

03:10PM EDT - Tim is now recapping everything

03:11PM EDT - New OSes will launch this fall, and the developer betas will be out after the keynote

03:11PM EDT - Now rolling another video, this time to celebrate developers

03:16PM EDT - Tim is thanking all the developers in the audience as well as the Apple employees

03:16PM EDT - And that's a wrap. See you all next year!