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Apple WWDC 2017 Keynote Address: iOS 11, Siri Speaker, New iPad Tablets, and What Else to Expect

Apple WWDC 2017 Keynote Address: iOS 11, Siri Speaker, New iPad Tablets, and What Else to Expect

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 5 June 2017 17:22 IST

Highlights

Apple’s keynote is expected to kick off at 10.30pm IST
The company is expected to launch the Siri speaker
It is also expected to bring new iPad and MacBook offerings

Apple this year is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the iPhone – and is expected to launch the revolutionary iPhone 8 to commemorate the occasion, but that’s not what we are here to talk about right now. In just hours from now, Apple is set to kick off the WWDC 2017 developers conference in California. In its keynote address, set to begin at 10AM PDT (10:30pm IST), the company is expected to launch a host of hardware products, alongside the regular software announcements as well.

The Cupertino giant is expected to launch a Siri smart speaker, new iPad tablets, and possibly update its MacBook laptop lineup as well. On the software front, we can expect the first developer preview for iOS 11, macOS 10.13, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11 – with the biggest new features of each highlighted in the keynote. The event is being held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, and you can even watch the WWDC 2017 live stream. Here’s all that you can expect from the WWDC keynote tonight.

Siri smart speaker

Apple has been reported heavily to launch its own Amazon Echo and Google Home rival. The smart speaker is expected to come with a display screen, great audio quality, will run a platform for Siri (obviously), and perform some additional functions not seen before in this category. The Siri smart speaker is expected to be priced at a higher price point than its rivals, and even though it will be unveiled at WWDC, it won’t be shipped until much later this year.

New iPad Pro models

The tech giant is also expected to launch two iPad Pro tablets – one with a 10.5-inch display and the other with a 12.9-inch display. Rumours point to a sleek design with slim bezels, with the 10.5-inch variant being only slightly taller and wider than the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. There’s little else we know about the device as of now, but recent rumours suggest stereo speakers, repositioned mic, and a virtual Home Button. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is also expected to get spec and hardware upgrades, along with slight design changes. There is expected to be cellular and non-cellular options for the new tablets. Alongside the new iPad tablets, Apple could also unveil the Apple Pencil 2 as well.

MacBook updates

Recent reports suggest that Apple will also be refreshing its MacBook lineup, with updates lined up for 12-inch MacBook, the MacBook Pro, and the almost forgotten MacBook Air as well. First coming to the MacBook Pro upgrade, Apple has been tipped to update the laptop with Intel's Kaby Lake processor series, from the current SkyLake processors.

Further, the company is expected to launch a 32GB RAM variant of the 15-inch MacBook Pro to cater to the need of professional users. There are reportedly some price cuts to the existing models that can also be expected to be announced at WWDC 2017.

The 12-inch variant of the MacBook laptop series has been tipped to be upgraded with new Kaby Lake processors as well as receive a new 16GB RAM. Finally coming to the MacBook Air, while the upgrade rumours for the laptop are thin and hard to find, the laptop is expected to be refreshed with new processors at the very least.

iOS 11

Apple’s guaranteed highlight of the keynote address will be iOS 11. The latest software will bring a host of improvements including a new video centric revamp to Apple Music, killing off 32-bit app support, and a few changes in animation and notifications. Interestingly, FaceTime is expected to get a long-awaited overhaul, and one of the biggest changes is said to be the introduction of group video calling ability. There are reportedly many iPad-centric changes also incoming.

macOS 10.13, tvOS 11, and watchOS 4

While the previews for the entire Apple product line are coming for sure, there’s little that we know about the changes that are arriving with most of them. macOS will be updated to version 10.13, and it will get a new name, presumably of another landscape that Apple really loves. watchOS and tvOS will also get updated to version 4 and 11 respectively, and it’s only a matter of time before we get all the dope on what these software updates bring to the table. We will be on ground zero and will be updating you ball by ball. Stay Tuned!

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Further reading: Apple, WWDC, WWDC 2017, WWDC Keynote, WWDC Launch, MacBook Launch, Siri Speaker, iOS 11, WWDC Expectations, iPad Pro, Tablets, Laptops