A week ago today Apple held WWDC 2017 and it was impressive to say the least. Apple has several expected announcements like iOS 11 and High Sierra. Historically WWDC is very heavy in software updates, so it was no surprise to see heavy coverage on these software upgrades. If you’re eager to get a feel for these new operating systems you can sign up now for the Apple beta program and download the public beta once it comes out in a few weeks. Not so highly covered was Apple’s announcement about its App Design awards. High marks went to apps like AirMail 3, Things 3 and Blackbox. About a dozen apps were selected for this years awards and the apps range from productivity apps to games. Apple has also finally done away with wired keyboards completely and you can now buy an Apple Bluetooth keyboard with numeric keypad. Many users have longed for the convenience of the numeric keypad without the hassle of the wires and last week that wish came true. For $129.99 you can now get this keyboard or upgrade to this option for a minimal fee with a new iMac Purchase.

Hardware upgrades also took center stage in this year’s WWDC. There are always a flurry of rumors anytime Apple has event announcements and while I expected a bump or two, I personally did not expect so many changes in the hardware lineup. Gone is the 9.7” iPad Pro, iMacs got a long overdue upgrade, the MacBook Airs got a minor upgrade (we all thought they’d be replaced), MacBooks saw a speed bump and price change and the MacBook Pros now feature the Kaby Lake processor. Apple wowed us with the iMac Pro, and while it’s not coming out until the fall with a price tag rumored to start around $4999 it won’t be for the faint-hearted user but man is it an incredible machine! Apple also announced the much anticipated HomePod and I can’t wait to compare it to my Echo when it comes out.

One last announcement to touch upon and one that didn’t get airtime during the more than two hour Keynote was AppleCare+ for Mac. That’s right, accidental damage coverage has finally come to the Mac! We no longer need to fear a Monday morning coffee disaster or cross our fingers that our laptop survived a fall because you forgot you left your MacBook Air on the edge of the table. The only downside that I see to the new AppleCare+ for Mac is that you now only have 60 days to add AppleCare+ to your computer, gone are the days of having up to 1 year to add AppleCare to your computer purchase but I see the peace of mind dramatically outweighing this minor change.

Thank you for reading,

Emily Dolloff
emily@smalldog.com