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Apple reveals updates to iPhone, MacBook, OS X

Tags:
OS X,
Mac,
MacBook,
WWDC

Josh Lowensohn CNET News

Published: 09 Jun 2009 08:58 BST

...the ExpressCard slot, which had allowed for the use of all sorts of third-party add-ons. The 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro also gets its Firewire port back, an omission on the launch model that caused much user ire.

Extended preview of new operating system
Apple demoed OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard. It is the first version of the OS X operating system that will not work on PowerPC-based Macs, meaning only people with Intel-based Macs will be able to use it.

The operating system installs faster and takes up less space. Apple says it is half the size of the previous version of OS X and installs 45 percent faster.

A new feature puts Expose in the dock. If you hold an app's icon in the dock it will show all of the active windows in that application — similar to stacks, except it shows full previews just like it does in the current Expose. Users can do this with OS X's spring-loaded folder system to drag files into the dock, then add to precise windows they have open.

Finder, OS X's app launcher and file explorer, has been re-written. It looks and functions the same, but performance has improved. It shows previews and icons faster, and includes a customisable search tool.

Microsoft Exchange support built into Snow Leopard
Apple announced this long ago, but demoed it on stage. Exchange is now baked into the Mail, Calendar and Address Book apps. You can also search for Exchange messages that are on the server in OS X's Spotlight search.

All system apps in Snow Leopard have been rewritten to run in 64-bit mode. This gives them access to all of your system's memory. Everything also runs through 'Grand Central Dispatch', which handles all the multicore threading in apps.

Snow Leopard also uses a new graphics standard called OpenCL. Apple says it's more faster and more optimised than OpenGL. Apple's making this new graphics spec open, and is getting graphics card manufacturers to add support.

A new version of Quicktime (version 10) has a new UI that does away with most of the 'chrome' in place of the same type of hovering controls you get when you watch videos in full screen in the current version. On the back end, it has HTTP streaming, which Apple said will work on "any web server". It also uses a visual editing system similar to the latest version of iMovie that lets you see thumbnails of each part of a clip in a timeline.

Handwriting recognition is now built into the OS. It can be used with Apple's multitouch track pad, so that users can write in words and letters with their fingers. That is aimed at Chinese users, but it could make its way into English apps as well.

In addition to the announcements above, Safari 4 is now out of beta. The new version keeps plug-ins from crashing the browser. Instead users can just reload the page. Also it has a full-history search of every site you have ever been to, which can be accessed in Spotlight system search.

The white colour of the iPhone 3G has been discontinued. You can only get a white iPhone if you get the new 3G S model, or whatever white 3G stock is left in retail stores.

The halo effect seems to be true. Apple says that OS X users have tripled since the release of the iPhone.

The iPhone will now support more than 30 languages.

Credit: Apple refreshes iPhones, MacBooks, and OS X at WWDC from CNET News