Apple developers had a flabbergasting week – WWDC keynote and all the sessions. The company unveiled a great new set of tools for developers to have fun with. One of the biggest changes has to be in Mac development as the company moves from using Intel chips in its Mac to using its own custom ARM based chips.
Apple also released Xcode 12 which brings a fresh new design to the development tool alongside the redesigned macOS Big Sur. While the initial reviews of macOS Big Sur haven’t been particularly positive, the changes are definitely welcome.
The company introduced ARKit 4 as it continues to improve its stance in the industry. It brings new ways to capture information of the real world using a Depth API designed to work with the LiDAR sensor in the iPad Pro, enabling new types of apps which will enable new experiences in the fields of architecture, landscaping, design, and manufacturing.
While Apple is not the king when it comes to Machine learning, it is making it easier and more extensive to deploy and encrypt with additional tools in Core ML. The company is also bringing new templates and training capabilities in Create ML, and some APIs to help with vision and natural language.
The iPad continues to get better with every passing year. Apple Pencil is the best in the industry and PencilKit now features a new Scribble feature. It will enable developers to create apps with text entry fields that users can write with Apple Pencil.
Wireless audio is taking over traditional wired audio peripherals and AirPods continue to be one of the best wireless earphones in the market. To further improve the experience of using AirPods, Apple introduced Motion API which will give developers access to movement data of users in real time.
Apple is also further improving its ‘Sign in with Apple’ by allowing developers to allow users to use third-party app accounts.
