Cue the PowerPoints... Apple's multi-day here's-what-we've-been-working-on Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off in San Jose. Apple's operating system got some big updates (spoiler alert: "dark mode" is coming to your iPhone), but these are our 4 highlights.
- A SciFi-ish show: The 1st original show for Apple TV+ (its paid video subscription) will be For All Mankind — An alt-history where Russia lands on the moon first (here's the trailer).
- End awkward earwax: Share the music you're listening to by holding your phone next to your buddy's (like AirDrop) instead of sharing/trading headphones.
- Hello, Siri: She's getting a more "natural" sounding voice and will work better with AirPods.
- Goodbye, iTunes: Since '01, iTunes has delivered you everything media-ish. Now it'll be split into 3 separate apps — Music, Podcasts, TV (like it already is on the iPhone).
But 1 update is (subtly) the biggest... “Sign In With Apple.” Bought a succulent online lately? You probably experienced "1-click sign-in with Google or Facebook" options (looks like this). Using your FB or Google creds logs you in faster, but you feel like you're giving up privacy/security. Apple thinks it's better than its tech rivals — Face ID tech can log you into anything more safely.
The next tech battle is privacy... and Apple is positioning itself as the savior. It hasn't suffered Facebook-style privacy leaks, CEO Tim Cook proactively calls for more regulation, and Apple keeps your data locked down on your device with encryption (it doesn't need personal data to sell ads). This conference shows it's wrapping its brand all around privacy.