Apple flew through four software updates, three hardware updates, and two brand new products, but there are some big things we were looking forward to that Apple didn't announce at WWDC.
At WWDC 2017, Apple ran through software and hardware updates and also announced a couple of brand new products, but there are a lot of tentpole features we were really hoping for that didn't make it into the keynote. Maybe we'll still get them this fall?
Here's everything Apple did announced at WWDC 2017
And here's everything we were hoping for but didn't get.
Handoff for media
Apple's Handoff feature is pretty awesome — start writing an email on your iPhone, finish it on your Mac, and so on - but one obvious feature it's missing is handoff for media, like listening to music or watching movies. Why can't I start listening to a playlist on my Mac and then switch over to my iPhone and pick up right were I left off? This feature is long overdue and we're hoping to see it eventually show up in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra before the final version launches this fall.
Systemwide dark mode
Apple didn't even mention it, but iOS 11 will get a version of a dark theme with its "redesigned invert colors" update. It's being called "Smart Invert" and the idea is that it uses the invert colors feature from Accessibility but doesn't invert images. It also works with Apple's apps, and rumor has it that developers will be able to implement it into their own apps in the future.
It's technically not dark mode on iPhone, though. It's more like a workaround. I'd love a true dark theme for iOS, as well as a systemwide dark mode on macOS. Am I asking too much?
Hey, Siri on Mac
We were sure this one was coming. Unfortunately, Apple's big focus on High Sierra was with internal improvements, like Safari tracker blocking, Photos improvements, and APFS. What Apple didn't add to macOS (or at least didn't mention in the keynote) is a voice-activated Siri trigger. This is a must-have Accessibility feature that we were hoping Apple had already prepared for, but it looks like it still won't show up in the next macOS update.
Unlock my Mac with iPhone
You can unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch, you can pay for online purchases with your iPhone, and if you have the MacBook Pro with Touch ID, you can do both on your Mac, but you can't natively unlock your Mac with your iPhone (yes, we know about MacID and we love it, but we're talking about native support). There's got to be a reason Apple still hasn't added this feature to macOS and iOS, but I can't think of what that is. Can you?
A Watch face store
It's silly to think Jony Ive would ever allow us to ruin his perfect design by letting artists and developers create custom Watch faces with customizable complications, but that's something we want. Imagine being able to browse through hundreds of Watch face designs, complete with the ability to customize what you can interact with on the face, all beautifully laid out for you in a digital store. Some would be free, others would cost a couple of dollars, at the most. We'd be able to try something different every day! Alas, we're just going to have to settle for animated Woody, Jessie, and Buzz (not that that's not cool in and of itself).
Revamp of iTunes (AKA burn it down!)
iMore Senior Managing Editor, Serenity Caldwell has gone on record to say how much she hates the way iTunes works on the Mac and I agree. Her suggestion, which I think is brilliant, is to tear down the desktop version of iTunes altogether and replace it with individual service stores, like a Music app, Podcast app, and iOS App Store, just like it is on your iPhone. This would make it a lot easier to manage content faster. Instead of switching menus and jumping around, you could open the app you want to and find what you're looking for. No fuss, no muss!
iPhone 8
We all know it's coming. We've all seen the many, many leaks, supposed photos, and schematics for the iPhone 8 (so, we're just skipping the "S" altogether now?). We were pretty sure Apple would be saving the big reveal for later this year, and we were right (though secretly some of us were hoping for a taste). We will still have to wait until fall to see this edge-to-edge-screened, buttonless, Touch-ID-on-the-back iPhone that everyone keeps talking about.
Mac Pro
Apple did announce a more advanced version of the iMac with the iMac Pro. This is not the promised Mac Pro coming in 2018. We were hoping, however, that since Apple's SVP of marketing, Phil Schiller, told us all that the Mac Pro is coming that we'd actually get a chance to see at least some artists' renderings of the big beautiful beast. Instead, we got the iMac Pro, which looks awesome, but really confused some people who thought it was the pro model desktop Apple had been talking about. Not to worry, the Mac Pro is yet to come. We've only got to wait another year...
Anything at all for tvOS
The tvOS portion of the keynote was my biggest disappointment at WWDC this year. Apple did release a developer beta for tvOS but didn't mention one single thing about it. All that was mentioned is that Amazon Prime Video is coming to Apple TV, which is cool but not a software update.
A better name than 'HomePod'
OK, so Apple unveiled the much-talked-about speaker/Siri hub we've all been hearing rumors about for months. The speaker looks really cool, and Mobile Nations Editorial Director, Rene Ritchie, was impressed with its quality and I'm super excited to hook it up to my Apple TV.
But "HomePod"? Really? Is Apple playing a joke on us? I would have been happy with any number of different names for the Siri connected speaker, like Siri Speaker, or Siri Hub, or Siri Home, or just Siri. But, HomePod. I feel like I've stepped back into 2001.
What did you get?
Were you hoping Apple would announce a specific software features or hardware updates that didn't get a mention? Talk about it in the comments.
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