Worth taking note: Here’s the best from Apple’s WWDC

Apple kicked off its annual conference for developers last Monday. The nearly two-hour keynote was notable for several reasons, the most obvious of which was the lack of a live audience for the first time. It’s also the first time the conference was 100 percent virtual, with all sessions streamed and made available for download via the free Apple Developer app, which is now available for Mac, iOS and iPadOS.

The most important news, in case you haven’t heard, is that Apple will transition the Mac from

Intel processors to its own “worldclass custom silicon to deliver industryleading performance and powerful new technologies.” The first Macs with Apple processors will be available before the end of the year, kicking off a two-year transition cycle.

(Dwight Silverman’s June 24 column discussed the implications of the transition, so I’ll leave it at that for now. But rest assured, I’ll have plenty to say after I spend a bit of quality time using a Mac with an Apple processor.)

The next release of macOS, named Big Sur, includes the biggest Safari update ever. On top of the visual overhaul, Big Sur includes a customizable menu bar, an all-new Control Center, a redesigned Maps app, considerable improvements to the Messages app, and much more.

The new iOS 14 offers new ways to customize your Home Screen, including redesigned widgets that can be pinned to any page. It also introduces the App Library, which organizes your apps by category automatically, and “intelligently surfaces apps that may be helpful in the moment.” It also adds App Clips, “a small part of an app experience designed to be discovered at the moment it is needed.”

So, for example, if you’re at a parking meter that requires a specific app to pay for parking, an App Clip will appear and let you pay instantly without finding and downloading the app.

Apple’s iPadOS 14 will include all of the new iOS 14 features as well as powerful new handwriting recognition features for Apple Pencil and less-obtrusive notifications.

There were many other announcements that matter (to me), including an update to AirPods Pro that adds “spatial audio with dynamic head tracking,” to provide pseudo-surround sound. Three other new features I’m looking forward to are: third-party support for the Find My apps (to find gadgets not made by Apple); and shareable Apple Watch faces and sleep tracking in watchOS 7.

I’m installing developer releases and will have much more to say once I’ve had some hands-on time with them.

There is one last thing: I thought this was the best Apple special event broadcast ever. The missing audience meant no time wasted on cutaways, reaction shots, or waiting for the applause to die down. And, the production seemed slicker and faster-paced, with more presenters and somewhat less fluff.