Big News From Apple: MacBooks, iOS 6, And MoreBig News From Apple: MacBooks, iOS 6, And More

Apple's WWDC 2012 keynote on Monday was full of new announcements from the Cupertino company. Much of what was announced had been rumored for some time already, such as a new, thinner MacBook Pro with a Retina Display, a MacBook Air update, and iOS 6 with new maps and many other enhancements.

Here's what's new in the world of Apple.

MacBook Air Update

The MacBook Air still has the same exterior design, but the inside has received an overhaul.

The 11-inch Air starts at $999 and $1,099. The flash storage didn't get a bump--it remains at 64GB and 128GB, respectively. The change here is in the processor, which is now a 1.7-GHz dual-core Intel Core i5. It's loaded with 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000, and a 720p FaceTime camera.

The 15-inch MacBook Air will come with 128GB of storage, upgradable to 256GB. The processor is a 1.8-GHz dual-core Intel Core i5. Like the 11-inch Air, it also has 4GB of memory, an Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics card, and a 720p FaceTime camera.

New MacBook Pro Models

The 13-inch MacBook Pro comes in two flavors. Both have a 1280 x 800 display.

The specs for the base model are as follows: 2.5GHz dual-core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 500GB hard drive, seven-hour battery life, .95 inches thick, 4.5 pounds. It starts at $1,199.

For those who want a slight spec bump, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be had with a 2.9-GHz dual-core i7 processor and a 750GB hard drive instead, for $1,499.

The 15-inch model starts at $1,799 for the base model. A step up from that will run you $2,199.

Here's what $1,800 will get you: a 2.3-GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory, and a 500GB hard drive. The 15-inch model is just as slim--.95 inches thick--as the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Opting for a $2,200 MacBook Pro will score you a 2.6-GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory, and a 750GB hard drive.

MacBook Pro with Retina Display

This is the first major MacBook Pro redesign in several years. The new laptop is now thinner, at .71 inches, and equipped with a Retina Display that has an 2880 x 1880 resolution, giving it a pixel density of 220ppi. Both models have a 720p FaceTime HD camera. They add USB 3 and a newer, thinner MagSafe 2 connector.

The base model starts at $2,199, and has a 2.3-GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor. It has 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L memory, 256GB of flash memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory, and automatic graphics switching.

The $2,799 model features a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, and 512GB of flash storage.

All the Apple laptops begin shipping today.

Mountain Lion

Game Center

Mountain Lion is getting Game Center. This will allow users to play games with each other across multiple platforms, such as iOS and Mac OS.

Messages

Messages, which has been in beta for a few months now, lets users send messages to iPhone users and iPad users the way they would SMS. This will work across all Apple devices.

Notifications

The new notification center will work much like the OS X app Growl. It brings pop-up notifications to the top-right corner of the screen. If you ignore it, it just goes away. However, you can check all your notifications quickly through the app.

Dictation

This brings Apple's dictation software to the Mac. It's similar to what's on the new iPad. This is not to be confused with Siri, which is more of a personal assistant.

Search in Launchpad

Users can now search through Apple's Launchpad.

Pricing

No release date was announced for Mountain Lion, but the pricing will entice buyers at $19. That's a $10 drop from last year's Lion OS.

iOS 6

iOS 6, which arrives this fall, will add several new features to Apple's mobile operating system.

New Maps app

This was heavily reported and rumored before the announcement. Apple is getting away from Google Maps and introducing its own Maps app. This one offers turn-by-turn navigation, a feature that was missing from the previous maps application. There is Siri integration, so you can ask it something along the lines of "Are we there yet?" and it responds with an approximation of the estimated arrival time.

The maps are vector-based, which makes zooming in and out faster and cleaner. Say farewell to pixelation. The new Maps app also adds a 3D mode.

FaceTime over cellular

Back when FaceTime was announced on the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs said that it would work only over Wi-Fi through 2010. Nothing was said about cellular. However, Apple has now announced FaceTime over cellular. This might also be an indication that it will soon be releasing a 4G LTE-capable phone--at least in time for iOS 6. That's not to say it can't work over 3G, but 4G has plenty of speed.

PassBook

PassBook is something of a digital wallet. It stores things such as movie tickets and airplane tickets. It's also location based. This means that, for example, if you have movie tickets stored on it, and you drive to the theater, PassBook will put the ticket up on your lock screen.

For travelers, it will notify you of any changes in your flight schedule.

Enhanced Siri

New Siri features include telling you game scores, or player stats. It will also let you make reservations through OpenTable, check out places through Yelp, or ask what movies are playing at the theater.

One of the biggest updates would have to be app launching. Siri will now launch apps for you. Siri will also be integrated into cars, which will help keep drivers' attention on the road.

Facebook integration

Facebook integration is also part of the new iOS. For instance, events and birthdays will be added to your iOS calendar if you link your device to Facebook. This is done by logging into Facebook on your iOS device, much like you do with the Twitter integration.

Call back later

You can set your device up to ignore incoming calls, but remind you to call those people back later. This is especially useful for driving or meetings. You can also respond to someone directly by SMS, rather than having to call them back.

Pull to refresh in email

This new feature gives you the ability to pull down while in your email app to refresh the screen, and see if you have received any new messages. This is similar to hitting the refresh button at the bottom-right corner of the current email app.

They also made a quick mention of these additional features, but didn't take the time to highlight them: better privacy settings, a feature in Game Center called Challenges that lets you send a message to a friend challenging them in a game, and something called Lost Mode, which sends a phone number to your device, and when someone finds it, they can tap to call it back and help you recover your iOS device.

Compatibility and availability

iOS 6 ships this fall, and will work with the iPhone 3GS and later, as well as the iPad 2 and the third-generation iPad. The original iPad doesn't get this update. Developers can get their hands on the beta today.

Now the wait for the iPhone

The laptops were the only hardware addition to the Apple line of products. There were mentions of Apple's long-rumored HDTV or even a sneak peak at the next iPhone. Chances are it's not going to happen. However, with iOS 6 coming this fall, it gives us all a pretty good idea of when we can expect Apple's next handset to arrive.