The 2017 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference still has two more days to go, and I still have some questions. They may have been answered at WWDC sessions, but, as I’m not a developer, I’m not privy to that info. Anyway, on to the questions:
1) The upcoming HomePod utilizes AirPlay 2. Can it easily be used, when needed, as an external speaker with my Mac? Along the same lines, since the HomePod can be activated by saying “Hey, Siri,” a la the iPhone, will it and my iPhone 7 Plus be “confused” when I speak the phrase?
2) The updated 12-inch MacBooks lack the Touch Bar that comes with 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros. There’s no standalone Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar available for the new iMacs. Has Apple decided the Touch Bar was an interesting, but failed, experiment?
3) What of scripting? Earlier this year Apple acquired Workflow, an iOS tool that lets you hook together apps and functions within apps in strings of commands to automate tasks. Apple loves to share features between Macs, iPads and iPhones. Since Workflow is a “personal automation tool” for iOS, I expected it to be unveiled at WWDC and touted as the future personal automation tool for Macs. That may still be coming, of course.
4) Why no iBooks Author update? iBooks is a free ebook app that allows you to read publications purchased at the iBook Store. iBooks Author lets you create iBooks textbooks (as well as other types of books) for the iPad and Mac. iBooks Author hasn’t not received an update since January’s 2.4.1 security update, and hasn’t received a feature update since last September’s version 2.4. And yet, the software is used as much as it ever was, including in Apple’s own new coding curriculum for schools.
