Redesign of iMacs, new laptops key part of Apple conference

A redesigned iMac all-in-one system will be a key announcement when Apple hosts its Worldwide Developers Conference this week

Apple will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference this week in a three-day event held online and for free. Picture: AFP

A redesigned iMac all-in-one computer and a new vision for Mac laptops will be key announcements when Apple hosts its annual Worldwide Developers Conference this week.

Hundreds of journalists and thousands of Apple developers will take part. Coronavirus prevents a physical gathering, but Apple has moved the three-day event online and made it free. Developers usually pay about $US1600 ($2300) to attend.

There’s a keynote address at 3am AEST on Tuesday followed by dozens of workshops and technical deep-dive sessions over another two days.

Reports suggest Apple has redesigned the iMac range to give it a modern look with a thinner border around the edges, higher resolution display and faster operation. The most significant hardware change will be Apple’s announcement that future MacBooks will use their own Apple-designed processors, built by semiconductor company ARM Holdings, instead of standard Intel chips.

There are pluses and minuses. The major minus is that some programs that run on MacBooks will cease to work unless redeveloped. The big plus is that Apple can totally repurpose consumer and small business laptops and how they will work. We should see their vision of the future of personal computing.

However, it could take years for ARM processors to roll out to most Mac models. One suggestion is that Apple may require programs on Macs to be obtained through its App Store as is the case with iPhones and iPads now. You’d no longer be able to download and install programs from independent sources.

Apple will announce up­graded operating systems for ­iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TV and Apple Watch and make early versions for developers. It is expected Apple will offer a re­designed alternative iPhone home screen, possibly a list view for apps. This will be the first major redesign of the home screen since iPhones launched.

An Apple-developed fitness app, revamped Messages app supporting @mentions in group chats, blood oxygen tracking and parental controls for Apple Watch are among the rumours.

The WWDC conference also features third-party software and games by developers and Australian start-ups are expected to attend the event as they have in the past.

Relations between Apple and some developers are tense this year over the 30 per cent cut Apple takes for App Store sales; it recently banned the Hey email app after its developer, Basecamp, disputed the cut.

Apple this month disclosed it had snared more than half a trillion US dollars in App Store sales and billings in 2019.

It also faces EU inquiries into the operation of Apple Pay and the App Store.