It may be the Worldwide Developers Conference, but it's about a lot more than just development. Also, Apple is finally giving QR codes some love, and it's doing speakers but downplaying the smarts. That and more in The Daily Crunch for June 6, 2017. 1. WWDC recapped Maybe you missed WWDC yesterday (maybe you were not on the internet the entire day) but even if you did catch some of it, it's still worth taking a gander at our overview in order to make sense of it all. A lot launched, and a lot was previewed. Some very interesting things made their debut at the event keynote, including an iMac Pro that's not launching until later this year, and a home speaker with Siri on board that's also only coming sometime in the future. Also, check below for some key highlights from the many announcements made.
2. Apple embraces QR codes Apple has added native QR code recognition to the iOS camera app. That means you don't have to turn anything on or install any additional apps to read QR codes, those square bar codes you sometimes see on posters. It's pervasive in Asia, but it never really caught on in North America, in part because popular phones like Apple's haven't supported them natively. Jon thinks its' too late, but I think he's dead wrong – this could finally spur their North American adoption. 3. A HomePod isn't a brand name of tiny house It's not – it's a smart speaker created by Apple. This also isn't shipping immediately, but it was ready enough for demos to press after the show. The verdict seems to be that it works very well, and beats rivals like the Echo when it comes to audio quality. Apple positioned it as a good speaker first, and a smart one second, which is very interesting and could suggest it's aware Siri isn't ready for center stage. 4. Business Chat puts customer service in iMessage Apple is making iMessage into a much more full-featured messaging platform with iOS 11, and one feature that may have escaped your notice is Business Chat. This will make it easier for businesses to conduct customer service across platforms with iMessage, which sounds pretty great from a consumer standpoint. Meanwhile, you can also send money to friends using Apple Pay and iMessage in iOS 11, which is downright amazing. 5. Uber hires a leadership SVP Uber has been looking for a COO, but it just hired Frances Frei as SVP of leadership and strategy. Frei was a Harvard Business School professor, and is described "as a partner" for CEO Travis Kalanick. Interestingly, that's the same language used around the COO search Uber had set out uponafter its cultural issues came to light – no word on whether this less senior hire replaces those efforts. 6. Lyft and Nutonomy team up to bring self-driving cabs to Boston Lyft has a third dance partner in the self-driving car world: Nutonomy, which beat Uber to the punch with the first self-driving cab launched for public use, in Singapore prior to Uber's Pittsburgh trials. This sounds like it's very early stages, but the first cars should start picking up passengers within the coming months, Lyft says. 7. Delivery Hero plans for IPO European food delivery giant is ready for its IPO, after acquiring most of its in-market competition. The IPO is designed to help it with more capital for growth, among other things. |
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