Apple’s WWDC keynote yesterday was filled to the brim with software announcements for every Apple device from iOS phones and tablets to macOS computers. But one thing was conspicuously missing from the keynote: new hardware. Technically, Apple did quietly release some new physical products at WWDC 2018, as spotted by AppleInsider. As has now become tradition, Apple unveiled new iPhone cases and Apple Watch straps in its summer 2018 seasonal colors of peach, marine green, and sky blue. Silicone cases for the iPhone X, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus will set you back $39, while the smaller iPhone 8 and 7 versions will cost $35. Meanwhile, Apple Watch Sport Bands in the new hues will cost $49 (for either the 42mm or 38mm sizes.) There is a rainbow-colored Pride Edition Apple Watch band that the company referenced onstage at the keynote. It’s a woven nylon Apple Watch strap that costs $49 (similar to the other bands). A portion of the proceeds from Pride Edition band sales will go toward LGBTQ advocacy organizations. Meanwhile, users of the MacBook Pro’s busted butterfly keyboard will just have to continue to spray compressed air on their keyboards and pray that they won’t lose their laptops to the titanic forces of stray pieces of lint. I’m sure none of the developers in the room even wanted any of Intel’s new, multicore eighth-generation chips anyway. Or a new iPhone SE 2. Or an AirPower charger that was announced months ago. This is all fine.<doc-sep>A customer tries out an Apple Watch Nike+ at an Apple Store in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, October 28, 2016 in New York City. Drew Angerer | Getty Images Your Apple Watch is going to get a lot of new features this fall. Apple discussed them earlier this week during WWDC 2018 in San Jose. The new features will be available for folks who own a Series 1 Apple Watch or newer version, but not the original Apple Watch. Here's what you can expect. New exercise functions Apple The watchOS 5 will be able to detect if you're working out and will start logging it, which means you won't have to manually open the watch's workout app when you exercise. It also has new competition features that let you challenge friends to see who is more active in a week. Other new features let you track yoga sessions and hikes as well as your cadence and pace when you run. Podcasts Apple Apple is adding support for its Podcasts app for the first time. This means you can automatically sync your podcasts or stream new ones while you're out walking the dog or putting in an early run on the treadmill. Apple hadn't previously given third-party apps full control over podcast management and playback, so this is a good first step. Apple This one seems silly but it could be fun to use. The watchOS 5 will let you talk to other folks in real time, without having to place a phone call, with a new walkie-talkie feature. Just open the app, tap the button to speak, and your friend will hear your message. (Remember to mute this before walking into a work meeting.) Web links Apple The Apple Watch will now work with some web links. That means if someone sends you a story or a link to a menu you need to check out, you can open it right from your Apple Watch instead of on your iPhone. Siri Apple<doc-sep>A future version of the Apple Watch will be updated with solid state buttons that don't physically click but instead use a Taptic Engine to provide haptic feedback to users, reports Fast Company. Apple will continue to use a two button configuration with a Digital Crown and a Side button, but neither button will be a traditional physical button. Apple will stick with the Watch's current button configuration, with a button and a digital crown situated on one side of the device, but neither will physically click as before. Rather than reacting to the user's touch by physically moving back and forth, the new buttons will vibrate slightly under the fingertip, using the haptic effect Apple calls the Taptic Engine. (The digital crown will still physically rotate to navigate through content.) What Fast Company is describing is the same solid state button design that Apple first introduced with the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus Home button. These devices, and later iPhones with a Home button, use solid state buttons that provide haptic feedback from the built-in Taptic Engine to mimic a button press. Apple uses a similar method for its MacBook and MacBook Pro trackpads, which also lack physical buttons. Solid state buttons will improve water resistance in the Apple Watch and also take up less space, leaving more room for a bigger battery or other components. Fast Company's source also alleges Apple is working on using the top of the buttons as sensors to gather health-related data like heart rhythms as some types of measurements require more than one point of contact with a user's skin. According to Fast Company, the Apple Watch could adopt solid state buttons as early as 2018, but if the feature doesn't make it into the 2018 Apple Watch models, solid state buttons will be introduced in 2019. In the future, beyond 2019, Apple is also said to be working towards a watch that has no buttons at all, with the sides of the device designed to respond to touch and swipe-based gestures. Previous 2018 Apple Watch rumors have made no mention of solid state buttons, but we have heard that the fourth-generation Apple Watch models could feature a display that's 15 percent larger, perhaps through a reduction in bezel size. New models are also said to feature a longer battery life and improved health monitoring capabilities.<doc-sep>A new class action lawsuit filed against Apple this week alleges that all Apple Watch models suffer from a defect that causes the display to "crack, shatter, or detach from the body of the watch, through no fault of the wearer." The proposed class is all current and former owners of all models, sizes, and variants of the Apple Watch, including the original, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 generations, purchased in the United States between April 2015 and present, according to court documents obtained by MacRumors. The complaint, filed in Northern California district court, alleges that Apple has sold millions of watches with the defect throughout the United States, and "either knew, or should have known," about the display issues. Apple is said to have "actively concealed" and "failed to disclose" the defect to customers. The complaint adds that Apple's internal policy is to "deny the existence of the defect, claim the defect is the result of accidental damage caused by consumers, and then refuse to honor its limited warranty on those grounds," resulting in customers facing expensive fees to repair or replace their defective watches. Apple Watch out-of-warranty service fees range from $229 to $329 in the United States, excluding high-end Edition models. The lawsuit was brought against Apple by Colorado resident Kenneth Sciacca, who purchased an Apple Watch Series 2 in December 2016. In or around March 2018, the screen on Sciacca's watch is said to have "unexpectedly detached from the watch's body shortly after he removed the watch from its charger." The complaint cites a handful of comments from the Apple Support Communities, and similar complaints can be found scattered across the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Twitter, and other discussion platforms. Apple has acknowledged issues with swollen batteries in select original and Series 2 models, which can cause the display to pop off, and offered free repairs up to three years after purchase, according to internal guidelines previously obtained by MacRumors. However, the complaint alleges that Apple refuses to extend the free repairs to watches with detached displays but no swollen battery. Apple is accused of unlawful business acts and practices, in violation of California's Business and Professions Code, in addition to violating California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, breaching express and implied warranties, and unjust enrichment. The complaint is seeking damages to fully compensate affected Apple Watch owners for all losses sustained as a result of the alleged defect, plus further relief as seen fit by the court. A jury trial has been demanded.<doc-sep>
Apple’s popular smartwatch will be getting a new software update later this year in the form of watchOS 5. It will add new features for health and fitness tracking, as well as software that aligns with the screen time limitations that are coming with iOS 12 on the iPhone and iPad. For health and fitness features, watchOS 5 will let you challenge your friends to competitions up to seven days in length. It will also include new workout types for yoga activities and hiking. Runners will benefit from improved tracking for your pace and cadence. Perhaps most significant is the new automatic workout tracking, which will prompt you to track an activity when it detects that you might be working out. It will even work retroactively if you don’t start the tracking right at the beginning of your workout. WatchOS 5 will also bring a new way to communicate between other Apple Watch wearers, which works similar to a walkie-talkie. Press a button on the side of the watch, speak, and the other person will hear what you have to say. They can then respond with an audio clip of their own. The Siri watchface is getting enhanced with sports, maps, and heartrate information, as well as shortcuts to the new Siri actions that are coming with iOS 12. It will also support third-party apps, according to Apple. Apple is also eliminating the need to say “Hey Siri” to wake Siri — you’ll be able to just raise your wrist and talk to it. Notifications are getting improved with more actionable features as well, so you can respond to messages or triage them easier from your wrist. Grid View Believe it or not, Apple is also adding the ability to view certain webpages from the Watch, through new WebKit support. The company says the pages will be optimized for the Watch’s small face and touch interactions. Other new features include a new Podcasts app, the ability to play background audio, and a customizable Control Center. The Apple Wallet app will also support student IDs from a handful of universities. Apple will be releasing watchOS 5 for the Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch later this year. It will not be compatible with the first-generation watch released in 2015. Apple did not announce any new Watch hardware today, but it did release a new strap to commemorate Pride month along with a matching watch face. Check out our Apple WWDC storystream for the latest updates!