Apple fans must read: Review of Apple's top ten hot topics in 2017

This year has been a very busy year for Apple, with new products launched in every product line and innovation and breakthroughs in many fields. As 2017 is coming to an end, let's review Apple's hot events in the past year.

1. Apple-Qualcomm Patent War

Qualcomm has built up the entire market value of its intellectual property through more than 300 licensing agreements over the past 20 years, and its series of patents have made its licensing fees reach 5% of the price of many devices. After experiencing the "battle of the century" with Samsung, as well as its conflicts with Motorola, Nokia and other companies, Apple is not afraid to fight with any company on patents.

In the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus released this year, Apple continued to implement the strategy of mixing baseband chips. Qualcomm believed that its technology had been leaked and sued Apple again.

Affected by the lawsuit with Apple, Qualcomm's stock price continued to fall, and Apple was constantly involved in lawsuits such as "banning the sale of iPhone" and "supplier arrears". There were constant reports that Apple planned to completely abandon the use of Qualcomm baseband chips in future iPhone and iPad products.

The war between Apple and Qualcomm will not end in the short term, and the prices of iPhone and iPad products may change accordingly. The irreconcilable conflict between the two companies will also accelerate the process of self-development of important components of iPhone.

2. Smart speakers target your living room

At this year's WWDC, Apple released its first smart speaker, HomePod. It integrates functions such as broadcasting, weather, reminders, and notifications, and connects with smart homes to control smart devices at home. It is priced at US$349 (about RMB 2,374) and was originally scheduled to be released during the Christmas shopping season, just in time for consumers' Christmas gift lists.

Unfortunately, it has been postponed to next year. Although it was not available for sale in 2017, HomePod has still become the focus of many people's attention, especially during the period when HomePod was delayed, the Chinese market, which has long been difficult for foreign smart speakers such as Google and Amazon, has been quietly conquered by domestic brands, laying a good foundation for the popularization of more mature smart speaker products in the future.

3. The legend ends: iPod shuffle and iPod nano are no longer available

In July, Apple quietly removed two classic products from its online store, the iPod shuffle and iPod nano, marking the end of Apple's last two standalone music players.

Since 2014, Apple no longer regards iPod as an independent business. The iPod nano has not undergone any major changes since it was redesigned in 2012, and the last design update of iPod shuffle was in 2010. After that, there have been no major improvements to the two products, except for a few more color options.

With the continuous elimination and evolution of consumer electronic products, the functions of independent music players have long been replaced by smartphones, and iPod shuffle and iPod nano have completed their missions.

This also symbolizes that the music players that accompanied our generation through our youth have truly become history.

4. Goodbye to the App Store's revised bestseller list

The 2017 autumn App Store update is known as the most significant update to the App Store since Apple launched the App. Apple devoted the most attention to developers at WWDC 2017. This time, the App Store is no longer an accessory to iOS upgrades. Its highlights and information are equally eye-catching.

The new version of the App Store has made drastic changes to the five major sections, directly removing the list and the categories. The original recommendation section has been split into Today, Games, and Apps. Apple also used the revised App Store to tell everyone that it is no longer an era where whoever is the biggest dominates the list, and the editor's recommendation is the key.

The card-based UI design makes the recommendation style more unified and downplays a series of "conventions" derived from the competition in commercial game rankings. Due to this major change in the App Store, almost all domestic App publishing platforms are exploring new recommendation methods. What users see is a game application recommendation model with more card-based styles and more editor participation.

5. A newer, bigger and cheaper iPad

Some say there's no one on earth who loves the iPad as much as Cook, and even in the dark days when tablet sales were stagnant, Apple's CEO remained steadfast in his commitment to it.

This year, this persistence paid off, with iPad sales increasing for two consecutive quarters. Apple adjusted its iPad product line this year, using the cheap entry-level iPad and iPad mini 4 to enter the education market and the general consumer market. On the other hand, the 12.9-inch and 10.5-inch iPad Pros focused on developing professional lineups. The optimization of the new iPad Pro in terms of display and processor is the biggest motivation for users to upgrade their existing iPads.

iOS 11 also opens a new chapter for iPad. Many new features and functions such as multitasking support help users handle tasks more efficiently and quickly, injecting new vitality into the iPad series. However, it is undeniable that the iPad series will still face great challenges in 2018, and its positioning still requires Apple to make a clearer decision.

6. iOS 11 is a future-oriented system

The iOS 11 system includes a large number of improvements, resets and updates. It is the biggest system change for Apple products in recent years. It is also a system that Apple calls "a huge improvement for the iPhone and a milestone leap for the iPad."

Apple has released an unprecedented number of test versions in preparation for the launch of the official version in the fall. From the unlocking interface to a cellular data switch in the control center, every change is almost enough to affect users' long-term usage habits.

The addition of the ARkit platform has greatly stimulated the activity of AR applications. So far, there have been thousands of ARKit-based apps, incubating Apple's primary ecosystem for augmented reality technology in the future.

One month after the official release of iOS 11, the installation rate has exceeded that of iOS 10. However, it has also become the system that receives the most complaints. Although newly released iOS versions often encounter some problems, users seem to find more problems on iOS 11 than any previous iOS version.

7. macOS High Sierra technical changes

Every year we welcome a new version of macOS, but this year's High Sierra seems to be a little different. The name seems to be saying that it is inextricably linked to the previous generation Sierra.

The changes brought by macOS High Sierra are more technical, for example, the file system of your beloved machine has been officially upgraded from the outdated HFS to APFS (Apple File System). APFS has a 64-bit architecture and is designed for SSD hard drives, so when it comes to file usage, the entire macOS experience will be subtly improved.

Another example is the new HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, also known as H.265) standard. Compared with the current H.264 video compression standard, its video compression rate can be increased by up to 40%. While maintaining the same video quality, it takes up less storage space and has better transmission effect.

In addition, Safari and native photos are more powerful than before, Metal 2, VR compatibility and optimization, machine learning algorithms... all of these are silently improving your user experience.

8. Easy connection at the other end

This year, Apple finally released the long-awaited cellular version of Apple Watch. From the new generation of Apple Watch, we see a more independent product, a product that is no longer called an iPhone accessory.

The cellular data network function added to Apple Watch Series 3 undoubtedly sets it apart from most fitness smartwatches. It is a smartwatch that does not require an iPhone to be carried with you at all times. It is foreseeable that it will be very popular among fitness enthusiasts.

At the beginning of its launch, Apple Watch Series 3 only supports certain operators and the cellular network function is limited to certain provinces or municipalities. After activation, it can be used nationwide. Users do not need to change SIM cards, just activate the one-number-multiple-terminal service to share the same number on iPhone and Apple Watch Series 3.

If you activate this service before January 1, 2019, you can enjoy a free trial for one year. After the trial period ends, a monthly rental fee of 10 yuan will be charged for each affiliated terminal starting from the next month. With watchOS 4, the new Apple Watch has become independent, fast, and practical, and it is no longer useless as before, which is really gratifying.

9. iMac returns as a monster workstation

In 2017, we were also pleased to see Apple put its focus back on the iMac series. The last update to the iMac was in 2015, and this year Apple updated three iMacs at once, including a 21.5-inch non-Retina display model, a 21.5-inch Retina 4K display model, and a 27-inch Retina 5K display model. For old users who bought a model before 2015, there is finally motivation to update Apple desktops.

The most shocking thing is the monster-level new iMac Pro to be released at the end of the year: it uses a 27-inch Retina 5K display, a maximum 18-core processor, a GPU performance of 22 teraflops, high-speed storage devices and advanced I/O transmission technology, and is equipped with the most advanced Radeon Pro Vega GPU graphics processor. It has the performance of high-end graphics editing, virtual reality content creation and real-time 3D computing, and is mainly aimed at professionals such as video editors, 3D animation designers, musicians or scientists.

According to professional reviews, the iMac Pro has a 200-300% performance improvement on almost all industry-leading software compared to the 2017 iMac/MacBook Pro 15". Of course, to achieve a monster-level performance configuration, its price is also quite shocking.

10. Unprecedented dual flagship iPhones

The most significant Apple news in 2017 is the new iPhone. This year, Apple unexpectedly launched two flagship iPhones. One is the iPhone 8 series, including iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus; but the real flagship is the futuristic iPhone X, which is fully equipped with black technology.

The depth-sensing camera and Face ID are the most attractive features of this new iPhone. The beautiful Super Retina full screen and the always excellent camera performance are also big plus points.

It is worth mentioning that the battery life of iPhone X has also been praised. However, many of its advanced features are also its fragile features, so it is best to be careful when using it. The user experience of iPhone X is completely different from that of previous iPhones, and users should get used to it.

Brand value is still a big factor in why people buy the iPhone X, but we're even more impressed that Apple has reinvented the rules of what a smartphone should be and still managed to build a delightful tomorrow. This is the future of the iPhone, and I think a lot of people are happy to accept it and not look back.

summary

The above are the hottest Apple product news/key events in 2017 that we have selected. Only 10 aspects are difficult to cover all perspectives in a year. In addition to the above, there are also the release of red iPhone 7&7 Plus, Apple TV 4K supporting HDR and 4K video, new achievements in driverless technology, the promotion of localization of Apple system, etc.

Of course, there are also troubles, such as the macOS High Sierra security vulnerability, the slowdown of old iPhone devices, and other events that have aroused more attention beyond new hardware. Among these events, which ones are most concerned by users? Or in your memory, are there any hot spots with more unique perspectives?