Here is everything Apple killed -- or tried to kill -- at WWDC 2020

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2020
When Apple's executive team took the stage at WWDC to tout its latest software developments, it also took aim at many existing features. Here are five things that Apple tried to kill during its annual developer's conference.

Apple announced a ton of new things at its annual WWDC
Apple announced a ton of new things at its annual WWDC

Boot Camp

In late 2020, Apple will be introducing its first Mac running on Apple Silicon. This will be a massive change designed to help Macs be more powerful while using less power. At the same time, due to the different processor architecture, not everything will be possible.






The biggest of those is Boot Camp, which allows users to run Windows natively on Intel Mac hardware. Apple has said that its new ARM-based Macs will be unable to Boot Camp and have not announced a replacement at this time.

More troubling for those who need to run Windows is that virtualization software such as Parallels are unable to run x86_64 programs on Rosetta 2.

Force Touch

When Apple Watch launched, it featured a unique user interaction known as Force Touch. These taps differed from a standard tap being more forceful with the display being able to recognize the difference between a standard tap and a deep Force Touch.

For a couple years, Apple has been moving away from depth-based interface methods. It killed off the similar 3D Touch on the latest iPhone 11 of phones, replicating the feature via software with a feature known as Haptic Touch. Haptic Touch is instead recognizing long touches as the new interaction.

Even though existing Apple Watches have the necessary hardware for Force Touch, watchOS 7 strips this feature away. It replaces it with redesigned apps that put these additional features behind menus and long touches. For example, to change your watch face, you now long-hold on the watch face to enter the editing menu.

Apple Watch app grid or list layout option
Apple Watch app grid or list layout option


And if you want to change your display of apps from a grid to a list, instead of Force touching the screen you have to go into Settings and make the change there. In some ways this does slow down how you interact with Apple Watch, but it has been rumored the Apple Watch Series 6 will drop the pressure-sensitive display to make the device thinner and this software update will make interacting with the watch consistent across generations.

Surplus Home screens

Our phones, after years of downloading apps, have become burdened with countless Home screens. We try to keep them organized but it seems like they always get away from us at some point.

App Library in iOS 14
App Library in iOS 14


Apple has solved this issue with iOS 14, by allowing users to hide their additional Home screens and introducing the new App Library. App Library is a home to all of you apps that are searchable, viewable by category, and viewable alphabetically. It is using machine learning to also predict which apps you'll need, displaying them more prominently than others.

We've already become huge fans of the App Library, dropping down to only three Home screens and hiding seven others. It is much faster than digging through multiple screens and smarter than Android's app drawer.

Trackers and snooping

Apple continues its battle against user tracking while promoting user privacy. In iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and iPadOS 14 Apple made more changes in support of these values.

New tracking report in macOS Big Sur
New tracking report in macOS Big Sur


Tracking Report is coming to iPhones, iPads, and Macs with this latest update. Apple worked to prevent cross-site tracking with its last major updates but Privacy Report brings more visibility to that. You can view this for any website you visit and it will let you know what trackers were found and stopped. In a big move, this even includes Google Analytics.

Just open it in Safari and it will give you the breakdown for each site, as well as a list of how many trackers were blocked in the last 30 days, what the most blocked tracker was, what sites tracked you the most, and how all sites performed.

Clipboard monitoring alert in iOS 14
Clipboard monitoring alert in iOS 14


There is also a new clipboard monitor for iOS and iPadOS. Now, whenever an app reads the clipboard a notification pops up on your display. Users are seeing many apps have been automatically snooping on their clipboard content in the background without then realizing. Popular apps like TikTok have been doing so, though they've pledged to stop.

Google Translate

Many users rely on Google Translate, or other translation apps for their personal lives or work. This year, as part of a volley against Google, Apple has introduced its own translation app, allowing users to have conversations in real-time with the new Translate app.

The new iOS 14 Translate app
The new iOS 14 Translate app


You can add text or have a real conversation with someone in the app face-to-face with the app translating for you as you go.

On iPhone, iPad, and Mac there is also built-in translation for websites. Anytime you are online and faced with an article in Italian or some other language foreign to you, you are able to instantly translate it without the need for any third-party apps.

Existing features
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 43
    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames Posts: 1,959member
    Although I’ve never really had any issues with Force Touch myself (seems like there’s a Harvey Weinstein joke in there somewhere), I have definitely had trouble explaining to others how to use it. 

    I don’t notice it’s absence on my 11 Pro as long press works just as well, for me, so I doubt I’ll miss it on my watch. 
    elijahgBeatsronncat52watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 43
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,826member
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.
    lkruppmuthuk_vanalingamBeatsrazorpitprismatics
  • Reply 3 of 43
    Mode1Bravo_1Mode1Bravo_1 Posts: 4member
    These changes aren't that big of a deal if you ask me. The Apple Watch OS has to change in order to evolve into Apple's vision of what a "smart watch" capabilities really can become. They will most primarily be focusing on making it lighter, with more battery life and probably thinner at some point so the changes they are making are most likely moving them towards this goal. As an Apple products user and shareholder, I am very much interested in Apple's realization of seeing the full potential of this product. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 43
    Mode1Bravo_1Mode1Bravo_1 Posts: 4member
    These changes aren't that big of a deal if you ask me. The Apple Watch OS has to change in order to evolve into Apple's vision of what a "smart watch" capabilities really can become. They will most primarily be focusing on making it lighter, with more battery life and probably thinner at some point so the changes they are making are most likely moving them towards this goal. As an Apple products user and shareholder, I am very much interested in Apple's realization of seeing the full potential of this product. 
  • Reply 5 of 43
    Andrew_OSUAndrew_OSU Posts: 574member, editor
    elijahg said:
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.
    My issue with it is similar. It isn't that it is hard to know when it is available, it is that it is so inconsistent. Apple basically started to abandon it a year ago as it removed Force Touch menus from several apps, burying them in menus. Now it is completely gone. Things like changing the app layout seem so annoying and slow. I get the urge to make the watch thinner, but this is such a great way to interact with the watch and the small display. If it was used more, not less, it would have an entirely different story.
    lkruppelijahgprismatics
  • Reply 6 of 43
    WarrenBuffduckhWarrenBuffduckh Posts: 158member
    I hope someone can explain Cupertino what common corporate regulations say:
    No Bootcamp or Parallells => No windows solution => No Mac
    edited June 2020 lkruppprismatics
  • Reply 7 of 43
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    elijahg said:
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.

    They're not removing it. They're replacing it with something else. My guess is that they'll just use a long touch to get at the extra functions. Or better yet, just put three vertical dots near the field so folk can see that there's an extra function available.
    edited June 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 43
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member

    Mode1Bravo_1 said:
    These changes aren't that big of a deal if you ask me. The Apple Watch OS has to change in order to evolve into Apple's vision of what a "smart watch" capabilities really can become. They will most primarily be focusing on making it lighter, with more battery life and probably thinner at some point so the changes they are making are most likely moving them towards this goal. As an Apple products user and shareholder, I am very much interested in Apple's realization of seeing the full potential of this product. 
    I agreed with you the first time you said it.

    This forum software really is a pile of rancid dog poo.
    cornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 43
    revenantrevenant Posts: 621member
    apple definitely did not kill google translate. I am not sure I would say they are trying very hard either. right now it is 11 languages, google has over 100. it is an ok start and offline is very nice. but if they tried to kill google translate, it is merely a flesh wound, and not the monty python type. I have zero doubt they will press on with multiple updates that will unlock more languages and consistent and good translations, and am a little excited fort. but lets not call it what it isn't. 
    avon b7watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 43
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,409member
    elijahg said:

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.
    I doubt there would be any legal ramifications at all. For one, I'm sure there is something in the licensing software that you quickly agreed to that says they can change things. Second, you're not losing functionality of the watch at all. You would still have the same features and options, just a slightly different way to access them. Third, even if the above wasn't enough, you would have to show that you purchased an Apple Watch in large part because it offered Force Touch. Probably tough to convince a judge or jury (if it got that far) that you bought the Watch so you could press down extra hard on the screen.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 43
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    One thing left out. Apple Silicon puts the Hackintosh six feet under. Good riddance.
    jony0BeatsmacpluspluscornchipchasmWgkruegercat52watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 43
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    WarrenBuffduckh said:
    No Bootcamp or Parallells => No windows solution => No Mac (in our company...)
    And that's supposed to scare Apple?
    Beatschiamacpluspluscornchipcat52roundaboutnowRayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 43
    Andrew_OSUAndrew_OSU Posts: 574member, editor
    Rayz2016 said:
    elijahg said:
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.

    They're not removing it. They're replacing it with something else. My guess is that they'll just use a long touch to get at the extra functions. Or better yet, just put three vertical dots near the field so folk can see that there's an extra function available.
    They absolutely have removed it. Long-touch has replaced it in some areas like the watch face to access the edit screen but in others it is hidden behind menus, hurting the user experience. I often use the grid face to access apps but aside from the ones in the center, I don't know where the rest are located. So I Force Touch to switch to list view, and quickly scroll to the one I need. Now the option is to go to grid view, find the settings app, open settings, go down to App Layout, switch to list view, then go back to the app view. and repeat to go back. Burying things in menus is the main option here and it is a pain. Even the long-touch is obnoxious because it makes the watch feel slow and laggy.
    elijahgBeatssedicivalvole
  • Reply 14 of 43
    WarrenBuffduckhWarrenBuffduckh Posts: 158member
    lkrupp said:
    No Bootcamp or Parallells => No windows solution => No Mac (in our company...)
    And that's supposed to scare Apple?
    No, just explaining what common corporate regulations are
  • Reply 15 of 43
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,826member
    Rayz2016 said:
    elijahg said:
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.

    They're not removing it. They're replacing it with something else. My guess is that they'll just use a long touch to get at the extra functions. Or better yet, just put three vertical dots near the field so folk can see that there's an extra function available.
    Hunting through menus is not a replacement, it's a totally different paradigm. They are removing a feature that the watch was sold with. There's not enough space for the vertical ellipses on the watch screen in many cases. Which was where FT was used. Long touch is already used in places where FT is also used, so those interactions will have to be changed too.
  • Reply 16 of 43
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,826member

    mike1 said:
    elijahg said:

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.
    I doubt there would be any legal ramifications at all. For one, I'm sure there is something in the licensing software that you quickly agreed to that says they can change things. Second, you're not losing functionality of the watch at all. You would still have the same features and options, just a slightly different way to access them. Third, even if the above wasn't enough, you would have to show that you purchased an Apple Watch in large part because it offered Force Touch. Probably tough to convince a judge or jury (if it got that far) that you bought the Watch so you could press down extra hard on the screen.
    People often make the mistake that agreeing to a license restricts your legal rights. It does not. If something is illegal, no license can override that. You most definitely are losing functionality, it will no longer be possible to force touch to use a menu or whatever. They're literally disabling hardware that the watch sold with, whether people use it as a "large part" of their purchase or not is irrelevant, and a slippery slope if this becomes the norm. It would be no different to Apple dropping support for 4k video on their older phones after an iOS update for example.
  • Reply 17 of 43
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,826member

    Rayz2016 said:
    elijahg said:
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.

    They're not removing it. They're replacing it with something else. My guess is that they'll just use a long touch to get at the extra functions. Or better yet, just put three vertical dots near the field so folk can see that there's an extra function available.
    They absolutely have removed it. Long-touch has replaced it in some areas like the watch face to access the edit screen but in others it is hidden behind menus, hurting the user experience. I often use the grid face to access apps but aside from the ones in the center, I don't know where the rest are located. So I Force Touch to switch to list view, and quickly scroll to the one I need. Now the option is to go to grid view, find the settings app, open settings, go down to App Layout, switch to list view, then go back to the app view. and repeat to go back. Burying things in menus is the main option here and it is a pain. Even the long-touch is obnoxious because it makes the watch feel slow and laggy.
    I get the same slowness perception with long-touch. On the phone it's slower to use long press than it is to just go into the app and press the one or two buttons to get where the long-press menu would have taken you in the first place. FT is great, and the implementation was fine in most cases IMO, any lack of use most likely stemmed from users not even knowing it existed.
  • Reply 18 of 43
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    WarrenBuffduckh said:
    lkrupp said:
    No Bootcamp or Parallells => No windows solution => No Mac (in our company...)
    And that's supposed to scare Apple?
    No, just explaining what common corporate regulations are
    IBM is all Mac now. So are al lot of corporations. In fact more and more companies are adding Macs. So what do you mean by common regulations? That's complete baloney.
    cornchipcat52watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 43
    ravnorodomravnorodom Posts: 713member
    I am glad home screen management is back. It was first introduced on iTunes back in Steve Jobs area. Then It disappeared for a long while and now it's back on iOS.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 43
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Andrew_OSU said:
    elijahg said:
    Force touch is going away on the watch?? Bleh. I find it really useful and much quicker than hunting through menus especially on a small screen. The current implementation is a bit crap though. You have to go around force touching everything to find out what is force touchable, and then try and remember. A simple indication of some sort, maybe a subtle screen edge glow or something similar would have been a good indicator so you knew immediately that you could force touch. 

    On a different note, I am not sure about the legality of them essentially abandoning hardware in existing watches. They're actually removing functionality that has existed since the watch was purchased. That seems a bit unreasonable to me.
    My issue with it is similar. It isn't that it is hard to know when it is available, it is that it is so inconsistent. Apple basically started to abandon it a year ago as it removed Force Touch menus from several apps, burying them in menus. Now it is completely gone. Things like changing the app layout seem so annoying and slow. I get the urge to make the watch thinner, but this is such a great way to interact with the watch and the small display. If it was used more, not less, it would have an entirely different story.

    Sad it was one of the biggest Watch innovations and in my opinion one of the biggest innovations of the 21st century. I remember when Apple invented it, the knockoffs were scrambling to rip it off and the next Android OS had a cheap imitation of it.

    Now if they remove it from my Macbook.....
    elijahg
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