The Latest: Privacy features coming to Safari browser

The Latest: New speaker? Apple hopped on bandwagon before
In this Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, a person stands near the Apple logo at the company's store in Grand Central Terminal, in New York. Apple appears poised to unveil a voice-activated, internet-connected speaker that would create a new digital pipeline into people's homes. Tapping Apple's Siri digital assistant, such a speaker is expected to serve as a butler as well as an outlet for listening to music. If the speculation pans out, the speaker would be Apple's first new product since its smartwatch in 2015, Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The Latest on Apple's annual conference in California (all times local):

10:50 a.m.

Apple says its Safari browser will try to guard your privacy by identifying and blocking data files that track you as you move from website to website.

It's turning to machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to make that happen. That's a new focus for Apple as it competes with Google and Amazon.

Later Monday, it's expected to announce an internet-connected smart speaker to compete with Amazon's Echo and Google's Home.

Other features coming to the Mac include the ability to stop video from automatically playing on websites when using Safari. The Mac will also get improved photo management, including new editing tools and better face recognition to help you search your photo library.

The next Mac version will be called High Sierra, suggesting that it's a refinement of the current version, Sierra. Apple typically makes major updates to its Mac software every other year. It is coming out this fall and will be a free update.

Apple's is unveiling new features at its annual conference for software programmers on Monday.

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10:35 a.m.

Apple is updating its smartwatch to give it more "smarts" using the Siri digital assistant.

With a new watch face, Apple Watch promises to learn about your routines to figure out what information to display on the watch face. That could include a reminder to make a call or a flight reservation.

This comes as Google and Amazon have made headways in assisting users based on knowledge of past routines.

Another watch face will feature Woody, Jessie and Buzz from "Toy Story," joining Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Apple is also bringing improvements to playing music and recording fitness activities.

The new features will come in a software update expected in a few months.

IDC estimates that Apple shipped about 3.6 million watches during the first three months of the year. By comparison, Apple shipped 51 million iPhones and 9 million iPads during the same stretch.

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10:25 a.m.

Apple says Amazon will be making an app for its video service for the Apple TV device this year, filling one of the major gaps on Apple's streaming TV device.


Amazon is already available on rival devices such as Roku and, of course, Amazon's Fire TV.

CEO Tim Cook kicked off Apple's annual conference for software programmers on Monday. It's the first time in 15 years that Apple has held its conference in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley. The event has been in San Francisco in recent years.

The event began with an Apple video portraying what life might be like without an app store. Not surprisingly, it depicts a word of chaos.

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9:05 a.m.

If Apple unveils a rival to internet-connected speakers from Amazon and Google, it wouldn't be the first time that Apple hops on the bandwagon of a technology product popularized by a competitor.

For instance, Apple's large-size iPhones are now popular, after Apple initially resisted them despite strong sales for larger-display phones made by Samsung and other rivals.

Apple is expected to announce plans for a speaker on Monday. It would be Apple's first new product since its smartwatch in 2015.

The lack of a breakthrough device has periodically raised concerns that Apple has become too dependent on the iPhone. Although Apple Watch has emerged as the leader among smartwatches, it hasn't become a smash hit like the iPhone.

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8:45 a.m.

Apple Watch has emerged as the market leader for smartwatches—but it has competition after including basic fitness trackers in the count.

There, Apple shares the lead with Chinese company Xiaomi, whose fitness tracking wristbands are mostly sold in China.

The research firm IDC says Apple and Xiaomi each has a worldwide market share of nearly 15 percent in the first quarter. Fitbit, once the leader of wearable devices, is third at about 12 percent.

Samsung doubled the number of wearable devices shipped compared with the previous year, but it's still at fourth overall, at less than 5 percent, just ahead of Garmin.

Apple is expected to unveil new features for its Apple Watch as its Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off on Monday.

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8:20 a.m.

Apple's annual developers conference is the company's chance to preview upcoming features for iPhones, iPads, watches and Mac computers.

The conference starts Monday in San Jose, California. The idea is to get outside software programmers geared up to write apps for Apple products.

Leading up to it, Apple says those outside app developers have earned more than $70 billion since Apple's app store launched in 2008.

Some of the most popular apps, such as Facebook, Instagram and Sanpchat, don't cost anything. The most popular paid apps are usually games. This week, this included "Minecraft: Pocket" and a new version of "Goat Simulator," an oddball game that's exactly what its name sounds like.

Apple's also expected to unveil a voice-activated, internet-connected speaker to rival Amazon's Echo and Google Home.

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Midnight

Apple appears poised to unveil a voice-activated, internet-connected speaker that would create a new digital pipeline into people's homes.

Tapping Apple's Siri digital assistant, such a speaker is expected to serve as a butler as well as an outlet for listening to music. If the speculation pans out, the speaker would be Apple's first new product since its smartwatch in 2015. It would mark an effort by Apple to catch up with Amazon and Google.

Apple's annual conference for app developers begins Monday in San Jose, California.

Although it was first smartphone maker to come out with a digital assistant when Siri debuted in 2011, it hasn't had a stand-alone assistant. For Apple, having one would further broaden the role that its software, services and gadgets play in people's lives.

Explore further: New smart speaker expected as Apple kicks off conference