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SALT LAKE CITY — Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference did not disappoint.
The two-hour Monday event was jampacked with updates in hardware, software and new features to several of Apple's most popular products. Apple Vision Pro, an innovative new augmented-reality product priced at $3,500, was billed as something that could change the way we work, create, play and interact — or end up as Apple's most ambitious failure. More on that later.
With so many updates, here are a few of my favorites unveiled at WWDC 2023.
Hardware updates
With an M2 chip, a 15-inch screen and a price point at $1,299, the new MacBook is sure to become one of the company's most popular.
The M2-powered, 15-inch MacBook Air is 11.5 inches thin, weighs just 3.3 pounds and includes 2 Thunderbolt ports, MagSafe charging and a headphone jack. It comes in four colors: midnight, starlight, space gray and silver.
With the M2 chip, this laptop is 12 times faster than the Intel-based MacBook Air models.
Apple also announced spec upgrades to the Mac Studio (essentially doubling the amount of M2 chips — a game-changer for creatives) and the Mac Pro (giving the machine the potential to be the fastest consumer computer on the market).
Software updates
iOS 17
There are some really fun and interesting features coming to Apple's latest operating system. Some of my favorites include the following.
- Live voicemail: When someone calls and you don't recognize the number, they will now have the option to tell you a little bit more about who they are and why they are calling.
- FaceTime voicemail: You can now leave a FaceTime video voicemail message. This is one of those highly requested features that Apple finally came through with.
- Check-In: Want to be able to let someone know when you made it home safe? Check-In is the feature for you. If something happens and you are delayed, it can check in with you, and if you don't respond, then it can share information like location, cell service indicator and battery life. All information shared on Check-In is end-to-end encrypted, so security shouldn't be a concern. All in all, this will be a great feature to alert friends or family.
- AirDrop-like features: Sharing a contact becomes easier with NameDrop. Bring phones close together, as with AirDrop, and contacts will show up. You can choose the parts of your contact you would like to share. This also works when sharing with Apple watch, as well. I think it might finally be time to retire those business cards. SharePlay allows the user to sync a song when working out with a friend.
- Journal: Journal can incorporate writing and rich details like people, photos, places, activity and music. It includes prompts to write about memories and keep a digital journal. This is a feature I am really excited about. I have used other apps to do similar things. This one has some deep integration and seems like it can make journaling even easier.
- Updates to Find My: Finally, those pesky "unwanted AirTag" alerts, every time you take your partner's keys, will stop. Now, you can share items and AirTags on Find My with others.
Apple's iOS 17 will be available to developers and as a public beta shortly. The full version will be released this fall — typically around September when Apple launches its new iPhones.
iPadOS 17
WWDC 2023 also included some great updates to iPadOS 17.
Generally, iPads are really great devices to work on PDF Files. I always like being able to pull out my Apple Pencil and sign a document or take notes over a PDF. With this update, PDF functionality has been improved and you can now use machine learning to identify the fields in a PDF, so you can use autofill to quickly add information.
In addition, you can now also collaborate in Notes live and see each other's changes and annotations in real-time. This can be done in-person or online, combined with a FaceTime call.
iPadOS 17 is set to be a solid upgrade with some great features.
macOS Sonoma
The new macOS Sonoma packs new video screen savers that are paired with stationary wallpapers so when you wake your Mac, it goes from a video of a place in the world to a stationary wallpaper of that same place. Pretty cool.
With the influx of power from Apple Silicon, Macs have never been better for gaming, and GameMode in Sonoma levels it up even further. GameMode prioritizes your gameplay and keeps other apps processing to a minimum, giving you the best performance for your game.
GameMode also lowers audio latency with Airpods and reduces input latency with XBox and Playstation controllers with better Bluetooth sampling rates.
AirPods
I really like using noise cancellation and transparency mode on my AirPods. Now there will be a new mode called Adaptive Audio. This will dynamically blend transparency and active noise-canceling modes to block out noise and help you hear the things you want to hear.
Another step forward in this vein is conversation awareness. When you start speaking your music will lower, and your AirPods will prioritize the voices in front of you and reduce background noise.
SharePlay
When you want to play songs on a road trip you can now use SharePlay. That's right, SharePlay is coming to the car. When connected to CarPlay, passengers can tap to join the session so they can share content through CarPlay, as well. It's a slick new way to build the ultimate road trip playlist.
Apple TV
FaceTime is coming to Apple TV through the use of a continuity camera. Using your iPhone or iPad's camera and microphone, it will use Center Stage to always keep everyone in frame.
And perhaps the most game-changing update unveiled at WWDC 2023 for my home is that you will now finally be able to use your iPhone to find your Apple TV Siri Remote. Never again will that thin little metal remote get lost in the couch.
Apple Watch
With watchOS 10, you can use widgets on your Apple Watch. Widgets in a smart stack are accessible by just turning the digital crown. This way you can use watch faces without all the details and still have quick access to the things you need.
Updates to many apps like World Clock and Activities come with modern redesigns, allowing you to use the full screen, with corner icons. Other improvements include bringing access to high-frequency sensor data so you can do things like improve your golf swing, tennis game or create a specialized workout program.
One more thing ...
Just like the iPhone and every new Apple product innovation in years past, there was "one more thing" announced at the end of WWDC 2023: the Apple Vision Pro augmented reality device.
It's being called the most ambitious — and riskiest — product in years. Apple touts the new ski goggle-shaped headset as a "revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others."
Apple Vision Pro is free of controllers and relies on hand and eye tracking as well as voice commands, though it is said to be able to be paired to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse for more traditional computing tasks. It combines an M2 chip with the all-new Apple R1 chip to process the information from a 3D camera system with 12 cameras and five sensors to provide revolutionary extended reality experiences.
Will this risk pay off or lead down the same road as other headsets struggling to find their place? Early reports from those who got to demo the headset seem to say that Apple has set the stage for success, if it can pull it all together.
There is a lot to be discovered between now and launch day in early 2024. Stay tuned for an article about the endless innovation packed into the new device.
If you missed Monday's event, watch it here:
