Yesterday was Apple’s WWDC for 2023 which gave us a lot to talk about – including their long-awaited AR/VR headset. Usually we get new software updates w/ some sort of hardware coming into play. For 2023, we got around a 50/50 split or more like a 75/25 one. So in case you missed anything, we got you covered and let’s dive into it all.
The 1st bit of hardware is their new larger 15inch MacBook Air laptop. The new Air has a 15.3inch display w/ 2880 x 1864 resolution + up to 500 nits of brightness, powered by their M2 CPU, MagSafe charging, 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, 6 speakers, 3 mic array, 1080p FaceTime camera, up to 18-hour battery life, up to 24GB of RAM, and up to 2TB SSD storage. Apple has a 13inch and now a 15inch MacBook Air for you to choose from. The 15inch Air base model goes on sale on 6/13 for $1,300 w/ pre-orders happening now and the 13inch Air goes down to $1,100 starting point.
Apple updated their latest Mac Studio w/ their new chipset for the 2nd-gen models. The new 2023 Mac Studio offers the choice of Apple’s M2 Max or their M2 Ultra CPU, up to 192GB of RAM, up to 8TB of storage, 10Gb Ethernet, an HDMI port, a SDXC slot, up to 6 USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, headphone jack, and can support up to 6 Apple Pro Display XDR displays. You can pre-order yours now w/ the base model starting at $2,000 and goes on sale on 6/13.
Apple also went back to update their cheese grater aka the last Mac Pro they released. The 2023 Mac Pro adds their new M2 Ultra CPU, up to 192GB of RAM, 8 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 6 PCI-e expansion slots, 2 HDMI ports, dual 10Gb Ethernet port, and can support up to 6 Apple Pro Display XDR displays. FYI: this is now powerful enough to handle up to 22 streams of 8K ProRes. Like the other hardware Apple announced today, pre-orders kick off today and goes on sale on 6/13 starting at the Pro price of $7,000.
The latest iOS 17 update brings some interesting new features to the iPhone. Some are new and other features are playing catch up from Android as per usual.
- On-device live transcription voicemail
- Custom contact posters
- FaceTime Audio/Video messages
- Search filters & swipe to reply in Messages
- Better autocorrect and predictive text
- Live Stickers (custom GIFs from Love Photos) in Messages
- NameDrop allows you to exchange contact info (name, phone, email, etc.) via AirDrop between iPhones and Apple Watch to iPhone
- Offline Maps support
- Find My Item sharing
- Photos can now recognize Pets
- Check-In feature that lets you loved ones know your location/cellular signal/battery when going home
- Journal app will allow you to capture life moments via photos, music, workouts, and of course journaling
- Standby turns your iPhone into a smart display w/ glanceable info via widgets like Clock, Calendar, & access Siri for sports, stocks, etc.
- Can now use your iPhone for FaceTime calls on Apple TV
- No longer need to say ‘Hey Siri’ as you can now just say ‘Siri’
The iOS 17 update will arrive later this fall for all iPhones going back to the iPhone XS.
The latest iPadOS 17 update brings forth most of the same features from iOS 17 and a few new ones to the iPad.
- Health app
- Live Activities
- Custom iPad lockscreen
- Predictive text
- Live Stickers (custom GIFs from Live Photos) in Messages
- PDF Autofill + Inline PDF
- FaceTime Messages
- Offline Map support
- New tools in Freeform
The iPadOS 17 update will arrive later this fall for iPad (6th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation and later), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later).
Apple brings a few new treats to the Apple Watch w/ watchOS 10 but not as long as a list that iOS 17 has. This update more fitness features and some widget/watchface additions.
- New Palette watchface shows the time in an array of colors
- New Snoopy watchface that changes poses and interacts w/ the weather
- Photos and apps take up more screen real estate while still displaying useful information
- Smart Stack that brings you a gallery of widgets w/ glanceable info from apps like Weather, Stocks, Home, Maps, Messages, World Clock, etc.
- Health app adds a mental health section and a mood tracker
- Compass app can now log 2 waypoints for hiking in a new 3D view
- Cycling gets more data w/ a new Live Activity that utilizes your phone to see your trip data
The watchOS 10 update is coming this fall for Apple Watch Series 4 or later paired w/ iPhone Xs or later, running iOS 17.
Now we can’t forget about the Mac, in regards to software. Now we have the macOS Sonoma update which its new features continue to blur the line between iOS and macOS.
- Widgets come to the desktop and can be pinned + adapt for switching windows
- Live video effects to make your Zoom, Microsoft Teams video calls more festive + interesting
- Safari adds profiles, the ability to share/edit passwords
- Since Apple’s M-powered processor can better handle gaming on Macs, we now have Game Mode. And to take advantage of it, we have Death Stranding: director’s Cut in coming later this year to Mac
- No longer need to say ‘Hey Siri’ as you can now just say ‘Siri’
- PDF Autofill + Inline PDF
The macOS Sonoma update will be out this fall for iMac 2019 and later, Mac Pro 2019 and later, iMac Pro 2017 and later, Mac Studio 2022 and later, MacBook Air 2018 and later, Mac mini 2018 and later, and finally MacBook Pro 2018 and later.
And last but not least is Apple’s long-awaited and rumored AR/VR headset: the $3,500 Vision Pro. After close to 10 years in the making, this brings forth the culmination of their hardware and software into this.
Apple put a glass goggles w/ an aluminum frame, a soft headband, and a cable that attaches to an battery pack. You can adjust the transparency w/ a digital crown like on the Apple Watch + AirPods Max so you can see people and more of the room you’re in. The Vision Pro’s system is powered by an M2 chip but also utilizes a new R1 Apple chip. FYI: there are a lot of cameras and sensors on this thing – like 5 sensors and 12 cameras to be exact. The Vision Pro is said to be glasses-friendly as Apple teamed up w/ Zeiss for custom optical inserts. Speaking of optics, the Vision Pro has 4K displays for each eye.
As far as its Vision OS software, it will scan your face to make a digital avatar of yourself, place video/content over objects in to real world, utilize spatial audio to hear people talking to you as well as for FaceTime, Apple TV/Apple Arcade and Disney+ content.
And Apple’s Vision Pro is due out sometime early next year as you can sign up to be notified when pre-orders go live.
