Apple has opened its annual developer conference, WWD 2023. The interest was all for Vision Pro, the company's first mixed reality headset, although there were also news in other categories. Among all, those of computers, with the launch of new models. But also updates to operating systems for iPhone, iPad and Mac, which introduce improvements for the use of technology by children and users with disabilities.
The 15-inch MacBook Air
As expected, the 15-inch MacBook Air arrives. A slim laptop, with the same M2 chip as the smaller model but also with a large 15.3" Liquid Retina display, up to 18 hours of battery life and a quiet fanless design. The cloud is the new six-speaker system, along with the 1080p FaceTime HD camera, MagSafe charging, and macOS Ventura updates. It will be available from Tuesday, June 13.
Mac Studio and Pro
Apple also presented the renewed Mac Studio and Mac Pro desktop computers, the two most powerful Macs ever made by the big Cupertino. With the M2 Max chip and the new M2 Ultra, Mac Studio is up to 6x faster than the 27-inch iMac with Intel's more powerful chip,1 and up to 3x faster than the previous Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra chip. Mac Pro is up to three times faster than the previous generation with Intel chips and offers up to 192GB of unified memory. Mac Studio and Mac Pro can be ordered today, with availability starting Tuesday, June 13. Alongside them, Apple unveiled M2 Ultra, the platform on which the new computers are made. "The M2 Ultra is the largest and most capable chip ever created by Apple," the company said, "and makes the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro the most powerful Mac desktops ever."
Software news
Moving on to software, iOS 17 introduces features that look at both minors and accessibility. FaceTime now supports voice and video messages, so when the user calls someone who isn't available, they can leave a message to watch or listen to later. The Messages app has been substantially updated with iOS 17: among the new features there are the new experience with stickers for emoji and the ability to create Live Stickers from your own photos, lifting subjects from the background. Messages also introduces Check In, an important feature that allows you to notify friends and relatives that you have arrived safely at your destination. After initiating a Check In, the chosen person will automatically receive a notification as soon as the user arrives. If the person does not proceed to their intended destination, the contact will temporarily receive some information, such as the precise location of the device, the battery charge level, and the status of cellular service. iOS 17 integrates StandBy, which gives the user a full-screen experience with at-a-glance information designed to be visible from a distance when the iPhone is on the side and charging. Journal is a new app that helps you keep a journal of your activities, full of photos, videos and music. Using machine learning, the system offers personalized suggestions as writing cues to find inspiration.
Increased privacy
Privacy security updates include the extension of the Communications Safety feature in addition to the Messages app, to help keep children safe. Updates to Accessibility features include Assistive Access, a customizable interface that helps people with cognitive disabilities use iPhone more easily and independently; Live Speech, which allows those who cannot speak to type and have their words pronounced, both in presence and during phone calls and FaceTime calls; Personal Voice, to create a voice similar to his; Point and Speak, which helps blind and visually impaired people read texts on physical objects simply by pointing the camera at them. Minor news also for iPasOs, tvOs and watchOs. On the latter, the system that runs on the Apple Watch, come the widgets, which show relevant and timely information, which adapt to the user's context and can be viewed by rotating the Digital Crown in any quadrant.
