5 best Apple WWDC 2023 announcements: Vision Pro, iOS 17, MacBook Air 15, and more
Apple WWDC 2023 just took place and after a long wait, we finally got our first look at the Apple AR/VR headset called Vision Pro. Besides that, we also got the unveiling of iOS 17, WatchOS 10, and new Mac products like a MacBook Air 15 and M2 Ultra processor. Here’s a list of key WWDC 2023 announcements:
1. Vision Pro
Apple’s first spatial computing headset named Vision Pro looks like a Sking Goggles. It supports both AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) in 4K quality. The display is micro OLED with a custom 3-element lens. You control and interact with the Vision OS (the underlying software) using fingers, eyes and voice. For sound, there are dual drivers with spatial audio support and also position-based audio ray tracing.
If you are immersed in some activity within the Vision OS, the headset shows a glowing screen to others as an indication that you are not available. However, if you are ready to interact with people in the surrounding environment. This feature is called EyeSight. Speaking of sight, you can wear prescription lenses from Zeiss.
You can see the world around you in colour thanks to the passthrough video support. You can enjoy 3D content, premium Disney content, Microsoft Office, Adobe Lightroom, and more on floating tiles. There is support for what’s called a 3D virtual persona (Avatars for FaceTime) and Optic ID for Iris-scanning-based biometric authentication.
The device is rated to run for 2 hours only via an external battery pack that’s tethered to the headset through a woven cable. You can carry around this battery pack in your pocket. The device is running on an M2 chip co-powered by an R1 chip for handling sensors.
2. MacBook Air 15
The newly launched 15-inch MacBook Air comes with Apple M2 SoC. The bigger display and an 11.5mm thickness could lend space for a bigger battery. Although the size is not known at the moment, Apple credits the chip’s power efficiency for up to 18 hours of battery life.
Coming back to the display, there is a 15.3-inch with a 5mm bezel and 500 nits of brightness. Above it, there is an FHD webcam. This is coupled with 6 speakers (Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio support) and 3 mics for beamforming noise cancellation.
For connectivity, you are getting 2 USB-C ports (Thunderbolt), a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging connector.
You can buy it at ₹1,34,900 in India.
3. M2 Ultra SoC
Apple has fused two M2 Max into a setup that consists of a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, a 32-core neural engine, and 192GB of unified memory. M2 Ultra is said to be 30 percent faster than its precursor, ie., the M1 Ultra. It comes inside the new Mac Studio. For connectivity, there are 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2 USB-C ports, an HDMI port, 2 USB-A ports, a 10Gb ethernet port, WiFi 6E, and an SD card slot. It can drive up to 6 Pro Display XDR monitors.
4. iOS 17
iOS 17 is a massive update that brings new features and apps like Journal (for journaling), Posters for a full-screen picture of yours on the receiver’s iPhone screen when you call them, interactive widgets, an automatic live location sharing feature called Check In, new Stickers, improved autocorrect, offline maps, and StandBy which turns the iPhone into a smart display whence placed in landscape mode.
We also got widgets on macOS Sonoma’s homescreen, the option to pin web apps on the dock, and a password lock for private browsing sessions.
5. Watch OS 10
Watch OS 10 brings new interactive widget support, a widget smart stack feature, new watch faces (including a Snoopy one), and a mental health monitor.
