WWDC 2023: Everything Apple Announced Today

Apple conducted the WWDC 2023 keynote event on Monday, June 5th, where it unveiled several noteworthy products and updates. These include the Apple Vision Pro headset, a 15-inch MacBook Air, new iterations of the Mac Pro and Mac Studio, iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10, and more. The event was incredibly fast-paced, making it challenging to keep track of all the announcements. Although ‌iOS 17‌ and macOS Sonoma received only a brief spotlight during the keynote, there were numerous other unveilings that may have gone unnoticed.

To ensure you're fully informed, we have provided a comprehensive recap of everything Apple announced at the WWDC 2023.

Vision Pro Headset and visionOS

During today's announcement, Apple unveiled the groundbreaking "Vision Pro" mixed-reality headset along with its dedicated operating system, visionOS. Priced starting at $3,499 and available in early 2024, the Vision Pro headset offers seamless integration of digital content with the physical world.

Despite previous rumors suggesting otherwise, it seems the Vision Pro headset will be available as a single model without any color variations or accompanying accessories. However, there might be different storage options to choose from, as Apple mentioned a starting price for the device.

Design & Performance

Its design features a polished glass front, a lightweight aluminum frame, and a modular system for a personalized fit. With an ultra-high-resolution display system consisting of two micro-OLED displays, the headset delivers exceptional visual quality with 23 million pixels. It incorporates high-speed cameras and LEDs to track eye movements and utilizes the M2 chip and the new R1 chip for real-time sensor processing.

The Vision Pro headset supports user interaction through eye, hand, and voice controls, offering a unique browsing experience and compatibility with Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. It also introduces features like "EyeSight" for passthrough video and immersive Environments for an expanded virtual experience.

visionOS

Apple also introduced visionOS, an innovative three-dimensional operating system with an infinite canvas and dynamic app capabilities. Developers can create app experiences for visionOS, including compatibility with existing iPhone and iPad apps through the new App Store dedicated to visionOS.

Optic ID

Vision Pro headset also introduces a novel biometric authentication method called Optic ID, which utilizes iris scanning technology. Similar to Face ID, Optic ID uses cameras within the headset to capture the unique pattern of a person's iris, enabling secure identity verification.

Optic ID serves multiple purposes, such as unlocking the headset, authorizing purchases, and accessing password-protected content, much like Face ID and Touch ID. The data collected by Optic ID is encrypted and remains stored exclusively on the device's Secure Enclave processor, ensuring that neither Apple nor third-party developers can access it.

Prescription Inserts for Glasses Wearers

Due to its form factor, the Apple Vision Pro does not accommodate glasses. To address this issue, Apple has partnered with Zeiss to offer customized Zeiss Optical Inserts that can be magnetically attached to the Vision Pro lenses. This solution enables precise viewing and eye tracking for individuals with prescription lenses.

Although the pricing for the Zeiss prescription inserts has not been disclosed yet, Apple has confirmed vision correction accessories will be available for separate purchase. It's important to note that glasses wearers will require a valid prescription to obtain the inserts, and certain prescriptions may not be supported, which could limit the headset's usability for some individuals.

New MacBook & Chips

15-Inch MacBook Air

Apple has announced the new MacBook Air featuring a larger 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display and powered by the latest M2 chip. Described as the world's thinnest 15-inch laptop, the new MacBook Air is incredibly slim at 11.5mm and weighs just 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms). With the M2 chip, it delivers impressive performance, being 12 times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air and twice as fast as competing laptops, as claimed by Apple. The fanless MacBook Air boasts a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a three-microphone array, and an enhanced six-speaker system for immersive spatial audio. It offers up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge.

The new MacBook Air includes MagSafe, two Thunderbolt ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and supports up to a 6K external display. The display itself features up to 500 nits of brightness, supports 1 billion colors, and offers twice the resolution and 25% more brightness than comparable Intel Core i7 PC laptops. The M2 chip features an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, delivering remarkable performance with 100GB/s of memory bandwidth and support for up to 24GB of fast unified memory.

The MacBook Air is available in four colors:

1. Silver
2. Space Gray
3. Starlight
4. Midnight

It starts at $1,299 ($1,199 for education customers), and pre-orders are open now with deliveries commencing next week. Additionally, the 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 has a new starting price of $1,099, $100 less than before.

M2 Ultra Chip

Apple has introduced its latest and most powerful Apple silicon chip, the M2 Ultra, alongside the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro. The M2 Ultra chip is an enhanced version of the M2 Max chip, previously featured in the refreshed 14- and 16-inch MacBook Air models earlier this year. It uses a custom-built packaging technology called "UltraFusion," which connects two M2 Max chips.

The M2 Ultra chip boasts a 24-core CPU with 16 high-performance cores and eight high-efficiency cores, delivering a 20% performance increase compared to the M1 Ultra. Users have the option to configure the GPU with either 60 or 76 next-generation cores, offering up to 12 additional cores compared to the M1 Ultra's GPU.

The Mac Pro now exclusively incorporates the M2 Ultra chip and supports up to 192 GB of unified memory, a significant 50% increase compared to the M1 Ultra. Apple emphasized that with the inclusion of the M2 Ultra chip in the Mac Pro, the transition to Apple silicon is now complete across both Mac desktop and laptop lineups.

Mac Studio With M2 Max and M2 Ultra Chips

Apple has announced new Mac Studio models equipped with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, coinciding with the release of the new Mac Pro desktop tower. Apple claims the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip offers up to 3 times the performance of the previous-generation model, which featured the M1 Ultra chip and was launched last year.

The updated Mac Studio retains the same overall design as its predecessor but includes a higher-bandwidth HDMI port capable of supporting an 8K display at 240Hz. The back of the Mac Studio features four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and two USB-A ports, while the front side offers two USB-C ports and an SD card slot.

The new Mac Studio is available for order starting today and will be delivered to customers and launched in stores on Tuesday, June 13. Pricing for the M2 Max model starts at $1,999, while the M2 Ultra model starts at $3,999.

Mac Pro With M2 Ultra Chip

Apple has unveiled an updated version of its Mac Pro desktop tower, featuring the all-new M2 Ultra chip. Apple claims the new Mac Pro delivers performance up to three times faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac Pro.

While maintaining the overall design of the previous Intel-based model, the new Mac Pro introduces several enhancements. It now includes eight Thunderbolt 4 ports (double the previous quantity), two high-bandwidth HDMI ports supporting up to an 8K display at 240Hz, seven PCIe expansion slots, dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a headphone jack capable of supporting impedance headphones.

Apple has also introduced SSD upgrade kits for the new Mac Pro, which you can purchase from their online store. The kits offer storage capacities of 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB, priced at $1,000, $1,600, and $2,800, respectively. These kits contain two SSDs, with options for two 1TB SSDs, two 2TB SSDs, or two 8TB SSDs. They are designed to replace the existing internal SSD storage in the Mac Pro. However, these upgrade kits are only compatible with the 2023 Mac Pro models with Apple's M2 Ultra chips.

The new Mac Pro is available for ordering today and will be delivered to customers and launched in stores on Tuesday, June 13. In the United States, pricing starts at $6,999, representing an increase compared to the previous Intel-based Mac Pro, which started at $5,999. A rack-mounted version of the Mac Pro is also available, starting at $7,499.

70W Power Adapter

Apple has released a new 70W power adapter equipped with a single USB-C port. Priced at $59, this power adapter is recommended by Apple to be used with the new 15-inch MacBook Air as well as various other MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

According to the product listing, the 70W USB-C Power Adapter provides fast and efficient charging. It is compatible with multiple USB-C devices and charging cables. Apple specifically suggests pairing this power adapter with a 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air featuring the M2 chip, a 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2016 onwards, or a 14-inch MacBook Pro. When used with MacBook Air models equipped with the M2 chip, it enables fast charging, allowing you to reach a 50% charge in approximately 30 minutes.

Apple No Longer Sells Intel-Based Macs

With the introduction of the M2 Ultra chip-powered Mac Pro, Apple has successfully completed its transition to Apple silicon and no longer offers Intel-based Macs. The Mac Pro was the last remaining Mac model to utilize older Intel chip technology, but with the release of the new M2 Ultra variant, the Intel versions have been discontinued.

Although Apple may still sell refurbished Intel Macs through its online store for refurbished devices, all current products in Apple's lineup now exclusively feature Apple-designed chips.

The M2 Ultra chip is available for pre-order today in both the Mac Pro and Mac Studio models, with a scheduled launch next week. The starting price for the M2 Ultra Mac Pro is $7,000, while the M2 Ultra Mac Studio begins at $4,000.

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17

iOS 17

Apple has announced iOS 17, the upcoming major operating system for the iPhone, bringing a variety of new communication and sharing features. iOS 17 will be compatible with the iPhone XS and newer models, which means support has been discontinued for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

According to Apple, iOS 17 is set to be released to the general public in the fall, most likely in September alongside the launch of new iPhone 15 models.

Personalized Contact Posters and Live Voicemail

iOS 17 introduces personalized contact posters with photos, Memojis, and eye-catching typography during calls and in the address book. Live Voicemail offers real-time transcription, allowing call screening and mid-voicemail pickups with on-device handling.

Messaging and Check In Enhancements

Messaging enhancements include improved search, an arrow to jump to the first unread message, swipe gestures for inline replies, inline location sharing, and a revamped Stickers experience. Keyboard and dictation receive upgrades with autocorrect improvements and sentence-level correction through a new "transformer" language model. Check In provides location updates for safety notifications, alerting friends in case of delays or non-responsiveness.

AirDrop Updates

AirDrop content transfers can now occur in the background, and "NameDrop" enables contact sharing when iPhones are brought close together.

Journal App

The new Journal app curates memories for daily journal entries based on people, places, activities, music, and photos, and users can set reminders for writing. Journal will be available on iPhones later this year.

StandBy Mode

The StandBy mode offers a horizontal view displaying the time, widgets, and other information. Users can now activate Siri by simply saying "Siri" and use follow-up commands without repeating the trigger word.

iPadOS

Apple has also announced iPadOS 17 at WWDC, introducing exciting new features for iPads, including custom Lock Screens and interactive widgets.

The beta version of iPadOS 17 is available today, and the public release will happen later this year. The update is compatible with the following: 

• iPad Pro (2nd generation and later)
• iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
• iPad (6th generation and later)
• iPad mini (5th generation and later)

iPadOS 17 discontinues support for the following iPad models:

• iPad Pro (1st generation)
• iPad (5th generation)

Personalized Lock Screen, Home Screen Widgets, and Live Activities

For the first time, iPads will support personalized Lock Screens, bringing them in line with iPhones. Additionally, Home Screen widgets will now be interactive, allowing for a more engaging user experience. Live Activities are also supported, and the Health app is now available on iPad, taking advantage of the larger display sizes.

Notes, Messages, FaceTime, and Safari Updates

iPadOS 17 brings enhancements to the Notes, Messages, FaceTime, and Safari apps. The Messages app features a consolidated sticker drawer, combining Live Stickers, emoji stickers, and third-party sticker packs. Users can also create their own stickers from photos.

PDFs now appear full width on the screen, and machine learning technology can identify fields in PDFs, making it easier to add details from the Contacts app.

macOS Sonoma

Apple has announced macOS Sonoma, the upcoming version of its Mac operating system. Set to launch in the fall, macOS Sonoma introduces several new features, including desktop widgets, Apple TV-like aerial screensavers, improved apps such as Messages and Safari, a Game mode for enhanced gaming performance, and more.

The beta version of macOS Sonoma is available today through the Apple Developer Program, with a public beta scheduled for the following month. The public release of the software is anticipated to occur in the fall for all Mac users.

macOS Sonoma drops support for the following Macs:

• 2017 MacBook Pro
• 2017 MacBook Air
• 2017 MacBook (12-Inch)

macOS Sonoma remains compatible with the following Macs:

• MacBook Pro (2018 and later)
• MacBook Air (2018 and later)
• Mac mini (2018 and later)
• iMac (2019 and later)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Studio (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro (2019 and later)

Interactive Widgets

One highlighted feature is the introduction of interactive widgets you can place directly on the desktop. These widgets seamlessly blend into the desktop wallpaper, ensuring they don't interfere with work. Continuity allows users to utilize the same widgets from their iPhone on their Mac.

Video Conferencing Capabilities

macOS Sonoma also enhances video conferencing capabilities, offering features like Presenter Overlay, which allows users to display themselves in front of shared content. Reactions enable users to express their feelings during video sessions, while Screen Sharing has been simplified and improved.

Safari Updates

Safari, as expected with macOS updates, receives various enhancements in Sonoma. Private Browsing gains improved tracker protection and safeguards against unauthorized access to the user's device. Safari Profiles enable users to separate browsing activities for different topics, such as work and personal use. Additionally, a new web app creation method enables faster access to favorite websites.

Game Mode

Apple has unveiled Game Mode, a new gaming feature exclusively available in macOS Sonoma. When enabled in macOS 14, Game Mode optimizes CPU and GPU power, resulting in enhanced gaming performance on Macs. This prioritization improves the hardware performance across various gaming titles and creates a more immersive gaming experience, particularly by significantly reducing audio latency when using AirPods.

In addition, Apple has doubled the Bluetooth sampling rate for Xbox and Playstation controllers paired with Macs. The introduction of a new Game Porting toolkit further simplifies the process of porting games from other platforms to macOS.

Game Mode is compatible with any game, including both current and upcoming Mac games.

The developer beta of macOS Sonoma is now accessible through the Apple Developer Program, while a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month. The software update will be provided to users as a free update in the fall.

watchOS 10

Apple has announced watchOS 10, a significant update to the Apple Watch operating system. The update brings various new features, including a widgets view, redesigned apps, workout improvements, mood tracking, and more.

watchOS 10 introduces a new way to access information through widgets, which can be scrolled through using the Digital Crown. A dynamic Smart Stack of widgets adapts to the user's needs based on the time of day. Additionally, two new watch faces are included: "Palette" and an animated "Peanuts" face featuring Snoopy and Woodstock.

Apps on watchOS 10 have undergone redesigns. For example, the World Clock app now displays background colors reflecting the time of day in different time zones. The Activity app incorporates corner icons for navigation, a redesigned trophy case, and a full-screen view of individual Activity Rings.

The update enhances cycling workouts with features such as Power Zones, new metrics like Functional Threshold Power, and a full-screen view on the iPhone. Hiking activities now integrate Compass and Maps. Additionally, developers have access to the Workout API for integration purposes.

A new mood-tracking feature is introduced in the Mindfulness app, allowing users to log in and explore different moods. The Health app provides insights based on this data on the iPhone. Another feature aims to reduce the risk of myopia by utilizing the ambient light sensor to display Time in Daylight, which is also visible in the Health app.

Compatible Devices

The watchOS 10 update will be compatible with all Apple Watch models that were able to run watchOS 9, as confirmed by Apple's ‌watchOS 10‌ preview site.

The update will support the following Apple Watch models:

• Apple Watch Series 4
• Apple Watch Series 5
• Apple Watch SE (all models)
• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Ultra

However, Apple cautions that not all features will be available on every device. Some more demanding functions may be limited to newer Apple Watch models equipped with advanced processors.

To use ‌watchOS 10‌, users will also need an iPhone capable of running iOS 17. This includes the ‌iPhone‌ XS or later, as well as the ‌iPhone XR or later.

tvOS 17

Apple has unveiled tvOS 17, which introduces several new features to the Apple TV 4K. The update includes the addition of FaceTime, a new Control Center, and the ability to use an iPhone to locate a misplaced Siri Remote.

The tvOS 17 developer beta is available for Apple Developer Program members, and a public beta program will launch next month for Apple TV users.

Control Center

The Control Center now displays system status and expands with personalized activity details. Users can launch the Apple TV remote within Control Center on their iPhone to find their Siri Remote by following an onscreen guide.

FaceTime Calls Support

Apple TV 4K users can now enjoy FaceTime calls directly on their Apple TV, initiate calls from their iPhone or iPad and hand them off to Apple TV. FaceTime on Apple TV utilizes Continuity Camera support, allowing wireless connection to an iPhone or iPad's camera and microphone for group video calls. Center Stage keeps participants onscreen even as they move around, and new gesture-based reactions add onscreen effects.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing apps such as Webex by Cisco and Zoom will also be available on tvOS later this year. Additionally, Apple Music Sing will integrate Continuity Camera for onscreen performance enhancements.

Other Features

Enhancements to screen savers include curated Memories from personal and shared libraries, as well as new aerial locations like Monument Valley and coastal redwoods.

Other features in tvOS 17 include Enhance Dialogue for clearer audio, Dolby Vision 8.1 support, Apple Fitness+ enhancements, third-party VPN support, and more.

Price of Everything Announced at the WWDC 2023

Here’s a breakdown of prices of all products that debuted at the WWDC 2023:

Product	Price
Apple Vision Pro headset	Starting at $3,499
15-inch MacBook Air	Starting at $1,299 ($1,199 for education customers)
Mac Pro with M2 Ultra chip	Starting at $6,999
Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips	Starting at $1,999 (M2 Max), Starting at $3,999 (M2 Ultra)
70W Power Adapter	$59
iOS 17 (software update)	Free
iPadOS 17 (software update)	Free
macOS Sonoma (software update)	Free
watchOS 10 (software update)	Free
tvOS 17 (software update)	Free

Conclusion

Apple's WWDC 2023 keynote event brought a range of exciting announcements and updates across various product lines. The unveiling of the groundbreaking Vision Pro headset and visionOS showcased Apple's commitment to pushing the boundaries of mixed reality technology. The new 15-inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio models powered by the advanced M2 Ultra chip demonstrated Apple's continued focus on delivering exceptional performance and design in their computing devices.

The introduction of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17 showcased Apple's dedication to enhancing user experiences and expanding functionality across their software platforms. With a comprehensive recap of all the announcements, Apple enthusiasts can now eagerly anticipate the release of these innovative products and software updates.