I want to wait until google releases their AR headset to see how well it competes with the vision pro. But by the looks of it, meta got punched brutally in the face by apple.

To me personally, 99% of the stuff announced (excluding Apple Vision Pro) was neat, but not exactly a big deal. Not every update needs to be, but I was hoping for a more substantial upgrade to Siri and a home screen change like allowing free icon placement.

On the topic of Apple Vision Pro, they nailed the whole idea of AR and defining the separation between virtual and reality. However, it seems like it’s going to be restricted similarly to an iPad where it has this amazing hardware, but it isn’t fully utilized. It still requires a Mac for stuff like Xcode, right?

Announcements / things of note:

New Products

• New 15" M2 MacBook Air

• M2 Ultra Chip announced

• M2 Max and M2 Ultra Mac Studio

• Mac Pro with Apple Silicone (inc. M2 Ultra)

• iOS 17

• iPadOS 17

• WatchOS 10

• macOS Sonoma

• AirPods update

Phone and FaceTime

• Phone, FaceTime, and Messages app updates
• Contact posters (Photo and text customization for Caller ID)
• Live Voicemail (View live transcription of voicemails before answering the call)
• Leave messages for someone when they’re unavailable on FaceTime

Messages

• Messages: Search filters, “catch-up”, Swipe-to-Reply, Voice message live transcription, Inline location tracking
• Messages - Check In: Safety app, automatically notifies someone if you don’t arrive home on-time
• STICKERS and Live (Video) Stickers

AirDrop

• NameDrop (NFC share contact info)
• AirDrop can now be sent over the internet
• AirDrop SharePlay - Bring phone together to share the same game, music, or other app

Dictation / Auto-correct

• Auto-correction uses on-board ML model
• Inline prediction finishing words and sentences
• Dictation: New neural engine ML model

Journal App

• Using onboard ML to suggest topics for writing
• Personalized and reflection-based suggestions
• Suggestions API for third-party

Standby

• Turn iPhone sideways while charging
• Shows basic information while charging using the always-on display
• Show clock, photos, calendar, and other widgets
• Red font color for

iOS Other

• “Siri” instead of “Hey, Siri”
• Offline maps
• People and pets album in Photos
• Find My Item sharing

iPadOS

• Widgets and lockscreen update
• Interactive widgets (First and third-party)
• Personalized lockscreen
• Live photos on lockscreen have animation effects
• Lockscreen widgets
• Live activities on iPad
• Multiple timers (finally!)
• Health app
• ML to help autofill PDF forms

macOS Sonoma

• New animated screensavers, image stops when logged in
• Widgets on desktop
• “Game mode” prioritizes games on CPU and GPU
• More games coming to Mac
• Video conferencing with live overlay
• Web apps on Mac

Safari updates

• Private mode locks the window, blocks trackers, and removes URL trackers
• Share Passkeys
• Profiles to separate school, work, and home

AirPods

• Adaptive audio (Blends transparency and noise cancelling)
• ML for volume control
• Conversation awareness will focus on voices, dip music, and block background noises
• Proactively reduces noise around you
• Press AirPods to mute
• Improved automatic switching

AirPlay

• On-device ML to show AirPlay devices based on preferences and habits
• AirPlay in Hotels (WiFi and AirPlay automatically shared)

Apple Music / CarPlay

• SharePlay to CarPlay
• Anyone in the car can control audio

tvOS 17

• New command center
• Find My for Siri Remote
• FaceTime for Apple TV using continuity camera
• FaceTime SharePlay for Apple TV

WatchOS 10

• Quick access to widgets
• Smart stack based on on-device ML
• Redesign of several first-party apps
• Reactive Snoopy watch face
• New Workout APIs

Cycling on Apple Watch

• Connect to Bluetooth sensors
• Estimate “FTP” (Functional Threshold Power)
• Fitness zones
• Cycling workouts show up as live activity on iPhone

Hiking

• Compass will generate waypoints (Cell connection waypoint, SOS emergency call)
• Elevation view on compass
• Maps with topographical data and points of interest
• Review trail info before starting

Mental health

• Mental health logging in Mindfulness / Health app
• Describe feelings and view insights
• Take standardized assessments in Health app and view risks for depression

Vision health

• Time in daylight measured using light sensor
• Screen distance using TrueDepth

Apple Vision Pro

• Starts at $3,499
• visionOS
• AR / VR headset with M2 and R1
• Use eyes and hands to control headset
• 23 million pixels per eye, 4K resolution
• Ambient spacial audio, using audio raytracing
• 12ms latency
• Optic ID
• Environments in the background
• Siri and Dictation
• EyeSight: Eyes visible on the outside of the headset
• Creates a virtual representation of your face for FaceTime calls
• View 3D objects
• Works with Bluetooth accessories
• Mac in Vision Pro
• Photo moments
• Spatial photos: Capture 3D video
• 2D and 3D movies
• Apple Arcade
• Disney+ and themed interactive experiences

I suspect the ‘tab completion but with spacebar’ is gonna get in my way more than help. I hope I can turn it off.

@crashdoom very exciting stuff

Here’s a breakdown of all of the announcements and things of note at the Apple WWDC 2023 conference: https://pawb.social/comment/5520.