Apple has announced a series of new products and features in its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Among the highlights were a new Mac Studio computer, an updated MacBook Air with a 15-inch screen, the silicon-powered MacPro workstation, and a new iPadOS 17. The M2 Ultra chip was unveiled as the most powerful Apple Silicon chip to date. Alongside the hardware releases, Apple introduced new software features including a journaling app, a namedrop feature for easy sharing of contact details, and a safety-focused “Check In” option for iPhone users.
The MacStudio, which is described as small yet powerful, has been updated with the silicon and features the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. The neural engine is 40% faster than its precursor and the video bandwidth has been increased, which means that users can connect an 8K display at a fast refresh rate.
Apple’s largest consumer laptop, the MacBook Air, has been updated with a 15-inch screen, weighing just three pounds and 11.5mm thin. With a battery life of 18 hours, it has six speakers and is touted as the thinnest 15-inch laptop to date.
The biggest announcement from the conference was probably the M2 Ultra chip, which is the most powerful Silicon chip yet and essentially comprises two M1 Max dies fused into a single package. It is built using 5nm technology and incorporating 134 billion transistors, and features 24 CPU cores, up to 76 GPU cores and a 32-core Neural Engine. The M2 Ultra supports up to 192 GB of unified memory, backed by 800GB/s of memory bandwidth.
Apple released a slew of new features as part of their software upgrades including namedrop, airdrop, journal app, standby, autocorrect and the elimination of “hey Siri”. The namedrop feature lets users easily share their phone numbers and photos with others. The journal app uses on-device machine learning to create personalized suggestions around users’ photos, activities, location and music. The standby feature for users’ nightstand displays enables them to see the time, alarm or personalise the display. Autocorrect on iOS 17 has been improved with an AI model that can better predict the next words and phrases users might use.
Apple also announced new features for their popular iPadOS, including improved widgets, customisable home screen, an improved notes app, and a new Health app. There is also a focus on mental health, as well as a better experience for users working with PDFs via the new Live Collaboration feature. MacOS 14 Sonoma adds interactive widgets, new overlay feature and game mode.
AirPods received an update to improve their user experience with the addition of the Adaptive Audio feature, which can blend active noise cancellation with transparency mode. The virtual reality offering, Apple’s Vision Pro AR headset, has a fully 3D interface controlled by users’ eyes, hands and face. Interestingly, it’s a work-first device that emphasises productivity rather than gaming, with users able to project a version of their Mac desktop in front of them.
In conclusion, Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote was an exciting event for Apple fans, with a range of new hardware and software updates announced. The M2 Ultra chip is a major step forward that, among other things, will provide more power to users, while the improvements to the MacBook Air and MacStudio have enhanced their functionality. The new software features have also been well received, with Namedrop, journal app, standby, and the autocorrect function attracting praise from users. The health and mental wellbeing focus will be welcomed by millions of users around the world. Overall, the Apple WWDC 2023 conference has lived up to its billing, providing users with a tantalising glimpse of the future of Apple products.
