Apple’s WWDC 2022 showcases exciting tech innovations in the offing
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2022 showcased a number of its next versions, from the latest version of Apple’s flagship iPhone operating system, iOS 16, and its latest chip, the M2, to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13.
WWDC is an annual event where the company shows off the next versions of its operating systems and occasionally notable new hardware to run them on. Normally held in the San Jose Convention Centre in California, WWDC 2022 is being held online due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Here’s what is in the offing in the near future for Apple fans:
iOS 16, the latest version
The latest version of the iPhone’s operating system focuses on customization, according to CNET. That includes an updated lock screen with selectable fonts and colours, Apple Watch-style widgets and rotating photos. Notifications will also roll in from the bottom of the screen to keep them from obscuring your photo, and live activities like music playback can expand to fill the lock screen.
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Messages will allow editing, undoing sends and marking messages unread. SharePlay is improved for easier sharing within FaceTime and Messages. Live Text (Apple’s answer to Google Lens) expands to video, letting you pause on any frame and interact or grab text from the video.
Apple says it will be able to smartly extract images from a background and automatically paste them into apps like Messages. Apple TV Plus gets Family Sharing for up to five members, with parental controls for apps, movies, books and music.
On the privacy front, iOS 16 introduces Safety Check, which can help you quickly revoke access for someone threatening you, sign out of iCloud on all devices and limit Messages to a single, in-hand device.
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13
Apple has redesigned the Air, and it’s with the M2 chip in mind. It’s still an aluminium unibody, but now it’s uniformly thin at 11mm and weighs 2.7 pounds. It has two Thunderbolt ports available, and it retains an audio jack. It finally gets an upgrade to a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display. A 1080p webcam brings it up to parity with its siblings, along with a quad-speaker system and three-mic array.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro also gets the M2 chip, with better performance thanks to an active cooling system. It hasn’t been redesigned, though.
The MacBook Air starts at $1,199 and the MacBook Pro at $1,299. They both start shipping next month, and both offer a $100 discount for students and educators.
MacOS Ventura
Window management with grouping improves in Stage Manager, which also includes drag-and-drop multitasking. Better Spotlight searching incorporates sports and web image search, full-window search results and more detailed info on music and movies.
Search within Mail adds instant suggestions and synonyms, also on mobile. Touch ID and Face ID come to Safari for logging into sites. Also on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, naturally.
Improvements in its Metal graphics API include MetalFX upscaling for faster game rendering and added API for faster loading of game assets. Resident Evil Village and No Man’s Sky are getting ported to the Mac for the first time; Resident Evil Village is coming later this year.
WatchOS 9
New watch faces are on the way, including more diverse calendars, the ability to pin apps at the top of the dock, new banner notifications and support for Podcasts for kids with parental controls.
For working out, WatchOS 9 gets a lot more detailed about running metrics — for instance, tracking how you move up or down to track your form. A new multisport workout can switch between swimming, cycling and running for the appropriate workout and tracking data.
Sleep Stages uses the accelerometer and heart-rate sensor to track what sleep states you’re in and time them.
iPadOS 16
The iPad gets the same updates as iOS 16 as well as a new Weather app. In-OS collaboration allows shared document editing and tab groups, launchable from FaceTime, with update notifications via Messages.
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Like Ventura, iPadOS gets the new Metal API update for gaming, plus background downloading. Game Center adds Activity rivers, and SharePlay, coming later this year, will allow group play.
On M1-based iPads, you’ll be able to increase the display’s pixel density to fit more on the screen and use virtual memory.
CarPlay
Apple’s phone beaming technology, CarPlay, allows users to beam the interface and software of the iPhone on the car infotainment system. Apple wasn’t clear if this new interface would work when the iPhone is hooked up to a car either via USB cable or wirelessly.
Apple though did say that the iPhone connects with the car to share data in a privacy friendly way. Apple’s insinuation of the feature coming with limited models of automotive biggies like Mercedes, Honda, Acura, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, Polestar, Nissan, Renault, Lincoln and Ford indicates this is more like an OS that is embedded in the car.
