By now you would have probably heard about Apple WWDC 2022 and the exciting announcements for their line of Apple products. For the uninitiated, WWDC is Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference which is held annually to announce upcoming major software updates to all its platforms and sometimes preview new devices set to launch in the later half of the year.
In case you might have missed the announcements this year, here are 4 key announcements that you should note.
#1 iOS 16
One of the most exciting things to look out for at WWDC every year is the iOS update to the iPhones. This year, Apple gave a sneak peek at iOS 16 which will be available in the later half of this year. Just like the big iOS 15 updates of last year with the customisation of your home screen, iOS 16 is set to bring you the ability to personalise your lock screen.
Using a new multilayered effect, the subjects of your photo will now be artfully set in front of the time on the lock screen, creating a sense of depth. You can also change the look of the date and time to expressive type styles and colour choices of your preference.
The lock screen features widgets as well, taking inspiration from the Apple Watch, to make it easy to get information at a glance. This would include upcoming calendar events, the weather, battery levels, alarms, and activity ring progress. The updated lock screen also includes a new lock screen gallery that features multiple lock screens which you can switch as you like with just a swipe. Notifications have been redesigned to roll up from the bottom too, ensuring that you have a clear view of your personalised lock screen
Additional key features that will come with the iOS 16 include:
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📱 Messages: You can now edit or recall recently sent messages, recover recently deleted messages, and mark conversations as unread. You can even use SharePlay to enjoy synced content like movies or songs and shared playback controls while chatting in Messages.
📱 Mail: Schedule emails ahead of time or cancel delivery of a message before it reaches a recipient’s inbox. The updated Mail will also be able to detect if you forgot to include an important part of your message, such as an attachment, and give you the option to resurface an email at any date and time with Remind Later. Mail will include a major overhaul to search which uses state-of-the-art techniques to deliver more accurate results letting you see recent emails, contacts, documents, and links the moment you begin to search your emails.
📱 Live Text and Visual Look Up Enhancements: Live Text will now be available to use on video where you can pause a video on any frame to interact with the text, and you can quickly translate or convert currency. Visual Look Up adds a new feature that will allow you to tap and hold a subject of an image to lift it from the background and place it in apps like Messages.
To learn more about the features of iOS 16, click HERE.
#2 iPadOS 16
The iPadOS 16 will provide a major update that will make the iPad experience even more versatile. Tapping on the power of the M1 chip, Stage Manager brings a new way to multitask that automatically organises apps and windows, making it easy to switch between tasks. For the first time on the iPad, you will be able to create overlapping windows of different sizes in a single view, drag and drop windows from the side, or open apps from the Dock to create groups of apps for more flexible multi-tasking.
Collaboration is also made easier with new ways to work with others in apps across Apple products using Messages, and the new Freeform app which provides a flexible canvas for all to create, edit and share. New smart tools in Mail similar to that of the iOS 16 will help you to stay productive while the addition of shared Tab Groups in Safari will let you browse the web with others. For those who own an iPad Pro, you can expect to turn your iPad into an even more powerful mobile studio with the new features Reference Mode and Display Zoom.
To learn more about the features of iPadOS 16, click HERE.
#3 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
Following the introduction of the M1 chip MacBooks last year, Apple will be launching a completely redesigned MacBook Air and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro that are both powered by the new M2 chip.
The MacBook Air will feature an all-new durable and thin design with a larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a four-speaker sound system, MagSafe charging, and up to 18 hours of battery life. Powered by the M2, the new MacBook Air will be able to take on intensive workloads like editing in Final Cut Pro and perform nearly 40% faster than the previous generation.
The updated 13-inch MacBook Pro, dubbed Apple’s most portable pro notebook, will get even more capabilities with the M2 chip which include:
💻 A faster 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU which provide a fast user experience that can take on graphics-intensive games and demanding editing work
💻 Supports up to 24GB of unified memory for seamless multi-tasking and working
💻 Support for ProRes encode and decode in the media engine of M2 where you can play back up to 11 streams of 4K and up to two streams of 8K ProRes videos
💻 Longer battery life with up to 20 hours of video playback
The MacBook Air with M2 is priced from $1,699 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 is priced from $1,879. Both models will be available from next month onwards but you can still pre-order them HERE. To learn more about the MacBook Air with M2 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2, click HERE.
All images courtesy of Apple.
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