Apple’s big WWDC keynote address has just taken place, and it was full of new announcements including the AR/VR Vision Pro headset. Read on for all the big announcements.
Out of everything Apple announced at WWDC 2023, the Vision Pro headset was the headline release. This is one of the first big new product categories introduced since the Apple Watch in 2015 and it’s going to be massive for Apple over the next few years.
Let’s get some of the big details out of the way first. Vision Pro will cost $3499 and ship, in the USA, early next year. Further release dates will be announced later. It runs Vision OS, has 3D camera onboard and is powered by both the M2 chip and the R1 chip.
Apple also introduced a 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip, a couple of new Mac Studio models and the first Apple Silicon Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip.
Elsewhere, we got all the big software updates we expected. iOS 17, coming later this year, has a new Standby Mode that displays widgets and a big, much more visible clock when the phone is charging and there’s a brand-new Journaling app too. watchOS 10 gets a big redesign with widgets, while the iPad gets Live Activities and the Health app.
The iPad has also, finally, got the same lock screen improvements we saw in iOS 16 for the iPhone widgets on the home screen on the home screen can be interacted with.
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No UK release date confirmed for launch, which is surprising. And 'Early Next Year' seems further away than many were expecting. I guess it will give devs lots of time to build those apps.
Price: $3499 and it's available early next year. Looks like it'll launch in the US first, with more countries coming later.
A quick look at the external battery pack that will give you two hours of juice
Like Face ID, Optic ID will scan your eye to authenticate you when you put the Vision Pro on. It works with Apple Pay and App Store purchases, too.
Unity-based games can use Vision Pro features too and these will sit alongside other VisionOS apps in a new App Store.
We're onto apps now. Microsoft Office and Zoom are coming! Apps can also be made with XCode. iPad and iOS apps will also work here.
VisionOS – that's the software that will power the Vision Pro
The Vision Pro will be powered by an M2 chip and a new R1 chip. Apple says R1 virtually eliminates lag and this seems to power that sensors, microphones and cameras.
Micro OLED. 23 million pixels. More pixels than a 4K TV for each eye. Custom three-element lens.
It looks like the battery life will be 2 hours when plugged into an external battery pack
There's a mixture of glass and soft materials in the design and it includes some Zeiss-designed optical inserts for those who wear glasses.
Now we're onto the design. Vision Pro does look sleek. It uses lightweight materials, while the front is polished 3D glass. There's a Digital Crown - or something very similar – that'll take you back home.
Disney Plus will be available on Vision Pro on Day 1 (whenever that might be)
Baby Yoda! American Sports! Multiple Sports at once! Ok, this demo actually looks pretty cool. Disney looks to be a big part of the Vision Pro experience.
Now we've got Disney's Bob Iger on stage - likely to say more about 3D content on the Vision Pro.
You can watch 3D films on the Vision Pro – Apple is showing a demo of Avatar currently. And then onto some dinosaur footage. You can also play Apple Arcade games on the headset. Whether there are dedicated VR games remains to be seen.
Now Apple is showcasing the 3D camera – this looks pretty cool. You can capture 3D images with the headset.
And another...
Here's another angle
Here's what the Vision Pro looks like!
Next, Apple is showcasing how the headset works with a Mac. You can use your MacBook and the Vision Pro at the same time, working in the office with spreadsheets.
Apps: Apple is now showcasing some apps, including Notes (yay, can't wait to use that in my VR headset), Messages, Photos and more. Everything is synced with your other Apple devices, naturally.
The headset doesn't have any controllers and it looks rather unique, with a see-through portion covering your eyes. There looks to be a single cable coming out of the back.
Vision Pro has a 3D UI you navigate with your eyes, voice and hands. The software looks a little like TvOS and there are apps! Of course, there are apps. Apps can stay small or fully integrate into your space.
Apple Vision Pro is here. Spatial Audio, immersive software. Apple is calling it Spatial Computing!
And, it's time for One More Thing.....THE HEADSET IS HERE!
Dates: Developers can get their hands on all this software now, while there will be public betas in July and a full release in Autumn.
watchOS 10 looks...pretty great! Especially for cyclists and hikers. I do love the new look though, especially the focus on widgets.
Next, the Apple Watch can now tell you how long you've spent in daylight per day. There's also a clever trick that'll let you know if your iPhone-toting kids are holding their phones too close to their eyes.
On to Health now.
First, mental health.
In watchOS 10, you'll be able to log emotions and your daily mood in a discrete way. You can use the Crown to flip through options and there looks to be many ways to describe your feelings.
Some Apple Watch Ultra features now: Contour lines in Maps, points of interest and Workout APIs.
Cycling! In watchOS 10, cyclists can now connect to Bluetooth bike sensors to get more information on their ride. A paired iPhone can now highlight live cycling workouts using the Live Display. That should make it a pretty tasty cycling computer!
Snoopy faces are coming in watchOS 10 too. Apparently, the characters can interact with the weather!
WatchOS 10 looks completely different. With much more of a focus on widgets and being ale to easily get to information without diving into apps. This looks great!
There are widgets too, finally!
Hello Hello, now it's time for watchOS 10. Looks like it'll be a big update, with app redesigns and a new way of interacting with the wearable.
FaceTime on my TV? No thanks - no one need to see me bingewatching TV.
Apple TV just keeps getting better, but I just wish it wasn't so expensive. It'd be great if Apple offered a cheaper streaming stick like Roku and Amazon.
Also, for anyone who missed the dizzying amount of MacOS tidbits, here are the key bits!
Adaptive Audio is such a great feature - it definitely should have been there at launch but at least it's a nice addition for anyone who's already invested, and it just makes the new AirPods Pro 2 an even better buy.
There are too many updates, slow down Apple!
Okay, Presenter Overlay looks pretty cool. Did Apple just put Zoom to shame?
Death Stranding looks great on Mac but just like the Resident Evil Village portion during last year's WWDC, Apple still has a larger gaming problem to tackle that can't really be fixed with the odd nod to a big game.
Yes! Hideo Kojima at every Apple event please!
Again, widgets on MacOS is such a home-run that you have to wonder why it wasn't introduced sooner.
Okay, I might end up buying a Mac just so I can make use of those new screensavers. Yes, I'm that easily swayed.
I keep forgetting that you can hook up an iPad Pro and use stage manager on the Pro Display. At this point, I think I just need to convince myself to drop a load of money on an iPad Pro.
Apple announcing that Health is coming to iPad is how I found out that Health was already available on iPad. How on earth did it take this long for the app to make the jump?
The new lockscreens on iPhone looked great but they arguably look even better on iPad with all that added screen space.
Having widget interaction on iPadOS is a great idea, but why on earth is this not also coming to iPhone? Widgets are one of the best things about iPhone, so it feels a bit odd not to add this functionality there too.
Finally, I can now yell at Siri without having to add the 'hey' at the start.
Journal might be incredibly niche, but I actually don't mind the look of it. I can see myself using it more over notes just for the fact that the UI looks a lot more pleasing to the eye.
Hmm... will anyone be tempted over from Google Keyboard though?
I think Apple just made the business card obselete with Name Drop...
To Apple's credit, the new Check In feature on iMessage actually looks pretty good.
I do find it funny when Apple goes deep into iMessage updates. I don't know a single person in the UK who isn't just using WhatsApp.
Good grief, Apple finally nabbed one of the best features from the Google Pixel, this time repackaged as Live Voicemail. This will let you screen calls as they come in so you can more quickly identify scam calls.
Is anyone else confused as to who these iPhone posters are for?
The long-awaited Mac Pro update is here! Don't reach for that wallet just yet though - it starts at $1699. Yes, you read that right.
Okay, looks like the Mac Studio is getting a big update next - moving over to the M2 Max. That's not all though, Apple's also introduced the new M2 Ultra which is just about faster in everyway than the standard M2 Max.
Definitely like the look of the new 15-inch MacBook Air, but does anyone miss the 11-inch model? I'd love to see that make a comeback and usher in a new age of mini-laptops.
It's Mac time! Right out of the gate, it's a big shake up for Apple MacBooks with the announcement of the 15-inch MacBook Air!
IT'S STARTING!!!!!!
Last chance to get your predictions in, do we reckon a surprise announcement is in the works for one of the established devices? Maybe a new HomePod Mini?
How to watch WWDC live as it happens?
While we'll be bringing you all the news right here, you can stream the show live in multiple places, including YouTube and Apple's site. Here are all the details...
What did Apple launch at WWDC 2022?
As we approach the start of WWDC 2023, now seems a good time to remind ourselves what Apple launched 12 months ago. While we've detailed all the news in this article, the TLDR is as this...
I hope Apple fixes this glaring software omission with iPadOS 17
We’re mere hours away from Apple’s first major event of 2023 and all signs point to next week’s WWDC being an event that will go down in Apple folklore.
Not only have there been suggestions it could be a seriously long event, but WWDC 23 is set to see a whole new product category announced – a rare occurrence for Apple.
If the rumours are to be believed, the highlight of Monday’s event will be the reveal of Apple’s first AR/VR headset and all the software that’ll be launched alongside it. WWDC is predominantly a developer-focussed event (it is called the Worldwide Developers Conference, after all) so we’ll likely see some initial looks at what types of apps and games will run on the headset when it launches.
We’ve covered the headset extensively and there are many people in the Trusted Reviews’ office that are giddy about the reveal – however, I’ll have my eyes firmly placed elsewhere on Monday night.
Read More: I hope Apple fixes this glaring software omission with iPadOS 17
WWDC is often a great opportunity for Apple to show off some of the latest iterations of its operating system for various devices.
Reports suggest iOS 17 will be shown off, with updates to the Apple Music app and a new application to be used with the Reality Pro headset. We’ve even heard rumours that Siri will be able to replicate your voice.
We’re also expecting to see new operating system updates for iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and more.
Could we see new Macs tonight?
There have been rumours about a new 15-inch MacBook Air for several months now, so we’re hoping that Apple could finally confirm it tonight. The MacBook Air is not only expected to have a larger screen, but could also be available with both the M2 and M2 Pro, depending on your chosen configuration.
A new iMac powered by the M2 chip isn’t out of the question either, while a Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra has been tipped for a 2023 release too.
A new Mac Pro with Apple Silicon has been rumoured for numerous years now, and yet it still hasn’t shown up. Could today be the day that Apple finally updates its super-powerful desktop? We’ll have to wait and see.
Apple has been teasing the launch of a mixed-reality headset for a long time, but it looks like we’ll finally be able to get a first look at the device today.
While a name hasn’t been confirmed, various reports suggest Apple could name it the Reality Pro headset, which could run on a new operating system called xrOS.
Whatever the name is confirmed as, the headset looks to be able to run both virtual reality and augmented reality applications, with the latter combining virtual worlds with your real-life surroundings. Apple is expected to show off new software for the headset too, as it looks to challenge the likes of the Meta Quest Pro and Vive XR Elite.
The day is here – Apple's WWDC 2023 Keynote is tonight and we're covering all the big news as it happens.
Will we be getting the hyped Reality Pro headset? A larger MacBook Air? A Mac Pro or Mac Studio? The M3 chip? All will be revealed in a few hours...
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.