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Home > Smart Living> Innovation > Apple WWDC highlights: A bigger Macbook Air and other key announcements

Apple WWDC highlights: A bigger Macbook Air and other key announcements

From a bigger Macbook Air to a new M2 chip, here is a look at some interesting announcements from Apple WWDC 2023

Apple has announced new gadgets and features at WWDC 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP)
Apple has announced new gadgets and features at WWDC 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP)

The competition between the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Apple has kept all these giants on their toes when it comes to launching new gadgets or venturing into dynamic spaces like artificial intelligence (AI). So, it’s not surprising that their annual conferences are also back-to-back, geared with new launches and updates. After Google I/O and Microsoft Build conferences made news in May, Apple has made a splash this month at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

The five-day-long Apple WWDC 2023 kicked off on 5 June in Cupertino, California with CEO Tim Cook delivering the keynote address. This was followed by Apple Design Awards, sessions, labs, and activities for designers, developers, and other experts.

Also read: Apple WWDC highlights: what is the new Vision Pro headset?

The first day of the event came with exciting announcements including the much talked about Vision Pro AR headset, which Apple is calling a revolutionary spatial computer that smoothly brings together digital content with the physical world, enabling users to stay present and connected to others. Here's a look at some of the other key announcements made till now.

A bigger Macbook Air

Apple has launched a new 15-inch Macbook Air which is supercharged by the M2 chip and promises up to 18 hours of battery life. According to Apple, this is made with a durable 100% recycled aluminium enclosure and has a fanless design to help people focus during work. It comes in four colours: starlight, midnight, space grey, and silver.

Apple says that compared to a PC laptop with an Intel Core i7 processor, MacBook Air delivers up to 2x faster performance, is up to 50% faster web browsing, and has about 50% longer battery life. Moreover, its Liquid Retina display supports 1 billion colours and up to 2x the resolution of comparable PC laptops.

It also sports a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and an immersive sound system with spatial audio along with Dolby Atmos, according to Apple website. The Touch ID brings in an easy and secure way to log in and the backlit keyboard comes with full-height function keys.

M2 Ultra chip

Apple also announced M2 Ultra, its most-powerful processor so far. The chip comes to its desktop computers Mac Pro and Mac Studio. M2 Ultra combines the power of two of Apple's largest M2 chips and features a 24-core central processing unit and performs 20% faster than M1 Ultra. It has up to 192GB of unified memory and 800GB/s memory bandwidth.

According to the company, the M2 Ultra can support up to 22 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video playback, which is first among personal computers. M2 Ultra along with M2 Max is built in the new Mac Studio, which Apple calls the ‘true powerhouse’.

The new Apple 15-inch Macbook Air is displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 05, 2023 in Cupertino, California.
The new Apple 15-inch Macbook Air is displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 05, 2023 in Cupertino, California. (Getty Images via AFP)

macOS Sonoma

Apple unveiled macOS Sonoma, the latest version of its desktop operating system. Sonoma comes with slow-motion screen savers for aesthetic display, according to Apple’s official website. Users can also add their iPhone widgets to their desktops without installing the corresponding apps on the Mac. When you open an app, the widgets fade into the background to help users focus on the task.

It also comes with a new Presenter Overlay that enables you to stay on the screen while sharing your screen. There are two overlays: large and small. The former keeps you in the spotlight and frames the screen next to you. You can also seamlessly share an app or multiple apps on a video call, from the window you are in, according to Apple.

iPadOS with interactive widgets

The new iPad OS 17 comes with new levels of personalization and custom Lock Screens and interactive widgets. You can now personalize your lock screen by creating a custom look and there is also an all-new motion effect for Live Photos to make your Lock Screen more dynamic. The Live Activities features can help you keep track of things happening in real time such as a food order, a score, and more.

With interactive widgets, you can play music, turn off lights and more through a widget. The iPadOS also lets you record a video or audio message when someone misses your FaceTime call.

Bringing FaceTime to Apple TV

FaceTime is coming to Apple TV. Apple has announced that as part of an upcoming tvOS 17 update, a new FaceTime app will be made available for users who can use their iPhone or iPad camera to bring video calls to their big-screen TV, according to a report by The Verge. For this, Apple is making use of its Continuity Camera which lets users use the cameras on their iPhone as a webcam on their computer.

Using the Continuity Camera, users can launch the FaceTime app on Apple TV, which will wirelessly connect to their iPhone or iPad. Users will also be able to pick up a call on their iPhone and transfer it to their Apple TV.

Also read: Explained: Apple Music Classical is now available to Android users

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