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Apple Loads WWDC 2023 with Vision Pro Headset, Lighter MacBook

It took four of gizmodo.com’s writers to report all of the goodies that Apple released to the public on Monday. At the Apple WWDC 2023 convention, new items included the Vision Pro and updates to some of Apple’s main products like the Watch OS 10 and MacBook Air.

In the more than two-hour-long WWDC 2023 keynote address Apple streamed live, CEO Tim Cook introduced the $3,499 Vision Pro headset, along with new features on old products.

The Biggest First: Vision Pro

Even while it appears that Meta has cooled somewhat on getting all of us into the Metaverse, Apple is pressing forward with Vision Pro—a mixed-media headset to use for, well, everything.

The Apple “Vision Pro” headset is a slimmed-down headset device meant to facilitate both virtual reality and augmented reality. It will retail for $3499 starting “early next year,” per Apple’s live stream.

“In the same way Mac introduced us to personal computing and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing,” Tim Cook said Monday.

According to gizmodo.com, Vision Pro is supposed to act like a “wearable MacBook with all the apps and fixings users have come to expect.” The headset operates with home, life, and workplace apps—all controlled by the user’s eyes, including Messages, Books, Cameras, FaceTime, Mail, Music, and Safari. The Vision Pro headset includes several passthrough cameras on its exterior designed to allow for a full AR experience, including hand tracking.

Smaller MacBook

During WWDC, Apple showed off several new MacBook models that look to plug gaps in its current lineup, including a 15-inch MacBook Air.

Putting its M2 chip in a lighter body, Apple execs boasted of a 6-speaker sound system and 18-hour battery life. Half a pound lighter than its 13-inch predecessor at 3.3 pounds, the new MacBook is 40% thinner, at 11.5 millimeters. It includes two thunderbolt ports and comes in four colors, including black, slate, light gray and silver. Apple claims it runs silently.

The latest version of Air will only see a slight price increase. The well-loved older edition now costs $1,099, the new Air will be around $1,299.

The Mac Studio

Apple is bumping up its desktop computer. Mac Studio is getting a significant update with the company’s more-powerful M2 processors. The Mac Studio now optionally sports the M2 Max and Ultra silicon. The Max version includes a 12-core CPU with options for up to a 38-core GPU and up to 96GB of memory. Apple is promising it will be 50 percent faster than last year’s iteration that ran on the M1 Ultra. Meanwhile, the Studio with the M2 Ultra includes a 24-core CPU, an up-to 76-core GPU, and 192GB of memory with 800GB/s of bandwidth.

The new Studio includes connection up to 8K resolution with 240Hz frame rates.

iOS 17

Even though Apple sold $191 billion worth of iPhones last year, they still saw room for some major changes.

Apple is improving how you use the iPhone as a communication tool, including letting you monitor voicemail messages as they’re being recorded. With several new features that you may want to consider when shopping for your next phone. Some new additions include:

Personalized Phone app Contacts 

You will send a personalized picture or emoji instead of your name and number appearing on the phone you are calling.

FaceTime video voicemails & live voicemail transcription
With iOS 17, FaceTime users will be able to leave a custom video message for the person they’re calling that can be watched at any time after the fact.

Similarly, if you ignore a call and the person decides to leave a voicemail, you’ll be able to see a live text transcription of what they’re saying, with the option to answer the call after all if it seems especially important. It’s a feature Android has had for years.

“Check In” in iMessage
A new feature in iMessage allows information about your progress to be shared with specific contacts, and if a user is “not making progress toward their destination,” those contacts will get details about the iPhone’s location, its battery level, and its connectivity, all end-to-end encrypted for privacy.

Everything from the new way to use Apple maps to an improvement to the Apple autocorrect to the Watch OS 10  has loyal Apple fans upbeat about the unveiling of the latest ideas from the $2.83 trillion company.

read more at gizmodo.com