Cupertino (California): The iPhone maker announced a plethora of devices and software updates at its flagship developer event but the star attraction was Reality Pro — a super-premium $3,499 AR headset or a spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world.
Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) 2023 here with unveiling the 15-inch MacBook Air, with an expansive 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, M2 chip and up to 18 hours of battery life.
The MacBook Air with M2 is available to order and will reach customers from June 13.
The 15-inch MacBook Air with M2, available in midnight, starlight, silver, and space gray, starts at Rs 134,900 and Rs 124,900 for education.
The company also introduced the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro, the two most powerful Macs ever made.
Mac Studio starts at Rs 209,900 and Rs 188,900 for students.
Available in both tower and rack-mounted enclosures, Mac Pro (Tower Enclosure) starts at Rs 729,900 and Rs 687,900 for students.
Mac Studio features M2 Max and the new M2 Ultra, delivering a huge boost in performance and enhanced connectivity in its stunningly compact design.
Mac Studio is up to 6x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac 1 and up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Mac Studio with M1 Ultra.
Mac Pro, now featuring M2 Ultra, combines the unprecedented performance of Apple’s most powerful chip with the versatility of PCIe expansion.
Mac Pro is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Intel-based model.
Featuring up to 192GB of unified memory, Mac Studio with M2 Ultra and Mac Pro have far more memory than the most advanced workstation graphics cards, taking on demanding workloads other systems can’t even process, said Apple.
Calling it historic and marking the beginning of a new era for computing, Apple CEO Tim Cook then announced Vision Pro AR headset that introduces people to spatial computing.
Vision Pro introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by a user’s eyes, hands, and voice.
Featuring visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.
With two ultra-high-resolution displays, Apple Vision Pro can transform any space into a personal movie theater with a screen that feels 100 feet wide and an advanced Spatial Audio system, according to the company.
Apple Vision Pro also features EyeSight, that helps users stay connected with those around them.
When a person approaches someone wearing Vision Pro, the device feels transparent – letting the user see them while also displaying the user’s eyes.
When a user is immersed in an environment or using an app, EyeSight gives visual cues to others about what the user is focused on.
“These groundbreaking innovations are powered by Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design,” said Apple.
M2 delivers unparalleled standalone performance, while the brand-new R1 chip processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones to ensure that content feels like it is appearing right in front of the user’s eyes, in real time.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney+ will be available on the Vision Pro at launch.
Taking its silicon chip business to a new level, Apple introduced M2 Ultra, a new system on a chip (SoC) that supports up to a breakthrough 192GB of memory capacity, which is 50 per cent more than M1 Ultra.
M2 Ultra is built using a second-generation 5-nanometer process and uses Apple’s groundbreaking UltraFusion technology to connect the die of two M2 Max chips, doubling the performance.
M2 Ultra consists of 134 billion transistors — 20 billion more than M1 Ultra. It features 800GB of memory bandwidth — twice that of M2 Max.
On the software side, Apple announced iOS 17, a major release that upgrades the communications experience across Phone, FaceTime, and Messages; makes sharing even easier with AirDrop; and provides more intelligent input that improves the speed and accuracy of typing.
iOS 17 also introduces new experiences with Journal, an app that makes it easy for people to practice gratitude, and StandBy, a new way to view glanceable information when iPhone is set down and charging.
The Phone app is central to the iPhone experience, and it receives a big update with personalised Contact Posters, providing a new way for users to express themselves.
Live Voicemail gives users the ability to see real-time transcription as someone leaves a voicemail, and the opportunity to pick up while the caller is leaving their message.
FaceTime now supports audio and video messages so when users call someone who is not available, they can share a message that can be enjoyed later.
With iOS 17, AirDrop gets new ways to share. NameDrop allows users to easily share contact information by simply bringing their iPhones together, or by bringing an iPhone and Apple Watch together.
The company also announced a slew of features across iPadOS, tvOS and macOS.
iPadOS 17 brings new levels of personalisation and versatility to iPad, featuring a redesigned Lock Screen and interactive widgets; intelligent new features in PDFs and Notes; updates to Messages, FaceTime, and Safari; and the all-new Health app.
Apple previewed macOS Sonoma, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, bringing a rich set of features that elevate the Mac experience.
The company announced major updates to Safari Private Browsing, Communication Safety, and Lockdown Mode, as well as app privacy improvements.
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